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Chevrolet · NHTSA safety record

2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 60 safety complaints about the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV with the US government. Of those, 8 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 5 people were injured and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the body structure and the air bags.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 17 complaints, 28% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers November 2022 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

60 complaints on file

60

Complaints

8

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

5

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 17 · 28%
STEERING 17 · 28%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 · 15%
SERVICE BRAKES 8 · 13%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 · 12%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 6 · 10%
AIR BAGS 5 · 8%
ENGINE 4 · 7%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 3 · 5%
POWER TRAIN 3 · 5%
SUSPENSION 3 · 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 · 5%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 60.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 21.

24 18 12 6
22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2022 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2023 Chevrolet BOLT EV, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 5 HB FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 9.7%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

3 on file

STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

23V845000 · December 14, 2023

The defect
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. This recall includes certain vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under NHTSA recall number 22V-930. After a crash with seat belt pretensioner deployment, the pretensioner exhaust may ignite carpet fibers near the B-pillar, causing a fire.
The risk
A fire increases the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect both front seat belt pretensioners and, if necessary, install metal foil at the carpet near the pretensioner exhaust. Certain vehicles will also need a pretensioner cover installed. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 24, 2024. These vehicles were previously recalled for this same issue under recall number 22V-930 and will need to have the new remedy performed. Owners may contact GM EV Concierge at 1-833-EVCHEVY (1-833-382-4389) (TTY 711 / 1-800-833-2438) or Customer Service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N232421970.

General Motors, LLC · up to 6,771 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

23V567000 · August 10, 2023

The defect
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. The instrument panel may be missing the perforation on the underside of the panel cover that allows the passenger-side air bag to deploy properly.
The risk
An air bag that does not deploy properly in a crash increases the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the instrument panel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 21, 2023. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N232414710.

General Motors, LLC · up to 317 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

22V930000 · December 15, 2022

The defect
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. After a crash with seat belt pretensioner deployment, the pretensioner exhaust may ignite carpet fibers near the B-pillar, causing a fire.
The risk
A vehicle fire can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will install metal foil at the carpet near the pretensioner exhaust, and install a pretensioner cover as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed between January 23, 2023 and April 25, 2023. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N222383790.

General Motors, LLC · up to 111,242 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SERVICE BRAKES

3 injured · crash · towed

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

NHTSA complaint 11574601, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

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

NHTSA complaint 11558150. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash

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

NHTSA complaint 11566234, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS

fire

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

NHTSA complaint 11600123, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Both front wheel drive shaft anti-click washers on my 2023 Bolt EV fractured at 18,269 miles. The failure caused a repeatable click/clunk from the front of the vehicle on torque application — accelerating from a full stop, from a slow roll under 5 mph, or accelerating out of a coast at about 20 mph. A Chevrolet dealer confirmed both anti-click washers were cracked (Repair Order 652900). The repair required removing both front half-shafts, replacing the washers (GM P/N 42754282) and drive shaft nuts (GM P/N 13208079), and reinstalling the axles. The noise was eliminated. This is a safety issue because GM has documented in writing that this exact failure can damage the ABS wheel speed sensor,

NHTSA complaint 11764442, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
known issue with " anti click washer on Bolt EV " and resulting damage to related components can cause loss of control acceleration, stopping and major damage and cost, no warning lights or TSB other than for previous gen but same design and same defect, inspected by dealer shows broken anti click washer and damage to other components

NHTSA complaint 11757018. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicle suffers from severe, unresolvable electrical failures causing recurring loss of propulsion, shifting lockouts ("No Driving Conditions" / stuck in Park), complete exterior lighting failures, and loss of communication with the Restraints Control Module (RCM) and airbag impact sensors. The primary failure involves short circuits, open circuits, poor terminal contact, and thermal damage with melted, charred wiring and exposed copper in the main harness[cite: 6]. On May 25, 2026, OnStar telematics issued a critical red alert for the Regenerative Braking System[cite: 7]. All damaged components and diagnostic reports are available for inspection upon request[cite: 6, 7]. Safety risks

NHTSA complaint 11754113, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
While driving a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt during a turn maneuver, one of the two bolts (nearest the driver) holding the lower control arm (to the vehicle on the front driver side) sheared completely. An inspection of the joint suggests a fatigue failure likely due to inadequate factory assembly clamping force (pretension). Because the joint lacked the required factory torque, the joint interface slipped under normal operational loads, shifting cyclic shear and bending forces directly onto the bolt threads and shank—loads the fastener was not designed to carry alone—resulting in a fatigue fracture. The sudden failure of a primary front suspension control arm fastener while the vehicle is in motion

NHTSA complaint 11747836, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
Steering rack failure, does not return to center most of the time. Every once in a while it will. Loud clunking in steering, started right around 36k mile warranty expiration, but I didnt know what it was so did not report it right away.

NHTSA complaint 11746858. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Vehicle infotainment system on 2023 Chevrolet Bolt completely stopped functioning in May of May of 2026. Screen/radio/bluetooth and associated components had no functionality, including backup camera, safety warning features, etc. Dealership confirmed that the system needed replacement entirely and was non-functional. Vehicle was not inspected by any other parties but it was confirmed by the dealership that this is a "common issue" for Chevrolet vehicles, even newer models. There were no warnings prior to the issue - the system simply did not work one day and never functioned again.

NHTSA complaint 11745689. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Chevrolet Bolt EV

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2027 5 1 —
2022 59 7 —
2021 67 5 —
2020 174 8 —
2019 178 6 —
2018 89 5 —
2017 348 4 —

Other 2023 Chevrolet models

Silverado 1500 384 Tahoe 222 Colorado 135 Suburban 125 Bolt EUV 119 Equinox 95 Traverse 89 Malibu 70

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Chevrolet on this site — 304 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst