2023 Chevrolet Bolt: What to check before buying

Sudden loss of drive power is the main pattern. Cars shut off or drop into reduced propulsion, show electric drive unit warnings, and need towing, sometimes within the first few thousand miles. Owners also report charging errors, blown fuses, and repeat dealer visits that do not fix the fault. Two reports describe fires, one starting under the driver's seat while parked. Other complaints cover door locks that stop working after rain, an electrical shock from the hatch while charging, and airbag warning lights. Some cars spend weeks at the dealer.

After a turn, the wheel stays off center and the driver has to pull it straight by hand. Effort builds gradually until the wheel feels stiff, and many cars develop clicking or clunking from the steering gear, especially at low speeds. Reports cluster between about 42,000 and 55,000 miles, after bumper-to-bumper coverage ends. Shops confirm internal binding in the rack and pinion, and replacing the steering rack fixes it. Some dealers cannot reproduce the problem. One owner cites an out-of-warranty repair cost of around $3,000.

Automatic emergency braking engages with nothing in the road. The car brakes hard at anything from a crawl to highway speed, sometimes with a collision beep and sometimes with none, and several drivers are nearly rear-ended. Repeat events are common, and some owners count five or more. Dealers usually find no trouble codes and cannot confirm the fault. Other complaints describe Super Cruise disengaging or failing to find the lane, and a telematics module failure that knocks out GPS, OnStar, and Super Cruise. Three reports involve crashes.

Rear brake lights and turn signals sit low in the bumper. The larger lights on the hatch work only as running lights and stay dark when the driver brakes. Drivers behind, especially in trucks and SUVs, watch the hatch and miss the stop signal. Many owners report near rear-end collisions, three complaints involve crashes, and one driver was pulled over by police who thought the brake lights were out. This is a design issue, not a failed part. One report describes snow covering the headlights while driving.

The car surges forward or backward at parking-lot speeds, climbing parking bumpers and hitting trees, barriers, and other vehicles. Three of these reports involve crashes, and dealers often find no codes. A second pattern is a sudden propulsion error that caps speed at 30 mph on the highway, tied in one case to an auxiliary transmission fluid pump that failed at 200 miles. Adaptive cruise and Super Cruise also draw complaints: braking with no traffic ahead, speeding up toward a slower vehicle, and abrupt stops the accelerator cannot override.

Propulsion power drops without warning and the car will not go above 30 mph, often on highways, with a "Propulsion Power is Reduced" or "Service Transmission" message. OnStar diagnostics often return code P2797, and owners link it to the auxiliary transmission fluid pump. A second pattern is a "Conditions not correct for shift" error at startup that leaves the car stuck until it is restarted or towed. Dealers often cannot replicate these faults. One crash report describes the car accelerating from a stop into oncoming traffic, with injuries.

The brake pedal feels soft or slow to respond, or the car skids without fully stopping. Two such reports end in crashes, one with injuries. Regenerative braking feels inconsistent and is weaker when the battery is fully charged. Some drivers report automatic braking with nothing ahead, causing neck and back pain. In one car, pedal braking failed along with ESC and steering assist warnings, and the dealer confirmed and repaired the fault. Other owners note that the brake lights sit low and that regen braking from the steering-column control or in one-pedal mode does not turn them on.

Airbags fail to deploy in two crashes. In one, the car hits the rear of another vehicle. In the other, a utility pole strikes the front corner. A separate pattern is an intermittent "Service Safety Restraint System" message with the airbag light on, appearing in one car under 300 miles. One dealer finds stored codes but cannot reproduce the warning. Only four complaints are on file, so no broad trend is clear.