Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2020-01-31 and 2026-08-06. Median delay from incident to filing: 14 days.
Analysis
The previous model year (2019) drew 22.8 complaints per year, fewer than this one. The following model year (2021) drew 11.8 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2020 model collected 37 complaints, 35% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Electrical (47.1% of complaints), followed by Steering (12.8%) and Interior & equipment (8.7%). Electrical complaints are 3.0 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. Within Electrical reports, owners most often mention “notification electrical”, “system recall”, “electrical system”, “tool confirms” and “reasonable”. 11 reports (6.4%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 0 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 34 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the second year (34% of incidents). In the last 12 months 17 new complaints were filed, versus 28 in the 12 months before — the pace is falling.
NHTSA lists 8 safety recalls for this model year, 3 with a do-not-drive or park-outside warning. 53% of the complaints fall in component areas that a recall addresses. 2 NHTSA defect investigations cover this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Safety recalls (8)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY Campaign 24V812000 · 2024-10-31
⚠ Park-outside / do-not-drive warning
Summary: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Bolt EUV vehicles previously repaired under Recall 21V-650. The installation of advanced diagnostic software may have failed. As such, the high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.
Risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to take the following interim steps: Set the Target Charge Level 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. Dealers will reinstall advanced diagnostic software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 3, 2024. Owners may contact the Bolt EV Concierge Team at 1-833-382-4389. GM's number for this recall is N242470160.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY Campaign 24V481000 · 2024-06-27
⚠ Park-outside / do-not-drive warning
Summary: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV vehicles that were previously remedied under recall number 21V-650. The advanced diagnostic software may have been incorrectly installed and fail to detect defective battery modules, possibly resulting in a battery fire.
Risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to take the following interim steps: Set the Target Charge Level 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. Dealers will reinstall the advanced diagnostic software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 1, 2024. Owners may contact the Bolt EV Concierge Team at 1-833-382-4389. GM's numbers for this recall are N242443000 and N242443002.
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS Campaign 23V845000 · 2023-12-14
Summary: 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.
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.
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS Campaign 22V930000 · 2022-12-15
Summary: 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.
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.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY Campaign 21V650000 · 2021-08-20
⚠ Park-outside / do-not-drive warning
Summary: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV 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.
Remedy: Owners are advised to take the following interim steps: Set the Target Charge Level 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. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 1, 2021 and June 23, 2023. Owners may contact the Bolt EV Concierge Team at 1-833-382-4389. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall 21V-560. GM's number for this recall is N212345940.
SEAT BELTS Campaign 20V811000 · 2020-12-23
Summary: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.
Risk: If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER Campaign 20V808000 · 2020-12-22
Summary: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. These vehicles may have an improperly cast front left brake caliper that can fracture during a high-pressure braking event.
Risk: If a brake caliper fractures and brake fluid is lost, the vehicle may experience reduced brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the casting lot number on the front left brake caliper and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202321400.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH Campaign 20V184000 · 2020-03-26
Summary: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. The door-handle cable inside the rear doors may be too long, allowing contact with the window when it is opened, possibly damaging the cable. A damaged cable may cause the rear door to open unintentionally when the rear window is opened. Additionally, it may cause the rear inside door handle to not work.
Risk: If the rear door opens while driving, or the door handle fails to open the rear door, there is an increased risk of injury to the rear passengers.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear inside door-handle cables, free of charge. The recall began April 17, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is A202298320.
How to check whether your car has an open recall ›
Frequently asked questions
How many complaints were filed for the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV?
172 complaints were filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV, or about 25.8 per year on the road.
What is the most common problem reported for the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV?
The most common category is Electrical, accounting for 47.1% of complaints.
Does the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 8 safety recall(s) for this model year. 2 NHTSA defect investigations cover this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Is the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV still generating complaints?
In the last 12 months 17 new complaints were filed, versus 28 in the 12 months before — the pace is falling.
How does the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV compare with similar vehicles?
NHTSA has received 172 owner complaints about the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV, or 25.8 per year on the road — fewer complaints than typical for a vehicle of its age (complaint index 0.61, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 82 model-year 2020 vehicles we track, it ranks #42 for fewest complaints per year. Against other Chevrolet models its rate is 44% lower; against other Electric vehicles it is 54% lower.