E
World Of EVEditorial

2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV problems & recalls

NHTSA has issued 5 recalls covering the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV and owners have filed 74 complaints. The most-reported area is electrical system (29 complaints). 1 complaint describes a fire and 2 complaints describe a crash. 2 recalls tell owners to park outside until it is fixed.

Recalls
5
Complaints
74
Crash reports
2
Fire reports
1
Injuries
2

Recalls (5)

Dec 14, 2023#23V845000

Structure › Body › Roof and pillars

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.

Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.

Fix: 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.

Dec 15, 2022#22V930000

Structure › Body › Roof and pillars

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.

Risk: A vehicle fire can increase the risk of injury.

Fix: 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.

Jul 23, 2021#21V560000⚠ Park outside

Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles previously recalled under NHTSA recall number 20V-701. The high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.

Risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.

Fix: Owners are advised to take the following interim steps: Activate either the Hill Top Reserve (2017 and 2018 models) or Target Charge Level (2019 models) feature in their vehicle to limit the charge level to 90%, charge their vehicle more frequently, avoid depleting the battery to 70 miles range remaining, park outside after charging, and do not charge the vehicle indoors overnight. Defective battery modules will be replaced by GM, free of charge. Interim notification letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on August 13, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 13, 2021. Owners may contact the Bolt EV Concierge Team at 1-833-382-4389. GM's number for this recall is N212343880.

Nov 13, 2020#20V701000⚠ Park outside

Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling all 2017-2018 and certain 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. The high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.

Risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.

Fix: This recall has been superseded by recall number 21V-560. Vehicles previously repaired under 20V-701 will still need to have the new remedy under recall 21V-560. GM will notify owners, and as an interim repair, beginning on November 17, 2020, dealers will reprogram the hybrid propulsion control module 2 (HPCM2) to limit the full charge to 90%, free of charge. Owners are advised to activate either the Hill Top Reserve (2017 and 2018 models) or Target Charge Level (2019 models) feature in their vehicle to limit the charge level to 90%, or park outside, until the software update is completed. Owners were notified of the interim repair beginning November 17, 2020. The second notice was mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact the Bolt EV Concierge Team at 1-833-382-4389. GM's number for this recall is N202311730.

Aug 30, 2018#18V576000

Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Caliper

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.

Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.

Owner complaints (74)

What owners reported to NHTSA, by component. One complaint can name several components.

  • Electrical system29
  • Steering25
  • Power train12
  • Fuel/propulsion system10
  • Unknown or other8
  • Service brakes6
  • Engine5
  • Vehicle speed control3
  • Visibility/wiper2
  • Suspension1
  • Exterior lighting1
  • Air bags1

Complaints over time

Feb 2018: 1 complaintMar 2018: 0 complaintsApr 2018: 0 complaintsMay 2018: 0 complaintsJun 2018: 0 complaintsJul 2018: 0 complaintsAug 2018: 1 complaintSep 2018: 0 complaintsOct 2018: 0 complaintsNov 2018: 0 complaintsDec 2018: 0 complaintsJan 2019: 0 complaintsFeb 2019: 2 complaintsMar 2019: 0 complaintsApr 2019: 0 complaintsMay 2019: 0 complaintsJun 2019: 0 complaintsJul 2019: 2 complaintsAug 2019: 0 complaintsSep 2019: 0 complaintsOct 2019: 1 complaintNov 2019: 0 complaintsDec 2019: 0 complaintsJan 2020: 1 complaintFeb 2020: 0 complaintsMar 2020: 0 complaintsApr 2020: 0 complaintsMay 2020: 0 complaintsJun 2020: 0 complaintsJul 2020: 0 complaintsAug 2020: 0 complaintsSep 2020: 0 complaintsOct 2020: 1 complaintNov 2020: 0 complaintsDec 2020: 1 complaintJan 2021: 0 complaintsFeb 2021: 1 complaintMar 2021: 0 complaintsApr 2021: 2 complaintsMay 2021: 2 complaintsJun 2021: 0 complaintsJul 2021: 8 complaintsAug 2021: 9 complaintsSep 2021: 3 complaintsOct 2021: 1 complaintNov 2021: 0 complaintsDec 2021: 0 complaintsJan 2022: 0 complaintsFeb 2022: 1 complaintMar 2022: 2 complaintsApr 2022: 1 complaintMay 2022: 0 complaintsJun 2022: 3 complaintsJul 2022: 0 complaintsAug 2022: 3 complaintsSep 2022: 2 complaintsOct 2022: 1 complaintNov 2022: 0 complaintsDec 2022: 1 complaintJan 2023: 0 complaintsFeb 2023: 1 complaintMar 2023: 2 complaintsApr 2023: 0 complaintsMay 2023: 2 complaintsJun 2023: 1 complaintJul 2023: 1 complaintAug 2023: 1 complaintSep 2023: 0 complaintsOct 2023: 0 complaintsNov 2023: 0 complaintsDec 2023: 1 complaintJan 2024: 0 complaintsFeb 2024: 0 complaintsMar 2024: 0 complaintsApr 2024: 1 complaintMay 2024: 1 complaintJun 2024: 0 complaintsJul 2024: 1 complaintAug 2024: 0 complaintsSep 2024: 1 complaintOct 2024: 2 complaintsNov 2024: 0 complaintsDec 2024: 0 complaintsJan 2025: 1 complaintFeb 2025: 0 complaintsMar 2025: 0 complaintsApr 2025: 0 complaintsMay 2025: 3 complaintsJun 2025: 2 complaintsJul 2025: 1 complaintAug 2025: 1 complaintSep 2025: 0 complaintsOct 2025: 0 complaintsNov 2025: 0 complaintsDec 2025: 0 complaintsJan 2026: 0 complaintsFeb 2026: 0 complaintsMar 2026: 0 complaintsApr 2026: 0 complaintsMay 2026: 0 complaintsJun 2026: 0 complaintsJul 2026: 0 complaintsAug 2026: 0 complaintsSep 2026: 1 complaint20192020202120222023202420252026
Complaints filed per month. Peak: 9 in Aug 2021. Hover a bar for its count.
Complaints filed per month
MonthComplaints
Feb 20181
Mar 20180
Apr 20180
May 20180
Jun 20180
Jul 20180
Aug 20181
Sep 20180
Oct 20180
Nov 20180
Dec 20180
Jan 20190
Feb 20192
Mar 20190
Apr 20190
May 20190
Jun 20190
Jul 20192
Aug 20190
Sep 20190
Oct 20191
Nov 20190
Dec 20190
Jan 20201
Feb 20200
Mar 20200
Apr 20200
May 20200
Jun 20200
Jul 20200
Aug 20200
Sep 20200
Oct 20201
Nov 20200
Dec 20201
Jan 20210
Feb 20211
Mar 20210
Apr 20212
May 20212
Jun 20210
Jul 20218
Aug 20219
Sep 20213
Oct 20211
Nov 20210
Dec 20210
Jan 20220
Feb 20221
Mar 20222
Apr 20221
May 20220
Jun 20223
Jul 20220
Aug 20223
Sep 20222
Oct 20221
Nov 20220
Dec 20221
Jan 20230
Feb 20231
Mar 20232
Apr 20230
May 20232
Jun 20231
Jul 20231
Aug 20231
Sep 20230
Oct 20230
Nov 20230
Dec 20231
Jan 20240
Feb 20240
Mar 20240
Apr 20241
May 20241
Jun 20240
Jul 20241
Aug 20240
Sep 20241
Oct 20242
Nov 20240
Dec 20240
Jan 20251
Feb 20250
Mar 20250
Apr 20250
May 20253
Jun 20252
Jul 20251
Aug 20251
Sep 20250
Oct 20250
Nov 20250
Dec 20250
Jan 20260
Feb 20260
Mar 20260
Apr 20260
May 20260
Jun 20260
Jul 20260
Aug 20260
Sep 20261

Recent owner reports

Sep 17, 2026Steering

Steering has resistance and will not to return to center/neutral position without driver manipulation. I've never experienced this probelm with another car and See many other Chevrolet Bolt owners have experienced the same problem. IT definitely seems to be a design and /or assembly flaw. Local GM dealer service department insists it's an isolated issue. Very costly repair required.

Aug 2, 2025Steering

The steering rack loses its lubrication make it turn harder and could potentially fail completely leading to a loss of steering. I noticed that when I am steering around a curve the steering wheel fails to pull back to the center position and has to be manually forced back. Loss of steering or steering malfunction could lead to a fatal crash. I have not had my vehicle inspected by a dealer or mechanic but have researched the problem and many people online have reported failure of the steering rack/gear as well. There is no warning from the manufacturer about this problem and could go unnoticed…

Jul 16, 2025Steering

Sometimes, the steering wheel of the car will not return back to center after turning. The steering also feels a lot heavier. This usually happens after driving straight for a little and then having to make a turn, but may happen spontaneously in other situations as well. The steering wheel suddenly not returning to center when it is expected increases the chances of accidents, especially in areas with many curves and people/activities. The car does not show any warning signs. The dealership said they said they didn't notice it when driving and thus didn't want to further check it (they only d…

Jun 18, 2025Steering, Power train, Service brakes

On 4/5/2025 I was driving at 35mph and the steering wheel began to violently shimmy. The vehicle became difficult to steer putting safety at risk. Slowed to 25mph but shimmy did not stop. ABS warning light came on and Stabilitrak warning light came on and warning that steering was being was being automatically reduced. Driving became very difficult. Stopped and had car towed to Chevrolet. Car was diagnosed with broken left and right front axle anticlick washers and metallic debri found on sensors. Both front axle anticlick washers were replaced, sensors cleaned, and codes cleared, and brake…

Jun 7, 2025Steering

Steering wheel does not return to center

May 28, 2025Steering

The steering of my 2018 Chevy Bolt is sticky. At moderate speeds and going around sweeping corners and curves, the steering becomes sticky and does not want to return to center - you must guide steering back to center and there is friction involved in pulling it back to center. This is a safety issue because the sticking does not allow the driver to sense true road conditions especially in adverse weather. The problem has been reproduced by the dealer and is commonly discussed in Chevy Bolt forums including this one: [XXX] There are no warning lights or indicators of this issue - it is s…

May 5, 2025Service brakes

Brake modules not working properly and need reprogramming. GM not honoring their buyback warranty.

May 1, 2025Steering

Well known steering issue causing steering to almost "lock" and not return to center. Seemingly caused by lack of grease on the steering gear. Obviously dangerous for all involved as it is a steering problem.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall and complaint records, updated Oct 1, 2026. Complaints are owner reports and are not verified by NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.