2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV problems
NHTSA has received 245 complaints about the 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV, and 35% of them involve electrical system. After that come steering (19%) and fuel system (18%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 245 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 35% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 15
- Injuries and deaths
- 5 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 10,000 miles 54 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 41 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 7 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 0 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 0 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 54 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 10,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 15,000 miles (15 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 15 complaints mention a fire; 5 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2019 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 7 model years of the Chevrolet Bolt EV with enough data (215 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The contact owned a 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in the garage on the charger when the contact heard the vehicle's horn. The contact entered the garage and saw white smoke coming from underneath the rear of the vehicle. The contact was able to unplug the vehicle. The contact’s son called 911. The contact stated that when the fire department arrived at his home the passenger rear on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire department report was filed.
I experienced extreme windshield glare while driving my new chevy bolt at midday on a very sunny day. The glare was manageable at first, as I approached an intersection to make a left turn. As I entered the intersection, the windshield seemed to turn white. I lost my view of oncoming traffic and was hit by an SUV. This was the first really sunny day after I took possession of the bolt. Prior to that day, the weather had been partly/mostly cloudy.
Chevy bolt finished changing and then started to smoke from under the car. The sound of popping noises were heard and then 10 minutes later the car was engulfed in flames. The cars battery pack starting popping then exploded in flames.
The bolt ev has a dangerous design problem when using regenerative braking. You don't have to use the brake pedal to slow or stop. The car slows in relation to how quickly you release the accelerator pedal. The brake light only comes on when the accelerator pedal is fully released. The car will stop quickly at that point with the brake lights on during the last few seconds until at a full stop, when the brake lights turn off.