2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV Electrical Problems

Water has infiltrated the lower trunk area and fried the sound amplifier. The result is no sounds can be heard from the speakers. This includes sounds and warnings from the safety systems. Seat belt, ADAS, BLIS, OnStar, Turn Signals, Radio. The rear hatch seals seem to be intact and it is unclear how water is entering this lower area as there is no evidence of water anywhere else in the rear cargo area. A google search reveals many other Bolt owners are experiencing the same issue

NHTSA ID

11717281

Incident

Dec 2, 2025

While driving on the freeway at 65 mph during morning rush-hour, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated without warning and came to a stop. The vehicle was barely able to make it to the shoulder before losing all momentum. There is a high-risk of a fatal collision when a vehicle unexpectedly stops or drastically slows on a freeway with 65 - 70 mph traffic, which is compounded during peak travel times. This is a risk to not only the vehicle occupants, but other drivers and vehicles as well. Several error messages were displayed on the dashboard as the car was decelerating: Drivetrain malfunction: Stop and turn off engine; Service high voltage battery system; Service Vehicle Soon; Unable to shift. The battery range dropped from just under 50% (~115 mi) to 0 while attempting to pull over on the shoulder. After the vehicle was stopped, it was unable to be powered off for about an hour. It was not successful in shifting or moving and the battery range showed 0. An hour and a half (1.5 hours) after the incident, the vehicle would power on and show a battery range between 121 - 110, which would drop to 0 within 15 seconds with a message that it is unable to charge. At the time of the incident, OnStar sent an email stating that "A critical issue with the engine and transmission system in your 2019 Chevy Bolt has been detected. Please service your vehicle immediately." The battery had been replaced the week of February 5th, 2023 per several product safety recall notices . There was one issue on February 18th, 2023 that the battery range was not updating, but it corrected itself after being parked for 3 hours. There were no other previous issues or indications of a problem prior to vehicle malfunction. The vehicle is currently being diagnosed by a dealer. It is currently available for inspection. The electrical, propulsion, and powertrain (and possibly speed control) systems did not function properly.

NHTSA ID

11521369

Incident

May 9, 2023

Vehicle without warning stopped moving while making a left turn in an intersection at night. Power to dashboard was on but no propulsion, brakes or steering. Was unable to put car into gear to move forward or in reverse. Message was displayed, "Unable to Initalize Propulsion System" Extremely dangerous situation, I turned on flashers and left car in intersection. Called tow truck. When tow truck arrived, we pushed car to curb and he hauled it away. Cheverolet dealer diagnosed the problem as a defective wiring harness. He said there was a GM alert regarding this as a known issue that led him to the defective wiring harness. They charged $1567 to replace it which included $1200 in labor and recommended I contact GM to see if they would compensate me since it was a known issue and the car was only 2 months off warrantee. GM refused to compensate me for the faulty harness. The Bolt has 19K miles on it, is kept in a garage and has never been in an accident.

NHTSA ID

11508757

Incident

Feb 13, 2023

2019 CHEVROLET BOLT. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO NHTSA SAFETY RECALL 21V-560. THE CONSUMER IS DISSATISFIED WITH THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TO PERFORM THE RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

11503159

Incident

Jan 23, 2023

I'm experiencing the loss of propulsion covered in this bulletin. It's happened around 5 times. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10176614-9999.pdf The malfunction indicator lamp comes on after each incident and then clears. The problem has been confirmed by a dealer and they are refusing to repair it under either the power train or emission control systems warranty. Losing propulsion is a safety issue, particularly in high speed traffic, and it needs to be fixed.

NHTSA ID

11495863

Incident

Nov 28, 2022

After my recalled battery was replaced, the car will not allow charging,. The message charging port not available. I have gone to the dealer where they override the message to allow charging but it is only temporary and the next time battery is low, it requires a return to dealer to unlock the charging port. It happened first time July 14 and then again Aug 4. Customer care at GM says it is a known problem and they will notify when a fix is available. They are no use in resolving this problem that can lead to cars stopping mid drive , I have attempted to reach a higher level at GM and they are hidden,

NHTSA ID

11479007

Incident

Jul 14, 2022

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while attempting to recharge the vehicle, the charging unit that plugs into the vehicle failed to securely lock into place. The battery had to be disconnected for approximately 5 minutes and then reconnect to the terminal. Once reconnected, a spark was created, releasing the blockage and allowing the charger to operate correctly. The door that covered the socket where the plug was inserted failed to seal correctly. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who was made aware of the failure however, the mechanic was unable to identify the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,106.

NHTSA ID

11477198

Incident

Aug 2, 2021

Mileage

18,106 mi

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V560000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11469772

Incident

Sep 1, 2021

Part of the charging element - the metal clip- locks up and will not allow the car to be plugged in to charge. According to Chevrolet dealer this is a known issue but customers have not been notified by GM. They do not have a fix other than taking the car to the dealer and doing a factory reset. This is dangerous for people who may not discover the problem until their car is too low on miles/charge and may not be able to get it reset. It is happening multiple times, even after dealer reset.

NHTSA ID

11465587

Incident

May 21, 2022

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V560000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11459125

Incident

Mar 29, 2022

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V560000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer had been notified about the recall and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11456669

Incident

Nov 1, 2020

Last week, we had our 2019 Bolt serviced at a dealership - they had "replaced drive motor battery high voltage manual disconnect" and did some sort of check on the "high voltage battery." We had also showed them a message we got from On Star that an "issue had been detected with the electric drive unit" and get it serviced within seven days. We bought the Bolt in the Fall of 2019 and it has less than 5,000 miles on it. We are on the waitlist for the LIB recall. 6 days after getting the car back from service, my wife was driving the car when suddenly the car went completely dead. Fortunately, she was not on the highway where she could have been killed, but on a quiet suburban street. I came over to assist and we arranged to have it towed to the Chevy dealership. After the Bolt stopped running, my wife again received the message saying "issue had been detected with the electric drive unit." They are now working on the Bolt. They are telling us that the problems are (1) the 12 volt battery has low state charge power and needed to be replaced and (2) there is a "faulty accessory power module" which they have ordered a part for. They do not think it is LIB related. They are not sure what "electric drive unit" means and will need to check with Chevrolet.

NHTSA ID

11456265

Incident

Mar 9, 2022

The car's AC, which cools the battery stopped working. The vehicle says to be serviced immidiately but Chevrolet has not found a local dealer or mechanic in Puerto Rico (where my car is currently situated) that can service it. I am afraid the car will light on fire because the car already has a battery recall, which they have yet to resolve as well.

NHTSA ID

11449521

Incident

Jan 15, 2022

Solenoid on charge receptacle that asserts locking latch gets stuck in extended state leaving the car in a bricked state - out of charge and unable to insert a charger. This occurred after receiving the new battery packs covered by recall and the dealer did the associated firmware upgrade after the battery recall fix. Also - when observing the Bolt forums the "stuck latch preventing charging" is occurring on quite a number of other Bolts - FW bug??

NHTSA ID

11448118

Incident

Jan 3, 2022

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V560000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that he was on a waiting list. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11447489

Incident

Oct 9, 2021

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V560000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact called the local dealer and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified but no further assistance was provided. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11446205

Incident

Jul 23, 2021

FIRE RISK. Chevy Bolts are known and have an active recall on a fire risk. They did one fix, which reduced my vehicle range. It has shown that fix did not work, and they further reduced our range, plus told us not to park inside or charge overnight, which decreases the practicality of the vehicle. As per the recall notice and your website, I am instructed to contact you if the manufacturer has failed or is unable to remedy this safety recall for your vehicle in a timely manner. They have NOT remedied this in a timely manner as it has been since August 2021 that I have been in contact with them to have it resolved, and we agreed to their offer back in October but they have taken no action to fulfill the offer and now it is Dec 2021. Each day is a risk to my family. We have to park both our vehicles in our driveway, and there is an overhanging tree, so if there is a fire it would still be catastrophic.

NHTSA ID

11444234

Incident

Aug 21, 2021

I made the mistke of purchasing a Chevy Bolt EV in 2019. The cars have been on a recall since 11/2020 for batteries that set fire. Three times Chevy has called my car back to the dealership and done nothing but reduce my battery charge level to 80%. This is not acceptable because the car will no longer cross the Island and return at this level. They kepp saying they will put never batteries int he cars but that started over a year ago and they have done nothing. When I asked them about when the battery swap might happen they tell me they do not know. When I asked if they had Bolts with good batteries that they could swap they said no. I'm being given the run around by GM.

NHTSA ID

11442548

Incident

Dec 2, 2021

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V560000 (Electrical System) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11439774

Incident

Nov 8, 2021

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V560000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact was concerned that the vehicle may catch on fire in his senior townhome community. The dealer was made aware of the recall but informed the contact that they were not aware when parts would be available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11439095

Incident

Jul 23, 2021

I AM AN OWNER OF 2019 CHEVY BOLT. I HAD THIS CAR SINCE THE DAY 1, BAUGHT IT BRAND NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP, AND NOT ONLY WHEN I PURCHASED IT THE DEALER HAD NO PROPER INFORMATION ABUT IT, I HAVE TRIED CONTACTING THE GM CUSTOMER CARE REGARDING THE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD RECALL. I HAVE ASKED THE GM REGARDING THE RECALL, IF THE RECALL THAT THE DEALER WILL TRY TO FIX WILL NOT SOLVE THE ISSUE, WILL I STILL BE IN THE RISK OF HAVING MY CAR CATCH ON FIRE? CAN THE GM GUARANTEE ME THAT AFTER HAVING ALL OF MY RECALLS DONE PRIOR TO THE FINAL ONE THAT JUST CAME IN THAT THEY HAD FIXED THE ISSUE AND THAT MY VEHICLE IS SAFE NOW CONSIDERING I HAVE A CHILD. THE RESPONSE WAS: " WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT TO YOU, BECAUSE WE CAN ONLY TRY AND SEE IF THIS WILL SOLVE THE ISSUE." SO THE ISSUE IS NOT SOLVED, MY VEHICLE IS A DANGER NOT ONLY TO ME BUT TO MY NEIGHBORS AND TO MY FAMILY. FOREMORE, GM DOES NOT WANT TO BUY BACK THE VEHICLE EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW IT IS THEIR MISTAKE AND IT IS THEIR DEFECT.

NHTSA ID

11438149

Incident

Jun 17, 2020

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V560000 (Electrical System). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The part was not available for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.

NHTSA ID

11437398

Incident

Oct 19, 2021

GM recalled Bolt for possible battery fire in 2020 & 2021. At the 2nd recall, I started MSRP Swap with GM. Since GM dragged my case intentionally, I filed BBB auto complaint. Though BBB, GM agreed with MSRP Swap on 9/9 (verbal agreement between BBB & GM). Since then GM has been silent. GM claimed they can't find a dealership to do MSRP Swap. However, as a consumer, this isn't my problem, but GM needs to step up to find a dealership for MSRP Swap. Otherwise, GM's MSRP Swap agreement is useless. Meanwhile, GM recommended Bolt owners to charge up to 90% of battery capacity, maintain battery mileage above 70M, park 50ft from building/other cars, and park open space. The car is basically useless, and we fear our car might burn down our house/life as well as neighbors.

NHTSA ID

11436317

Incident

Nov 13, 2020

GM has been unable to provide a remedy for GM recall N212343880, NHTSA#21V560 in a timely manner, and has issued recommendations that are impossible for most owners to adhere to. Most recently GM has communicated that owners should park outside 50 feet away from other vehicles and structures. I live in a moderately densely populated area and this is impossible. I can not prevent other drivers from parking near me. GM should be required to buyback vehicles which have a safety defect which they have are unable to repair in a timely manner. Bolt EVs have been under safety recalls for almost a full year now, and no GM action to date has been successful in preventing Bolt fires.

NHTSA ID

11433370

Incident

Sep 15, 2021

UNKNOWN I wish to file a complaint against Chevrolet in regards to the Chevy Bolt recall. The new official guidance that states we should not park within 50 feet of another vehicle in my opinion is not realistically feasible and deems my vehicle unusable. I am also concerned this puts the burden of liability on myself if collateral damage does occur in a case of a fire. Below is a Bloomberg article providing further details to the source of my complaint. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-09-15/gm-tells-some-bolt-owners-to-park-50-feet-away-from-other-cars

NHTSA ID

11433240

Incident

Sep 15, 2021