Chevrolet Bolt EV Complaints (2017)

350 consumer complaints on file.

#11566999January 22, 2024
STEERING
The steering rack get rusted prematurely et now the direction doesn't work properly. the steering wheel doesn't come back straight after a turn and you don't feel the movement has you should be which makes the driving unsafe.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11566237January 18, 2024
STEERING
My steering rack failed. Steering won't return to center on faster sweeping turns. Same thing happened to my neighbor who has a 2019 Bolt EV. Seems like such a common problem it probably should have been a recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11562710December 30, 2023
STEERING
The steering no longer returns to center after a turn, and manual correcting force is needed. This creates a safety risk in the event the driver is unable to correct the steering wheel. This problem was confirmed by a dealer, but the cause was not diagnosed. Multiple Bolt drivers have reported failed steering gear with the same symptoms, which is likely the cause. No warning lights appear when experiencing this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560203December 14, 2023
STEERING
Steering does not return to center on its own after a turn. Have to apply a lot of force to steering wheel to bring it back to center.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11559625December 11, 2023
STEERING
Steering doesn't want to return the center. This is a safety issue. Had steering rack replaced at 24k miles and now at 49k miles it's having the same issue. These parts are defective.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11557372November 29, 2023
STEERING
steering wheel bind when returning to center. This vehicle has less than 40,000 miles and just out of warranty. This could cause an accident if someone is taken by surprise when turning and the steering wheel is hard to turn back or stays in the turning position.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11556101November 20, 2023
STEERING
Within an hour of taking delivery of this used car, I noticed the steering system had an issue. When making a turn, the steering wheel would not return to center. It felt very unsafe to drive, having to force the steering back to center when turning. If I had not reacted fast enough I could have very easily ran into another car, or over the curb and into a pedestrian. I called and texted the Mazda dealership that sold the car to me, and they told me to bring it back to be repaired. They had the car taken to a Chevrolet dealership who confirmed that the steering gear / steering rack needs replaced. They are currently waiting on the parts to make the repairs. The service department of the Chevrolet dealership inspected the car and confirmed it needs repaired. There were no warning lamps or messages of the problem. The only indication of the issue was the steering not performing as it should.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11553882November 6, 2023
AIR BAGS
When driving sometimes the AIRBAG indicator light on the dash will turn on. Turning the car off and on will clear the light and it may not return for multiple drives. It's hard to replicate, but seems to happen while driving for a while. The car does not offer any other indication about the airbag's safety so I don't know if it is a faulty airbag system or a faulty indicator.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11553887November 6, 2023
STEERING
During turns the steering rack will sometimes fail to return to center like normal and the power steering assist will fail to provide assistance mid turn. When this occurs the first symptom is the steering will pull into the direction of the turn at the beginning of the turn. This feels like an oversteer condition, but it happens at any speed and is a result of the steering moving into the turn on its own. After the turn is complete the steering wheel will not return to the center position on its own at all. This requires the driver to correct the steering wheel's position. Since this occurs seemingly unpredictably it feels like a safety risk since it requires me to be alert and ready to make quick manual corrections at any point while driving. I am reluctant to allow others to drive the vehicle since they are not away of this unexpected steering behavior. This is most easy to perceive during sweeping turns where there is plenty of time to notice the fault, however it occurs during tight turns as well. This is particularly scary during left turns at intersections when there is oncoming traffic. This issue has been occurring for approximately the last 10k miles at least and seems to increase in frequency but still not easy to predict or anticipate.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11552099October 26, 2023
STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES
1. Steering, the steering gear does not return wheels to straight position when exiting a turn, I need to forcefully move steering wheel from a turn back to a straight position. 2. Brakes, after hitting brake a knocking sound is heard. Also does this when car is off and opening and closing doors, was told this is a brake actuator problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551564October 24, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:INFOTAINMENT
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that the infotainment screen fractured, and the contact was unable to identify the controls while activating the screen. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer who stated that the infotainment screen needed to be replaced; however, the part needed to repair the infotainment screen had been discontinued. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 81,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551273October 22, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STRUCTURE:BODY
Seal leaking in rear causing puddle in floor of storage area where the sub woofer and radio amplifier is mounted. Water has shorted out amp and needs replaced
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11548701October 6, 2023
STEERING
The steering has begun binding and after turning, the steering wheel does not smoothly return to center like it used to. Steering randomly sticks. I worry the steering rack will fail completely, potentially causing loss of control of the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547419September 29, 2023
STEERING
When I turn at slower speeds the steering does not return to center when I release pressure on the steering wheel. It will maintain the turn or increase the turn. This is when I turn the wheel 1/4 to 1/2 revolution or more. The car could remain in a turn when that is not desired. I have not taken it to the dealer. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police or others. There are no indications of failure on the panel. This is a new car to me. It is used with 93,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11544653September 15, 2023
STEERING
My steering was difficult to turn and would not automatically return to center. It was difficult to keep the vehicle pointed in the right direction without a lot of effort. I brought the vehicle to the dealer and they first reprogrammed the power steering module, but that did not resolve the problem. They then did diagnosis with GM and found that the steering rack (steering gear) was binding and required replacement. There were no warning lamps or codes that appeared to be raised as part of the failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11544667September 15, 2023
STEERING
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while turning the vehicle to the left or right the steering wheel failed to return to center as expected. The contact had to use excessive force to maneuver the steering wheel back to the center while driving. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact researched the failure and linked the failure to the steering rack. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11544400September 13, 2023
STEERING, SUSPENSION
Popping noise during turning at low speed and steering wheel does not return to center coming out of a turn.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11542364September 3, 2023
STEERING
When making a turn, if I release the steering wheel, the steering of the car does not return to center. In addition, if I the steering is all the way to the left (such as when parking), it seized in that position and I had to add significant input to the steering wheel in order to make it turn back from full deflection. Once I got past the point where it was locked, it went back to moving with normal effort.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11542007September 1, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
My vehicle, an a whole host of others according to other owners online, have an issue with defective sealing in the rear bumper and underbody of the vehicle which allows water to enter, flooding the trunk which fries the electrical harness and audio system. As a result, all warning systems including the Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Parking Collision Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Warning, turn signals, emergency lights, door ajar warning, and vehicle status warning systems are inaudible. This is not just a nuisance of not having an audio system but posses great danger to the driver, their passengers and others on the road as warning systems cannot be heard. In addition, the wiring harness affects other critical components on the car and considering this is an all electric vehicle, this is of great concern. Chevrolet is well aware of the issue but either instructs dealerships to not cover the issue under warranty or has not sufficiently informed their dealerships that this is a known manufacturing defect that should be covered.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11542170September 1, 2023
STEERING
I am having problems with the steering rack. While driving straight, the front wheels shake. While turning, the steering wheel does not return to center and it feels like it sticks in place . This makes for some dangerous turning situations. The steering rack is still in the car and available for inspection. I took the car to the dealer and an independent shop when the problem was intermittent. Now it is constant. There are no warning lights illuminate or messages on the car regarding the steering. The problem first appeared around 2-3 years ago.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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