Chevrolet Bolt EV Complaints (2017)

350 consumer complaints on file.

#11622733October 30, 2024
SUSPENSION, WHEELS, STEERING
Steering not returning to center, when making a turn across the street you have to quickly center the vehicle to prevent going into on coming traffic. Very stiff to turn and make popping sounds when turning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11620116October 16, 2024
STEERING
Rack and pinion steering gear failed. Vehicle is difficult to turn at lower speed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11620187October 16, 2024
STEERING
Rack and pinion steering gear failure at 70k miles
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11618574October 7, 2024
STEERING
Steering is binding, doesn't completely return to center when letting go of the steering wheel after a turn. It needs to be manually turned back in the other direction.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611942August 31, 2024
STEERING
STEERING FAILED AT 37900 MILES ON MY 2017 CHEVY BOLT.AGAING STEERING FAILURE AT 78200.THIS AFTER READING AND SEEING VIDEOS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM DUE TO LUBRICATION OF THE STEERING GEARS FROM A SEALED UNIT THAT LEAKS OUT ALL OF THE GREASE AND CAN'T BE REPLACED.THE UNIT LOSES THE ABILTY TO STAY ON AN EVEN STEERING PATH.THE STEERING WHEEL WILL NOT RETURN TO CENTER AND HAS A GAP IN THE CONTROL AND CLUNKS. THIS IS A TERRIBLE DESIGN ISSUE ON ALL MODELS BUT MORE SO ON THE EARLIER VERSIONS. THE REPAIR COST EVEN THOUGH ITS A DESIGN ERROR IS 2300 DOLLAR.THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE ISSUE NOT BEING ABLE TO CONTROL YOUR STEERING
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11609367August 19, 2024
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 35–40 MPH and crashed into a deer, the air bags deployed but failed to inflate. There were no warning lights illuminated. The emergency lights failed to turn off. The driver was able to drive from the crash. There were no reported injuries or fire. A police report was filed. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11608511August 14, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, STEERING
While at a remote location, I unlocked and entered the vehicle normally. When I tried to start the vehicle, numerous unrelated error messages appeared on-screen. The instrument panel was energized, but the vehicle could only shift into neutral and park. Power steering was lost, as was window functionality. The vehicle could not be fully started, nor could not it be fully shut off either. It was stuck in a peculiar, unsafe, and unresolvable state of energized limbo. AAA towed the car to Watson Chevrolet who determined that the 12v system (vs propulsion) battery malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. There is no information in the owner’s manual about this issue. The tow truck mechanic had no clue what was wrong. Fortunately, we were in a safe location. But under different circumstances, such as being roadside, this could have been a very unsafe situation. This is the original battery. The car was recently serviced and there was no indication the battery was failing. This problem was only an annoyance for us, but it could have been much much worse under less favorable circumstances.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11607289August 8, 2024
STEERING
Ongoing steering issue, started at approximately 75K miles. When making turns (typically between 15mph and 35mph), steering requires driver input to manually return car to center. Car will continue turning without this input. Steering is stiff, loss of fine control.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11593306June 9, 2024
STEERING
While driving around a curve in the road, steering wheel will not recenter itself upon completing the curve. Vehicle will want to go in the direction the steering wheel was after completing the turn. This occurs in both direction, left turns and right.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590108May 22, 2024
STEERING
The steering wheel does not return to center. Instead, the steering wheel and wheels get stuck at the turning angle and sometimes pull to the left or right. You have to manually return the steering wheel to center.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587345May 6, 2024
STEERING
My steering wheel won't return to center after exiting a corner. Harbor Auto Group, my local Chevrolet dealer, confirmed the problem on a repair invoice for unrelated work, stating "Found the steering is stiff and the steering wheel will not return to center during road test."
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11586603May 2, 2024
STEERING
Steering wheel gets stuck and won't return to center
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11584248April 20, 2024
STEERING
steering does not return to center by itself. it needs extra help from driver to steer it back to center.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11577560March 15, 2024
STEERING
It is believed the steering rack is failing.When turning right the steering will not return to center. This seems to be a common problem when researched. Tires and all other related components are in good condition. We inspected everything at my place of work which is a automotive repair facility. There are no warning lamps or messages.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11575467March 5, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
On May 24, 2022, I brought my 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV into Vic Canever dealership to have the high voltage battery replaced per the recall instructions (see invoice). Ever since the “new” battery was installed, I can no long fast charge my vehicle to specification. I have tried several DC fast chargers including the DC fast charger at the dealership. The dealership fast charger would only charge at a rate of 18Kw (see picture). I was able to charge a little faster at a DC fast charger in Perry, Michigan at 29.7Kw (see picture). Both are a long way away for the original charge rate of 55Kw. The other problem that occurred after the battery exchange is that the range significantly declined. With the original battery the vehicle range was around 250 miles. Now, with the new battery, I can’t even get to 200 miles range (see picture). With all the problems GM has had with the Chevrolet Bolt EV, I think it’s time to start another investigation into what they are doing to fix the original problem and making things worse with their remedy.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11574624February 29, 2024
STEERING
Steering Gear/rack and pinion clicking/clunking. Steering does not move back to center when going around left turn. All the oil drained out of the rack leaving it to fail
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11572994February 20, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
In Sept 2020, GM issued Service Bulletin 20-NA-170 regarding rapid popping or clicking noises coming from the I-Booster hardware under the hood in the braking system. Earlier fixes for this issue involved replacing the I-Booster hardware, but that didn't solve the problem. The new fix called for a software update to the Brake Booster Control Module. The Bulletin states: "Correction -- DO NOT replace the I-booster assembly. Update the Brake Booster Control Module with the latest software." I reported this brake/electrical system issue to NHTSA on April 24, 2022 (# 11461966) and January 25, 2023 (# 11503678), and have had no response or investigation by NHTSA regarding the hazard of this software defect. When the hardware eventually fails--and it will due to 1000's of unnecessary use cycles--what happens to the braking system?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11569312February 1, 2024
STEERING
steering rack will not return to on center, will stay at turn angle, need to physically return to center forcefully or else car will steer at left or right turn angle
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11569379February 1, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
The car was parked and when we went out to it, the stereo was crackling very loud static and popping. This continued when the stereo is off. When we reset the stereo, it stopped momentarily and then resumed. Eventually the speakers stopped and just crackled intermittently. After finding a slew of similar incidents online, I opened the rear to find it totally filled with water (see picture, where it is parked on a hill). This filled the subwoofer and drowned the amp, causing global failure of the stereo system. No liquid has been in the rear of my car, and you can tell it is dirty like rainwater. I believe this to be a design flaw due to the other cases reported here [XXX] This doesn't sound like a safety issue, except everything runs through the stereo. Not just music, but the turn signals audio functions, blind spot indicator and forward collision indicators all run through the stereo. Additionally I have lost all hands free functionality for my phone. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11567534January 24, 2024
STEERING
I purchased my 2017 Chevy Bolt new in early 2018. It has a little over 90k miles on it and no accidents. Over the past year, the steering on the car has become steadily stiffer, meaning that the wheel is harder to turn and does not return to center when the driver releases pressure coming out of a turn. If one releases his hands from the wheel in a turn, the wheel stays in the same position, neither sharpening the turn nor straightening out. I've also recently, as in the past six months or so, noticed a notch or a catch or a clunk when moving the wheel back and forth, especially when centered. I don't know if I can ask for feedback, but I'd like to know if a recall might be in the works for this issue. I know it's been fairly widely noted in the Bolt owner community, and I feel that it presents a safety hazard.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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