Chevrolet Bolt EV Complaints (2017)

350 consumer complaints on file.

#11497062December 12, 2022
STEERING
The steering binds after making a turn. It will not return the wheel to center without deliberate effort on my part. I had the alignment checked and it is all within spec. It appears to be an issue with the steering rack itself. This is an ongoing issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11495962December 4, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
This car worked reliably until the battery recall battery was exchanged then this started happening about a month later. First the vehicle died upon slowing down, driver was exiting a highway ramp stopped the car and turned off the car and turned on again and drove home without further trouble. Happened again, same thing this was at night. Then myself as driver, Took car to dealership, stayed in right lane on highway then car failed to accelerate but maintained about 40mph then died as slowing down on exit. After much time turning off and on again, the car finally allowed it to be put in drive and I made it to the dealership. After a week the dealership couldn’t find anything wrong with the car and said no charge but they can’t diagnose. Driving the car again, it drove fine until it didn’t. This time died and wouldn’t allow it to be put into drive again. Said conditions not right to shift. Towed it to a different dealership, the one that changed the recalled battery and they got 77 code errors and cannot figure out anything after a month. Still keeping to drive to recreate the problem. The biggest safety issue was that the emergency blink lights turned off when I turned off the car to try and restart it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11495469November 30, 2022
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Since the car was new, the windshield wipers have had a software error that can disable the wipers in snowy weather. It is not unusual for one or the other wiper to stop working for no apparent reason in snowy conditions. If the passenger's side stops working, it isn't too bad, but if the driver's side wiper stops working, then it traps the other wiper below it, preventing both from working. Sometimes after several minutes, the passenger wiper will push the driver wiper up about 1/3 of the way up the windshield, at which point it will kick in once, then stop working again. Stopping and restarting the car generally will not help, but leaving it off overnight will usually reset the software and the wipers start working normally again. It seems like it is a software bug with detecting if the wipers are frozen/stuck, that incorrectly thinks that a wiper is stuck, even when it is not, and decides to disable the wiper. This has happened many, many times, I should have reported it years ago. I attached a couple of pictures from a dashcam video one of the times it happened, it's harder to see from pictures than the video, but in the first picture the bottom, passenger side wiper is down, and the second picture it is trying to move up, but is blocked by the top/driver side wiper. It may appear that the wiper is frozen and stuck, but it is not, and after several minutes the bottom wiper was able to move the disabled top wiper significantly up the windshield. Chevy needs a software update to ensure the wipers actually work properly, especially in bad weather conditions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494593November 22, 2022
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle suddenly lunged forward. The contact pumped the brake pedal several times, but the vehicle continued to drive forward. The contact was able to avoid crashing into an apartment building. The vehicle went airborne for 30 feet and landed on the street causing the tires to blowout, and two of the rims to be cracked. The contact’s wife suffered a head injury and sought medical attention. No police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the case would be escalated. The failure mileage was 72,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11494324November 20, 2022
STEERING
2017 Chevy Bolt steering wheel not returning to center issue and remaining in position. While driving on I35, steering wheel remained in position and had a difficult time to manually return to center. Local dealer (certified EV tech) checked but they were clueless, claimed to have escalated to GM engineering. However, never heard back. As Bolt EV owner , there is a Facebook group ( Chevy Bolt EV and EUV Owners), we noticed that multiple owners reported this issue and turn out is the steering gear/rack has problem. And many owners experienced difficulty to return steering back to center while driving. Some of them claimed as stiffness. I described as tightening. Mine happened when it reached 50,000 miles. This issue is definitely put myself and other people’s lives in risk. I hope US Department of Transportation will investigate this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11492843November 9, 2022
STEERING
When moving thru curved roads or turns the steering has begun to stick in position AND not return to center upon completing the turn. This is NOT normal and has caused risk of a crash. NO warning from the cars information center on any malfunction or service light illuminated. Car has had alignment from Chevrolet dealer after tire replacement at 40k miles. No issues were reported. Condition has continued and has not been taken for inspection or repair. Owner has now gotten used to it and just compensates. Suspected steering rack binding as others have reported.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11491670October 31, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that the vehicle was designed with One Pedal Driving mode that allowed the brakes to apply independently when releasing the accelerator pedal; however, while driving at various speeds with One Pedal Driving mode engaged, the accelerator pedal was released but the vehicle continued to move forward. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle responded. Additionally, the contact stated that the electronic parking brake failed to respond when engaged. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring intermittently. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11491290October 28, 2022
STEERING
While turning the steering wheel, it is stiff and feels like something is grinding when I try to turn it!!! Someone please fix this It is making me uneasy I can send video but this form doesn’t have that option
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11491114October 27, 2022
STEERING
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel would not properly return to center. Additionally, the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. The was taken to the local dealer who indicated that the steering failure was caused by faulty gears within the steering rack. The contact was informed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11489774October 18, 2022
STEERING
The contact owns a 2017 Chevy Bolt. The contact stated that the vehicle's steering wheel fails to automatically straighten itself out when he releases his grip. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that the steering rack assembly failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11489310October 14, 2022
STEERING
Steering wheel would not return to center after turning left or right. Dealer confirmed problem: "rack and pinion assembly binding internally." Dealer replaced failing parts: one Gear $335.23, and two Rods $91.24, plus labor $2073.00. Problem happened at all speeds. Problem manifested gradually over several weeks. There are no warning lamps for this problem. Mileage on car approximately 100,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11489172October 13, 2022
STEERING
The steering wheel in my car no longer returns to center after making a turn. I have to force it back to steering straight. This seems unsafe to me because it's not the expected behavior of the steering system. Every car I've ever had automatically centers the wheel when it's released if you're moving, so it's surprising when it doesn't happen and could lead to a crash. I've not had it inspected yet, but I see online that many people are having the same problem, and it's traced to a defective steering gear that is binding. There were no warnings from the car related to this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11487775October 3, 2022
STEERING
The steering gets stiffer and stiffer and won't return to center after a turn. This should be fixed by GM. The car has had the issue for a long time and slowly gets worse,\.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11485426September 20, 2022
STEERING
The Steering Gear failed after 55,000 miles. This caused the steering wheel to lose the ability to return to center after a turn, requiring the driver to manually center it. This was confirmed and replaced by the dealer (McCluskey Chevrolet). The steering losing it's expected travel is a safety concern as it could cause drivers to change direction in ways they don't expect. No warning messages occurred before or after the failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11485170September 19, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
When driving down the road with no other vehicles around the blind spot warning light On the passenger side mirror will illuminate and turn off and on several times with no vehicles around. Which inadvertently triggers the forward collision system and locks up the brakes on the car. Once the forward collision system is activated there's no no way to reinitiate Acceleration until it turns off. This has happened several times on the highway causing me to have to force my car off under the shoulder to prevent from getting rear ended. With one time happening causing a semi to veer off the road. This is a very unsafe condition, and it has become more prevalent ever since they change the battery in the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11485080September 18, 2022
STEERING
Faulty steering rack. Steering wheel does not return to center while in turn, intersection, etc. requires manual turns of wheel. Multiple steering engineering design flaws including U-joints vertical position of connectors with sway to harness, as well as column angle. Bad design.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11484766September 16, 2022
STEERING
"POOR RETURN OF STEERING WHEEL" or “After completing a turn, extra steering input is required for the steering wheel to return to center." I almost got into an accident because the steering wheel is very stiff and it is difficult to make left and right turns. It is only getting worse especially during cold seasons. My safety has been put at risk and can not comfortably drive my vehicle. I shouldn’t have to wait till I get into an accident for something to be taking seriously. I am nervous to drive my own car because I simply can not steer it. “This is a safety issue because it's not how a car is supposed to steer and because the rack is binding up and might eventually fail, causing it to lock up. It is especially dangerous in wet or snowy conditions”
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11483520September 8, 2022
STEERING
The steering wheel tracks the direction of turn it is not returning to center. This problem was reported and reproduced by dealer. The steering felt always different but we thought that on an electric car it should be that way until out son told us that this is wrong.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11482058August 30, 2022
STEERING
Vehicle and steering wheel will violently share for no apparent reason. Started after battery was replaced as part of recall. Tires balanced, and aligned. Only seem to happens when reach about 50% of battery capacity. Please help
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480627August 22, 2022
STEERING
The steering is very tight compared to other like models I have driven. I have, on several occasions almost had low speed collisions when turning. When turning at speeds below 45 MPH, the steering wheel will not return to center without applying what I would consider to be excessive force by the driver. The problem is worse when turning to the left. I feel that this is a safety issue as the wheel should return to center when released when in a turn at below highway speed. I purchased the car in 2020 when it had 27000 miles on it, and it exhibited the problem of tight steering at that time, although it seems to have gotten worse over the past two years. I recently posted on the Chevrolet Bolt Facebook forum asking if anyone had experience the same issue and if so, were they able to get it fixed. Multiple people responded that they had the same issue and some had fixed it by having the steering rack replaced. Soon thereafter, the post was removed from the forum by General Motors, and they contacted me via direct message. They were very insistent that they wanted to help me resolve the problem and took my information so they could arrange to have the problem diagnosed at a Chevrolet dealer. I agreed and gave them the VIN and my contact information. I made a service appointment at the dealer, and took the car in for diagnosis. The dealer kept the car for a day and they communicated to me that the steering did indeed feel tight, and that there was a service bulletin for that problem that involved reprogramming the computer that controlled the steering. They then said they test drove the car and that it was operating as it should. I picked up the car after paying their $125 fee for the service. After driving the car, I could tell no difference in the steering. It is still tight, and will not return to center when turning at speeds below about 45MPH. I communicated this service advisor and the Chevrolet representative. Both declined to be of any further assistance.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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