AI Damage2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV: common problems
Owners of the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV filed 174 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and fuel/propulsion system. The maker issued 565 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 174
- involving a crash
- 7
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 565
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 54% of all complaints
- 2 Fuel/propulsion system 17% of all complaints
- 3 Steering 13% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 6% of all complaints
- 5 Engine 5% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 5% of all complaints
- 7 Air bags 3% of all complaints
- 8 Seat belts 3% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 94 complaints (54% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 184.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 30 complaints (17% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 24.
- Steering: 23 complaints (13% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 10.
- Powertrain: 11 complaints (6% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 42.
- Engine: 8 complaints (5% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 19.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- electric
- CVT
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 174 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 94 | 1 | 184 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 30 | 0 | 24 |
| Steering | 23 | 0 | 10 |
| Powertrain | 11 | 1 | 42 |
| Engine | 8 | 0 | 19 |
| Vehicle speed control | 8 | 3 | 2 |
| Air bags | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Seat belts | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Structure | 5 | 0 | 28 |
| Exterior lighting | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Lane departure | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 3 | 1 | 14 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 229 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
When I was parking my car on the street, in front of my house, my Chevy Bolt suddenly accelerated. Like it was full throttle. I slammed the brake pedal, didn't help. My Bolt pushed forward, then to the sidewalk, my parked 4000lbs van, that was in front of me (van had front wheels turned/pointing to the curb).
There were no reported injuries, fire, or police reports filed. The air bags did not deploy. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.
I was slowly pulling into a parking lot with my Bolt EV 2020, the car accelerated uncontrollably and in a split second had collided into the wall in front of me. A section of the wall had broken and the car was wedged in the broken section of wall. This is how it came to a stop.
I hit a deer on a back road coming home from work, on impact I heard a loud explosion and smelt burning electronics and the smell of an air bag, the seat belt locked. Then after the initial impact the car then stopped and the emergency alarm went of and many messages were on the screen.
Tl* the contact owns a 2020 chevrolet bolt ev. The contact was pulling into a parking space, she took her foot off the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated forward into the retaining wall.
GM installed Advanced Monitoring Software on the car rather than replace the battery. The software detected a battery fault. Under the battery recall if a fault is detected the battery is replaced free of charge. GM is refusing to replace the battery. Now the car will not move.
General Motors is using the arbitrary 6,213-mile tracking window of Recall 944 to deny coverage for a diagnosed Cell Section 3 hardware failure at 123,582 miles. However, this vehicle is directly impacted by the failure parameters outlined in the expanded GM Safety Recall N242470160 / N242470162, where GM openly…
Steering stiffened over several weeks. Then steering wheel would not automatically return to center while turning while driving. Diagnosed by service as a fault with steering column. This is apparently very common in Chevy Bolts.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 379 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (top 18% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Bolt EV has 66 complaints (9 years in the data). This year has 174, above average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it
- This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance
- Certain vehicles may have a condition where a false diagnostic trouble code (DTC) is set
Dealers are to reprogram the Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2.
- PI to help diagnose A/C concern
- This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size…
- This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a…
This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.
- This Preliminary information communicates to the field on how to diagnosis a GPS issue with the Telematic…
This Preliminary information communicates to the field on how to diagnosis a GPS issue with the Telematic module with no DTC'ss
- Certain vehicles may have been sold with a GM NACS Level 2 EV charging adapter (NACS to J1772) in which a…
Certain vehicles may have been sold with a GM NACS Level 2 EV charging adapter (NACS to J1772) in which a quality issue was identified. Dealers are to provide the customer with the latest design charging adapter.
- This PI advised dealer technicians of possible causes of diesel fuel contamination in gasoline powered…
This PI advised dealer technicians of possible causes of diesel fuel contamination in gasoline powered vehicles and advises of warranty direction.
- This Preliminary information communicates to the field on how to diagnosis a GPS issue with the Telematic…
- Certain vehicles listed above may have a condition where a false diagnostic trouble code (DTC) is set
Dealers are to reprogram the Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2.
- This service bulletin provides information on Tire Sidewall Irregularities
NHTSA lists 565 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, fuel/propulsion system, steering. Total complaints: 174. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (14%), warning lights, check engine (10%), infotainment or screen glitches (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV?
NHTSA lists 565 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2020 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.