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2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 349 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, most often about the steering (36% of complaints, typically around 42,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Bolt EV model year since 2000 and has 4 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory2 recalls for this car came with a park-outside warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV problems
Steering
125 complaints · 36%Half of these problems showed up before 42,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed with needing a steering rack however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of…
The steering wheel/vehicle will not return to the center position after a turn. It requires manual effort to turn the steering wheel/vehicle back to the center position. If not, the vehicle will continue turning, thus creating an unsafe environment.
Electrical
114 complaints · 33%Half of these problems showed up before 23,500 miles. Parts named most often: propulsion system, 12v/24v/48v battery, adas.
On 2018-07-26 at approximately 2325h, vehicle was being driven at ~70mph northbound on I-95, the maine turnpike. Location was approximately 1/2 mile north of exit-32 (biddeford, me). Road conditions were good, temperatures in the mid-70f, humid. The owner's wife was driving, with her husband in the passenger seat. At…
2017 Bolt EV was parked nose into garage plugged into wall charger charging unattended with my phone set to alert me when estimated to be fully charged. When I came out of the house to unplug charger there was fire visible under back seat in passenger compartment of vehicle. Called 911 and by the time police and fire…
Fuel system
70 complaints · 20%Half of these problems showed up before 16,000 miles.
Car suddenly lost power on the highway. I had to coast to a stop. The high-voltage battery which had been 3/4 full went down to zero. After the incident, the car could no longer be drive. I'd already had gm's recall installed n172127150
My car was stopped at a red light signal, someone behind me was unable to stop and crashed into the rear of my car, pushing my car approximately 20ft forward. My car was rendered in operable due to damage to a rear electrical amplifier beneath the trunk floor. I had to get the car towed to a collision repair facility.…
Other or unspecified
34 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 24,000 miles.
Since I bought this car in november 2017 the back windshield been shattered 4 times and it happened on the coldest day of the year. The date was in a month of february, march, and november. I tried to resolve the issue with gm but they were not helpful.
Tire rated when we purchased car tire wear was 60 ,000 miles tube less tire we have less than 30,000 mile on car when took to chev to have service and was told I would need new tires soon 3 of the ties were at3/32 & 4 tire was4/32 so I drove home and parked it since I cant afford new ties yet and the responsible of US…
Transmission
27 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 22,000 miles.
On 2018-07-26 at approximately 2325h, vehicle was being driven at ~70mph northbound on I-95, the maine turnpike. Location was approximately 1/2 mile north of exit-32 (biddeford, me). Road conditions were good, temperatures in the mid-70f, humid. The owner's wife was driving, with her husband in the passenger seat. At…
I experienced a failure of the 12-volt battery. When this happens, the vehicle loses power, stalls, and then it looses all functions - cannot be even shifted into neutral to move it, cannot open rear doors. We couldn't even get in on a tow truck.
Brakes
22 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 21,000 miles.
18k miles in, 1 wheel is getting very hot. Dealer cannot find anything wrong. Has never mentioned it before, but says they recommend regular caliper slide pin cleaning and lubing. Wants $200. If it's a bad caliper, then it should be covered under warranty. They will do nothing. So I have at least 1 non-functional…
Unless the brake pedal is depressed there is a rapid ticking noise coming from the master brake cylinder upon opening the door, even without engaging the start button. This sound continues whether the car is stationary or moving under all traveling or stationary conditions unless the brake pedal is depressed slightly.…
Engine
16 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 22,500 miles.
Car suddenly lost power on the highway. I had to coast to a stop. The high-voltage battery which had been 3/4 full went down to zero. After the incident, the car could no longer be drive. I'd already had gm's recall installed n172127150
My 2017 chevy bolt lost propulsion while in motion on city streets in los angeles in traffic without warning from either on star or the vehicle. The battery indicated approximately an 60% charge. The vehicle is now at el camino Chevrolet in monterey park, ca., waiting on service.
Visibility and wipers
12 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 5,000 miles.
1) sunlight reflects off of the white dash onto the windshield and back into the driver's eyes. Visibility is impaired. The effect extends as far as the side mirrors and this in particular nearly caused me to crash into another car which I did not see due to the temporary opacity of the glass. I don't remember the…
I have a light gray interior trim package and the glare from the dashboard is extreme. There are times, like pulling into my own or public garages, when my visibility is reduced almost completely. On the open road the problem is also significant. To maintain good visibility I have resorted to wearing polarized…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV recalls
Seat belts: pretensioner
Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: 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
Full defect summary
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.
Seat belts: pretensioner
Risk: A vehicle fire can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will install metal foil at the carpet near the pretensioner exhaust, and install a pretensioner cover as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed between january 23, 2023 and april 25, 2023. Owners may contact chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. Gm's number for this recall is n222383790.
Full defect summary
General motors, llc (gm) is recalling certain 2017-2023 chevrolet bolt EV vehicles. After a crash with seat belt pretensioner deployment, the pretensioner exhaust may ignite carpet fibers near the b-pillar, causing a fire.
Electrical: traction battery
Risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to take the following interim steps: activate either the hill top reserve (2017 and 2018 models) or target charge level (2019 models) 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. Interim notification letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on august 13, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on august 13,
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain 2017-2019 chevrolet bolt EV vehicles previously recalled under NHTSA recall number 20v-701. The high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.
Electrical: traction battery
Risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: This recall has been superseded by recall number 21v-560. Vehicles previously repaired under 20v-701 will still need to have the new remedy under recall 21v-560. Gm will notify owners, and as an interim repair, beginning on november 17, 2020, dealers will reprogram the hybrid propulsion control module 2 (hpcm2) to limit the full charge to 90%, free of charge. Owners are advised to activate either the hill top reserve (2017 and 2018 models) or target charge level (2019 models) feature in their vehicle to limit the charge level to 90%, or park outside, until the software update is completed. Own
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling all 2017-2018 and certain 2019 chevrolet bolt EV vehicles. The high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
Summary
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 matt
Electric vehicle battery fires
Summary
In october 2020, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe) on 2017-2020 model year (my) chevrolet bolt vehicles based on complaints received alleging that the vehicles caught fire under the seating area while parked and unattended. At the time, odi had received 2 vehicle owner questionnaires (voqs) and several field reports. All complaints alleged vehicles caught fire during or after electrical charging.odi's review found vehicle thermal events occurred during and/or at the end of the battery module charging cycle. The information learned from NHTSA and general motors joint vehicle inspections prompted general motors to file recall 20v-701 on april 29, 20
Questions about the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV
- What are the most common problems with the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (125 complaints, typically around 42,000 miles); electrical (114 complaints, typically around 23,500 miles); fuel system (70 complaints, typically around 16,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from December 14, 2023 (seat belts). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2017 a bad year for the Chevrolet Bolt EV?
- It is the most complained-about Bolt EV model year since 2000, with 349 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.