2017 CHEVROLET BOLT EV Complaints

Steering won't return to center; bad steering gear; steering sticking in one direction

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.