Chevrolet Bolt EV Complaints (2017)

350 consumer complaints on file.

#11479746August 17, 2022
STEERING
The steering on my 2017 Chevrolet bolt has a weird issue when driving highway speeds the steering feels loose and the steering wheel feels like it shaking back and fourth rapidly and making shuttering noises and the steering constantly veers while driving with any irregularity of a road surface. I have take my car to a repair shop and have good wheels and tires and had a wheel alignment service and they checked all suspension and steering component and the issue still persist. The shop told me the issue seems to be coming from the steering rack and the electric steering assist.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477667August 4, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
After about 5 years and a warranty replacement battery, I intermittently find the “Propulsion Reduced-Service Soon” light on. It can appear any time after which only a third of the 60kWh battery is on-line, and in any event the battery will not charge over one third. Highway driving on a crowded Interstate 5 becomes very hairs as both acceleration and regeneration braking are markedly reduced. It is now at the service department of Bill Pierre Chevrolet in Seattle. Those guys are great, and are doing everything they can, looking to GM for a promised reprogram that has not been forthcoming for some two weeks and counting. This might seem like a minor consumer gripe, but it turns out that this is not a new condition, and has persisted since shortly after the 2017 Bolt came out. See <https://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Bolt/2017/electrical/propulsion_power_reduced-service_immediately.shtml>. The Bolt is a great car, but this has shaken my sense of safety in long distance 80+ miles of highway travel. I no longer consider this to be a safe car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477291August 3, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
The car Battery caught fire!
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11476626July 30, 2022
STEERING
For some time now the steering wheel doesn’t return to center by itself. Sharp left or right turns , the wheels stay that angle when I let go of the steering wheel . I thought it would work itself out , but over the months it’s getting very noticeable. I feel for my safety .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11476014July 26, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
After the second recall replacement of the lithium-ion battery, the car became undriveable because it could not be charged. A message appeared before stating "Propulsion Power is Reduced". This is after the 2nd new battery was installed. The car has been taken to the dealership. The dealership stated that it is a software problem which GM is looking into.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11476015July 26, 2022
STEERING
Steering has to be manually turned back to center on any turns. New tires did not help. New alignment did not help. Reprogramming steering module did not help. This is dangerous as we are taught to let the steering bring itself back to center.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11475733July 25, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that the propulsion system warning light illuminated. While the contact was driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled and stopped inadvertently. The contact was able to get the vehicle safely to her residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with transmission harness failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11473457July 11, 2022
STEERING
Since purchased 4/21/2022, the steering doesn’t return to center after turning. Feels like steering wheel is so tight that I have to turn wheel back after turning to be able to then go straight again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11473000July 8, 2022
STEERING
My vehicle for months failed to correct back to straight from right turns. Later on the vehicle started making creaking noises when turning, especially tight turns. The car started to frequently turn itself tighter in right turns, where I would have to force the wheel back to straight or even compensate left to maintain a consistent turn. My local trusted mechanic diagnosed that the steering rack/gear is failing and told me I would lose all steering control should the part fail and that it was unsafe for me to continue to drive my vehicle. I had the vehicle brought to a dealership to do the work. Through discussions with other Bolt owners, this is a common problem for Bolts and particularly the 2017s.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471618June 29, 2022
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
The driver's side blind spot monitor never worked well from new with false positives, and by the end of 2019 it just stayed on 90% of the time. The passenger side monitor generally worked better, but still had false positive signals on occasion. There is a TSB (17-NA-097) for this issue. With Covid, and unhelpful dealerships, it took 4 tries at different dealerships before it was finally fixed recently. The film over the both sensors was non-functional, just as described in the TSB. As there is a TSB, this is a known issue for this vehicle from the factory.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11466839May 31, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V560000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. Chevrolet is still refusing to do anything. They stated consumer is not eligible for a buyback because a replacement battery is available. They also stated they don't know when it can be replaced or what the battery status is because no battery is available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11466631May 30, 2022
STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Steering won't return to center; bad steering gear; steering sticking in one direction
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11466034May 25, 2022
STEERING
The steering wheel/vehicle will not return to the center position after a turn. It requires manual effort to turn the steering wheel/vehicle back to the center position. If not, the vehicle will continue turning, thus creating an unsafe environment.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11465970May 24, 2022
STEERING
Steering does not return to center after making a turn. The steering wheel has to be pulled back to center. If my hands slip off of the steering wheel the car would lock into a turn. Yes dealer gave a price to fix. Dealer. No alerts.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464004May 10, 2022
STEERING
Steering does not return to Center after Left or Right turns. It must be manually returned. Other Chevy Bolt owners report same condition on Chevy Forum.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11463512May 5, 2022
STEERING
The steering does not return to center after making a turn. Mechanic diagnosed as a faulty steering gear due to bad lubrication on the steering rack. Seems to be a known problem in the bolt EV community. Problem came on gradually and is now difficult to drive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11463013May 2, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V560000 (Electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11462845April 30, 2022
STEERING
Steering did not return to center after a turn to right or left. The driver had to manually return the steering wheel back to center after a turn. The car was taken to a local GM dealer. The problem was diagnosed as internal damage and binding and the steering gear assembly was replaced. The replacement of the steering gearbox cost $2600. The problem appears to be currently fixed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11462711April 29, 2022
STEERING
Bought a GM repurchased 2017 Chevy Bolt in July 2021 (the day of the total battery recall) and as with many, many others with this model year (per every Bolt group online and meetups), despite attempting an electronic fix twice ("relearn steering center") at both Allen Chevy, and Dave White Chevy, the issue of the steering getting stuck at about 45 degrees persists since purchase. I've contacted GM directly since purchase and taken 3 days off work, and now a 4th on Monday to get this "fixed." The problem is intermittent, so in my case, the steering gear is failing, and not completely binding yet. The intermittency has made getting this addressed impossible and quite frustrating. I have multiple videos I've sent to dealerships and GM. It's especially prominent on inclines, though I've not tried it on a decline. If you turn the wheel about 180 degrees it will mostly come back, but still needs assistance for the last 20-30 degrees. For less of a rotation (approx. 45 degrees), it gets stuck where I leave it which leaves you heading off the road or into traffic rather than centering as it should, obviously a safety issue. I drove other Bolts for an apples-to-apples and they did not have this issue. Nor does my personal or work car. So something is not physically functioning correctly and by all accounts is the steering gearing commonly failing on this vehicle JUST out of warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11461966April 24, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
Exact details UNKNOWN. Description: About 2 yrs ago, releasing the brake pedal started triggering rapid popping sounds from engine compartment. The popping sounds are rapid--maybe 4 or 5 per second--and continue for a few seconds or more, up to at least 30 seconds depending on ambient temperature and main battery charge level. Opening the driver side door following vehicle at rest can also trigger this popping noise. But mostly the popping occurs when brake pedal is fully released during operation of the vehicle. GM responded initially to reports of this issue by replacing brake control parts; but more recently, according to a service bulletin (see uploaded document), a software update may be used to fix the problem. Since many vehicles which have the problem are out-of-warranty, GM charges owners for applying this software update. How can we be sure that this issue is not safety-related? If this is a software defect in the braking control system, why is warranty coverage required for the update?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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