Model Year Index

Which Chevrolet Bolt EV years to avoid

Across 5 scored model years, the 2017 model year carries the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Chevrolet Bolt EV Full report
D
Grade 2017–2021
2017 vs model median 1.4×
Model median3× median
Electrical 75
Fuel System 56
Drivetrain 17
Avoid

2017

Best

2018 · 2021

What the record shows

Written from this model’s own complaint and recall history.

One category leads every scored year of the Bolt, and one caveat governs the whole file: this is a battery-electric car, so the categories mean different things here than on a combustion model. Complaints about the traction battery are filed under fuel system, because that is the closest heading NHTSA offers.

Electrical leads all five years — 75, 25, 84, 80 and 32 reports — and fuel system sits second on four of them. Read together they are largely one subject: charging behaviour, sudden drops in indicated range, and the vehicle limiting power or refusing to charge.

The 2019 car carries fifteen fire allegations, the highest in this record by a wide margin, against zero on the 2021 car. Recall weighting is heavy and sustained — eight to fourteen weighted campaigns every year — which for this model is the more substantial signal, since a battery recall is a matter of record while a range complaint is an allegation.

2017 is the only flagged year, at 1.40 times the model’s own median on 245 complaints, and it is the first model year.

2018 and 2021 are the strongest, at 71 and 90 complaints. Median odometer readings fall steadily across the file, from 22,200 miles on the 2017 car to 2,700 on the 2021.

Reviewed Claude, 13 August 2026, against the model's own record and NHTSA campaign filings

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2017
1.40× 245 D
2018
0.38× 71 B
2019
1.11× 201 C
2020
1.00× 178 C
2021
0.54× 90 B
2022 P
0.50× 91 B
2023 P
0.67× 92 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2017 D 245 reports · median 22,200 mi

  1. Electrical 75

    The contact owns a 2017 chevrolet bolt ev. The contact stated that the vehicle had a feature on the driver's side of the steering wheel that slowed the vehicle down and generated energy to charge the battery. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Fuel System 56

    Driving on the freeway (60-70mph) with the battery at or slightly above 50%, an alert sounded, and the battery level immediately went down to nearly zero. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Drivetrain 17

    The problem is that it is too easy to put the car in "park" by accident. On several occasions, I was trying to go from the "l" position to the "r" position. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

11 crash · 4 fire · 4 injuries

2019 C 201 reports · median 10,230 mi

  1. Electrical 84

    Back up cam remains on after I put my car in drive. Also a loss of control of the infotainment console. You cannot lower the radio or control your climate control which means when the windshield is fogging up I cannot… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Fuel System 44

    On saturday june 1, 2019 I was driving down the freeway at approximately 65mph. As I pulled off the freeway onto a side road, the "low propulsion" light came on. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Steering 13

    Odo, 500 miles, brand new vehicle. The vehicle makes a clicking noise at speeds of 0 - 25 MPH, or, when the vehicle coming to a stop, or, when the vehicle accelerates. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

2 crash · 15 fire · 5 injuries

The best year for the Bolt EV

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2018 is the best-scoring Bolt EV model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 75.5 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2018 0.38× 71 B
2021 0.54× 90 B
2020 1.00× 178 C

Recalls

13 campaigns on record, 5 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
18V576000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER 2018, 2019 210,628
22V930000 STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS 2017–2023 111,242
21V560000 Park it ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY 2017–2019 57,414
21V650000 Park it ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY 2020–2022 52,414
20V701000 Park it ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY 2017–2019 50,932
23V845000 STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS 2017–2023 6,771
20V184000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH 2019, 2020 897
20V811000 SEAT BELTS 2020 470
20V808000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER 2020 464
23V567000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL 2022, 2023 317
24V812000 Park it ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY 2020–2022 107
24V481000 Park it ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY 2020–2022 72

+ 1 further campaigns

Recall work is free at any franchised dealer, whoever owns the car and however old it is. Check a specific car’s VIN on NHTSA’s register before you buy — an unrepaired campaign is among the most commonly missed items on a used vehicle. 5 campaigns here carry a Park It or Park Outside warning, which means NHTSA advised owners to stop driving or parking the vehicle indoors until the work was done.

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2017 were reported at a median of 22,200 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Chevrolet Bolt EV years should you avoid?
2017 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Chevrolet Bolt EV model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Chevrolet Bolt EV?
2018 is the best-scoring Chevrolet Bolt EV model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 75.5 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Chevrolet Bolt EV have?
13 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Chevrolet Bolt EV model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2017 Bolt EV
Complaints in window
245
Severity-weighted
337
Model median (weighted)
241
vs model median
1.40×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
8
Open investigations
0
Score 50.1 D