[WinooskiWinter]

I purchased my 2020 LT in April of 2021. Just 19 months and 16k miles later, in December 2022 I was informed that my brakes were so rusted that I would not pass state inspection and needed to be replaced, to the tune of 1.3k. This isn't aren't covered under the warranty.

I live in a cold climate, which means lots of salt on the roads in winter, and also insane battery drain (I average 140 in the winter, even with only moderate heat use). Because of the battery drain, I use regenerative breaking 95% of the time in the winter. Which apparently is why I have rusted rotors after less than two years.

So understandably, I'm pissed. Basically the only way to make the car usable in the winter for longer drives is to use regen, but the only way to prevent the rotors from rusting out is by using the brakes.

The dealership suggested I try and call Chevy to see whether they would be willing to pay for some of the repair. I cannot be the only person dealing with this issue -- it seems like a significant flaw in the design (I have heard that Tesla, for example, has figured out a way to prevent rust build-up on rotors even with the use of regenerative braking). Has anyone had success in getting Chevy to pay for some/all of their repair for this issue?

 

[Packard V8]

1) Most warranties clearly state brakes are wear parts. It's doubtful if GM will listen to your pleas. (2020 bought in 2021; from Chevy dealer? New or used?)
2) Something is wrong, because even in your salt hellhole, brakes do not usually rust out in two seasons of use. Ask your technician to show you specifically what has failed to pass inspection and take photos.
3) One would have to replace every braking system component to spend $1.3k. Again, it didn't all rust to failure. Take it somewhere else for a second opinion.
4) In normal use, in most climates Bolt brakes will last literally forever. The discs have a coating which prevents rust. After five winters, moderate magnesium chloride liquid application on our streets, our rotor still look like new.

jack vines

 

[EV Trek 37604]

Suggestion, at least once on every drive turn off regen and hit your brakes hard enough to engage the friction brakes in a safe manner to clean off the rust. Especially in winter. It will help make them last longer.

 

[Colt Hero]

@WinooskiWinter : I'm sure this is hyper-exaggeration on the part of the Dealership. I leave my vehicles to go on two-week trips, and when I return ... the Brake Disks have routinely developed some light surface rust. I just get in and drive it, tapping the brakes on the way out of the driveway to knock off the rust. No problem.

Can you upload a picture? I'll bet the ranch this is just another case of Dealership fraud.

 

[Maritime]

They won't pay, you or your dealer should do a brake service 2x a year, before and after winter when you change your tires. As soon as I bought mine I did a service and coated every not friction part of the system with rust prevention grease. I do that every fall and every spring and so far in my second winter the brakes are still shiny and new looking with 44K miles on the car. I would not have know to do this if I didn't have the exact same thing happen to my ICE Pilot. Failed inspection with rusty brakes. Still more than 50% wear left on pads but rotors rusted too bad to pass. That had nothing to do with regen, it was sitting a lot not getting driven during the pandemic. After having to do a 4 wheel rotor/pad swap it too gets the same treatment as the Bolt.

 

[Maritime]

@WinooskiWinter : I'm sure this is hyper-exaggeration on the part of the Dealership. I leave my vehicles to go on two-week trips, and when I return ... the Brake Disks have routinely developed some light surface rust. I just get in and drive it, tapping the brakes on the way out of the driveway to knock off the rust. No problem.

Can you upload a picture? I'll bet the ranch this is just another case of Dealership fraud.

Maybe but I know 2 folks, one 2017, one 2019 both had the brakes rust so bad from salt they failed inspection, the 2019 had the rotors swell with rust so bad they seized and started dragging and he lost half his range until he got it checked. Salt kills even ice brakes here, see my other post.

 

[WinooskiWinter]

I'll bet the ranch this is just another case of Dealership fraud.

The dealership didn't tell me this, the folks who put on my winter tires (and perform state inspections) did. They suggested I go to the dealership, so they didn't have any financial incentive for telling me to do this. When I called the dealership and explained the situation they said it would probably cost 1.3k to replace.

 

[WinooskiWinter]

Suggestion, at least once on every drive turn off regen and hit your brakes hard enough to engage the friction brakes in a safe manner to clean off the rust. Especially in winter. It will help make them last longer.

I know that now... Just wish I had known it before.

 

[Voldar]

Rusted out brakes after 19 months. Any luck getting Chevy to pay?

Short answer : NO

 

[WinooskiWinter]

(2020 bought in 2021; from Chevy dealer? New or used?)

Bought new from dealer.

 

[WinooskiWinter]

Short answer : NO

Cool, thanks for your help.

 

[Voldar]

Cool, thanks for your help.

Unfortunately there is no other way to sugar-coat it. The question you asked is one of those who have only a white or black answer.

But what you can do in the future is one of the following :

• once in a full moon (about every 30 days), take the car to a ride and accelerate it to 60-65 mph then stomp on the breaks, do this 3-4-5 times in a row, just enough to have some hot brakes.
• once a year, take your Bolt EV/EUV to the dealership or another cars workshop to do a brakes job

I have my Bolt for 4 years now and all I do is the first option. I have no problems with the brakes.

 

[PLP]

I am sorry to hear that. I am surprised the brakes rusted so badly.

I feel your pain about the range. Cold weather range is not something is required to be reported... and it is not so common to hear around that you may have only 150 miles range instead of 240.

Yes, the brakes rust because they are not used so frequently.
They should be inspected and cleaned once a year.

Using regen only to gain range - that is a misconception. Regen is only when you are slowing down. And one or two friction brakes will not make huge impact on your trip. By slowing down from say 40 mph to 0 by only friction you may be talking about 1-2 miles cold range... so it is cheap relatively to brake repair.
And that is something that is not well mentioned around - to use brakes from time to time.

I also suffer from rust on rear brakes, but with my spirited approach and heavy foot, it is not so bad. Also, as I mentioned, I inspect them and clean them at least once a year.

Good luck.

 

[EBS]

Parts:
Rotor (4): $320
Pads (2): $160
Total parts: USD $480
Labor should be, I think, max 4hrs. So total can be $480.
So that $1300 seems excessive.
You may want to go to smaller shop with aftermarket parts (or you can buy GM parts yourself), if you don't lean on doing it yourselves. It should be cheaper.

Anyway, I don't think you need to stomp. Just do some mental schedule: once a week, just turn off the one pedal, and press the brake as if it were an ICE car while driving. Just for a minute or two. You wouldn't lose much. But you'd win a lot in brake department.

 

[Maritime]

Parts:
Rotor (4): $320
Pads (2): $160
Total parts: USD $480
Labor should be, I think, max 4hrs. So total can be $480.
So that $1300 seems excessive.
You may want to go to smaller shop with aftermarket parts (or you can buy GM parts yourself), if you don't lean on doing it yourselves. It should be cheaper.

Anyway, I don't think you need to stomp. Just do some mental schedule: once a week, just turn off the one pedal, and press the brake as if it were an ICE car while driving. Just for a minute or two. You wouldn't lose much. But you'd win a lot in brake department.

If you put it in N and just slow for a few seconds then back in L or D it will do way more than a full stomp in D as D uses regen for 80% Of the stop before the friction brakes work. In N you get 100% friction braking and you just need to more the caliper and clean the disk so don't even need to full stop. I do this a few times a month on top of the services.

 

[Rmay635703]

Short answer : NO

Any time a safety system fails make a complaint to the National Highway admin

Brake lines, calipers, etc should not fail by rust,
Period, rust is not wear, fuel lines and brake lines should never wear
and it also is unlikely to give warning like a worn component.

I went around with GM on a 2010 Cobalt that kept rusting out fuel lines and evap lines, both of which are safety systems and one is a pollution control system that is supposed to be a 10/150 regardless of warranty.

I submitted a complaint to the NHS and got a we are investigating, if my car was a year older it would have been covered under a recall/ GM campaign

 

[MichBolt]

Just a clarification - driving in D and using the brake pedal will also provide regenerative braking before friction braking. In fact, you would have to press the brake pedal "harder" in order to engage the friction brakes; pressing lightly on the brake pedal will still use only regenerative braking, supposedly up to as much as regen as one pedal mode would.

There has been some discussion that driving in D and using the brake pedal for regen may close the brake caliper just enough to eliminate the gap between the brake pad and the rotor, without actually applying friction braking (until the brake pedal is pressed further). If so, that might be enough to remove rust without losing much, if any, regen.

 

[Packard V8]

Any time a safety system fails make a complaint to the National Highway admin

Brake lines, calipers, etc should not fail by rust,
Period, rust is not wear, fuel lines and brake lines should never wear
and it also is unlikely to give warning like a worn component.

I went around with GM on a 2010 Cobalt that kept rusting out fuel lines and evap lines, both of which are safety systems and one is a pollution control system that is supposed to be a 10/150 regardless of warranty.

I submitted a complaint to the NHS and got a we are investigating, if my car was a year older it would have been covered under a recall/ GM campaign

You have a passionate opinion on the matter which is unfortunately not supported by fact. The braking system is composed of wear parts and as such is expected to require regular maintenance and replacement.

For years, owners of older General Motors trucks have been complaining about their brake lines corroding and demanding a recall. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) dutifully studied the issue for five years and today came up with a decision: no defect, no recall.

Instead, says NHTSA, consumers who live in areas where salt is used on icy roads in the winter should wash the underside of their vehicles. The salt causes rust and corrosion not only in GM cars and trucks but also in comparable vehicles made by other manufacturers.

jack vines

 

[OkieBolt]

This is a not uncommon problem for northerners and you are not the first to bring this up. There are plenty of us Southerners with EV's with 100k miles or more and the brakes look new. You problem is also not isolated to GM or the Bolt. There are plenty of Tesla's that experienced the same issue. Normally the only parts that need to be replaced are the pads. If the rotors were rusted and unusable you could visibly see it. What happens is the brake pad itself separates from from the back plate due to rust from lack of use. This is not a $1,300 job.

This is also not necessarily the dealers fault either as this can also happen to ICE vehicles. Rule of thumb when driving in a climate with heavy salt on the roads is to wash the the vehicle to remove road salts as soon as possible. Whenever we have salty roads as soon as it gets above freezing I take the garden hose to all the wheels and brakes just to avoid this issue.

 

[Elaine R]

there's at least one other thread about this. I follow this guy's advice, fwiw.