2020 CHEVROLET BOLT EV Recalls, Complaints & Safety

Steering rack started failing: did not return to center out of slow corners. Basically I could do hands-free circles in a parking lot. Dealer confirmed the steering rack was bad and replaced it under warranty. Out of sweeping corners this can be a safety issue as it only got worse over time. No warning lights nor other indication of the problem.

While waiting to turn left at a light and driving in "L" (one pedal) mode, I started to release the break in anticipation of oncoming lanes clearing, as I lifted the pedal the car lurched into the intersection. The Bolt normally accelerates very gently in L mode when no break is applied, but does not lurch forwards like this under normal conditions. The breaks did work, and I was able to stop, but I was now in the middle of the intersection and slightly encroaching into oncoming lanes. I tried to accelerate to pull through, but the car did not respond. After several second of frantically pushing the accelerator, the car slowly and jerkily moved forward and cleared the intersection. My Chevy dealer says this is a known problem with service bulletin "Chevrolet TSB 19-NA-220". In my opinion this is incredibly dangerous and should have been recalled. However, there is no recall that I can find and outrageously Chevy will not cover this manufacturing defect under warranty as they specifically exclude wiring harnesses due to past issues with rodent damage, and they are hiding behind that rule.

See attached document for complaint.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The vehicle’s steering system (specifically the electric power steering assist and/or steering rack assembly) began exhibiting stiffness, resistance, and intermittent loss of assist while turning. The steering system is still installed on the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request by NHTSA, GM, or a dealer representative. ⸻ How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The loss or inconsistency of steering assist makes it difficult to maintain control of the vehicle, especially at low speeds and during turns. The steering intermittently binds or jerks, creating a risk of collision with other vehicles, pedestrians, or fixed objects. Because steering is essential for directional control, any failure or unpredictability in the system poses a direct safety hazard to the driver and others on the road. ⸻ Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. The issue has been observed by the owner and noted by a GM Certified dealer during inspection. The symptoms (binding and abnormal steering resistance) were reproduced during driving and while stationary. The dealer acknowledged abnormal steering behavior but initially denied warranty coverage despite the vehicle being sold as Certified Pre-Owned. ⸻ Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, the vehicle was inspected by a GM Certified dealership that completed the original certification inspection and later reviewed the steering concern. The component has not been examined by police or insurance representatives at this time, but GM and NHTSA inspection is welcomed.

Steering very stiff will not return to center on its own. Seems to be the steering rack. Not returning to center seems dangerous in certain situations. This is a 2020 vehicle but seems to be a common problem on all years Bolt EV/EUV.

High-voltage battery failure left Bolt EV immobilized after recall fix: Our 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV (VIN: [XXX] ) became completely immobilized on [XXX], due to high-voltage battery failure. The vehicle previously underwent all recall remedies, including a full propulsion battery replacement in May 2023, but less than two years later the same issue has reoccurred. This failure left us stranded and unable to operate the car. Loss of propulsion without warning presents a serious safety risk, particularly if it were to occur while driving at speed. Out of concern for fire risk, the dealer (Colonial Chevrolet in Milford, CT) parked the disabled vehicle approximately 500 feet away from other cars and structures. The dealer diagnosed the failure as HV battery pack malfunction and confirmed the pack requires replacement. The vehicle remains in their custody and is available for inspection upon request. GM Customer Assistance has denied two separate repurchase claims (case #[XXX] and #[XXX]), despite the prolonged immobilization and repeated delays. The car has been inspected by Colonial Chevrolet and GM representatives. Despite prior recall service and battery replacement, the Bolt is inoperable again, raising concerns that the recall remedy was ineffective and that other Bolt EV owners may face the same hazard. No warning lamps or error messages appeared prior to failure. The vehicle simply would not start on [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked unattended, the vehicle exploded. The contact believed the failure was due to the battery. The front left tire message was displayed. The battery was previously replaced. The local dealer was contacted regarding the battery purchase. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called another local dealer. La Quinta Chevy Cady Service, 79225 CA-111, La Quinta, CA 92253, to obtain the service records, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. There were no reported injuries, police report filed, or airbag deployments. The manufacturer was contacted, who filed an incident report. The failure mileage was approximately 53,030.

Fire

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked unattended, the vehicle exploded. The contact believed the failure was due to the battery. The front left tire message was displayed. The battery was previously replaced. The local dealer was contacted regarding the battery purchase. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called another local dealer. La Quinta Chevy Cady Service, 79225 CA-111, La Quinta, CA 92253, to obtain the service records, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. There were no reported injuries, police report filed, or airbag deployments. The manufacturer was contacted, who filed an incident report. The failure mileage was approximately 53,030.

Fire

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked unattended, the vehicle exploded. The contact believed the failure was due to the battery. The front left tire message was displayed. The battery was previously replaced. The local dealer was contacted regarding the battery purchase. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called another local dealer. La Quinta Chevy Cady Service, 79225 CA-111, La Quinta, CA 92253, to obtain the service records, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. There were no reported injuries, police report filed, or airbag deployments. The manufacturer was contacted, who filed an incident report. The failure mileage was approximately 53,030.

Fire

The steering wheel fails to return to center after turns. This requires constant manual correction to re-center the vehicle, which increases the risk of overcorrection or unintended lane departure. There are no warning lights or noise, and the issue does not appear to be related to alignment, tires, or pressure. Many other Chevrolet Bolt owners are reporting the same behavior, pointing to a potential defect in the steering gear or rack. This is an very serious safety hazard that could result in loss of vehicle control and death. GM has not issued a recall or service bulletin, and repairs are extremely expensive.

The steering wheel intermittently sticks and fails to return to center after turns or minor corrections, especially at low to moderate speeds. This requires constant manual correction to re-center the vehicle, which increases the risk of overcorrection or unintended lane departure. There are no warning lights or noise, and the issue does not appear to be related to alignment, tires, or pressure. Many other Chevy Bolt owners are reporting the same behavior, pointing to a potential defect in the steering gear or rack. This is a serious safety hazard that could result in loss of vehicle control. GM has not issued a recall or service bulletin, and repairs are expensive.

The backup/360 camera intermittently but frequently fails to turn on, showing a black screen instead with a crossed out camera icon. This makes it very difficult to back up safely and puts bystanders at risk. This problem has not yet been evaluated by a dealer, but there are numerous other reports of the issue online. There have been no other warning lights or issues.

The car has 80,000 miles. The backup camera has always had an intermittent issue after rain but now has stopped working. I cannot see properly to back up. I understand that this is an issue with quite a few Chevy Bolts and can/has caused problems with backing accidents. I also understand that the company has known about this for a while, but has done nothing about the issue.

Steering would not return to center after a turn only for LEFT turns, even at higher speeds. Steering would be sticky at low speeds. Resulted in challenging to predict cornering particularly for left turns. Manufacturer replaced steering gear under warranty. OK now.

I first noticed an issue with the steering wheel not returning to center after a turn, and also when in a slow sweeping curve that the wheel would hold the position and keep in the turn/curve unless corrected by manually turning it straight. I had new tires installed on 11/6/2024 and the alignment was checked and was correct. The tires that I chose turned out to be way harsher riding and noisy then the OEM's so I went with a different tire that was more EV specific. Nothing changed in regards to the steering issue. I checked online at the Chevy Bolt EV forum site to see if anyone else was having this problem and it appears to be a common issue with these cars. The steering rack should not be failing after 33K miles of use. It creates an unsafe condition when the steering does not return to center after a turn, or proceeding through a curve, and I'm sure it will only get worse as time/miles go by. I have a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV that does not do this.....yet....but I have less than 2k miles on that vehicle.

Right brake caliper sticking intermittently, causing massive vibration in steering wheel and a caliper too hot to touch. In doing research on the Chevy Bolt forum, there were many people talking about this issue. In fact, GM issued a TSB about this issue, but when I entered my VIN in the GM site, it said that my VIN as not impacted; however, it was! I suggest that the NTSB do a further investigation to include all VINs affected with this issue. I had to spend several hundred dollars for a repair shop to replace the right brake caliper. Since the repairs were completed, I've had no issues whatsoever. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the message "Propulsion Power Reduced - Service Soon" was displayed, and check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that upon investigation, it was discovered that the power output was limited. Despite the failure, the contact was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The contact was then informed that the battery replacement was on an indefinite backorder. The contact was not provided an estimate for when the battery would become available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 25,100.

Steering wheel does not return to center on its own after a turn. The wheel will remain turned, and the car will continue turning, until it is forced back to center by the driver.

Backup camera system repeatedly shows as unavailable and may cause death due to low visibility.

This car several times while driving has shaken and then shifted into neutral. I have had to pull the car off to the side of the road during normal vehicle operation. The car will then not shift into drive. There is a warning sign "Conditions Not Correct For Shift." The first incident was March 2023. The vehicle was towed to a Chevrolet dealer and the power inverter module was replaced under warranty. This next occurred in December 2024. The vehicle was towed to a dealer again and reprogrammed. The cost was $400. The vehicle was fine for two months and about 1,000 miles when it happened again in March 2025. This time the dealer states that the engine harness needs to be replaced for about $1,500 (not covered under warranty). These incidents all occur while driving the vehicle (it has happened while approaching an intersection and once while going through an intersection).

On January 8, 2025 the battery in my car began to fail and had a message in the display to take it to my dealer. I drove it to the nearest dealer on January 10, 2025, about 10 miles (Billion Automotive in Iowa City.) While driving the power steering and braking began to fail. The dealer said that GM would need to replace the battery. It has been at the dealer for 2 months, and I was told today that it will be at least another 2 months before GM will replace the battery. The car is well under warranty.

The steering doesn't return to center when making turns on occasion. This issue can cause an overcorrection, this does seem to be a fairly common issue seen in various forums and appears to be a very expensive fix.

Steering sticks and does not return to center in sweeping turns. Clicking noise over bumps in very cold weather (may or may not be related--steering issue most concerning). Most prominent at higher speeds (for example, getting off of the highway) but occurs at any speed. Once you turn the wheel, it will return slightly then stick in place. It takes a small amount of extra force to correct it back towards center. During these occurrences it may continue to stick or may begin to act normally after the "correction." I would be alright with providing the vehicle for inspection and/or demonstration if requested. The first time this happened, I was driving along twisting roads in northern Michigan. The occurrence caught me off guard, and I traveled over the lines. Personally, I was not in danger but if there was no shoulder or more traffic I feel this issue has the chance at being very dangerous. I am now aware of the issue and can keep it in mind while driving, but I've also noticed recently that the small "jutt" from correcting the wheel could cause an issue on snow and ice. I have not had a dealership look at the vehicle, as it seems to be a very common complaint about the Chevy Bolt, with a new part number being sold for replacement steering racks. I am willing to have it confirmed if needbe. There are no warnings of this occurrence. If the conditions are right, there is a very high chance it occurs. It started roughly around the 60,000 mile mark, and has been getting slightly worse over the past year. My vehicle is now at 98,000 miles.

While traveling at highway speeds, my Chevrolet Bolt (2020 with 20K miles) made a clunking noise followed by a loss of speed. The clunking noise had previously been reported to the dealer, but they were not able to identify any issues at the time. During this incident, however, the car ultimately lost all speed, forcing me to pull over to the side of the highway. This sudden loss of propulsion posed a significant risk to my safety and the safety of other motorists, not only due to the loss of power, but because it happened at an interchange where multiple highways are connecting. I was left on the side of the road waiting for a tow because the car was inoperable. Prior to this sudden failure, there were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms, aside from the previously reported clunking noise. After this incident, the dealer diagnosed the issue as the one listed in the technical service bulletin, which states that "the terminals may not have been perfectly aligned during installation at the vehicle assembly plant." Unfortunately, this issue was not covered under the warranty and currently this problem is not a recall item for the Chevrolet Bolt.

Doors would not unlock. Key fob did not work. Exterior door switch did not work. Interior switch did not work. It was raining that day. After the car dried out the locks worked again.

This car has One Pedal Driving (OPD) which allows you to slow the car to a stop, without using the brake pedal. The car activates the brake lights, based on sensors in the car which sense the deceleration. In this mode, the brake lights are NOT activated by any pedal action by the driver, only by the vehicle's actual deceleration. This all works great EXCEPT the fact that once the car comes to a stop, the brake lights turn off. This is obviously a hazard for any stopped driver and there are anecdotal cases of rear end collisions caused by the lack of brake lights. This problem is fixed in later models of this car. I presume that this issue could be fixed by a simple software update.

About one month ago (ironically at about the same time Enel X pulled out of the US and Canada) we noticed a burning smell when we charged our Bolt, at home, using our JuiceBox type 2 charger. At first we thought it was the car, but nothing appeared amiss. We charged the car 3-4 times during this month time period, and the smell was present every time. After the last charge (one week ago), I checked the NEMA receptacle and discovered it was partially melted and one prong of the plug was coated in black "tar". I turned off the breaker, removed the receptacle cover and the black wire was burnt and the plastic connector housing behind the receptacle was badly burnt. The charger, cord and plug, and receptacle are all available for inspection (although we plan to have the wiring repaired and a new charger installed soon). I believe if we had continued to use the charger it would have resulted in a fire in the garage - obviously a safety concern. I am unaware if this problem has been reproduced by a dealer or independent service center; however, I read in Consumer Reports other JuiceBox users have reported fires they believed were caused by the charger. At this time the charger has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representative. A licensed electrician is scheduled to inspect and repair the wiring within the next week. Aside from the smell there was no warning or message (the car charged normally). The smell began about a month ago, and was only present while charging. Note that a licensed, bonded electrician installed the wiring and plug receptacle for us in 2020.

The steering gear has failed at only 43,000 miles and yes the car is available for inspection if needed. The steering binding is a safety issue, and if left along long enough, might fully bind up causing an accident. My local GM dealership has reproduced the issue and diagnosed the failure. There have been no warning lamps, messages, or other visual indications of the failure.

steering wheel gear malfunction, will not return to center after turning left or right. will pull and stay in left or right turn position, forcing driver to turn steering wheel back to center intentionally

HD surround camera system is faulty. Upon placing vehicle in drive mode, front view image disappears and is replaced by a pink colored screen. This fault occurs intermittently, and is an important safety issue.

My backup camera started working intermittently for about a year and now has just stopped working completely. Searching online, this is a very widespread issue with Bolt EV and EUV owners, happening as early as immediately after the car was purchased.

The rear/front camera sometimes stop working or froze and have to turn off the car, to reset, usually happens when it rains

Pulls to the right when accelerating too much. Even after alignment.

The cameras for the 360° view, front to sides and back, keep going out. It's been a repair now five times and it still came back. The dealership is running out of ideas of what to do to fix this. I think it's just a known issue that they can't seem to fix. The main issue is the front camera goes out completely and then on mine, the left side camera goes out and is just black where the front camera will be green and not functioning. I think the module that processes data isn't properly made to handle the amount of video inputs coming in and it bugs out. It seems that it's worse when the temperature swing is too much. Currently it's the temperature of hot above 90° the car gets very warm obviously.

The reverse camera (and all cameras) is no longer working. This is a required safety feature and thousands of Bolt owners have reported this on Chevy forums and Reddit groups.