2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV recalls and problems

5 recalls and 67 owner complaints on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV.

5
recalls
67
owner complaints
4
complaints mentioning a crash
0
mentioning a fire

Recalls apply to specific production ranges. To see whether a particular car still has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Repairs for safety recalls are free at authorised dealers.

2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV recalls

Electrical system: propulsion system, traction battery thermal, management, software · Electrical system: propulsion system, traction battery

NHTSA campaign 24V812000 · reported October 31, 2024 · General Motors, LLC · 107 vehicles potentially affected

The problem
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.
The risk
A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
The fix
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.

Electrical system: propulsion system, traction battery

NHTSA campaign 24V481000 · reported June 27, 2024 · General Motors, LLC · 72 vehicles potentially affected

The problem
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.
The risk
A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
The fix
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.

Seat belts: pretensioner · Structure: body, roof and pillars

NHTSA campaign 23V845000 · reported December 14, 2023 · General Motors, LLC · 6,771 vehicles potentially affected

The problem
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.
The risk
A fire increases the risk of injury.
The fix
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.

Seat belts: pretensioner · Structure: body, roof and pillars

NHTSA campaign 22V930000 · reported December 15, 2022 · General Motors, LLC · 111,242 vehicles potentially affected

The problem
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.
The risk
A vehicle fire can increase the risk of injury.
The fix
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.

Electrical system: propulsion system, traction battery

NHTSA campaign 21V650000 · reported August 20, 2021 · General Motors, LLC · 52,414 vehicles potentially affected

The problem
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.
The risk
A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
The fix
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.

Most reported problems

Areas named in owner complaints to NHTSA. One complaint can name several areas.

What owners report

Recent complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. These are unverified accounts from owners, not findings.

Aug 26, 2026 · Steering

The electronic steering gear (steering rack) on my 2021 Chevrolet Bolt has malfunctioned, causing the steering to feel rough, stiff, and sticky. Crucially, the steering wheel fails to naturally return to the center position after completing a turn, forcing me to manually pull the wheel back straight. This poses a…

Mar 2, 2026 · Electrical system

My 2021 Chevy Bolt keeps showing a battery or power-Propulsion warning light related to the high-voltage system. The warning keeps coming back even after multiple repairs. The first repair was on April 28, 2025, the second was on December 17, 2025, and it is scheduled again for another repair on March 3, 2026. The…

Feb 13, 2026 · Air bags · crash reported

I was in a car accident on February 9th, in which my airbags did not deploy, however, I did receive an error in my Chevy app that my Air Bag system requires attention. I sustained facial injuries due to impact with the steering wheel. I believe the airbags should have deployed, but did not.

Jan 31, 2026 · Steering

Steering rack binding. Becoming progressively harder to turn over time. Steering wheel doesn't return to center. Clunking in front end occasionally heard when hitting bumps.

Sep 21, 2025 · Steering

The steering wheel will not return to center and feels like its binding on something, sometimes its tough to steer other times not. Does not feel safe. No warning lamps and nobody has inspected or worked on it yet.

Bolt EV model years compared

YearRecallsComplaintsCrashesFires
2018 58921
2019 6178210
2020 817674
2021 56740
2022 75930
2023 36181

Across all years, the 2017 Bolt EV has the most complaints (349). All Chevrolet Bolt EV years →

Questions

Does the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA lists 5 recalls for the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV, the most recent reported on October 31, 2024 (Electrical system: propulsion system, traction battery thermal, management, software, Electrical system: propulsion system, traction battery). Check a specific car by its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What are the most common problems with the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV?
Owners have filed 67 complaints with NHTSA. The most frequently reported area is electrical system (33 complaints), followed by fuel/propulsion system (15).
How many 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV complaints mention a crash or fire?
4 of 67 complaints report a crash and 0 a fire; 1 injuries were reported in total. Complaints are unverified reports from owners.

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint data, updated October 27, 2026. Latest complaint received August 26, 2026.