Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I've been using my BOLT for 4 years without incident and have been charging my car at my home at my home level 2 charger for 18 months without incident. I began the process with GM to either buyback my 2017 BOLT or exchange the batteries as per the recall. However, on Tuesday, my found my car smoking with a strong burning plastic smell as it was charging at my house. I disconnected and now have damage to both my charger and my charging port of my car. I do not feel safe trying to charge this car again and do not even know if its possible in its current state. i contacted Chevy and they referred me to another branch of their company to investigate this incident. They are now asking me to hire and electrician and have the plug inspected, at my expense. I am currently using the same plug to charge my Tesla and there are no problems with this circuit. …
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that the vehicle was designed with One Pedal Driving mode that allowed the brakes to apply independently when releasing the accelerator pedal; however, while driving at various speeds with One Pedal Driving mode engaged, the accelerator pedal was released but the vehicle continued to move forward. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle responded. Additionally, the contact stated that the electronic parking brake failed to respond when engaged. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring intermittently. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated received a recall notification from the manufacturer however, the NHTSA number was not provided. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair, and the mechanic reset the battery. The contact stated upon receiving a second recall notification, the vehicle was taken to the dealer for another recall repair and an unknown reprogram was performed. The contact stated after the vehicle was reprogrammed, the battery failed, and the computer screen remained on. The service warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer who diagnosed that there were no issues found. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 62,500.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated after an unknown software update was completed on the vehicle, the vehicle would overcharge and no longer shut down while fully charged. The contact also stated that the vehicle would send an incorrect battery level to the charger, causing the charger to continue to charge the battery though already fully charged. The contact stated that the battery icon would show that the battery was fully charged however, the battery light would flash four times indicating a significantly low battery. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that the infotainment screen fractured, and the contact was unable to identify the controls while activating the screen. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer who stated that the infotainment screen needed to be replaced; however, the part needed to repair the infotainment screen had been discontinued. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 81,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that the propulsion system warning light illuminated. While the contact was driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled and stopped inadvertently. The contact was able to get the vehicle safely to her residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with transmission harness failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.
I am concerned that GM has not remedied the Chevy Bolt combustion issues and it is not acceptable to instruct customers of recent model year vehicles to keep them parked in the driveway and not to charge them. Furthermore the recalls appear risky since there have been fires after dealers attempted to make repairs to the battery packs in the course of the recall service. There is no confidence in GM's handling of this situation.
I own a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt which is part of the recall announced today by GM. This is the second recall in less than a year for the same battery-related issue. It was supposed to have been fixed with a software update that I had completed in June. This software was supposed to identify defective batteries but it has not been successful as evidenced by the mounting number of fires that have happened after the "fix". As such, we are now under a recall a second time. As a result of their own manufacturing issue, we are now limited to how we charge our vehicles, where we park and even the mileage range that we paid for, while GM attempts another fix. GM stated today that they will again be using software to identify defective cells in our batteries and only the ones that are deternined to be defective will have those cells or battery packs replaced. …
I own a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt which is part of the recall announced today by GM. This is the second recall in less than a year for the same battery-related issue. It was supposed to have been fixed with a software update in June. This software was supposed to identify defective batteries but it has not been successful as evidenced by the mounting number of fires that have happened after the "fix". As such, we are now under a recall a second time. As a result of their own manufacturing issue, we are now limited to how we charge our vehicles, where we park and even the mileage range that we paid for, while GM attempts another fix. GM stated today that they will again be using software to identify defective cells in our batteries and only the ones that are deternined to be defective will have those cells or battery packs replaced. …
I own a 2017 Chevy bolt and the batteries are catching fire on a high state of charge which should not happen. Chevy offered a final "software fix" before which was supposed to fix the issue and prevent the batteries from overcharging and catching fire. The software update/diagnostic was also supposed to be able to tell Chevy which battery cells had problems. THIS DID NOT WORK. Chevy bolts continued to catch fire after this software fix . Well the new issue is that Chevy now has a new recall for the bolt to replace the problem battery cells in the pack. The problem is they could NOT identify which were the problem cells before with their software fix. And they're going to use software diagnostics again to try and isolate the problem cells and replace those. They have already proven their software does NOT work to diagnose problem cells in the battery pack. …
Related recalls
Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery
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.
Remedy: 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…
Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery
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.
Remedy: 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.
NHTSA investigations
Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
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.
Pedestrian alert sounds
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.
Electrical complaints in other Bolt EV years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV?
NHTSA has 114 complaints about the electrical system of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, 33% of the model year's 349 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 21V-560 (traction battery, Jul 23, 2021); NHTSA recall 20V-701 (traction battery, Nov 13, 2020). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 25,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 4 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.