What are the common problems with the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV?
Owners of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV have filed 351 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering (126) and the electrical system (114). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 81 of them list a mileage; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
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See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 351 owner complaints on the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Owners named steering most often: 126 complaints, and half of the 10 that list a mileage came after 39,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 351 complaints, 11 report a crash, 5 report a fire and 5 report an injury (5 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
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Common problems with the 2017 Bolt EV
NHTSA's file holds 351 owner complaints on the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Owners named steering most often: 126 complaints, and half of the 10 that list a mileage came after 39,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 126 | 10 | 39,500 |
| Electrical System | 114 | 26 | 22,200 |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 70 | 16 | 14,139 |
| Power Train | 27 | 7 | 22,200 |
| Service Brakes | 22 | 10 | 18,000 |
Of the 351 complaints, 11 report a crash, 5 report a fire and 5 report an injury (5 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 2017 Bolt EV
The 81 mileages owners gave run from 20 to 84,000 miles. A quarter are at or under 4,193 miles, half at or under 20,000, three quarters at or under 40,292 and nine in ten at or under 62,000; none came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2017 Bolt EV wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Most of these reports came early in the vehicle's life: all 81 came at or under 100,000 miles, so they say nothing about how many miles a 2017 Bolt EV can cover.
Complaint mileage also follows a model year's age: the 2017 has had less time to cover miles than older years, so its figures will rise as it ages.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 20 miles |
| 25th percentile | 4,193 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 20,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | 40,292 miles |
| 90th percentile | 62,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 84,000 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | none |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | none |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | none |
Is the 2017 Bolt EV a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2017 is a good or a bad Bolt EV: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2017 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 351 complaints, the 2017 drew the most of the 7 Chevrolet Bolt EV model years from 2017 to 2023 with 10 or more complaints. The fewest: the 2022 (59).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 (this page) | 351 | 81 | 20,000 |
| 2018 Bolt EV | 89 | 18 | 18,000 |
| 2019 Bolt EV | 179 | 37 | 10,230 |
| 2020 Bolt EV | 177 | 22 | 5,000 |
| 2021 Bolt EV | 67 | 6 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2022 Bolt EV | 59 | 9 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2023 Bolt EV | 63 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 4 recall campaigns that name the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 23V845000 | Dec 14, 2023 | SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER |
| 22V930000 | Dec 15, 2022 | SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER |
| 21V560000 | Jul 23, 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY |
| 20V701000 | Nov 13, 2020 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2017 Bolt EV lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2017 Bolt EV.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 270 of the 351 complaints on the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: BOLT EV. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: BOLT EV.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV questions
What are the most common 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV problems?
NHTSA's file holds 351 owner complaints on the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Owners named steering most often: 126 complaints, and half of the 10 that list a mileage came after 39,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 351 complaints, 11 report a crash, 5 report a fire and 5 report an injury (5 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV?
Of the 81 complaints on the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV that list mileage, the middle half came between 4,100 and 41,000 miles; none came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 2017 Bolt EV can cover.
Is the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2017 is a good or a bad Bolt EV: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2017 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 351 complaints, the 2017 drew the most of the 7 Chevrolet Bolt EV model years from 2017 to 2023 with 10 or more complaints. The fewest: the 2022 (59).
How many recalls does the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 4 recall campaigns that name the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV.