What 66 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV

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 ODI 11721358

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 ODI 11717938

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 ODI 11714633

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 ODI 11688686

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 ODI 11681730

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 ODI 11662463

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 ODI 11655690

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 ODI 11648477

STEERING GEER HAVING ISSUES OF THE STEERING WHEEL COMING BACK TO CENTER AFTER THE TURN. NOW NEED TO REPLACE STEERING GEER

NHTSA ODI 11621934

Shift selector failed. Could no shift into gear Drive, low or Reverse. Locked in park but could shift to neutral. no power steering or AC. If this design flaw failure occurred while the car was on the highway, it could cause an accident. I have contacted General Motors and reported the potential safety issue and awaiting there response.

NHTSA ODI 11615598

Car stalled suddenly on road. Can’t change to any driving gear, only neutral. Towed to dealer, diagnose indicated wiring harness was the cause. Expensive fix for ~$400 part with ~$3200 labor cost in addition to dangerous sudden stall.

NHTSA ODI 11589044

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH, the vehicle failed to stop as needed, and struck a pole. The contact stated that the Forward Collison Avoidance feature failed to stop the vehicle. The contact was unaware of a warning light being illuminated. The vehicle was not towed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the Forward Collision Avoidance was inoperable. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact was advised to take the vehicle to a dealer to get the Forward Collision Avoidance system repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact received no assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

NHTSA ODI 11588509

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 have the vehicle towed to the dealer. The contact stated that the dealer was unsure if the battery could be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V650000 (Electrical System) and stated that the system was to monitor the condition of the battery and related the failure to the safety campaign. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

NHTSA ODI 11572166

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she was unable to keep the vehicle centered, and the vehicle was pulling either to the left or the right. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle seemed to return to normal functionality; however, the failure had since become a persistent failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that a front alignment was required. The vehicle received the front wheel alignment, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer two additional times, but a cause for the failure was not determined; but the vehicle received a second alignment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the rear axle. The rear axle was replaced, but the failure continued. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and agreed to buy back the vehicle. The failure mileage was 691.

NHTSA ODI 11544829

I believe the recall remedy gm n21345944 is not sufficient because it dies not monitor the system during the 80-100 % charge. It only allows ip to 80 which is not when it fails. Also it just gives an alert and does not shut down the battery which can allow the fure to happen. According to gm recall 212345940 a new battery was promised. I do not feel safe driving a car which has only been tested up to 80% range when that id not the failure mode. I want a new fixed battery.

NHTSA ODI 11539002

In nearly exactly the same fashion as Tesla, Chevrolet has reduced my battery range by 15-20% and they don't have any idea when or if they will restore what I've paid for.

NHTSA ODI 11537801

Our car (2021 Chevy Bolt) has been under recall N212345940 since September 2021 for a battery that could catch fire if charged to full capacity. The GM recall stated "when parts are available, your Chevrolet dealer will replace the defective lithium ion battery modules in your vehicle with new lithium ion battery modules." For almost 2 years we've been worried, unable to park our car in a garage or charge to 100%. In the interim, when I spoke to a Chevy salesperson who tried to sell me a newer model year Bolt, they informed me that all the used cars on the lot had already had their batteries replaced. On June 14th I got an email stating: Recall Status: "Remedy Available Recall Number: N212345944 High Voltage Battery May Melt or Burn". I was extremely excited and took the car in last week. As I left I realized that they had NOT replaced the battery, instead they programmed in a diagnostic tool to try and identify defective battery cells over the next 6000 miles. The recall on my vehicle is now marked complete, even though nothing has changed! The car now won't allow full charging and there's still a danger of fire on a deeply discharged battery. I feel deeply betrayed by the bate and switch and that they've been allowed to call this recall completed.

NHTSA ODI 11529983

While driving on the road, a sound came from under the car, and suddenly the car lost all propulsion power and was gliding on the road. The manufacturer told me the Manual Disconnect Lever was disconnected and Fuse was blown with no explanation on the root cause. After a few calls with the GM customer service, they explained to me "It happens", which to me it is unacceptable. This is a EV and fuse does not just randomly blown.

NHTSA ODI 11529180

I purchased a 2021 Bolt EV in mid-2021. I am disappointed in how GM handled the battery recall on my 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV. In Sept 2021 I received notice of safety recall N212345940 stating that the "Parts to repair your vehicle are not currently available" and I should "Set your vehicle to a 90 percent state of charge limitation". I did so and I patiently waited for the parts to arrive. Parts availability for this recall was unacceptably slow. I waited for 22 months for these parts - all the while my vehicle State of Charge (SOC) is diminished to 90%. Then in June 2023 GM changed their policy on this recall. The previous recall was marked as “completed”, even though I never received an indication that the parts to repair my vehicle became available. Instead recall N212345944 was issued. This recall installs “advanced diagnostic software that will monitor battery performance and identify defective battery modules”. Effectively it limits the SOC to 80% for 6200 miles. If there is an issue detected then the battery modules will, supposedly, be replaced. I have my doubts that this software will ever report such an occurrence. This is an extremely disappointing resolution for the customer. Now my vehicle's capacity is further reduced to 80% SOC for, potentially, another 6200 miles. GM sold me a car, and I paid for a car, that has 100% SOC. Thus far I have not had full use of my car and I have been driving it for 2+ years. Where is my compensation for being stuck with this diminished usage? I want to claw back 20% of my purchase price. Very badly done. I am an unhappy customer.

NHTSA ODI 11528981

The car can blow up and catch on fire due to excessive heat and humidity. Dealer is responsible for fixing it but it's been over 2 years and I want to end my lease early due to safety concerns. I have barely driven the car and kept it out of the garage (except for charging) but fire safety concerns are not being addressed by all Chevy dealers in Houston. No one can fix it and even if they did, it would take months so I want to turn it in to dealership and get someone to fix it so they can resell it safely. By driving and paying for this recall, I am at risk for death due to lithium battery explosion and no one is repairing it. Dealership notified of recall in Aug. 2021 and never contacted me about a solution, just told me to not charge it to 100% and keep it outside.

NHTSA ODI 11526891

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that he was made aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V650000 (Electrical System) upon research; however, the dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available for recall repair. The contact was informed that parts were available at another location. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue by the dealer and the contact was informed that there was no response. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11523415

The "High Voltage Battery May Melt or Burn" recall for my vehicle (2021 Bolt EV) still says "Remedy not yet available" 20 months after the recall was issued. This is unacceptable to not have a solution after this amount of time. Furthermore, Chevrolet is now misrepresenting the recall at their own website as "Incomplete", instead of the correct "Incomplete, Remedy not available" (at https://www.chevrolet.com/ownercenter/recalls?vin=<insert VIN> ). I recently took my vehicle to have it repaired and they only offered me the repair for another fire-causing recall (seatbelt pretensioner), I couldn't even select this recall for repair.

NHTSA ODI 11518627

Chevrolet issued a recall for our 2021 Bolt, Manufacturer Recall Number N212345940 NHTSA Recall Number 21V650 over a year ago. At the time of the recall issue in late 2021, we were told to bring in the car for service that would reduce the risk of fire by lowering the charge capacity to 80%. We did so and were told that the actual battery module replacement would be "any day now." We have contacted the Chevrolet EV Concierge (833-382-4389) several times over the past year, including today, Feb. 20, and each time we were told that the recall service would happen "soon," and that there was no way to estimate when it would occur. We have been told that the 2020-2022 models had recall service started in August 2021, proceeding "in batches." As it has been about 15 months since the recall was issued, we suspect that Chevrolet has no intention of performing this service in a timely fashion. We do not know the probability of a fire. We do not know when the full charge capacity will be restored, and this has constrained our ability to travel. Has NHTSA imposed a deadline or guideline for the recall completion? What is a reasonable time frame for a recall of this magnitude? 1 year? 3? 5? 10? As a car owner, 1 year would appear to be reasonable. However, we have little ability to hold Chevrolet to a reasonable standard and no knowledge of what percentage of the cars are done. We appeal to NHTSA to hold Chevrolet to a reasonable standard. Thank you for your time.

NHTSA ODI 11508146

2021 CHEVROLET BOLT EV. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO BATTERY RECALL.

NHTSA ODI 11505975

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V650000 (Electrical System) and 22V930000 (Structure, Seat Belts) however, the parts to do the recall repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11503973