2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV owner complaints

My steering wheel does not return to center after turning the wheel . It has almost caused several accidents. This is a safety issue and should be recalled . I can’t afford to replace the steering system. This should never happen on such a new car with 50k miles on it.

Steering wheel no longer returns to center. When I make a turn the steering wheel feels like it is binding and does not return to center without the drivers correction.

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.

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 Dep

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.

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

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.

The steering (rack and pinion) is dangerous. My previous 2019 bolt with 43000 miles handled great and this one (17 with 36xxx) I have to keep both hands on the wheel at all times because it pulls after a turn and the wheel doesn’t find center so I am constantly sawing at the steering wheel. At highway speeds this could become dangerous and cause an accident from an overcorrection. Steering has become stiff and almost like I have a bad alignment but it could go in either direction. I already had a near miss at highway speeds due to the steering not being as responsive as I know it should be. I feel like the vehicle could lose control if I am a fraction of a second late in my steering. I’m not sure if this was planned obsolescence but I feel like the steering should last at least another 60,

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.

The steering rack is binding and has malfunctioned. The steering wheel does not return to center after turning and vibrates or wobbles while driving, which may impair steering control and makes the vehicle unsafe to drive. The problem was diagnosed and confirmed by a certified automotive repair shop. No warning lights or messages appeared. The only prior symptom was progressively worsening steering-wheel operation over time.

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.

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.

"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”

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.

I am reporting a potential steering system safety defect involving my 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The problem began at approximately 22,800 miles. The steering wheel developed a grinding noise, a noticeable catching/binding sensation when turned, and would not return to center normally after a turn. The condition could be felt even while the vehicle was stationary and not running by turning the steering wheel back and forth. While driving, I could feel the steering pull and catch when turning left or right. The problem gradually became worse over about two months. There were no warning lights or dashboard messages. I first tried to have the vehicle inspected by a Chevrolet dealership, but that appointment was canceled. I then took it to Lee Johnson Chevrolet in Kirkland, WA. At 23,661 miles, t

The steering rack on the Chevrolet Bolt EV does not return to center on turns. Over the course of the past 25k miles, my particular model has slowly began to lock up on deep turns. This occurs on sharp rights, lefts, and on both on and off ramps - especially the ones that loop around. The steering rack gets stuck on sharper turns and continuous turns, requiring force to return back to center or to get out of the turn. With hands off the wheel, the vehicle maintains its turn radius and without driver input, would inevitably turn into a barrier, object, or even another vehicle. Issues began around the 80k mark, possibly sooner, and dealer did not fully disclose this occurrence. The steering binding is a safety issue, and if left long enough might fully bind up causing an accident. It reduces

COMPONENT: Electric power steering (EPS) steering gear / rack and pinion assembly. WHAT HAPPENED: The steering gear binds internally. After a turn the wheel does not return to center and must be forced back to straight; steering feel is stiff and clunky. On at least one occasion the wheel felt stuck in place partway through a turn and I had to fight it to finish the maneuver. I nearly lost control of the vehicle. Exact date, location and speed of that incident: UNKNOWN. The condition is chronic and has worsened over time. I own two Bolt EVs (2017's); both have this defect and I am filing a separate complaint for each. Mileage on this vehicle: approx 96,000 but it's been bad since 80,000 (at the very least). SAFETY RISK: Binding steering requires manual correction after every turn, increa

I have this exact issue with my car, this is service Bulletin No.: 21-NA-064 published on the NHTSA web site. The dealership wants to charge me hundreds of dollars to fix this problem, it is a software problem. This impacts safety as this heater is also necessary to safely defrost the windows. I have called GM and they are telling me they will not repair the software defect for free. This creates incentive for the car manufacturer to create bad software that will need updates. It's an easy fix, but they prevent the customer from being able to do this simple software fix which any reasonable computer person could do if they didn't have this locked down. 114401456 is the complaint I filed with GM on this safety issue.

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.

Without any warning, the INFO-TAINMENT COMPUTER SYSTEM on the dashboard (BOLT EV) fails to come on, sometimes lasting up to 5 minutes. This has happened intermittently for the last 8 years and can be problematic. When the computer info-tainment is not on, I cannot control anything on the dashboard. For example: I have no back up camera and cannot see when I back up from my garage. I cannot control the heating/cooling system/ audio/ defroster(which can be dangerous because I cannot see through my front/back windsheild). The system reboots itself afer approx. 5 mins, but in the meantme, driving can be dangerous.