RoadVitals

2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

NHTSA has issued a “park outside” advisory affecting this model year.

Campaign 24V812000. Confirm whether your specific vehicle is covered using its VIN before acting on this.

Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov
Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
66
Latest Mar 2, 2026
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
5
Latest Oct 31, 2024
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
4
1 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 66 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV, most frequently naming the electrical, fuel system and powertrain (other) categories. 5 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 501 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

5 campaigns cover this model year

View all 5

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
24V812000NHTSA advisory: park outside

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY THERMAL:MANAGEMENT:SOFTWARE

Oct 31, 2024
107 units potentially affected
The defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Bolt EUV vehicles previously repaired under Recall 21V-650. The installation of advanced diagnostic software may have failed. As such, the high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.
The risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
The remedy: Owners are advised to take the following interim steps: Set the Target Charge Level feature in their vehicle to limit the charge level to 90%, charge their vehicle more frequently, avoid depleting the battery to 70 miles range remaining, park outside after charging, and do not charge the vehicle indoors overnight. Dealers will reinstall advanced diagnostic software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 3, 2024. Owners may contact the Bolt EV Concierge Team at 1-833-382-4389. GM's number for this recall is N242470160.
General Motors, LLCManufacturer number N242470160View on NHTSA.gov
24V481000NHTSA advisory: park outside

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY

Jun 27, 2024
72 units potentially affected
The defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV vehicles that were previously remedied under recall number 21V-650. The advanced diagnostic software may have been incorrectly installed and fail to detect defective battery modules, possibly resulting in a battery fire.
The risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
The remedy: Owners are advised to take the following interim steps: Set the Target Charge Level feature in their vehicle to limit the charge level to 90%, charge their vehicle more frequently, avoid depleting the battery to 70 miles range remaining, park outside after charging, and do not charge the vehicle indoors overnight. Dealers will reinstall the advanced diagnostic software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 1, 2024. Owners may contact the Bolt EV Concierge Team at 1-833-382-4389. GM's numbers for this recall are N242443000 and N242443002.
General Motors, LLCManufacturer number N242443000View on NHTSA.gov
23V845000

SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER; STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

Dec 14, 2023
6,771 units potentially affected
The defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. This recall includes certain vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under NHTSA recall number 22V-930. After a crash with seat belt pretensioner deployment, the pretensioner exhaust may ignite carpet fibers near the B-pillar, causing a fire.
The risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect both front seat belt pretensioners and, if necessary, install metal foil at the carpet near the pretensioner exhaust. Certain vehicles will also need a pretensioner cover installed. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 24, 2024. These vehicles were previously recalled for this same issue under recall number 22V-930 and will need to have the new remedy performed. Owners may contact GM EV Concierge at 1-833-EVCHEVY (1-833-382-4389) (TTY 711 / 1-800-833-2438) or Customer Service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N232421970.
General Motors, LLCManufacturer number N232421970View on NHTSA.gov

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

DP22005ClosedDefect Petition

Pedestrian alert sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023
Closed Aug 7, 2023

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEMLed to recall 22V063000

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 66
Driver assistanceElectricalFuel system
Filed Mar 2, 2026

My 2021 Chevy Bolt keeps showing a battery or power-Propulsion warning light related to the high-voltage system. The warning keeps coming back even after multiple repairs. The first repair was on April 28, 2025, the second was on December 17, 2025, and it is scheduled again for another repair on March 3, 2026. The light is the same every time and affects the car’s performance and reliability. I’m concerned this could be a safety issue involving the battery or propulsion system. The dealer repairs it temporarily, but the warning keeps returning, and the problem has never been fully resolved.

NHTSA ID
11721358
Incident
Apr 28, 2025
Airbags
Filed Feb 13, 2026
Crash reported1 injury reported

I was in a car accident on February 9th, in which my airbags did not deploy, however, I did receive an error in my Chevy app that my Air Bag system requires attention. I sustained facial injuries due to impact with the steering wheel. I believe the airbags should have deployed, but did not.

NHTSA ID
11717938
Incident
Feb 9, 2026
Steering
Filed Jan 31, 2026

Steering rack binding. Becoming progressively harder to turn over time. Steering wheel doesn't return to center. Clunking in front end occasionally heard when hitting bumps.

NHTSA ID
11714633
Incident
Jul 1, 2023
Steering
Filed Sep 21, 2025

The steering wheel will not return to center and feels like its binding on something, sometimes its tough to steer other times not. Does not feel safe. No warning lamps and nobody has inspected or worked on it yet.

NHTSA ID
11688686
Incident
Sep 9, 2025
Steering
Filed Aug 19, 2025

Steering gear is bound up due to a documented manufacturing error. Steering is increasingly stiff at speed, and will not return to center without significant driver input. This is a widespread issue that has been documented and causes a major safety concern to Chevy Bolt owners and should be addressed and repaired by the manufacturer.

NHTSA ID
11681730
Incident
Aug 19, 2025
Steering
Filed May 21, 2025

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Steering rack. Steering wont return to center at 38,000 miles. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Car handles unpredictably posing safety risk to others and myself. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. Quoted $2,700 to replace rack and pinion. I refused service as vehicle has less than 40k miles. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No

NHTSA ID
11662463
Incident
May 21, 2025
Driver assistanceElectricalPowertrain (other)
Filed Apr 20, 2025
Crash reported

Video available and was given to USAA insurance company. This 2021 GM Chevrolet Bolt EV Premier trim vehicle experienced a sudden uncommanded extreme acceleration when I selected "D" (drive) mode on the transmission selector after using "R" (reverse) to back out of a parking lot parking space. The vehicle, despite my stomping and holding the brake pedal down and repeatedly selecting a different mode on the transmission selector, could not be stopped and still wanted to accelerate. The vehicle traveled an estimated 250 feet through a parking lot, crossing a street, hitting the curbs at high speed and through a field. The vehicle stopped against some concrete debris in the field pushing in the bumper slightly but with no airbag deployment. The mishap incident was video recorded and thankfully, there were no passengers or public / private property damages / injuries.

NHTSA ID
11655690
Incident
Apr 17, 2025
Electrical
Filed Mar 15, 2025

12v battery warning light and ion Lucian battery light came on manufacture does not want to buy back and apple car play keeps breaking.

NHTSA ID
11648477
Incident
Mar 15, 2025

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

PIT5099J

PI to help diagnose A/C concern

PIT5966F

This Preliminary information communicates an issue with an OTA pending message still displayed after an OTA event and how to reset/clear the message.

PIC6551B

This Preliminary information communicates to dealer to perform a MEC reset for wireless projection issues

PIC6423A

Pi created to provide GM dealers with information on gathering information for projection issue

PIT3271Q

This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.

N25-250552

Improvements to OnStar functionality.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Chevrolet Bolt EV by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2027310—
2024000—
2023583062.5
2022597156.9
2021Viewing665156.1
20201738262.8
20191756261.9
2018885363.4
20173424259.8

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.