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2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 67 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV, most often about the electrical (49% of complaints). It is 5th of 8 Bolt EV model years by number of complaints and has 5 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory3 recalls for this car came with a park-outside warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV problems
Electrical
33 complaints · 49%Parts named most often: 12v/24v/48v battery.
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The warning message " emergency power failure, seek service immediately" appeared on the instrument panel. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated he was unable to…
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the "reduced propulsion power" warning light illuminated, and a warning chime sounded. The contact was able to drive back to the residence. The contact called a local dealer who advised her not to drive the vehicle and to…
Fuel system
15 complaints · 22%Other or unspecified
12 complaints · 18%Transmission
10 complaints · 15%The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated while parking the vehicle and placing it into park, the vehicle lunged forward which resulted in the contact hitting the vehicle in front of them. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer but was not…
Steering
9 complaints · 13%Engine
4 complaints · 6%Brakes
3 complaints · 5%Speed control
3 complaints · 5%
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV recalls
Electrical: software
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Electrical: traction battery
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.
Full defect summary
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.
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: 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 re
Full defect summary
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.
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
Questions about the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV
- What are the most common problems with the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (33 complaints); fuel system (15 complaints); other or unspecified (12 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 31, 2024 (electrical). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2021 a bad year for the Chevrolet Bolt EV?
- It is 5th of 8 Bolt EV model years by number of complaints, with 67 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.