2019 CHEVROLET BOLT EV Complaints

Steering not returning to center when coming out of turns. Many have reported this issue with the steering rack. Concerned that steering will bind and cause an accident

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to return to center after turning to the left or the right. The contact used excessive force to manually return the steering wheel to center. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the rack and pinion assembly had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 24,000.

The steering wheel is very stiff; if you turn left or right, when you complete the turn, if you were to release the wheel, it does not counter-turn back towards the center. Put differently - in an open parking lot, you could turn the wheel all the way to one side, release the wheel, press the accelerator --- and you'd go in circles. This has been happening for some time, but just recently had it pointed out that it is not normal. I feel its a meaningful safety risk. I researched the issue online and it seems that it is common for this model but GM has been unresponsive.

Steering wheel doesn't return to center after a turn, it must be turned back manually. If left unfixed this can cause the steering to lock up entirely when the steering gear fails.

Steering doesn't return to center when driving around 40mph on turns. You must manually move it back.

Around 46,000 miles this 5 yr old car began making popping sounds in the steering. Took into dealer and diagnosed steering rack failure and intermediate shaft. Cost to repair was close to $3,000. Looking into this, this is a common issue with Chevy Bolts due to poorly designed boots on the rack. This should be covered by a recall when failing so early. Happened to my previous 2018 Bolt too but the car was totaled in an accident prior to me undergoing the repair.

Vehicle steering does not return to center when exiting a gradual turn. This occurs intermittently. On line research indicates that this problem is likely the result of a faulty steering rack and that many other owners have experienced this behavior; as this could result in a dangerous situation I am reporting. The vehicle has about 43,000 miles on it. I have not had it repaired as yet.

This is concerning a 2019 Chevy Bolt purchased new on [XXX] from Stewart Chevrolet in Colma, CA. Around January 2024, we realized the vehicle's steering wheel was not returning to center on its own, and it took more force than usual to turn the wheel -- it would stick as you turned it. The vehicle had about 26,861 miles when we noticed this steering issue. When performing a turn (at low speeds and on the highway) the steering wheel would remain in the turned configuration until you manually moved it back to center. The dealer advised us that the steering gear would need to be replaced. We replaced the steering gear on [XXX] at Stewart Chevrolet in Colma, CA. However, though the steering was improved the problem was not totally fixed; the steering would still stick and the wheel took more force than expected to turn. We had the car re-evaluated and on [XXX] the Stewart Chevrolet again replaced the steering gear; this did not fix the issue. Finally, Stewart Chevrolet has recommended that we replace the steering column. We haven't done this yet because we are still trying to get GM to cover the cost of repairs. A vehicle with such low mileage should not need these repairs, and if you search online you will find many other Chevy Bolt owners across all models years having these issues. Please investigate and determine whether a recall is advised. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The steering rack failed. It is currently at the dealership waiting for parts to come in so it can be replaced. The car started making noises when making sweeping turns. The noise got worse and the steering was not coming back to center coming out of turns. We had it inspected at our local mechanic and they told us it needed a new steering rack but they were not able to complete the repair because it was complicated to get into the part that needed to be replaced. We took it to the Chevrolet dealership and they confirmed it needs a new steering rack as well as other related parts. There were no warning lights or messages. The car first started making faint noises about a month ago when doing low speed turns in a parking lot. Noise has been getting louder and we started to notice the steering not responding correctly. Only have one invoice for diagnosis, have not yet received invoice for repair.

The steering rack on my 2019 Chevy Bolt failed and had to be replaced. It was unsafe to drive the vehicle because the steering wheel would not return to center by itself. When making a turn, the driver had to force the steering wheel back to center. The dealer tried to fix this faulty condition last August by replacing the intermediate steering shaft. It marginally improved the condition but it was still not returning the steering wheel to center by itself. I reluctantly accepted this condition as normal because I thought the dealer tech thought it was normal. However, the steering got progressively more dangerous and required more and more effort to return the steering wheel to center. I took my vehicle into the dealer on March 3, 2024 and the dealer determined the steering rack was defective and needed to be replaced. I got my Bolt back today and now the steering works properly. I no longer fear that the steering will lock up and cause me to lose control of the vehicle. I see on the Chevy Bolt Forum that others have experienced my Bolt steering problem. I just wanted to report my problem so the NTSHA can add my problem to the list of complaints.