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What 316 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (316)Crash / fire / injury (16)Electrical system (111)Steering (106)Fuel system (68)Transmission & drivetrain (23)Brakes (19)Engine (14)Visibility & wipers (10)Speed control (8)Suspension (7)Seats (5)

2 of 316 complaints match · Speed control · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Nov 27, 2019Speed controlEngineFuel systemCrash1 injury

WHILE SLOWING TO MAKE A STOP AT AN INTERSECTION, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND WOULD NOT STOP. THE CAR STRUCK THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF IT A COUPLE OF TIMES AND CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE.

NHTSA ODI 11282618

Apr 2, 2018Speed controlCrash

WHILE TURNING INTO AN ANGLED PARKING SPOT IN A PARKING LOT, THE CAR ACCELERATED UNEXPECTEDLY. BEFORE I COULD ENGAGE THE BRAKE, THE CAR WENT OVER THE CONCRETE BERM SEPARATING ROWS OF PARKING SPACES AND HIT TWO PARKED CARS. ALL THREE VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED (THE VEHICLE I WAS DRIVING, AND THE TWO PARKED VEHICLES). WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR. THE PARKING LOT WAS DRY AND FREE OF SNOW AND ICE. THE TEMPERATURE WAS ~40F. THE CAR WAS NEW (3 MONTHS OLD) WITH ~550 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE SAME BEHAVIOR (UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION) HAPPENED ~1 MONTH EARLIER UNDER SIMILAR CONDITIONS, I.E., DRY, SNOW/ICE FREE WHILE TURNING INTO AN ANGLED PARKING PLACE. FORTUNATELY, THAT TIME I WAS ABLE TO ENGAGE THE BRAKE BEFORE DAMAGE WAS DONE. IN BOTH CASES, THE CAUSE OF THE BEHAVIOR IS NOT KNOWN.

NHTSA ODI 11082444

Working with the data? Download all 316 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 13, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV verdict →