2017 Chevrolet Bolt Problems, complaints & recalls

Steering will not return to center. Stiff and sluggish.

Steering wheel is not returning to center after a turn. It can be dangerous in certain situations where you would expect the steering to center after making a turn. Took it into a mechanic and they said its a common issue on the bolts. Power steering rack is faulty. This needs to be investigated.... Lots of complaints online!

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

The cars steering is very stiff and won't return to center without assistance. The vehicles steering is not working as intended. Unfortunately I am unable to see a dealership as the cost to repair is over $4000. The car only has 62k miles and should not be failing so early. This a danger to myself and other drivers

The steering has gotten stiffer over time. It no longer returns to center on its own.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to complete a left or right turn, the steering wheel failed to return to center and was sticking. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the contact was informed that further diagnostic tests were required to determine the cause for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.

My Bolt has 87k miles and the steering sticks in various rotation spots. Accelerating doesn't affect the auto-straightening, as power steering should. I've been told to pull the boots back on the steering rack and regreasing the rack. My mechanic won't do this due to a safety. There are 100s of folks on Reddit experiencing the same issue. Some of these folks have less than 50k miles on their cars. Dealerships around the country are quoting $3-4k to replace the steering rack. This should be recalled, IMO. Thanks! [[redacted]] [[redacted]] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The steering wheel intermittently sticks and fails to return to center after turns or minor corrections, especially at low to moderate speeds. This requires constant manual correction to re-center the vehicle, which increases the risk of overcorrection or unintended lane departure. There are no warning lights or noise, and the issue does not appear to be related to alignment, tires, or pressure. Many other Chevy Bolt owners are reporting the same behavior, pointing to a potential defect in the steering gear or...

The steering feels like it takes more input to control the steering than is reasonable. When coming out of a curve at speed, the steering doesn't return to center and continues to turn requiring additional steering input to come out of the turn.

Steering wheel is stiff and doesn't return to the center point smoothly especially when going 25 mph and faster. Possible safety issue.

When corning the steering wheel intermittently sticks and fails to return to center after turns, at any speed but especially at low to moderate speeds. This requires me manually turn the wheel to re-center the vehicle, which increases the risk of overcorrection or unintended lane departure. There are no warning lights or noise, and the issue us not appear to be related to alignment, tires, or tire pressure. Many other Chevy Bolt owners are reporting the same behavior. This leads me to believe that this is a...

While driving, especially at lower speeds or during small steering inputs (such as switching lanes), the steering wheel does not return to center as expected. Instead, it sticks in the turned position, requiring extra effort to manually re-center the wheel. This issue is intermittent but persistent, and worsens over time. It appears to originate from the steering gear/rack, as there is no abnormal noise or warning lights. The car does not exhibit issues with alignment or tire wear, and tire pressure is within...

The steering wheel does not return to center when turning either direction. Steering alternates between feeling loose and tight. After doing some research online, this is definitely a common problem with this vehicle among other drivers. Often it doesn't feel safe.

The steering has grown very stiff and does not return to center. It also feels unstable at speed

My 2017 Chevy Bolt ev, (as well as others as found on the Chevy Bolt ev owners forum) has a problem with the steering wheel sticking during turns and not returning to center. The dealers want $2200 - $2500 to replace the steering rack. Since this is a frequently reported problem and can represent a hazard, should this be subject to a recall? I am puting in todays date, however this existed since purchasing the car.

Steering system does not return to center after turns. This is a 'known' issue on the forums, and is due to the lubricant drying out. If left untended, the steering system will eventually bind and possibly seize up. GM response is to replace the steering rack and pinion for a cost of $3000-4000.

Car is not returning to center on turns without significant effort by driver. This has almost caused multiple accidents. This is a common problem and should be a recall

The rack and pinion for this bolt is getting problematic and requires repair and should be recalled.

The steering gear, (gear rack & pinion), started to fail. Steering became difficult and the car would not return to center on turns. This lead to the car crossing into oncoming traffic or heading off road on turns unless the driver applied significant force to overcome issue.

When driving and going into turns the steering wheel does not return to center.

While driving the car it suddenly, and without warning, abruptly slowed to a stop and the display showed "propulsion power is reduced", then the "service soon" symbol came on. This could have happened in fast moving traffic, which definitely could cause multi-car collisions. The GM service bulletin (Document ID: 5409616, revised February 13, 2023- see attached copy) states that this is likely due to "a spread terminal on the vehicle harness connection X2 on the T12 transmission assembly. The terminals may not have...

The car's steering wheel does not return to center on turns anymore. Over the past month, the I need to force the steering wheel back to center to straighten out the car. I've had the wheels and alignment inspected. I've been told that the steering rack is not functioning properly and should be replaced.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle started to lose motive power, prompting the contact to attempt to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently. The contact was able to bring the vehicle to a complete stop and the vehicle returned to normal functionality. The traction control and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the...

The Rack and Pinion steering is malfunctioning. The wheel is becoming harder to steer and the wheel does not return to center after a turn and is start to possibly bind, requiring excessive force to turn.

The steering rack in my vehicle became faulty. Symptoms of the fault included tightness felt in the steering, and a lack of tendency of the steering wheel to return to center when driving at certain speeds. I diagnosed and repaired the issue myself after becoming concerned that the impaired steering of the vehicle could lead to a crash. I have the removed, faulty steering rack available. I have not involved a dealer or the manufacturer. There were no in-vehicle warnings about the failure and it would be easy for a driver without technical knowledge to be unaware of the worsening defect.