2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV Fuel System Problems

Mileage when the problem started

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the message "Propulsion Power Reduced - Service Soon" was displayed, and check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that upon investigation, it was discovered that the power output was limited. Despite the failure, the contact was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The contact was then informed that the battery replacement was on an indefinite backorder. The contact was not provided an estimate for when the battery would become available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 25,100.

I received recall notices in the fall of 2021 and at that time I did the suggested changes to the vehicle's menu as to charging percentage etc.. I did not get full use out of the vehicle through the winter for fears of lack of charge during the colder months and concerns about safety. On 3/31/22 I took the vehicle to the dealer, Central Maine Motors Auto Group -Waterville Maine, for the suggested software updates. At first there might have been an improvement in charge allowed, but difficult to tell because with the warming weather it would show more. On or around 6/15 the car behaved erratically while in stop and go driving and I noticed a warning on the dash which said something about propulsion problems and to take it to a dealer. The charge left did not read correctly on the way home and the vehicle would not charge when I got there. …

Although the NHTSA website now reports that my vehicle is longer the subject of a safety recall, NHTSA Campaign Number 21V650000 was not resolved by the software update that Chevrolet installed on my vehicle on June 26, 2023. The high voltage battery on my car failed only 65 miles after the new software was installed. When the newly installed software detected a problem with my car's high voltage battery, the driver information screen on the car's instrument panel advised me that "propulsion power is reduced" and "service vehicle soon." That prompted me to return to my dealer's service department. The dealer that sold me the car and performed the "reprogram field action multimodules coordinated sequence" on June 26 informed me on July 10 that the high voltage battery needs replacement and cannot now be recharged. …

While traveling at highway speeds, my Chevrolet Bolt (2020 with 20K miles) made a clunking noise followed by a loss of speed. The clunking noise had previously been reported to the dealer, but they were not able to identify any issues at the time. During this incident, however, the car ultimately lost all speed, forcing me to pull over to the side of the highway. This sudden loss of propulsion posed a significant risk to my safety and the safety of other motorists, not only due to the loss of power, but because it happened at an interchange where multiple highways are connecting. I was left on the side of the road waiting for a tow because the car was inoperable. Prior to this sudden failure, there were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms, aside from the previously reported clunking noise. …

While waiting to turn left at a light and driving in "L" (one pedal) mode, I started to release the break in anticipation of oncoming lanes clearing, as I lifted the pedal the car lurched into the intersection. The Bolt normally accelerates very gently in L mode when no break is applied, but does not lurch forwards like this under normal conditions. The breaks did work, and I was able to stop, but I was now in the middle of the intersection and slightly encroaching into oncoming lanes. I tried to accelerate to pull through, but the car did not respond. After several second of frantically pushing the accelerator, the car slowly and jerkily moved forward and cleared the intersection. My Chevy dealer says this is a known problem with service bulletin "Chevrolet TSB 19-NA-220". In my opinion this is incredibly dangerous and should have been recalled. …

This is the second time since owning car this has happened the recall battery is not working again this time me and my sister were at the gas station were I work and this is all on camara at Chevron gas station were I work I went inside sister stayed in car it started making a buzzing sound under my dash car shut off windows wouldn't go down locked doors could not get car to turn on trapped us in car this is scary and smelled a wire burning smell started to get scared pounded on window couldn't get out ! Couldn't unlock doors this is very scary tried hitting window and it would not break we were stuck this has happened once before car just needed plug in to dealership computer to reset car it was fine for 2weeks and bam a month later I'm again having to take it back to have it reset because of this battery recall it's not fixed I still owe 14k for car I totally have been ripped off it's …

The engine compartment wiring harness Part Number: 42765196 wiring shorted out due to the chaffing of wires in the harness. The dealer is replacing the harness but there is no known changes that will prevent this in the future. $3,000 repair bill. I have asked for the defective harness to be returned to me for examination. This is a major safety concern as in my case, the Chevrolet Bolt would not move either in forward or reverse (Note: the other electrical systems and battery continue to work. This failure happen in rush hour traffic and the vehicle was nearly hit by passing cars. There was no warning that the propulsion would entirely shut down. The dealer reported that they had seen this problem before. No one from the manufacturer are interested in this. …

The high voltage battery has a possible defect that can cause the car to burst into flame without warning. December 2020 - 2020 Chevy bolt purchased with open recall on Chevy Bolt batteries February 2021 - Received letter from GM that the newly purchased car is dangerous and must not be parked inside nor used for more then 50% of it's range [no contact from GM or the local dealer for over 2 years on satisfying the recall] March - 2023 - Contacted the local GM dealer and was told not to contact them again until I get a second letter from GM stating they can repair the defect March 2023 - Contacted GM directly and was handed off to a California specific agent. The agent was clear - There is no repair for this recall at this time. I now have a car that is approaching 3 years old labeled as dangerous by GM and the NHTA yet there remains no timeline for repair or remediation. …

This car several times while driving has shaken and then shifted into neutral. I have had to pull the car off to the side of the road during normal vehicle operation. The car will then not shift into drive. There is a warning sign "Conditions Not Correct For Shift." The first incident was March 2023. The vehicle was towed to a Chevrolet dealer and the power inverter module was replaced under warranty. This next occurred in December 2024. The vehicle was towed to a dealer again and reprogrammed. The cost was $400. The vehicle was fine for two months and about 1,000 miles when it happened again in March 2025. This time the dealer states that the engine harness needs to be replaced for about $1,500 (not covered under warranty). These incidents all occur while driving the vehicle (it has happened while approaching an intersection and once while going through an intersection).

I purchased a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV in late 2023, already equipped with GM's recall diagnostic software (part of NHTSA Recall 21V650), which monitored battery health and limited charging to 80%. After the monitoring period, the software detected critical voltage variation failures across all 5 battery cell module rows. The dealer (Lee Johnson KIA, Kirkland WA) opened a TAC case (#9-14753041951), GM authorized a full high voltage battery replacement, and the work was completed on May 27, 2025 at no charge (Job Card 603815). Despite the replacement being triggered entirely by recall-installed software and authorized through GM's own TAC process, GM classified the repair as a standard warranty repair rather than a recall repair - denying me the fresh 8-year/100,000-mile parts warranty that applies to recall battery replacements.

Fuel System complaints in other Bolt EV years