Recalls (5)
NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Check whether yours was repaired with NHTSA's free VIN lookup ↗
Only NHTSA and your automaker know whether your specific car was repaired. PlainVIN shows every recall campaign listed for a model year, with the official text and how many cars have been fixed so far.
Check on NHTSA ↗Listed for 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Not checked against your VIN.
Fire Risk after Seat Belt Pretensioner Deployment
Seat belts · pretensioner
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- 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 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.
87.9% repairedof 6,771 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 23V845000
Listed for 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Not checked against your VIN.
Fire Risk after Seat Belt Pretensioner Deployment
Seat belts · pretensioner
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- 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.
88.5% repairedof 111,242 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 22V930000
Listed for 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Not checked against your VIN.
Park outside: fire risk. NHTSA advises parking outside and away from buildings until the recall repair is done.
High Voltage Battery May Catch Fire
Electrical system · propulsion system · traction battery
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles previously recalled under NHTSA recall number 20V-701. The high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.
- Consequence
- A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised to take the following interim steps: Activate either the Hill Top Reserve (2017 and 2018 models) or Target Charge Level (2019 models) 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. Interim notification letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on August 13, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on August 13, 2021. Owners may contact the Bolt EV Concierge Team at 1-833-382-4389. GM's number for this recall is N212343880.
98.2% repairedof 57,414 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 21V560000
Listed for 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Not checked against your VIN.
Park outside: fire risk. NHTSA advises parking outside and away from buildings until the recall repair is done.
High Voltage Battery May Catch Fire
Electrical system · propulsion system · traction battery
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling all 2017-2018 and certain 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. The high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.
- Consequence
- A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- This recall has been superseded by recall number 21V-560. Vehicles previously repaired under 20V-701 will still need to have the new remedy under recall 21V-560. GM will notify owners, and as an interim repair, beginning on November 17, 2020, dealers will reprogram the hybrid propulsion control module 2 (HPCM2) to limit the full charge to 90%, free of charge. Owners are advised to activate either the Hill Top Reserve (2017 and 2018 models) or Target Charge Level (2019 models) feature in their vehicle to limit the charge level to 90%, or park outside, until the software update is completed. Owners were notified of the interim repair beginning November 17, 2020. The second notice was mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact the Bolt EV Concierge Team at 1-833-382-4389. GM's number for this recall is N202311730.
Repair progress not yet reported50,932 vehicles potentially affected
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 20V701000
Listed for 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Not checked against your VIN.
Insufficient Coating on Rear Brake Caliper Pistons
Service brakes, hydraulic · foundation components · disc · caliper
Official NHTSA text
- Summary
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
- Consequence
- A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.
95.9% repairedof 210,628 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA
or ask a dealer to check campaign 18V576000
PlainVIN shows public government records for education. It isn't a vehicle inspection or legal advice. Check your own VIN with NHTSA or your dealer.
Owner complaints (89)
89 complaints filed with NHTSA (owner reports, not verified findings). The steering is mentioned most often.
2involved a crash
1involved a fire
2injuries reported
0deaths reported
As reported by owners in their complaints. These are reports, not NHTSA findings.
Most-reported components
| Component | Complaints | % of 89 |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 38 | 42.7% |
| Electrical system | 30 | 33.7% |
| Power train | 12 | 13.5% |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 11 | 12.4% |
| Unknown or other | 8 | 9% |
| Service brakes | 7 | 7.9% |
| Engine | 5 | 5.6% |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 3.4% |
| Suspension | 2 | 2.2% |
| Visibility/wiper | 2 | 2.2% |
How 2018 compares with other Bolt EV years
Best and worst Bolt EV years →2017348
201889
2019178
2020174
202167
202259
202361
20275
| Model year | Complaints | Recall campaigns |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 348 | 4 |
| 2018 | 89 | 5 |
| 2019 | 178 | 6 |
| 2020 | 174 | 8 |
| 2021 | 67 | 5 |
| 2022 | 59 | 7 |
| 2023 | 61 | 3 |
| 2027 | 5 | 1 |
This year (2018)Other yearsStill collecting reports
Counts are owner reports, not failure rates. Higher sales years tend to draw more reports. Owners are still filing reports for recent model years, so these counts will grow. Source: NHTSA ODI, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.
Fuel economy: up to 119 mpg combined
119
mpg combined
128
city
110
highway
- EPA annual fuel cost
- $650
- CO₂ tailpipe
- —
- EPA class
- Small Station Wagons
What it costs you to run
$549per year
$46per month
126gallons a year
Miles ÷ 119 mpg × $4.354 (EIA US average regular, week of Oct 5, 2026, all taxes included). Source: EPA · EIA.
EPA label estimates from lab tests; your mileage will vary.
Specs by configuration
| Engine · transmission | Drive | City / Hwy / Comb | EPA $/yr | CO₂ g/mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric · Automatic | Front-Wheel Drive | 128 / 110 / 119 | $650 | — |
Source: EPA fuel economy data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026. Configurations are listed when EPA and NHTSA records match.
Looking at a 2018 Bolt EV for sale?
Print a one-page buyer's checklist: each recall campaign with a box to tick when the seller shows proof of repair, the top complaint areas to inspect, crash stars, MPG, and a link back to this page.
Where to next
2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV FAQ
How many recalls does the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV have?
NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns: 23V845000 (seat belt), 22V930000 (seat belt), 21V560000 (electrical), 20V701000 (electrical), 18V576000 (brake). Use NHTSA's VIN lookup to see whether a specific car was repaired.
What are the most common 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV problems?
Owners filed 89 complaints with NHTSA. Steering (38), Electrical system (30), Power train (12) are mentioned most. These are owner reports, not verified findings.
What mpg does the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV get?
EPA rates the Electric · Automatic version at 128 city, 110 highway and 119 combined mpg.
How does the 2018 Bolt EV compare with other years?
Among the 2017–2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV model years at least five years old, the 2021 drew the fewest complaints (67) and the 2017 the most (348). The 2018 drew 89. Counts are owner reports, not failure rates.
How this page was madeSources, processing, limits, review and changes
Data sources
- NHTSA recalls by vehicle
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - US DOT recall completion rates (data.transportation.gov)
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - NHTSA ODI owner complaints
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - NHTSA NCAP 5-Star Safety Ratings
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - EPA fuel economy data (licence confirmation pending)
Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 - EIA weekly retail gasoline prices
Weekly, all taxes included
Processing
- Complaints are counted per component. One complaint can list several, so component totals add up to more than the total.
- Fuel cost = miles per year ÷ EPA combined mpg × EIA weekly price for your region.
Limitations
- Complaint counts are owner reports, not verified findings or failure rates. There is no sales denominator.
- Recall campaigns are listed for the model year. Only NHTSA and the automaker know whether a specific car was repaired.
- Recent model years are still collecting reports.
Review
Data compiled automatically from the official files listed here.
Changelog
- 2026-10-06 Data refreshed from the official files.
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