VehicleVerdict

2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

One of the years to avoid

With 244 complaints filed to NHTSA — about 2.3 times the median Bolt EV year — the 2020 model ranks #2 of 8 Bolt EV years for complaint volume. It lands on the years-to-avoid list.

Electrical System leads the complaint categories with 96 reports (39% of the total). In government crash testing it earned 5 of 5 NCAP stars overall.

244

NHTSA complaints

8

Recalls

2

Investigations

12

Crash-involved

6

Fires reported

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

5

NCAP overall · of 5 stars

How does 2020 compare to other Bolt EV years?

Bolt EV NHTSA complaints by model year, 2020 highlighted460 complaints2017: 460 complaints2018: 118 complaints2019: 240 complaints2020: 244 complaints2021: 96 complaints2022: 94 complaints2023: 88 complaints2027: 0 complaints
Bolt EV NHTSA complaints by model year, 2020 highlighted. Red bars are years to avoid.

See all Bolt EV years to avoid →

What are the most common 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Electrical System9639%
Fuel System3012%
Other219%
Steering219%
Driver Assistance177%
Transmission115%
Speed Control94%
Engine83%
Airbags62%
Seat Belts62%
Lighting52%
Body & Structure52%
Brakes31%
Suspension21%
Tires & Wheels21%
Visibility & Wipers21%

Does the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV have recalls?

8 NHTSA recall campaigns on file. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

24V812000Electrical SystemOctober 31, 2024 · 107 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

A battery fire increases the risk of injury.

Remedy

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.

24V481000Electrical SystemJune 27, 2024 · 72 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

A battery fire increases the risk of injury.

Remedy

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.

23V845000Seat BeltsDecember 14, 2023 · 6,771 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

A fire increases the risk of injury.

Remedy

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 is N232421970.

22V930000Seat BeltsDecember 15, 2022 · 111,242 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

A vehicle fire can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

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.

21V650000Electrical SystemAugust 20, 2021 · 52,414 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

A battery fire increases the risk of injury.

Remedy

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.

20V811000Seat BeltsDecember 23, 2020 · 470 units

Defect

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts may have been used at one or more fastening locations to secure the seat belts to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached to the vehicle.

Consequence

If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202322230.

20V808000BrakesDecember 22, 2020 · 464 units

Defect

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. These vehicles may have an improperly cast front left brake caliper that can fracture during a high-pressure braking event.

Consequence

If a brake caliper fractures and brake fluid is lost, the vehicle may experience reduced brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the casting lot number on the front left brake caliper and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202321400.

20V184000Latches & LocksMarch 26, 2020 · 897 units

Defect

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. The door-handle cable inside the rear doors may be too long, allowing contact with the window when it is opened, possibly damaging the cable. A damaged cable may cause the rear door to open unintentionally when the rear window is opened. Additionally, it may cause the rear inside door handle to not work.

Consequence

If the rear door opens while driving, or the door handle fails to open the rear door, there is an increased risk of injury to the rear passengers.

Remedy

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear inside door-handle cables, free of charge. The recall began April 17, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is A202298320.

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

Representative excerpts, cleaned of personal information. These are consumer statements, not verified defects.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 CHEVROLET BOLT EV. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS IN "L" MODE BEFORE THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD INTO THE WALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER (HERITAGE CHEVROLET OWING MILLS: 11234 REISTERSTOWN RD, OWINGS MILLS, MD 21117) BUT IT WAS UNKNOWN IF THE VEHICLE WAS…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · January 29, 2020 · crash

GM announced a recall for this vehicle for battery fires approximately 10 months ago. The recall involves battery replacement (clearly very expensive). GM appears to be delaying or intentionally prioritizing batteries to new car applications. The company is not able (or willing) to even forecast a…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Fuel System · June 20, 2022

UNKNOWN The vehicle suddenly took off after putting it into drive causing it to accelerate out of the driveway and crash into the house across the street.The vehicle was parked on an incline in the driveway. Application of the brakes failed to stop the vehicle.

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Other · August 21, 2022 · crash

Steering rack started failing: did not return to center out of slow corners. Basically I could do hands-free circles in a parking lot. Dealer confirmed the steering rack was bad and replaced it under warranty. Out of sweeping corners this can be a safety issue as it only got worse over time. No…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Steering · January 14, 2026

I hit a deer on a back road coming home from work, on impact I heard a loud explosion and smelt burning electronics and the smell of an air bag, the seat belt locked. Then after the initial impact the car then stopped and the emergency alarm went of and many messages were on the screen. Fast…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Driver Assistance · October 2, 2021 · crash

2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV — common questions

Is the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV reliable?

NHTSA data argues against it: 244 complaints put the 2020 model at #2 of 8 Bolt EV years. It is one of the Bolt EV years to avoid.

What are the most common 2020 Bolt EV problems?

According to NHTSA complaint data, the leading problem areas are electrical system (96 complaints), fuel system (30 complaints), other (21 complaints).

Does the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns affecting the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers; check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm the work was done.

Is the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV under NHTSA investigation?

NHTSA opened 2 investigations into this model year; all are now closed.

Which Chevrolet Bolt EV years should you avoid?

Based on complaint rates and open investigations, the Bolt EV years to avoid are 2017, 2020, 2019. The cleanest record among Bolt EV years belongs to 2027.

How safe is the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV?

In NHTSA's NCAP crash testing, the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV earned an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.