Power Train Problems of Chevrolet Bolt Ev - part 1

While driving at a low speed (approx. 5–10 mph), the front passenger-side lower ball joint suffered a catastrophic structural shear without warning. This caused the wheel assembly to collapse outward and the cv axle to pull out of the transmission. The failure caused a complete loss of steering control, veering the vehicle into a curb. Physical evidence (outward axle pull and high-side rim scratches) indicates the mechanical failure preceded the impact. This occurred at only 38,155 miles on a 2022 Chevrolet Bolt Ev. Outward dislocation: photos show the cv axle pulled out of the transmission and the wheel leaning out (positive camber). A curb impact would push these components in. This proves the wheel fell away from the car first. Pre-impact grinding: the interior barrel of the rim and the brake dust shield show heavy rotational grinding and metal-on-metal scoring. This confirms the suspension collapsed while the wheel was still spinning at speed, prior to the car coming to a stop. Structural shear: the lower ball joint stud suffered a complete transverse shear. High-resolution photos of the broken stud face show distinct "beach marks" (concentric rings), which are the physical fingerprint of a slow-growing metal fatigue crack rather than a sudden impact fracture. Rim damage profile: deep gouges are located on the flat face of the wheel spokes rather than the outer lip. This confirms the wheel was already at an extreme tilt (collapsed) when it made contact with the curb. Conclusion: the vehicle was maintained and driven under normal conditions. This was a spontaneous, catastrophic structural failure of a safety-critical component. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this as a potential manufacturing defect for the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt Ev.

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Recurring electronic transmission shift control failure on a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt Ev. The electronic transmission shift control pushbutton circuit board (gm part designation k212) has failed twice within approximately 9,300 miles. First failure occurred at approximately 45,695 miles in July 2025. The dashboard displayed a malfunction indicator and a "service transmission" warning. Diagnostic trouble code u18d2 was set: lost communication with transmission range selector control module on the powertrain sensor can bus. The selling Chevrolet dealer replaced the k212 pushbutton circuit board and reprogrammed the hpcm2 module. Second failure occurred at approximately 54,969 miles in March 2026, only about 9,300 miles after the first repair. Same diagnostic code family, including the identical u18d2 code, plus u0076, u18c6, and u240e. The same dealer replaced the same k212 pushbutton circuit board a second time. The repair was processed under manufacturer warranty. Safety risk: when the failure occurs, communication with the transmission range selector is lost intermittently and without warning, leaving the vehicle unable to be reliably shifted into drive, reverse, or park. This creates a clear hazard in traffic, parking lots, and on inclines. The failure mode is sudden and the warning lamps appear only after the malfunction has begun. The component is located beneath the center cup holder area. There is no visible waterproofing or moisture isolation around the circuit board, despite its location directly under a known liquid exposure zone. The failed component from the second repair was reportedly shipped back to gm by the dealer. The vehicle is available for inspection. The failure has been confirmed twice by an authorized Chevrolet dealer.

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I started losing regen braking intermittently, when this happens the brakes themselves don't work well and there's no warning, you lift of the pedal expecting the car to stop and its rolling freely, to push brake and its not stopping like you expect, then it thuds and lunges forward a bit and stops. It was rarely happening, now the car can barely be driven. I have not got it into a shop yet. It throws dtc p182b, p182d, p1840, and u0401 every time. Clearing them, even while still moving brings it all back to normal, except an image of my previous drive will be frozen on infotainment that I have to hard reset to get it to work. Also backup camera does now work when these codes are active. I have found 1 person online that is having this exact issue. It's terrifying to approach a stop light and used to 1 pedal driving and I'm rolling freely instead. The first incident of it was 03/05/26 and has progressively worsened. My code scanner keeps records of when I clear the codes,.

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I was driving on the highway above 60 mph, and I suddenly got a "propulsion power reduced" alert, along with a yellow indicator light. I almost immediately thereafter got a message saying "speed reduced to 50 mph" and then "speed reduced to 30 mph. " I got no acceleration when I depressed the accelerator pedal. In fact, it felt like the car had engaged the regenerative braking to actively slow me down. This is a life-threatening safety flaw, as it was difficult to get to the breakdown lane. The only reason there was no collision was that there was relatively light traffic. I managed to get to a breakdown lane and then, after restarting the car, to get off the highway and into a parking lot, where I called for a tow. The car was towed to the dealer I bought it from and, the next day, they inspected the car and determined that the auxiliary transmission fluid pump had failed and needed to be replaced. I've seen many reports on reddit that this part fails on chevy bolts. What makes this truly unsafe is that there was no warning whatsoever that something was wrong. Everything seemed fine (after I got a new battery under the big bolt battery recall) until the car suddenly cut power and slowed me down in the middle of the highway. This car needs to be recalled again.

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. However, there is no recall that I can find and outrageously chevy will not cover this manufacturing defect under warranty as they specifically exclude wiring harnesses due to past issues with rodent damage, and they are hiding behind that rule.

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Vehicle started to surge while driving (both small acceleration forward and large deceleration) without any change in brake or accelerator position. Eventually a "propulsion power reduced" message was presented on the console followed immediately by no forward propulsion (accelerator completely unresponsive) and forced to coast to a stop on the side of the highway. Car refused to shift out of park or neutral following breakdown. Car taken to dealer to troubleshoot and was told that a p0a3f code was present and that the engine harness needed to be replaced in accordance with NHTSA bulletin 19-na-220. This bulletin calls out that the harness was likely damaged during initial install at factory and the dealer representative confirmed that the pins were damaged as described. Car was given back to drive home after harness was checked (owner decided to explore options before scheduling repair), but broke down due to surging and complete loss of power within 2 miles of dealer. Troubleshooting to confirm harness damage is suspected to have worsen the condition and made un-commanded accel/deceleration followed by complete loss of power likely. Uncertain why this condition would be exempt from recall if oem is aware of installation issues at factory. Driving with this condition was as bad or worse than other type model loss of power conditions that have been recalled. Recommend at least clarifying that cars confirmed to fall under this bulletin and associated inspection should not be deemed roadworthy until a repair is made.

My wife of [xxx] and grandson were driving our Chevrolet bolt, crossing a busy 4 lane highway when suddenly and w/o any prior warning, the bolt lost propulsion. Caught blocking 2 of those lanes, she was fortunate that men stopped their trucks and pushed her car up hill and into a church parking lot. She called me and I tried resetting everything to factory settings, and the bolt seemed okay-for a short time. I hooked a diagnostic unit to the car and found an error code that indicated either the failure of the pre-charge resistor or the hv contactor-both in the battery pack. This was a pack replaced by the dealership back when bolts were randomly catching fire and destroying themselves and nearby property. Now these packs are failing again and there are service bulletins addressing this fact and that it is common in 2017 and 2018 bolts. Gm however has not sent out warnings to its unfortunate customers warning them of this common failure and life- threatening problem. Luckily today I'm dealing with the bolts warranty rather than two funerals. All of that took place on 11/22/25. In the hour following the first failure, this situation repeated itself 4 more times. The last time there was no restarting it, or the car would shake if put into drive or reverse. As it was Saturday we had to wait until today 11/24/25 to get it towed to the dealership for $140. This failure will require dropping the battery pack and running three tests, then replacement of the faulty components. This should be under warranty according to our and the dealerships records, but this issue need to hit the national news and all bolt owners should be sent letters warning of sudden and unpredictable failures. This was life threatening for us and will be for many others. Imagine this happening at interstate speeds in heavy traffic. Lives will be lost. This is the second and more dangerous failure for these horrible vehicles, and gm should at this point replace these or refund every owner. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of informati.

Video available and was given to usaa insurance company. This 2021 gm Chevrolet Bolt Ev premier trim vehicle experienced a sudden uncommanded extreme acceleration when I selected "d" (drive) mode on the transmission selector after using "r" (reverse) to back out of a parking lot parking space. The vehicle, despite my stomping and holding the brake pedal down and repeatedly selecting a different mode on the transmission selector, could not be stopped and still wanted to accelerate. The vehicle traveled an estimated 250 feet through a parking lot, crossing a street, hitting the curbs at high speed and through a field. The vehicle stopped against some concrete debris in the field pushing in the bumper slightly but with no airbag deployment. The mishap incident was video recorded and thankfully, there were no passengers or public / private property damages / injuries.

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On 4/5/2025 I was driving at 35mph and the steering wheel began to violently shimmy. The vehicle became difficult to steer putting safety at risk. Slowed to 25mph but shimmy did not stop. Abs warning light came on and stabilitrak warning light came on and warning that steering was being was being automatically reduced. Driving became very difficult. Stopped and had car towed to Chevrolet. Car was diagnosed with broken left and right front axle anticlick washers and metallic debri found on sensors. Both front axle anticlick washers were replaced, sensors cleaned, and codes cleared, and brake fluid had to be flushed. Cost $850 to repair. Subsequently found out another friend had same thing happen to their 2018 bolt. This was a safety issue and put us at risk while driving.

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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. After this incident, the dealer diagnosed the issue as the one listed in the technical service bulletin, which states that "the terminals may not have been perfectly aligned during installation at the vehicle assembly plant. " unfortunately, this issue was not covered under the warranty and currently this problem is not a recall item for the Chevrolet bolt.

The vehicle was driving and lost all power and came to a stop. After about 5 seconds vehicle regained power. The "check engine light" illuminated on the dash. Took to dealer and stated could not replicate problem. Only have the report from vehicle computer and the ev technician did not understand the information and had to call gm for help. Got car back and problem happen again. Dealer had gm specialist out to help. Gm reset computer and problem just happens again.

While at a remote location, I unlocked and entered the vehicle normally. When I tried to start the vehicle, numerous unrelated error messages appeared on-screen. The instrument panel was energized, but the vehicle could only shift into neutral and park. Power steering was lost, as was window functionality. The vehicle could not be fully started, nor could not it be fully shut off either. It was stuck in a peculiar, unsafe, and unresolvable state of energized limbo. Aaa towed the car to watson Chevrolet who determined that the 12v system (vs propulsion) battery malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. There is no information in the owner’s manual about this issue. The tow truck mechanic had no clue what was wrong. Fortunately, we were in a safe location. But under different circumstances, such as being roadside, this could have been a very unsafe situation. This is the original battery. The car was recently serviced and there was no indication the battery was failing. This problem was only an annoyance for us, but it could have been much much worse under less favorable circumstances.

Car stalled suddenly on road. Can’t change to any driving gear, only neutral. Towed to dealer, diagnose indicated wiring harness was the cause. Expensive fix for ~$400 part with ~$3200 labor cost in addition to dangerous sudden stall.

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. A check engine light had come on the night before and I had set up an appointment with the dealer for the next day and add reported the vehicles' issues that I had observed. There is no warning to indicate that the problem would result in the complete loss of propulsion.  .

While approaching a stop light, the car experienced a loss of propulsion and gave me an error message about it. The car told me to pull over as soon as possible, however, in busy morning traffic, this was impossible. Even if I'd had space to pull over, the car came to a stop and locked up with the error message "conditions not right for shift. " it had to be rebooted several times before it could be shifted into neutral long enough to be pushed to safety. From there, it then had to undergo a hard reboot to return to a state where it could be shifted into drive. A dealership service center confirmed the problem under as described under service bulletin 19-na-220. There were no warning lamps or other symptoms of the problem. The car is available for inspection upon request.

Vehicle stopped while driving down the road lost power threw up multiple codes and was stuck in the middle of the roadway!.

While waiting to make a left turn, the car lurched forward about a foot and went into park. It would not shift into any gear. A warning briefly showed up on drivers display which said do not shift until ???? resets. I turned car off but it immediately came back on automatically, and for twenty minutes I was in the intersection blocking traffic (police called to protect me from traffic). On drivers display a car symbol with exclamation point through the car was showing. After twenty minutes I turned it off again and it stayed off until I turned it on. The display of car with exclamation point was still showing. I could then shift into another gear and drive home less than a mile. When I checked car later car with exclamation point display was gone. Everything seemed. I was driving in one pedal mode.

Complete transmission failure shortly after seeing "service transmission" message in 2022 chevy Bolt Ev drivers information center. When message first appeared selected option to dismiss message and continued to drive as normal. After turning vehicle off and then back on the message appeared again and all attempts to change gear into neutral, reverse, or drive resulting in all doors unlocking and the vehicle shifting back into park. Was unable to put car in neutral and move vehicle off road therefore blocking traffic until a tow truck arrived 90 minutes later.

While driving on the road, a sound came from under the car, and suddenly the car lost all propulsion power and was gliding on the road. The manufacturer told me the manual disconnect lever was disconnected and fuse was blown with no explanation on the root cause. After a few calls with the gm customer service, they explained to me "it happens", which to me it is unacceptable. This is a ev and fuse does not just randomly blown.

While driving on the freeway at 65 mph during morning rush-hour, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated without warning and came to a stop. The vehicle was barely able to make it to the shoulder before losing all momentum. There is a high-risk of a fatal collision when a vehicle unexpectedly stops or drastically slows on a freeway with 65 - 70 mph traffic, which is compounded during peak travel times. This is a risk to not only the vehicle occupants, but other drivers and vehicles as well. Several error messages were displayed on the dashboard as the car was decelerating: drivetrain malfunction: stop and turn off engine; service high voltage battery system; service vehicle soon; unable to shift. The battery range dropped from just under 50% (~115 mi) to 0 while attempting to pull over on the shoulder. After the vehicle was stopped, it was unable to be powered off for about an hour. It was not successful in shifting or moving and the battery range showed 0. An hour and a half (1. 5 hours) after the incident, the vehicle would power on and show a battery range between 121 - 110, which would drop to 0 within 15 seconds with a message that it is unable to charge. At the time of the incident, onstar sent an email stating that "a critical issue with the engine and transmission system in your 2019 chevy bolt has been detected. Please service your vehicle immediately. " the battery had been replaced the week of February 5th, 2023 per several product safety recall notices . There was one issue on February 18th, 2023 that the battery range was not updating, but it corrected itself after being parked for 3 hours. There were no other previous issues or indications of a problem prior to vehicle malfunction. The vehicle is currently being diagnosed by a dealer. It is currently available for inspection. The electrical, propulsion, and powertrain (and possibly speed control) systems did not function properly.

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Driving 65mph in middle lane the vehicle suddenly dropped in speed to 45mph and on the dash a warning came up that said “propulsion power is reduced” this almost caused a semi truck to rear end me.

Vehicle without warning stopped moving while making a left turn in an intersection at night. Power to dashboard was on but no propulsion, brakes or steering. Was unable to put car into gear to move forward or in reverse. Message was displayed, "unable to initalize propulsion system" extremely dangerous situation, I turned on flashers and left car in intersection. Called tow truck. When tow truck arrived, we pushed car to curb and he hauled it away. Cheverolet dealer diagnosed the problem as a defective wiring harness. He said there was a gm alert regarding this as a known issue that led him to the defective wiring harness. They charged $1567 to replace it which included $1200 in labor and recommended I contact gm to see if they would compensate me since it was a known issue and the car was only 2 months off warrantee. Gm refused to compensate me for the faulty harness. The bolt has 19k miles on it, is kept in a garage and has never been in an accident.

Chevrolet issued a recall to replace a defective battery on our Chevrolet bolt 2020. The recall was issued in April 2021 and we still have not received the new battery. The car is coming up on the end of its lease. We would like to buy out the lease but are not getting any comfort from Chevrolet or the dealership that the issue will ever be fixed. The dealer initially told us that a software patch reducing battery capacity and range by 20% "fixed" the problem.

I'm experiencing the loss of propulsion covered in this bulletin. It's happened around 5 times. Https://static. Nhtsa. Gov/odi/tsbs/2020/mc-10176614-9999. Pdf the malfunction indicator lamp comes on after each incident and then clears. The problem has been confirmed by a dealer and they are refusing to repair it under either the power train or emission control systems warranty. Losing propulsion is a safety issue, particularly in high speed traffic, and it needs to be fixed.

When I was parking my car on the street, in front of my house, my chevy bolt suddenly accelerated. Like it was full throttle. I slammed the brake pedal, didn't help. My bolt pushed forward, then to the sidewalk, my parked 4000lbs van, that was in front of me (van had front wheels turned/pointing to the curb). My bolt continued accelerating for another few seconds, even that I was pressing brake pedal as hard as I could. I released and pressed brake pedal at least once or twice. Eventually my car stopped. Whole ordeal lasted just a few seconds. I turned the car off. After a minute, I turned the car on again, very carefully. It behaved normally. Throttle and brakes behaved like always. I parked it and will have it towed to the diagnostic or service place. Both my chevy bolt and my van (Dodge ram 1500 van 2003) sustained significant damage.

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Bolt Ev. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 70 mph, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated to 30 mph with the transmission warning light and three other unknown warning lights illuminated. The failure nearly caused a collision. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The dealer determined that the negative battery terminal cable was faulty and replaced the negative battery terminal cable. The failure recurred, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

While driving at highway speed, vehicle lost drive and a message stating to pull over was displayed. Vehicle then shifted into park (p) and was unable to shifted into drive (d) or reverse (r). Vehicle towed to dealer, where it was for 7+ weeks before being repaired.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt Ev. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle sudden lunged forward. The contact pumped the brake pedal several times, but the vehicle continued to drive forward. The contact was able to avoid crashing into an apartment building. The vehicle went airborne for 30 feet and landing onto the street causing the tires to blowout, and two of the rims to be cracked. The contact’s wife suffered a head injury and sought medical attention. No police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the case would be escalated. The failure mileage was 72,000.

While pulling into a parking spot the car made a loud noise and came to a complete stop. Car was able to pull into the spot. When the car was turned on after parking a warning message came up to service transmission, unable to shift soon. Vehicle was driven to dealer for service and would make thud noises when decelerating at low speed.

Bought vehicle 22 Jul 2022 new 5 mi on odometer. System displays: service transmission unable to shift soon. Please google it. It's a common issue that isn't safe. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt Ev. The contact stated that the propulsion system warning light illuminated. While the contact was driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle stalled and stopped inadvertently. The contact was able to get the vehicle safely to her residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with transmission harness failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.

Merging onto freeway from about 50 mph to 70 mph. Blind zone alert indicated there was a vehicle was in my blind spot. Proceeded to accelerate full throttle into traffic when car began shuddering and then suddenly lost power. Car would not restart and needed to be towed to dealer for warranty repair. Car was at dealer for 9 days waiting for repair.

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Bolt Ev. The contact stated while pulling out of a parking lot, the vehicle stalled, failed to shift into gear and would not turn off. A towing agent disconnected the battery and the vehicle turned off. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the service disconnect fuse had blown. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the engine control module (ecm) was replaced, however, the failure reoccurred upon starting the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened; however, the manufacturer had not followed up or returned the contact's calls. The failure mileage was approximately 6,612.

Four times during a cross country trip, after a level 3 DC charging session, the car would either not start or if it did would not shut off. The gear could not be shifted into reverse or drive and the radio, ac all shut down even though the car was still on. The service soon indicator light came on. Diagnostics from on-star said that it was the propulsion system. Another indicator light came on saying conditions not right shifting. The fifth time it occured while the car was moving and unlike the four previous times the gear couldn't be jiggled or temporarily rebooting the car by removing the 12-volt battery. The car had to be towed to the dealer where it was announced that drive control wiring harness needed to be replaced. This problem is well documented on gm bolt forums. The car should have been recalled before my family was put at risk. I wasted 12 hours during a 19 hour move across the country due to this known problem. I was stranded in life threatening triple digit heat indices.

Solenoid on charge receptacle that asserts locking latch gets stuck in extended state leaving the car in a bricked state - out of charge and unable to insert a charger. This occurred after receiving the new battery packs covered by recall and the dealer did the associated firmware upgrade after the battery recall fix. Also - when observing the bolt forums the "stuck latch preventing charging" is occurring on quite a number of other bolts - fw bug??.