2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV Owner Complaints

My wife had just parked the vehicle in our garage and had plugged it into the charger. She walked to the back of the vehicle to open the rear hatch and as she was raising the hatch she felt an electrical shock up her arm, it was strong enough that she immediately came into the house holding her elbow. It couldn't have been static electricity, she was already in contact with the vehicle when the shock occurred, the humidity was very high as it had been raining, plus the vehicle should be grounded through the charging plug. I immediately went into the garage and unplugged the car. Tomorrow I'll plug the car back in and use my voltmeter to check for any voltage between the vehicle body and ground.

7/2/2023

Was sitting at a stop light when I accelerated on green I felt a lurch, it felt like someone had hit me from behind. Within 15 seconds of acceleration this light came on, a car with an exclamination point on it, and said to pull over ASAP. Car would not go any faster than 30mph and luckily I was not on an interstate or major highway. I was able to pull over in a parking lot and at that time the car was disabled. I could not put it in driver or reverse and it did not want to turn off I had to open the door to turn it off. On Star diagnostics said it was the electric drive unit not preforming as expected, codes P0A3F and P0A40. Car would not move and luckily it was daylight in the area I was at, at night this would have been bad as I would have feared for my safety as a female alone in a car that would not go. Car had to be towed to dealership and from the dealer "drive motor position sensor erratic. Found bulletin 19-NA-220 to replace engine harness (42840881 2525C F-HARNESS) for this concern due to improper instatallation of harness causing issues due to terminal damage".

10/11/2023

There is a clicking, or a light clunk, sound that *I THINK* is coming from the front passenger side of the car. The sound only occurs when accelerating, most often from a stop but not always, and occasionally when breaking. It is not a repeated click. It happens once at the beginning of the acceleration or breaking process. The problem is easily reproducible. My dealer did a repair under warranty to the front driver side, but this did not eliminate the click. I am currently waiting for my dealer to get parts in to do the same repair to the right hand side of the car. It appears the parts on back order.

1/17/2025

When the steering wheel is turned, it does not return back to the center on its own. It requires me (driver) to turn the steering wheel back to center. If it is not done manually, the vehicle continues turning, possibly causing an accident. This is at lower speeds.

1/25/2025

- The car did not start and we were left stranded in an unsafe place. When I turned the car on I immediately saw and error saying "Conditions not correct for shift" and then it wouldn't turn back off - safety was at risk because it was super hot and my 5 year old with autism could not make it home in our own car - not taken to dealer however many reports on social media for the same issue. [XXX] -not yet however I have an appointment at the dealership to have it inspected later this week - zero issues or warnings before this happened INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

8/27/2023

I had service on my vehicle and was told by Chevrolet Service Center that vehicle could not be released for safety reasons because my vehicle could not accept download installed in vehicle. After three weeks of certified Service Center and GM TACS engineers and techs communicating back and forth, I was told the originator of download offered the download does not work for Chevrolet Bolts EV. Questions remain: 1. What was in the download? Was it limited to 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV's or other years, models of Bolt EV's as well?? I have invoice to attach

4/18/2024

Sudden rapid acceleration of car while parking vehicle on December 20, 2023 at approximately 2:00pm. The sudden rapid acceleration caused the vehicle to jump a curb and hit the base of the light pole damaging the right front of the car. Car was towed to the dealership and is currently there. If the car had not hit the base of the light pole, the car could have continued on into a driving lane possibly striking another car or pedestrian. To date , 12/31/23, the car has not been inspected to my knowledge. There was no warning lamps or messages. While reaching down to push the Park button, the engine, which is normally quiet, made a loud whirring noise and then lurched forward.

1/1/2024

Electronic drive unit fault, Auxilary transmission pump needs to be replaced. It’s a brand new vehicle and this is a very common problem.

1/17/2024

Been almost rear ended twice, both drivers said my brake lights were out, after checking, brake lights were working but are so low on car they did not see them

11/21/2022

The brake lighting only includes the upper light and the lower lights of the vehicle. The lights on the hatch do not light up when braking. Given that the upper light and lower lights are relatively small and hard to see from a close distance or in taller vehicles, this poses a significant risk for rear-ending from another vehicle.

6/9/2023

Yes I almost got rear-ended three times in the last 3 weeks because the brake lights on the Chevy Bolt are below the bumper and the tail lights do not go on when you step on the brakes only the Collision lights and the turn signal lights

6/11/2023

The contact rented a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH the driver depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle did not stop and crashed into the rear of a second vehicle. The contact indicated that during the crash the vehicle was low on electrical charge and was being operated in the "One Pedal" mode and the the air bags did not deploy. The rear passenger seated on the passenger side sustained an injured neck which did not require medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was driven away from the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The rental company was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

1/18/2024

The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V567000 (Air Bags, Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced the failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

11/16/2023

On 11-17-23 someone rear ended me making me lose control of the vehicle and getting off the road into the woods and eventually hitting a tree, the airbags did not deploy, the car is equipped with OnStar system from Chevrolet as a safety feature in which as soon as there is a collision I supposed to get a call from an advisor so they could call an ambulance and a towing service, it's included in my monthly payment, but that did not happen, no one called me to check on me also the braking system should have prevented me from hitting a tree, the safety system failed

12/3/2023

Was sitting at a stop light when I accelerated on green I felt a lurch, it felt like someone had hit me from behind. Within 15 seconds of acceleration this light came on, a car with an exclamination point on it, and said to pull over ASAP. Car would not go any faster than 30mph and luckily I was not on an interstate or major highway. I was able to pull over in a parking lot and at that time the car was disabled. I could not put it in driver or reverse and it did not want to turn off I had to open the door to turn it off. On Star diagnostics said it was the electric drive unit not preforming as expected, codes P0A3F and P0A40. Car would not move and luckily it was daylight in the area I was at, at night this would have been bad as I would have feared for my safety as a female alone in a car that would not go. Car had to be towed to dealership and from the dealer "drive motor position sensor erratic. Found bulletin 19-NA-220 to replace engine harness (42840881 2525C F-HARNESS) for this concern due to improper instatallation of harness causing issues due to terminal damage".

10/11/2023

Sudden rapid acceleration of car while parking vehicle on December 20, 2023 at approximately 2:00pm. The sudden rapid acceleration caused the vehicle to jump a curb and hit the base of the light pole damaging the right front of the car. Car was towed to the dealership and is currently there. If the car had not hit the base of the light pole, the car could have continued on into a driving lane possibly striking another car or pedestrian. To date , 12/31/23, the car has not been inspected to my knowledge. There was no warning lamps or messages. While reaching down to push the Park button, the engine, which is normally quiet, made a loud whirring noise and then lurched forward.

1/1/2024

I have purchased the Autel Energy EVSE for my vehicle and had it installed by certified electricians in my garage. The unit malfunctions frequently and requires it to be restarted. The unit is hard wired and and the only way to reset it is to turn the breaker off and back on, as instructed by the manufacturer. NEV specifically says that using the breaker as a switch is no recommended. The purpose of the breaker is a power interruption device in case of an electrical fault. Using it as a switch to turn power off and back on could prematurely wear it out which creates a fire risk. The manufacturer has explicitly instructed me to create a fire hazard in my home to be able to use their product. This is a serious safety hazard.

11/26/2022

See attached document for complaint

8/7/2024

Twice now within three months while I was backing up as I was parking the car parallel to the curb, the car suddenly accelerated at a much faster pace and projected the car backwards. Luckily no property or individuals were hurt. It would appear that the accelerator or speed control failed at the lower speeds required when backing up to parallel park. I saw no warning lights on the dash however may have been looking back as I was parking. The dealer did not find any code to indicate a system failure. They suggested that we removed the after-market mats.

6/22/2024

I was approaching an intersection at a light that had turned red. I slowed down to stop but accidentally bumped into the car in front, 2 mph (approximately), no damage, not even a scratch. I put the vehicle in reverse and gently tapped the accelerator but it instantly raced backwards at full as though the accelerator pedal had been depressed to the floor. I tried to brake but it would not stop and smashed into the vehicle behind. It was scary and traumatizing. Sudden acceleration in reverse. I hope there are diagnostics that will corroborate what happened because I am certain to the highest degree that this vehicle is defective.

11/10/2024

A description of the problem is contained in the 'additional' information box below.

12/23/2022

- The car did not start and we were left stranded in an unsafe place. When I turned the car on I immediately saw and error saying "Conditions not correct for shift" and then it wouldn't turn back off - safety was at risk because it was super hot and my 5 year old with autism could not make it home in our own car - not taken to dealer however many reports on social media for the same issue. [XXX] -not yet however I have an appointment at the dealership to have it inspected later this week - zero issues or warnings before this happened INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

8/27/2023

On 11-17-23 someone rear ended me making me lose control of the vehicle and getting off the road into the woods and eventually hitting a tree, the airbags did not deploy, the car is equipped with OnStar system from Chevrolet as a safety feature in which as soon as there is a collision I supposed to get a call from an advisor so they could call an ambulance and a towing service, it's included in my monthly payment, but that did not happen, no one called me to check on me also the braking system should have prevented me from hitting a tree, the safety system failed

12/3/2023

The GM portable charger has two pigtails for using either 120V Level 1 or 240V Level 2 charging. My complaint is that the GM charging unit will default to 120V Level1 charging without any fault/warning indication if one phase of the 240V circuit fails. I had a 240V dedicated service installed so that I could charge my EV at 240V Level 2 charging rates. The charging rate didn't seem to improve after plugging the charger into the 240V outlet, but I assumed that was due to current limitations of the GM portable charging unit. I happened to check the charging rate as displayed on the infotainment unit and discovered that I was actually charging at "120V Level 1" even though I was plugged into the 240V outlet. I discovered that a fuse had blown on one of the phases of the service and after analyzing my electric utility bills realized that the fuse must have blown immediately. I didn't check the fuses before because the charger light was on and I assumed everything was ok. I've uploaded some photos of the electrical fault. Being a new EV owner and naive to charging rates and levels, I was unaware of the issue. The pigtails for the GM portable charger should have an 'identifier' circuit that allows the charger to determine if the service connection matches the expected capabilities and provide some type of fault or warning indication.

4/5/2024

Electric pole broken onto the street and hit the car, cause severe damage to the front-left-corner on the Chevy Bolt EV 2023. The airbags did not deploy. Safety of the driver and infant was diminished greatly.

6/11/2024

I was sitting in the passenger seat of my new 2023 Chevy Bolt EV while parked at a convenience station. The vehicle was on and not hooked up to a charger. I smelled something burning and quickly thereafter I saw smoke coming from under the driver side seat. The driver exited the vehicle and looked under the seat. The driver attempted to put out the fire with his hand and the carpeting under the seat. The fire got bigger. I ran to the closest extinguisher and pulled the pin to extinguish the fire. It was out for several seconds before re-igniting again. Another round of extinguisher foam was released and the fire was put out. I reported the damage to the dealership, the car manufacturer and my insurance company. I towed it to the dealership where it has been sitting since 6/1/24. Nothing further has been done since then. The dealership refuses to assess the vehicle and to date the manufacturer has not sent any inspectors to diagnose the reason of the fire. As A matter of fact my insurance company, the dealership and the manufacturer all advised me to get and pay for my own inspection from a 3rd party inspector which I am working on scheduling now.

7/8/2024

The vehicle was driving and lost all power and came to a stop. After about 5 seconds vehicle regained power. The "check engine light" illuminated on the dash. took to dealer and stated could not replicate problem. Only have the report from vehicle computer and the EV technician did not understand the information and had to call GM for help. Got car back and problem happen again. Dealer had GM specialist out to help. GM reset computer and problem just happens again.

1/20/2025

The backup camera is the vehicle works intermittently. In fact, due to the defect of the camera, I hit a wall as it shut off and I hit a wall. Upon bringing to the dealer to have it replaced, the dealership admitted that it was a faulty. They replaced with another faulty camera that works worse than the previous replaced one. This is a dangerous situation that will hurt someone.

3/11/2025

I just purchased this vehicle from Hertz authorized dealer in December 2024, January 2025 the Electrical system, infotainment became non functioning. This caused my vehicle to stall, on star safety charge, etc to fail and not function. No communication within the vehicle that is an electric vehicle that requires this system for all components to function and provide a safe car to drive. Power to vehicle, back up camera, on star for emergencies, charging, this affects all the ADAS components in this vehicle to function properly causing a safety hazard. Took this vehicle into the dealer they diagnosed this system is down and no communication with radio. Also Set false DTC was completed. It is scary that a radio component can cause an emergency service to fail and other components in the vehicle to fail all electrical components in this vehicle. I am writing a complaint to Hertz since they stated all was okay when the radio, on star never worked, an update for the main system was no corrected and they failed to make sure the EV batteries were properly connected.

3/24/2025

Camera works on and off showing icon ,when reversing rear cross traffic alert also not working.

4/3/2025

The seatbelt grinds away the frame around it.

12/14/2025