Chevrolet Bolt EV Rebate Recipients Must Waive Right To Sue To Receive Cash

The Chevrolet Bolt price adjustment isn’t without an unsettling caveat.

Earlier this year, Chevrolet made news headlines by dramatically slashing the prices of its Bolt EV and Bolt EUV electric cars. The Bolt twins, normally well over 30,000, now had base prices in the mid to high 20,000 range, putting them within reach of a lot more drivers. Unfortunately, the abrupt price change right in the middle of the model year, a few months after the hundreds of owners had taken delivery. But, GM made customers happy, by offering a price adjustment in the form of a rebate check, that made Bolt/Bolt EUVs purchased in 2021 and 2022 the same price as the new, dramatically lower pricing. It is a great move that has helped us forget about the terrible battery defect and fire issues that plagued all Chevy Bolt owners. That problem wasn’t rectified until mid-2021.

Just one catch though, if you accept the rebate check, you waive your right to sue GM over battery problems. Initially reported and confirmed by Jalopnik, a Bolt owner read through the fine print, where he saw that accepting the “rebate” means waiving the right to sue GM for any potential future battery issues related to the Bolt EV. The agreement doesn’t release GM from liability against future recalls, no, but accepting the money means Bolt owners can’t sue or join any class action lawsuits related to this particular piece of litigation.

This caveat doesn’t apply to new Bolt EV or EUV owners who purchased their cars post price cut.

Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.