What breaks most · 2017 to 2019 model years
Chevrolet Bolt EV problems by year
Owners have filed 53 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Bolt EV across model years 2017 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2017 for electrical system complaints, 2018 for fuel system complaints and 2019 for brakes complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2017, 2018, 2019
- Complaints on file
- 532017 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 201747 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 50 fires · 1 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 5kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 15Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | 5 | 4 | Electrical system (11) | |
| 4 | 0 | 5 | Fuel system (3) | |
| 2 | 0 | 6 | Brakes (1) |
What fails on the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 23% |
11 | 2 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 21% |
10 | 1 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 13% |
6 | 1 | Shop brakes parts for the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 13% |
6 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 11% |
5 | 1 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 9% |
4 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seats | 9% |
4 | 0 | — |
| Unknown or other | 9% |
4 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Driving at 65 mph with 100+ mile range, car had a sudden and complete lack of propulsion. Electronics in the car continued to work, but absolutely no propulsion. Could shift car to neutral. Car eventually towed to dealer.
-
35% reduction in range with normal driving conditions, additional 27% reduction in range after courtesy recall #18125 los of propulsion high voltage battery without notification. GM acknowledges range loss, they informed me this is normal, unable to use vehicle for work commuting
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Chevrolet Bolt EV years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2017, 2018, 2019 carry the most filings on the Chevrolet Bolt EV. The 2017 alone has 47 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Chevrolet Bolt EV problem?
On the 2017 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 11 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Bolt EV problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Chevrolet Bolt EV complaints that include mileage is about 5,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.