Powertrain, a faulty collision avoidance system, and badly configured brake lights are the main causes of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The all-electric Chevrolet Bolt EUV is promoted as “the industry’s first affordable, long-range electric vehicle.” It is also the first Chevy that offers Super Cruise, a hand’s free driver assistance system and a new, electronic gear shift design. But drivers who can’t shift the gears of the 2023 model are less than impressed. Also, some are complaining that the brake lights are difficult to see at night or that the collision avoidance and lane departure systems don’t work.
The most common problems reported to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) about the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV relate to transmission problems and brake lights. But there are also complaints about error messages that relate to seat belts and problems with the forward collision alert system.
The components and systems that owners link their complaints to are the brakes, exterior lighting, forward collision avoidance, land departure, the powertrain, and seat belts.
Fortunately, there are no recalls for the 2023 model, unlike the launch 2022 Bolt EUV model. Together with 2018-2022 Chevy Bolt EVs, there were tens of thousands of vehicles with high voltage batteries at risk of catching fire. Because of this, Chevrolet delayed production of the 2023 EV and EUV models, so they were released a lot later in 2022 than originally anticipated.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Electrical System | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Power Train | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Lane Departure: Assist |
The error message drivers are seeing says, “Conditions not correct for shift.” An owner from New Jersey states that this message displayed on the dash after trying to shift the gears into reverse. He couldn’t shift into drive either. He was, though, able to shift the gears into neutral and have the EUV towed. “I tried powering down and back on. Powered off, locked the car and walked out of keyfob range for 10 minutes, then returned and tried again. Nothing worked.” By the time the tow truck arrived 45 minutes later, the problem had cleared up on its own.
An owner from Indiana returned from a store and was unable to start the vehicle. The complaint states that the message, “Conditions not correct for shift” displayed for about half an hour. “I could not change to neutral, reverse or drive. After shutting the vehicle off several times, I called OnStar for a tow. 20 minutes later, the message disappeared and I was able to drive again.”
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Essentially, the brake lights are difficult to see because they are located too low on the bumper, as an owner from California points out.
An owner from Texas states that he has nearly been rear-ended several times because people don’t expect the brake lights to be where they are. “I have discovered that the configuration of the rear end brake lights is dangerous because people expect the lights on the hatch to be the brake lights, but they are actually only running lights at night. The brake lights and turn signals are actually much lower down in the car’s bumper. This is not where people expect them to be.” He’d like the hatch lights to be updated to be the running lights and brake lights. “The lights in the bumper should only come on when the hatch is open.”
After owning the 2023 Bolt EUV for only 5 days and nearly being “hit from behind” 3 times, a Georgia owner complained that this is a safety issue. The complaint states that the brake lights are about 28 inches from the ground. This makes them very difficult to see from behind, especially for drivers of large vans and trucks or SUVs. “The blinkers also appear to be red and don’t stand out. The combination makes it appear like a reflector (and) not a brake light and blinker.”
Faulty forward collision alerts caused a West Virginia owner to complain to the NHTSA. The alert “doesn’t work until you’re about 1 to 2 feet from impact, no matter which of the 3 settings it’s put on. We were so close to impact to the rear of a semi when the service tech was testing it that I was very uncomfortable.”
Additionally, the complaint states, the “lane assist doesn’t work until you’re left of center or it bounces you back and forth like a drunk driver. Plus, it doesn’t always recognize the yellow or white dotted line.” Sometimes it goes left of the center and puts you in the left lane. It doesn’t maintain the car in the center of the lane. Lane assist also malfunctions. Both the service tech and service managers told the owner, “they’re just warnings” and there was nothing they could do about it.
“What good is it if you’re crashing when the alert goes off?” And, in terms of lane keep assist, “if you’re already left of center before you’re alerted or corrected, what good is it? The tech didn’t even enter anything about the anti-collision not working (on the report). But he did joke with the service manager about making me uncomfortable when we were about to collide with the semi.”
A warning “service safety restraint system” keeps popping up, says an owner from Arizona. After taking the vehicle to a dealer for repairs, the problem still isn’t fixed. The “warning still pops up.”
This is also this problem with some 2022 Bolt EUV models. An owner from California describes how the same warning displayed. But Chevrolet maintains there is nothing wrong with the car!
When vehicle owners have problems that recur and affect their use of the vehicle or its value, it’s a good idea to investigate whether it’s a lemon. Lemberg Law has been helping vehicle owners do this for many years. And we have negotiated many settlements on their behalf.
If you’d like us to assess your problems, free of charge, to see if we think you’ve got a lemon, contact us by calling our Helpline or filling out a contact form. The law says that Chevrolet must pay the legal fees for lemon law cases, so you won’t have to worry about legal bills.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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