2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV electrical problems

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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 acknowledges to federal regulators that the advanced diagnostic software has failed to properly detect defective battery modules. By denying a physical battery replacement when a manufacturing defect is caught during a mandatory corporate software reconfiguration, GM is violating the spirit and legal intent of their ongoing federal safety recall campaigns.

NHTSA complaint #11745256 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

When driving the car through a busy intersection there was a sudden, brief surge of acceleration, followed by deceleration and the vehicle cutting all motor power and becoming inoperable. The MIL lamp illuminated and the "Ready" light went out. I was unable to move the vehicle out of traffic until I got out and disconnected / reconnected the 12v battery to reset the car systems. The problem is difficult to reproduce, happening randomly, sometimes with multiple months between incidents. The incidents happen with no warning, and there are no other symptoms associated with the issue. The dealer mechanic indicated it is likely the issue indicated in Chevrolet TSB 19-NA-220, indicating the root cause is the resolver feedback connector on the electric drive unit damaged during vehicle assembly.

NHTSA complaint #11741473 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that the vehicle's charge was designed to last for 259 miles, but failed to exceed 100 miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V812000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the failure persisted. The vehicle recently failed to charge, with an error message that the vehicle was unable to charge displayed. The contact stated that the recall repair failed to correct the issue. The dealer was contacted, and a service appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

NHTSA complaint #11732423 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

VEHICLE FAILS TO CHARGE. Receiving error message that the vehicle fails to accept a charge. I've attempted charging using 3 separate chargers and all fail. This issue has been in service at numerous dealerships with no resolve. I was able to charge previously at a reduced rate but now the battery will no longer accept a charge and gives me an error message.

NHTSA complaint #11732425 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This is the second time since owning car this has happened the recall battery is not working again this time me and my sister were at the gas station were I work and this is all on camara at Chevron gas station were I work I went inside sister stayed in car it started making a buzzing sound under my dash car shut off windows wouldn't go down locked doors could not get car to turn on trapped us in car this is scary and smelled a wire burning smell started to get scared pounded on window couldn't get out ! Couldn't unlock doors this is very scary tried hitting window and it would not break we were stuck this has happened once before car just needed plug in to dealership computer to reset car it was fine for 2weeks and bam a month later I'm again having to take it back to have it reset because of this battery recall it's not fixed I still owe 14k for car I totally have been ripped off it's scary that these cars catch fire and u can not get out! Can't unlock doors windows nothing and u just get stuck I don't feel safe whatsoever in this car

NHTSA complaint #11730613 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

NHTSA complaint #11709509 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA complaint #11708736 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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)

NHTSA complaint #11683892 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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).

NHTSA complaint #11648731 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

NHTSA complaint #11647627 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

NHTSA complaint #11632822 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

NHTSA complaint #11620359 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

NHTSA complaint #11615685 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated while driving approximately 4 MPH and exiting the driveway, the check engine warning light and the check gear shifter warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the same dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the negative 12V battery cable had short circuited and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

NHTSA complaint #11611119 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The cameras around the car collectively stop working intermittently. When I try to access the cameras or put the car into reverse, I get a black screen with a camera with a line through it. It happens right after it has rained and remains that way for several days. There are not any warning lamps that come on during this time. This situation makes me feel extremely uncomfortable as I have difficulty backing the car up and ensuring that there is not any incoming traffic that I may run into. This can be reproduced, but a dealer has not inspected it yet. Looking at online forums, it would appear this is a common issue that cost several thousand dollars to repair.

NHTSA complaint #11599343 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The engine compartment wiring harness Part Number: 42765196 wiring shorted out due to the chaffing of wires in the harness. The dealer is replacing the harness but there is no known changes that will prevent this in the future. $3,000 repair bill. I have asked for the defective harness to be returned to me for examination. This is a major safety concern as in my case, the Chevrolet Bolt would not move either in forward or reverse (Note: the other electrical systems and battery continue to work. This failure happen in rush hour traffic and the vehicle was nearly hit by passing cars. There was no warning that the propulsion would entirely shut down. The dealer reported that they had seen this problem before. No one from the manufacturer are interested in this. A check engine light had come on the night before and I had set up an appointment with the dealer for the next day and add reported the vehicles' issues that I had observed. There is no warning to indicate that the problem would result in the complete loss of propulsion.  

NHTSA complaint #11587057 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My 2020 Chevy Bolt EV Premier has had intermittent problems with the Rear Camera Mirror going to a black screen and shutting down. After re-seating the wiring harness, which didn't fix the problem, they replaced the wiring harness, and then when it continued to happen, they replaced the rear camera. This cleared things up for a while, but then intermittently, it started to happen again. Over the past week, things have become worse, and the mirror assembly would turn off and get extremely hot. It was so hot to the touch, almost at the stage of burning my hand. I have not gotten a resolution from the Chevy dealership as they are too busy and won't be able to diagnose the issue for a week and a half. I am concerned that this is a safety issue that might result in a vehicle fire.

NHTSA complaint #11577182 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I recently purchased a 2020 Chevy Bolt. I was never told that the battery could catch on fire and that they have a range limit. My work has banned this vehicle from their parking lot. The current recall for the battery requires software that reduces the battery by 80% which interferes with my driving schedule. This is a huge safety risk parking a vehicle that could potentially light on fire. I talked with GM and they can't guarantee that the software will detect if the battery has an issue.

NHTSA complaint #11573653 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On Monday,[XXX], I got in my car to go to work and the car messages on my dash stated "Propulsion Power is Reduced", "Service Vehicle Soon". I was able to drive to work but noticed the defrost/heater was not working. I called the local Chevrolet Dealer and scheduled an appt for Friday at 8:30am. This car had already had a recall performed earlier in 2023 that limited my car charging to 80% but never converted to allow full charging after 6200 miles. I drove home with no /defroster/heater and plugged in the car charger monday night. On tuesday morning ([XXX]), the car had not charged at all overnight. It was suppose to charge to 80% (approx 170 miles). When I drove home that evening, a torrential rainfall occurred. My windshield fogged up but since the defrost/heater wasn't working, I had to constantly wipe the windshield with a rag. I thankfully made it home after 6pm and now noticed the car charging was limited to 30%. This is why the car didn't charge on Monday night. The dealership was closed, so I called first thing Wednesday morning to tell the dealership that I needed to drop the car off today ([XXX]) because it was unsafe to drive and I might have to tow the car in because of the very limited charging allowed. They rescheduled the service appt for Thursday ([XXX]) at 8:30am. On Thursday, the repairs took 18 minutes to complete. I received a call from Jordan Ames at at the Rick Hendrick Chevrolet Dealership Thursday telling me the car was ready to be picked up.. He told me the car had a recall issues on 11/02/23 that needed to be performed. I told him I was never informed about "another" recall. He gave me the GM EV Concierge phone number to call. The invoice from him stated "Recall - N232421260 False DTC Causing Unnecessary Battery Pack Replacements 2023-11-02 9106882-0.4 hpcm2 reprogram WCC: CDYN198122734" . I called the GM EV Concierge at 1-833-382-4389 on Friday. I'm running out of characters. Bottom line- I think GM is lying to me. I need help!!!

NHTSA complaint #11565461 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

multiple observations of water egress that collects in the rear hatch error, water puddle shorts out audio amplifier and ALL SOUNDS are disabled. No warnings, no pedestrian warning, no turnsignal click, no audible notifications at all . This is noted on many vehicles and GM has been uncertain as to water access point at this time, meanwhile the customer pays for the repair.

NHTSA complaint #11564086 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Chevrolet dealer was unable to install software during 2 hour N212345944 recall service. Stated that due to error codes and were unable to contact technical support for assistance with errors. I was told to reschedule and leave the vehicle for another attempt. My concern is that GM/Chevrolet repeatedly lead me to believe they had a Final software remedy and they are not delivering on it. They have had more than three years to fix the problem and I am still being denied full use of my vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11557255 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY

None of my local dealers will service recalls on this vehicle. They either tell me that they only perform work on vehicles purchased at that dealership or they continually reschedule my appointment.

NHTSA complaint #11551959 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V650000 (Electrical System), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, after the repair, the vehicle made abnormal loud while charging. Additionally, the battery started overheating, causing the front end of the vehicle to become significantly hot. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated he had received a message through the Chevrolet app advising that the battery had failed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Goss Chevrolet (622 US-11, Champlain, NY 12919), where the same assessment was made. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The contact stated that the recall remedy did not fix the issue. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

NHTSA complaint #11549184 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On Oct 1, 2023 I drove about 5 miles from home to Menards. It was a sunny day. I went to leave and turned on my car and both display screens were blank. Like they were unplugged. The important screen is located behind the steering wheel and tells you your speed, engine problems (if any) and turn signals. The other tv screen just has heat/ac info, radio info, etc. I turned my car on and off 6-7 times in Menards parking lot. I left different amounts of time in between tries... up to 5 minutes. Nothing worked. So I drove home with blank screens. I stopped at a Taco Bell and tried again. Still didn't work. It was like both monitor screens were unplugged. This has happened a few times in the past. About 6 months after I bought the car. The screens went out during a car wash. Champion Chevrolet in Avon Indiana told my it was probably humidity and don't go to car wash. It happened a year ago on a rainy day. In the past, I only had to turn the car off and on once and the screens would work. This time I tried 6-7 times n two different parking lots. I drove home. Plugged it in to charge and it worked perfectly the next day. Weird and scary.

NHTSA complaint #11548921 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

i took my chevy bolt to dealer to get this recall fix: Manufacturer Recall NumberN212345941 NHTSA Recall Number21V650 and after my car being a month at dealer, they haven't fixed it yet.

NHTSA complaint #11541391 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO RESOLVE BOTH RECALLS FOR THIS VEHICLE, AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS DIRECTLY WITH THE CHEVROLET DEALER FROM WHICH THE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT NEW, AND THE CHEVROLET EV CONCIERGE. THERE ARE NO INCIDENTS TO REPORT, OTHER THAN THE INABILITY TO RESOLVE BOTH RECALLS IN A TIMELY MANNER

NHTSA complaint #11534574 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V650000 (Electrical System) however, the contact was not satisfied with the temporary remedy. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA complaint #11533532 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Although the NHTSA website now reports that my vehicle is longer the subject of a safety recall, NHTSA Campaign Number 21V650000 was not resolved by the software update that Chevrolet installed on my vehicle on June 26, 2023. The high voltage battery on my car failed only 65 miles after the new software was installed. When the newly installed software detected a problem with my car's high voltage battery, the driver information screen on the car's instrument panel advised me that "propulsion power is reduced" and "service vehicle soon." That prompted me to return to my dealer's service department. The dealer that sold me the car and performed the "reprogram field action multimodules coordinated sequence" on June 26 informed me on July 10 that the high voltage battery needs replacement and cannot now be recharged. However, neither the dealer nor Chevrolet can specify a date by which the required battery replacement can and will be completed. I have been told that necessary replacement parts will not be available for "weeks or months." In my case, Chevrolet addressed the risk of fire that prompted NHTSA Campaign Number 21V650000 by confirming the problem and then rendering my car inoperable. I do not believe that NHTSA would consider that an effective response to the recall.

NHTSA complaint #11533046 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.