2020 Chevrolet BOLT EV - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV received an impressive overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The car performed well in all crash test categories including front crash and side crash ratings, earning mostly 5-star ratings. Additionally, it received a perfect score for rollover protection and side pole crash rating.

In terms of safety features, the Chevrolet Bolt EV comes equipped with standard electronic stability control to help maintain stability in challenging road conditions. It also offers optional forward collision warning and lane departure warning systems to assist the driver in avoiding potential accidents.

Despite its strong safety performance, the car has experienced a relatively high number of complaints, with 113 reported. Additionally, there have been 6 recalls issued for the Chevrolet Bolt EV, indicating a proactive approach to addressing any potential safety issues. Overall, the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV stands out as a safe and reliable electric vehicle option in its class.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

113

Recall Count

6

Investigation Count

2

Safety Rating

5/5

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Safety Features

2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV 5 HB FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV 5 HB FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

Optional
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

Optional

2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV 5 HB FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV 5 HB FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2019 Score 2020 Score 2023 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating 4 4 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 4

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2019 Score 2020 Score 2023 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 4 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear 4 4 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating 5 5 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2019 Score 2020 Score 2023 Score
Rollover Rating 5 5 5
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating 5 5 5

Complaints for the 2020 Chevrolet BOLT EV

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 chevrolet bolt ev. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: nhtsa campaign number: 21v650000 (electrical system), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, after the repair, the vehicle made abnormal loud while charging. additionally, the battery started overheating, causing the front end of the vehicle to become significantly hot. there was no warning light illuminated. the contact stated he had received a message through the chevrolet app advising that the battery had failed. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated. the vehicle was taken to a second dealer, goss chevrolet (622 us-11, champlain, ny 12919), where the same assessment was made. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. the contact stated that the recall remedy did not fix the issue. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 48,000."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2023-10-07

Complaint:
"on oct 1, 2023 i drove about 5 miles from home to menards. it was a sunny day. i went to leave and turned on my car and both display screens were blank. like they were unplugged. the important screen is located behind the steering wheel and tells you your speed, engine problems (if any) and turn signals. the other tv screen just has heat/ac info, radio info, etc. i turned my car on and off 6-7 times in menards parking lot. i left different amounts of time in between tries... up to 5 minutes. nothing worked. so i drove home with blank screens. i stopped at a taco bell and tried again. still didn't work. it was like both monitor screens were unplugged. this has happened a few times in the past. about 6 months after i bought the car. the screens went out during a car wash. champion chevrolet in avon indiana told my it was probably humidity and don't go to car wash. it happened a year ago on a rainy day. in the past, i only had to turn the car off and on once and the screens would work. this time i tried 6-7 times n two different parking lots. i drove home. plugged it in to charge and it worked perfectly the next day. weird and scary."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2023-01-10

Complaint:
"i took my chevy bolt to dealer to get this recall fix: manufacturer recall numbern212345941 nhtsa recall number21v650 and after my car being a month at dealer, they haven't fixed it yet."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2024-09-07

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 chevrolet bolt ev. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v650000 (electrical system) however, the contact was not satisfied with the temporary remedy. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was notified of the issue and referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline for assistance. the contact had not experienced a failure. parts distribution disconnect."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2024-03-07

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 chevrolet bolt ev. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v650000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that recently a software update limiting the charging capacity of the battery was performed. the contact stated that the software update was not sufficient to satisfy the recall. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. parts distribution disconnect."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2022-08-08

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 chevrolet bolt ev. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v650000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. vin tool confirms parts not available."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2022-01-08

Complaint:
"it has been 21 months and i still have not received a new battery for this chevy bolt."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2022-03-08

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 chevrolet bolt ev. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v650000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. vin tool confirms parts not available."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2022-08-08

Complaint:
"my 2020 bolt has been under recall for three years due a serious safety issue. the batteries can catch fire and burn up my car and the surrounding area. seems very serious? gm knew this before they even sold me my car as the earlier versions had also been recalled. it is also hard to believe that with gm selling thousands of new bolts every year that batteries for the repair are still not available, after well over 3 years. and with the discontinuation of the bolt, batteries should now be plentiful. what is a reasonable time to wait for a major manufacturer to repair a serious safety issue? 5 years? 10 years? obviously over 3 years isn't enough....."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2020-01-04

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2020 chevrolet bolt ev. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 21v650000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. vin tool confirms parts not available."
Components Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2022-08-08

Recalls for the 2020 Chevrolet BOLT EV

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
A vehicle fire can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy:

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.

Component(s) Involved: STRUCTURE > BODY > ROOF AND PILLARS
Date of incident: 2022-12-15

Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy:

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 are expected to be mailed January 29, 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.

Component(s) Involved: STRUCTURE > BODY > ROOF AND PILLARS
Date of incident: 2023-12-14

CHEVROLET Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

CHEVROLET ranks 2 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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