Selling a damaged or dead Chevy Bolt

NHTSA holds 1,126 complaints and 14 recall campaigns on the Bolt. The battery fire recalls are the ones most owners know, and their status is the first thing to check before you price the car.

Three Bolts: what changed

2017-2019, Bolt EV. A front-drive hatchback with a 60 kWh lithium-ion pack and a 200 hp motor feeding a single-speed drive unit. The EPA rated the 2017 at 238 miles. GM assembled it at Orion Township, Michigan, and LG built the battery, motor and drive unit in Incheon, South Korea.

2020-2023, bigger pack, then the EUV. The pack grew to 66 kWh and the EPA range to 259 miles. A slightly larger Bolt EUV crossover joined for 2022, rated at 247 miles. The last Bolt EUV was built on December 20, 2023.

2027, the return. GM showed a new Bolt on October 9, 2025. It keeps only the crossover body and switches to a 65 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, a 210 hp GM-designed drive unit and a built-in NACS charging port. The EPA rates it at 262 miles. It comes from Fairfax Assembly in Kansas City, Kansas, and GM described the comeback as "for a limited time."

The battery fire recalls

Five recalls deal with one problem. In NHTSA's words, the high-voltage battery "could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity." GM's report traced it to "two rare manufacturing defects in the same battery cell."

All five carry NHTSA's park-outside flag, and none says do not drive. Until the work is done, owners are told to hold the charge at 90%, charge more often, keep at least 70 miles of range, park outside after charging, and never charge indoors overnight. GM's owner notice for 21V650 adds that the replacement battery came with an 8-year, 100,000-mile Limited Part Warranty.

Other recalls, and what owners report

Steering that won't center. NHTSA has 285 Bolt complaints tagged steering, 121 of them on the 2017. Owners write that the wheel won't come back to center after a turn, or that it feels stiff and sluggish. GM has issued no recall or bulletin on it that we could locate.

Seat belt pretensioner fires. Recall 22V930 covered 111,242 Bolt EVs from 2017-2023. After a crash that fires the pretensioners, their exhaust could light carpet fibers near the B-pillar. Dealers add metal foil and, where needed, a cover. Recall 23V845 went back to 6,771 cars fixed wrong the first time.

Brakes. Recall 18V576 bled the brakes on 210,628 GM vehicles, 2018-2019 Bolt EVs among them, because poorly coated rear caliper pistons could form gas pockets. Recall 20V808 checked the front left caliper on 464 2020 Bolts for a bad casting.

Smaller campaigns fixed rear door-handle cables on 897 2019-2020 cars, driver air bag fasteners on 28 2022 cars, and a dash panel missing the perforation the passenger air bag deploys through on 317 2022-2023 cars.

The 2023 drew 180 complaints with 20 crash reports and 9 injuries, the most of any Bolt year, and 19 of its complaints are tagged forward collision avoidance. The 2027 has 5 complaints and one recall, for its electronic owner's manual. That is too few to read anything into.

Complaints and recalls by model year

Complaints filed with NHTSA, per model year. The steering and electrical columns count complaints with that tag, and one complaint can carry both. "Fires" counts complaints that report one. Battery and pretensioner campaigns each reach across several years, so that last column totals well over 14.

Repair it, or sell it?

1. Start at nhtsa.gov/recalls with the 17-character VIN. An open battery recall means GM still owes the car that work.
2. Ask a dealer about the pack. Find out what battery work was done under the recalls. If a 21V650 repair gave yours a replacement battery, GM's notice says that battery carries the 8-year, 100,000-mile part warranty.
3. Crash damage? Set the body shop's quote beside the car's value once repaired. Our wrecked car guide explains how a total loss is decided. If the car has burned, the fire-damaged car guide covers handling a burned EV.
4. Still making payments? See selling with a loan owed before you sign anything.

Selling a Bolt as it sits

1. Note the VIN and miles, whether it powers on, whether it charges, and any warning messages.
2. Get an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Name the Bolt's location, and say if the wheels still turn. A garage, a driveway, a curb or a dealer service lot all work. If the battery recall is still open, follow its interim steps: park outside after charging, and don't charge it indoors overnight. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.
4. Leave it whole. Sell the whole car as it sits, with the high-voltage battery, wheels and charging port untouched. Tell us about anything already removed.
5. Keep the title within reach, with a license or other photo ID and both key fobs. Plate and registration steps vary by state; after you sell covers them.

Looking at other electric or small Chevys? See the Volt, Spark and Equinox EV, or the full Chevrolet list.