2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 94 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV, 54% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 35,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “electrical contacted” (10% of reports).
- 94electrical system complaints
- 35,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 3related recalls
- 27%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Electrical contacted: mentioned in 9 of 94 complaints (10%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 11 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 94 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 4 a fire.
Chevrolet Bolt EV electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 Bolt EV | 2 | 40% | — |
| 2023 Bolt EV | 17 | 28% | — |
| 2022 Bolt EV | 29 | 49% | 6,612 |
| 2021 Bolt EV | 33 | 49% | 5,000 |
| 2020 Bolt EV | 94 | 54% | 35,000 |
| 2019 Bolt EV | 85 | 48% | 15,000 |
| 2018 Bolt EV | 30 | 34% | 12,702 |
| 2017 Bolt EV | 114 | 33% | 23,600 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (3)
Electrical system:propulsion system:traction battery thermal:management:softwarePark outside
Problem: 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.
Risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Electrical system:propulsion system:traction batteryPark outside
Problem: 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.
Risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Electrical system:propulsion system:traction batteryPark outside
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV vehicles. The high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.
Risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: 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. Defective battery modules will be replaced by GM, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 1, 2021 and June 23, 2023. Owners may contact the Bolt EV Concierge Team at 1-833-382-4389. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall 21V-560. GM's number for this recall is N212345940.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Camera(s) stopped working altogether after intermittent issues. The vehicle has no functioning backup camera.
General Motors is using the arbitrary 6,213-mile tracking window of Recall 944 to deny coverage for a diagnosed Cell Section 3 hardware failure at 123,582 miles. However, this vehicle is directly impacted by the failure parameters outlined in the expanded GM Safety Recall N242470160 / N242470162…
When driving the car through a busy intersection there was a sudden, brief surge of acceleration, followed by deceleration and the vehicle cutting all motor power and becoming inoperable. The MIL lamp illuminated and the "Ready" light went out. I was unable to move the vehicle out of traffic until…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EVs have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 94 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV (54% of the 174 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV electrical system?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 35,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV?
The most frequent phrase is “electrical contacted”, in 9 of 94 complaints.
See all 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV problems or electrical system problems across all Bolt EV years.