2018 CHEVROLET BOLT EV Complaints

Our vehicle's power steering is intermittent. It randomly shuts off, leaving the driver with no power steering. Most frequently, the problem surfaces just after start-up, however, this problem also occurs after driving the car for several minutes, such as when the vehicle is parked but turned on, when the vehicle is in motion while driving, and even once in the middle of a U-turn. Once out, the power steering stays off for several minutes, sometimes only 5 minutes, sometimes 15. Once out, the power steering has a) come back on without warning 5-15 minutes later, while the vehicle is in motion while driving, or b) not returned at all for the duration of a drive. It feels unsafe to drive a car that will lose power steering in the middle of a drive. Imagine you are turning the vehicle around a tight corner at 30mph, and all of a sudden the vehicle's trajectory is instantly changed and/or affected because you aren't prepared to grip the steering wheel and apply force strong enough to hold its position without the power assist. Or, imagine the power steering goes out, and you're driving on natural power, applying force strong enough to keep the vehicle on its intended trajectory, but then, without warning, power steering returns, and you suddenly have to correct by lightening your hold? In both scenarios, the power steering is unreliably putting the driver and passengers, along with other motorists or pedestrians, at risk due to the intermittent and unpredictable power steering problem. Yes, it has been inspected by the manufacturer at a Chevy dealership and it was determined: "Internal Power Steering Module Failure. Verified on road test. Found no communication from steering control module. Test power and ground. Recommend replacement." A warning sound and a flash notice on the indicator screen both emerge simultaneously when the problem occurs, however, no messages or indications happen prior to the failure. For us, they first appeared in February 2022.

Over the last month I have noticed that the steering fails to return to center once I turn the front wheels more than a few degrees to the right or left. I thought it could be a tire wear or miss-alignment issue so I got new tires and an alignment but the problem is still quite bad. While I noticed it starting at the end of July, it is an ongoing problem. It seems to be getting worse - the steering now ‘sticks’ consistently in both directions.

The steering wheel.does not turn back to the center once I make a turn. Mechanics say it is a steering gear that is out of order. My wife and I got into the accident multiple times due to this.

While driving at highway speed, the steering wheel started to shimmy, making the vehicle difficult to control. On inspection, the front wheel was very hot. The mechanic advised that the front caliper is defective. The Bolt EV is equipped with a regenerative braking system that stops the vehicle. This vehicle has been stopped by using this regenerative braking system about 99% of the time. The mechanic advised that since the caliper has not been used, it has started freezing, causing the brakes to continue to be applied after they are used. This causes the wheel to heat during driving, and at continuous highway speeds, causes the steering wheel to shimmy and makes the vehicle difficult to control. The vehicle has less than 10,000 miles. The brake dragging also causes reduced acceleration. The unexpected reduced acceleration can cause a hazard in the event of passing where the vehicle is unable to pass and return to the driving lane before oncoming vehicles arrive. There were no warning lamps, and the part has not been removed from the vehicle at this writing. It is not known whether the mechanic reproduced this fault. The fault has been intermittent, but has occurred on more than one occasion.

The battery in this vehicle was replaced pursuant to the current recall at the Morehart Murphy dealership in Durango, CO about two(2) months ago. On approximately June 5, 2022, the car began showing a "Propulsion Power Is Reduced" warning, despite the fact that the battery was approximately 3/4 fully charged and showing a range of 248 miles. We made arrangements to take the car into the dealership on June 9, 2022. Once the car was at the dealership, the EV technician reported that the dealership had just received a bulletin from GM about this problem on that same day, that the problem was with the replaced battery, that GM engineers were working on the problem, that the car was not safe to drive, and that the car would have to be left with the dealership until a solution was found. We have heard nothing from the dealership since that time. I called the dealership this morning (June 20, 2022). The dealership advised that GM had not responded to the calls from the dealership and that no solution to the problem has been offered. The dealership suggested that I call GM directly and "raise a stink." I called GM this morning and reported the problem. GM offered no solution other than stating that it would call a "district manager." This identical problem has been reported online by other Bolt owners who have had their batteries replaced pursuant to the recall.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V560000 (Electrical System). The contact stated that the battery power had decreased by 25 percent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the battery was on back order. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 1. Parts distribution disconnect.

I have tried to schedule service for the High Voltage Battery Recall using a GM recommended service provider in Jefferson City MO named Rusty Drewing Chevrolet. I was turned away after scheduling my service over 1 month prior because they will not service the vehicle stating they are not getting the appropriate tools from GM. I was told that even if I left the vehicle with them for a month they would not be able to service it because GM is not sending them the replacement tools that they need to properly discharge the HV battery. I am now forced to continue operating a potentially dangerous vehicle because I am being refused service to get a recall performed on my vehicle.

INTERMITTENT EXTREME VIBRATIONS OF THE VEHICLE WHEN DRIVING. THIS ISSUE COME AND GOES WITH OUT ANY WARNING LIGHTS DISPLAYING. THE VIBRATIONS ARE SO EXTREME THAT I MUST SLOW DOWN TO 30 MILES PER HOUR OUR LESS TO MAINTAIN CONTROLL. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND LEFT IT FOR A EWEEK AND THEY COULD NEVER REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE TAKING THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP EARLY 2022. IF YOU DRIVE THE VEHICLE LONG ENOUGH IT WILL USUALLY STOP THE VIBRATIONS AND IF YOU TURN OFF THE VEHICLE AND LET SIT OVERNIGHT; THE VIBRATIONS ARE NOT PRESENT WHEN YOU DRIVE THE VEHICLE THE NEXT MORNING. IF YOU TURN OFF THE VEHICLE FOR JUST A FEW MINUTES THE VIBRATIONS ARE STILL THERE, BUT MNAY STOP IF YOU CAN DRIVE IT LOGER. I CAN NOT TELL IF THE PROBLEM IS THE BRAKES OR THE DRIVE TRAIN. I DO NOT KNOW IF THE VEHICLE MAY JUST LOCK UP IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC.

It appears the steering rack is binding up. On sweeping corners at moderate speed (30-50mph) the steering wheel must forcefully be returned to center, regardless of direction and wants to turn a little further into the corner, the driver must always forcefully maintain control of the wheel at moderate speeds. The car has recently had a 4 wheel alignment, and steers straight otherwise. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The failure may put drivers at risk if they are not able to overcome the force required to straighten the wheel (which is far beyond the typical force required to drive a car with power steering) or are inattentive to the behavior. The vehicle has not yet been diagnosed by an independent service center. I have diagnosed it myself by putting the vehicle up on jack stands. With the front wheels off the ground, and the steering column disconnected from the steering rack, you can feel that the steering rack has bound up. While gripping the sides of the wheels, with them off the ground, and the steering column disconnected, the wheels are very difficult to steer, and you can feel the rack skips and jumps discontinuously. I will have the failure inspected by a GM dealer within the next few weeks as time allows. There are no warning lamps or messages. The primary symptom is that the steering wheel does no return to center upon exiting turns. This is a discussed failure on the Bolt EV forums & internet here: https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/steering-wheel-not-centering-after-a-turn.33873/ https://www.carproblemzoo.com/chevrolet/boltev/2017/steering-problems.php https://www.carproblemzoo.com/chevrolet/boltev/steering-problems.php https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/2018-chevy-bolt-46k-miles-needs-steering-rack-3k-dollar-repair.37332/page-2#post-701932 https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/steering-rack-oil-leak.28129/

In March 2021, I drove my Bolt in very cold weather, and parked the Bolt in my garage with only 7 miles range remaining. I did not plug in the Bolt to charge until 24 hrs later and found out the Bolt would not charge. The Bolt was towed to a local Chevy dealer for service. The dealer found two parts had failed. 1) Drive Motor Battery Coolant Heater, and 2) High Voltage Battery Control Wiring Junction Box. According to the dealer Part 1 was not warrantied, and Part 2 was warrantied. Here's my problem. Part 1 was replaced first but that did not fix the problem. Only after Part 1 was replaced did the dealer find Part 2 had failed. Obviously these two Parts are interdependent. Part 2 caused Part 1 to fail, therefore Part 1 should be covered by Part 2 warranty.