Chevrolet Bolt EV Complaints (2023)

62 consumer complaints on file.

#11606996August 7, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:CHARGING:CABLE/CORD:ACCESSORY, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
See attached document for complaint
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11600123July 8, 2024
SEATS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was sitting in the passenger seat of my new 2023 Chevy Bolt EV while parked at a convenience station. The vehicle was on and not hooked up to a charger. I smelled something burning and quickly thereafter I saw smoke coming from under the driver side seat. The driver exited the vehicle and looked under the seat. The driver attempted to put out the fire with his hand and the carpeting under the seat. The fire got bigger. I ran to the closest extinguisher and pulled the pin to extinguish the fire. It was out for several seconds before re-igniting again. Another round of extinguisher foam was released and the fire was put out. I reported the damage to the dealership, the car manufacturer and my insurance company. I towed it to the dealership where it has been sitting since 6/1/24. Nothing further has been done since then. The dealership refuses to assess the vehicle and to date the manufacturer has not sent any inspectors to diagnose the reason of the fire. As A matter of fact my insurance company, the dealership and the manufacturer all advised me to get and pay for my own inspection from a 3rd party inspector which I am working on scheduling now.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11595897June 22, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
Twice now within three months while I was backing up as I was parking the car parallel to the curb, the car suddenly accelerated at a much faster pace and projected the car backwards. Luckily no property or individuals were hurt. It would appear that the accelerator or speed control failed at the lower speeds required when backing up to parallel park. I saw no warning lights on the dash however may have been looking back as I was parking. The dealer did not find any code to indicate a system failure. They suggested that we removed the after-market mats.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11593677June 11, 2024
AIR BAGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Electric pole broken onto the street and hit the car, cause severe damage to the front-left-corner on the Chevy Bolt EV 2023. The airbags did not deploy. Safety of the driver and infant was diminished greatly.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11583735April 18, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I had service on my vehicle and was told by Chevrolet Service Center that vehicle could not be released for safety reasons because my vehicle could not accept download installed in vehicle. After three weeks of certified Service Center and GM TACS engineers and techs communicating back and forth, I was told the originator of download offered the download does not work for Chevrolet Bolts EV. Questions remain: 1. What was in the download? Was it limited to 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV's or other years, models of Bolt EV's as well?? I have invoice to attach
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11581290April 5, 2024
EQUIPMENT
The GM portable charger has two pigtails for using either 120V Level 1 or 240V Level 2 charging. My complaint is that the GM charging unit will default to 120V Level1 charging without any fault/warning indication if one phase of the 240V circuit fails. I had a 240V dedicated service installed so that I could charge my EV at 240V Level 2 charging rates. The charging rate didn't seem to improve after plugging the charger into the 240V outlet, but I assumed that was due to current limitations of the GM portable charging unit. I happened to check the charging rate as displayed on the infotainment unit and discovered that I was actually charging at "120V Level 1" even though I was plugged into the 240V outlet. I discovered that a fuse had blown on one of the phases of the service and after analyzing my electric utility bills realized that the fuse must have blown immediately. I didn't check the fuses before because the charger light was on and I assumed everything was ok. I've uploaded some photos of the electrical fault. Being a new EV owner and naive to charging rates and levels, I was unaware of the issue. The pigtails for the GM portable charger should have an 'identifier' circuit that allows the charger to determine if the service connection matches the expected capabilities and provide some type of fault or warning indication.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11574601February 28, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
2023 Chevy bolt has a hand 'regenerative brake'. I was using it while driving in traffic. My speed was around 40 mph when the car in front of me abruptly stopped. The distance between us was approximately 30 ft. I immediately switched from hand brake to foot brake and the pedal felt soft and there was a delay in response to foot brake. I rear ended the vehicle in front of me causing damages to both vehicles. This had happened in August 2023. I called the manufacture to let them know what happened and they told that they will pass the information. I made a call to them in December of 2023. My vehicle was not inspected for this issue as I am not sure who can help me with this problem. There were no warning lights before the accident. Ever since the accident I have tested switching from 'hand brake' to foot brake and always feel a softer pedal and a slight delay in response. I believe this issue was a main factor for the accident as in my over 10 years of driving experience I have never had an accident before. I believe that the 'hand brake' is using electric motor while foot brake uses regular hydraulic system and they are not adjusted properly when are switched in between.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
3
Deaths:
0
#11566234January 18, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR BAGS
The contact rented a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH the driver depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle did not stop and crashed into the rear of a second vehicle. The contact indicated that during the crash the vehicle was low on electrical charge and was being operated in the "One Pedal" mode and the the air bags did not deploy. The rear passenger seated on the passenger side sustained an injured neck which did not require medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was driven away from the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The rental company was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11565904January 17, 2024
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Electronic drive unit fault, Auxilary transmission pump needs to be replaced. It’s a brand new vehicle and this is a very common problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11562910January 1, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Sudden rapid acceleration of car while parking vehicle on December 20, 2023 at approximately 2:00pm. The sudden rapid acceleration caused the vehicle to jump a curb and hit the base of the light pole damaging the right front of the car. Car was towed to the dealership and is currently there. If the car had not hit the base of the light pole, the car could have continued on into a driving lane possibly striking another car or pedestrian. To date , 12/31/23, the car has not been inspected to my knowledge. There was no warning lamps or messages. While reaching down to push the Park button, the engine, which is normally quiet, made a loud whirring noise and then lurched forward.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11558243December 3, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I have a 3 month old Chevy Bolt EV. I like this car. I rarely have any accidents. I am a safe driver. I was hit hard from behind driving while stopped. I was driving on a crowded freeway in Austin TX in stop and go traffic. This was a hard hit that broke the rear bumper and bent the rear frame of the car. The Chevy Bolt rear brake lights are only low on the bumper and not in the expected tail light location. There is a pattern of this accident with this car. I am concerned that this is a usual event in a car with rear brake light issues. I think the lack of visibility of the rear brake light contributed to the accident. This is out of my control. This should be fixed for safety before more accidents happen.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11558150December 3, 2023
AIR BAGS, STRUCTURE:BODY, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
On 11-17-23 someone rear ended me making me lose control of the vehicle and getting off the road into the woods and eventually hitting a tree, the airbags did not deploy, the car is equipped with OnStar system from Chevrolet as a safety feature in which as soon as there is a collision I supposed to get a call from an advisor so they could call an ambulance and a towing service, it's included in my monthly payment, but that did not happen, no one called me to check on me also the braking system should have prevented me from hitting a tree, the safety system failed
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11555423November 16, 2023
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V567000 (Air Bags, Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced the failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551855October 25, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Rear brake lights that illuminate upon braking are embedded low in the bumper of the vehicle, NOT in a location "commonly expected" by motorists. Rear red taillights are in fact conventionally-located upon the vehicle, but they do not illuminate when brakes are applied. They only light up when the headlights are turned on. As a result, the potential for being rear-ended is elevated due to insufficient warning / poor visibility for any motorist following behind. It is my understanding this vehicle was redesigned after it was first introduced, and the rear brake illumination lights were relocated to their current position. In my opinion, this redesign is unsafe. A recall should be issued to require larger rear "conventionally-located" taillights function as actual brake lights, not just lights that illuminate only when the headlights are turned on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11549415October 11, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Was sitting at a stop light when I accelerated on green I felt a lurch, it felt like someone had hit me from behind. Within 15 seconds of acceleration this light came on, a car with an exclamination point on it, and said to pull over ASAP. Car would not go any faster than 30mph and luckily I was not on an interstate or major highway. I was able to pull over in a parking lot and at that time the car was disabled. I could not put it in driver or reverse and it did not want to turn off I had to open the door to turn it off. On Star diagnostics said it was the electric drive unit not preforming as expected, codes P0A3F and P0A40. Car would not move and luckily it was daylight in the area I was at, at night this would have been bad as I would have feared for my safety as a female alone in a car that would not go. Car had to be towed to dealership and from the dealer "drive motor position sensor erratic. Found bulletin 19-NA-220 to replace engine harness (42840881 2525C F-HARNESS) for this concern due to improper instatallation of harness causing issues due to terminal damage".
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11541055August 27, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
- The car did not start and we were left stranded in an unsafe place. When I turned the car on I immediately saw and error saying "Conditions not correct for shift" and then it wouldn't turn back off - safety was at risk because it was super hot and my 5 year old with autism could not make it home in our own car - not taken to dealer however many reports on social media for the same issue. [XXX] -not yet however I have an appointment at the dealership to have it inspected later this week - zero issues or warnings before this happened INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11530025July 2, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My wife had just parked the vehicle in our garage and had plugged it into the charger. She walked to the back of the vehicle to open the rear hatch and as she was raising the hatch she felt an electrical shock up her arm, it was strong enough that she immediately came into the house holding her elbow. It couldn't have been static electricity, she was already in contact with the vehicle when the shock occurred, the humidity was very high as it had been raining, plus the vehicle should be grounded through the charging plug. I immediately went into the garage and unplugged the car. Tomorrow I'll plug the car back in and use my voltmeter to check for any voltage between the vehicle body and ground.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11526465June 11, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
Yes I almost got rear-ended three times in the last 3 weeks because the brake lights on the Chevy Bolt are below the bumper and the tail lights do not go on when you step on the brakes only the Collision lights and the turn signal lights
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11526242June 9, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The brake lighting only includes the upper light and the lower lights of the vehicle. The lights on the hatch do not light up when braking. Given that the upper light and lower lights are relatively small and hard to see from a close distance or in taller vehicles, this poses a significant risk for rear-ending from another vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498710December 23, 2022
VISIBILITY/WIPER
A description of the problem is contained in the 'additional' information box below.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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