Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt Euv submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Automatic braking system works when unnecessary. No one and nothing in front of car when driving and auto braking stops vehicle. Multiple incidents. My children and I suffered seatbelt, neck, and back pain when stopped without warning. Also, scared. No, problem cannot be reproduced. No, vehicle has not been inspected. No prior warning before incident.
The adaptive cruise control as well as regular cruise control limits the electronic braking to 10 kW. After that the friction brakes take over. There is little indication of it, and I think it's a safety risk because in hilly areas, as well as mountainous roads, the friction brakes activate risking overheating the brakes and a brake failure. I believe the earlier model years would not limit the electronic braking and would maintain the speed down hills using regenerative braking exclusively.
I was driving down the street when I suddenly got the following warning lights: red BRAKE, traction control, and a generic warning light. I got the following messages: Service ESC, steering assist is reduced. As soon as I got the warnings, I pressed on the brake pedal to slow done, but it wouldn't move. I was instead able to use the one-pedal driving/regenerative braking to slow down. Without the one-pedal driving, I believe I would've crashed. The problem was confirmed and repaired by the dealer. The vehicle has only been inspected by the dealer, no one else.
1) What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - When a car stopped in front of us suddenly, the brakes on the car did not fully stop the car and continued to skid even when the break was pushed all the way down. I believe there is an issue with the EV braking system or software associated with the braking system. While this occurs rarely, this has occurred a handful of times in the last year that we have owned this car. The first time resulted in damage to my front bumper which had to be repaired. 2) How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Nobody has been hurt yet. But this is absolutely a safety concern for us. 3) Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - We brought the car into the dealership in mid June 2024 and they said they found no issues with the braking system. They told me to contact Chevy's main phone number to complain. I tried calling but have not had any luck reaching a person, as I was simply put on hold for about an hour. 4) Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? - This was only inspected by the dealership during a routine service check in June 2024. No issues were found by them. 5) Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? - None that I remember.
While turning into a parking space, my car unexpectedly accelerated rapidly. My car crashed into a concrete barrier damaging the front end and tossing items around the car. Additional details: I was driving my car in single-pedal mode. In this mode, when you lift your foot from the accelerator, the car automatically brakes. I have a lot of experience in single-pedal mode, and I am very familiar and comfortable with how it works. On the morning in question, I was coming around a corner in an underground parking garage, and pulling into a parking space immediately around the corner. To do this, I was making a hair pin turn, moving at very slow speed. I was pulling in alongside a car that was already parked there. When the front of my car was in the space and I was completing my turn, I lifted my foot from the accelerator, and the car suddenly lurched forward at high speed. Before I could recover, the car crashed into a high concrete curb that marked the end of the parking space. The front bumper of my car was damaged and items flew off the seats of my car onto the floor. I was shaken up, but the air bags did not deploy. I was able to back out, complete parking, and proceed with my day. If this had happened in other circumstances, it could have led to loss of life. If I was on a street, and pedestrians were walking, for example. If the concrete curb had not been there to stop me, I don't know what would have happened. If another car had been where the curb was, it would have been damaged. This has only happened once. We haven't tried to reproduce it. I have continued to drive the car, and it has been fine. There were no indications (warning lights, etc) that this was going to happen. No warning lights have gone on since it happened. The car has not yet been inspected, but I plan on bringing it to the dealership to have it checked out. I did not file a police or insurance report.
I purchased a used 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV one week ago today and was shocked to learn of a known issue with the rear brake lights many claim is a very serious and hazardous design flaw. Undoubtedly, you have received complaints from fellow 2022 & 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV owners who have advised the car's rear brake lights are dangerously located down below in the bumper section. The mid-section of the back (hatch area) lights are "running lights" only. During daylight, the mid-section rear lights are not illuminated at any time per design (neither turn signal nor brake lights); yet, this creates a confusing (at minimum) situation for fellow drivers who are following the car. Although placement of the brake lights down below in the bumper section meets safety guidelines, the typical driver (myself included) is trained to watch for brake lights and turn signals in tail-light mid-section on the back of the vehicle. In addition to this, owners of bigger / taller trucks and SUVs who may be following a bit too closely may not see the bumper brake lights at all. Today, the theory was tested in real life, as I was nearly "rear-ended" by another vehicle in moderate city traffic while stopped at a stop light. The driver coming up behind me slammed on his brakes and screeched to a stop while I moved forward slightly to avoid the crash. Naturally, the other driver thought my brake lights were non-functioning as he passed me yelling through his rolled down window I needed to "fix (my) fu*king brakes lights". THIS HAPPENED AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR A MERE 200 MILES AFTER I PURCHASED LAST WEEK. If I extrapolate, this means my life will potentially be in danger from a rear end collision *50 TIMES* over the next year assuming I conservatively drive 10,000 miles. This is incredibly unacceptable and is shameful. GM needs to recall these vehicles immediately and install appropriate brake and turn signal lights. How many injuries and deaths will it take I wonder. Please act now. Thank you.
I noticed on the steering column and "one pedal" (bumper to bumper speed) brakes, both do not activate the brake lights -- a concern for vehicles from behind to be warned of my pending slowing down speed. The potential of being hit from behind is far greater without any indication of slowing down without brake lights activated using the steering column and "one pedal" breaking.
UNKNOWN Recall issue: there is a safety issue regarding the inconsistent Regen braking. Does not brake the same (or at all) when car is charged. Making it unsafe to rely on EV in braking scenarios. Braking should be the same (e.g., expected distance, hardness) whether fully charged or not. I know it is based on Regen requirements, but you can not rely on it to brake you (per expected distance) if just charged, as opposed to harder/shorter braking if battery is low, a.k.a. needing more Regen. Regen is a neat feature, but associated with inconsistent braking is not.
I was driving normally at low-to-moderate speed when the brake -- or emergency brake, I'm not sure -- engaged for a moment all by itself, thrusting me forward unexpectedly. There was no "beeping" to indicate that there was any car, object or person in my way. It was temporary but terrifying. Fortunately, I was not rear-ended. This is the second time this has happened. I didn't report it at the time, but today, it happened again (I will report it under a separate incident) so this is clearly an ongoing issue.
Iv'e owned the Bolt EUV for a few months and I was almost rear ended at least 4 times. One time the person tapped my rear bumper with their license plate and left a very light mark. There wasn't enough damage to make a report and the driver stated that they didnt notice me braking. The brake lights are too low and not very noticable( see attached photo with arrows). This issue can easily be corrected. The Bolt EUV has a light in the middle right above the rear window that only operates at night when you turn on the lights. They should have it act as a break light also.
Break lights are hard to see. Too low on bumper
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .