2023 Chevrolet Bolt Euv

Was initially stopped at a red light heading northbound while in the right turn lane. The cross street had two lanes of traffic heading in each direction separated by a median divider to the west and a left turn lane to the east. After cross traffic cleared from the nearest eastbound lane, but cars continuing to travel in the far eastbound lane, I began a ‘right turn on red’ into the nearest eastbound lane. Somewhere near, but short of completing the entire 90° turn, the AEB system violently slammed on the brakes causing strong vibrations like I had hit or been hit by another car. My estimated speed at the time was approx. 15 mph. Not positive, but I believe the collision alert beeped and red dot HUD activated at the same time indicating an impending collision. Believing I had been hit, I think I applied the brake pedal to ensure the vehicle completely stopped rolling. After visually checking my surroundings, I saw no other vehicles, pedestrians, or objects anywhere near or around my vehicle. Concerned I had possibly run over something instead, I slowly proceeded forward to visually check the road surface to see if anything was in the road behind. The vehicle operated normally, I saw no debris, and pulled over to the side of the road to visually check for damage. Seeing none, I continued my travel without further incident. The vehicle has not been inspected or has the problem been reproduced, but it is available upon request. This is the first occurrence of phantom breaking since owning the vehicle for the past 10 months and there have been no prior symptoms or related problems. In this case the lane I entered was free of traffic. If instead I had pulled into a gap in traffic that would otherwise have been sufficient to safely merge into, my sudden and unexpected stop could have easily caused oncoming traffic to hit me from behind.

I was taking a left turn from [XXX] onto [XXX] in the outer (right) lane. As I was exiting the turn, the AEB went off suddenly without warning -- the car came to a sudden and complete stop. There were no cars or obstacles in the road ahead of us in either lane and so it is unclear what would cause the braking event. Due to the sudden stop, a man driving a moped was not able to stop in time--he was able to swerve to avoid a head on collision, but he collided with our rear passenger bumper. While, fortunately, there were no injuries, both vehicles sustained minor damage. This is the second incident of "phantom braking" I have experienced with this car. The first incident was within the first year of owning it driving on a 35 MPH road when it mistakenly thought a car was veering into our lane (oncoming traffic) -- in this case the phantom braking was brief and did not bring the vehicle to a stop. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The vehicle displayed a Service ESC warning, indicating a possible malfunction in the electronic stability control system. I have had difficulty reproducing the issue, but the vehicle and any related components are available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The malfunction may have reduced the vehicle’s stability and traction assistance, which could increase the risk of losing control while driving. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I have taken the vehicle to the dealer three times. The first time, the dealer replaced the battery. The second time, the dealer installed a software update. The third time, they were unable to reproduce the issue. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The vehicle has been inspected by the dealer. No inspection by police, insurance representatives, or other third parties has occurred. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The Service ESC warning first appeared while driving on July 19, 2026 and May 22, 2026. I did notice the service light turn on before then, but do not have a picture to send at this time.

I was driving on the highway with GM Super Cruise engaged. I was within the speed limit on a straight road with my hands near the wheel. Without warning, the steering turned sharply to the left on its own and locked — I was unable to correct it or override the system. The vehicle left the road, spun, and was totaled. I walked away with minor injuries. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to the failure. The vehicle has been inspected by police (report exists) and insurance representatives. The vehicle is currently at a dealership and is available for inspection. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer. I believe the Super Cruise system malfunctioned and caused the steering to lock in a direction I could not override.

The radio amplifier is mounted in the rear trunk wheel well attached to the bottom, along with the subwoofer assembly. Under the amplifier is a small drain. My trunk leaked during the rain and shorted out the amplifier. This shut off all communication noise in car. No noise from blinkers or warnings of dangerous situations. According to AI, "The 2023 Chevy Bolt EV shares the same basic body structure and rear hatch design as earlier models (2017–2020), and there is no confirmed evidence that the trunk seal was redesigned or improved to prevent water intrusion. Despite a known issue with water leaks into the trunk—often due to voids in seam sealer or compromised tailgate gaskets—General Motors issued a service bulletin (18-NA-182) that applied only to 2017–2020 models. However, owners of 2022 and 2023 models have reported identical leaks, with water pooling in the rear cargo area and damaging components like the amplifier located in the spare tire well." Remember, when the amplifier goes out, every warning signal goes out, as well as radio and hand free operation of cell phones.

Forward collision prevention system activated unnecessarily. I was already breaking and on track to stop well behind the vehicle in front of me. I had just pulled around stopped traffic in another lane, which seems to be common in all the incidents I've had like this. The safety concern is that the vehicle stopped unexpectedly, and if traffic behind me hadn't been paying attention, they could have run into me. In the past I asked a dealer to look into it, and found nothing wrong. Deactivating the system for a time, and then reactivating it, seems to improve the problem for a while.

On June 7, 2025 at 5:00pm while driving on the expressway, my car suddenly braked, jolted and skidded and I pulled over. My granddaughter was in the back seat and I thought either a tire blew or I got hit. I called my son and he did some research and found articles of this happening to Chevy Bolts euv's. They call it phantom braking. It happened 2 times before in the city and I thought I drove over something on the road. I took it into the dealer and they could not determine the problem. They said they opened a case with GM and gave me a Customer Concern Verification form to fill out if it happens again. They said if it happens again, then they will replace the forward collision module. I am terrified to drive on an expressway in fear this will happen again. I could have gotten hit if a car was too close behind me when my car broke suddenly. I nervously drive home after this event, while my son stayed on the phone with me.