What are the common problems with the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV?
Owners of the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV have filed 89 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering (38) and the electrical system (30). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 18 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 89 owner complaints on the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Owners named steering most often: 38 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 89 complaints, 2 report a crash, 1 reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (2 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
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Common problems with the 2018 Bolt EV
NHTSA's file holds 89 owner complaints on the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Owners named steering most often: 38 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 38 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Electrical System | 30 | 8 | 7,403 |
| Power Train | 12 | 6 | 16,045 |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 11 | 3 | Under 5 mileages |
| Service Brakes | 7 | 2 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 89 complaints, 2 report a crash, 1 reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (2 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 2018 Bolt EV
The 18 mileages owners gave run from 1 to 60,000 miles, and half are at or under 18,000. With fewer than 20 mileages this page gives the median only: the other percentiles are too few to say. 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 2018 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 18 came at or under 100,000 miles, so they say nothing about how many miles a 2018 Bolt EV can cover.
Complaint mileage also follows a model year's age: the 2018 has had less time to cover miles than older years, so its figures will rise as it ages.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 1 mile |
| 25th percentile | Too few to say |
| Median (50th percentile) | 18,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | Too few to say |
| 90th percentile | Too few to say |
| Highest mileage listed | 60,000 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | none |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | none |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | none |
Is the 2018 Bolt EV a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2018 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 2018 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 89 complaints, the 2018 ranks 4th of the 7 Chevrolet Bolt EV model years from 2017 to 2023 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2017 (351). 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 Bolt EV | 351 | 81 | 20,000 |
| 2018 (this page) | 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 |
2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 5 recall campaigns that name the 2018 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 |
| 18V576000 | Aug 30, 2018 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER |
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 2018 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 2018 Bolt EV.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 71 of the 89 complaints on the 2018 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.
2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV questions
What are the most common 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV problems?
NHTSA's file holds 89 owner complaints on the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Owners named steering most often: 38 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 89 complaints, 2 report a crash, 1 reports a fire and 1 reports an injury (2 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV?
Of the 18 complaints on the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV that list mileage, half came after 17,000 miles; none came after 100,000 miles, none after 150,000 and none after 200,000. With fewer than 20 mileages, the median is the only percentile given. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 2018 Bolt EV can cover.
Is the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2018 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 2018 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 89 complaints, the 2018 ranks 4th of the 7 Chevrolet Bolt EV model years from 2017 to 2023 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2017 (351). The fewest: the 2022 (59).
How many recalls does the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 5 recall campaigns that name the 2018 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 2018 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 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV.