2017 CHEVROLET BOLT EV Steering Problems

Steering rack broke, wheel won’t return to center. Dealer wants $3k dollars to fix. This should be recalled as the amount of cars it happens to is significantly high.

The steering on the car does not return to center and sticks to the position turned and has to be manually pushed back to center. This is an issue with the steering rack.

The steering does not self-center after making a turn. It feels stiff and remains in the turned position, requiring manual effort to bring it back to center.

Steering doesn't return to center after turning. In sweeping turns, it is quite dangerous as the vehicle wants to push harder into the turn and requires operator to push the wheel back toward center to keep the vehicle on the road

The steering wheel in the Chevrolet Bolt fails to return to center on its own. This is due to the steering rack grease hardening over time. This is a common issue with these cars but I am willing to offer my car for inspection on request. This is a safety and usability issue - my wife has carpal tunnel and struggles to properly return the vehicle to center when making a turn without pain. This does not show any specific warning lights. The component in this car has not been inspected, but the symptoms are always apparent, so it is always reproducible. This is very similar to if the power steering in a gas car were to fail. We have not had the issue fixed yet, but will likely need to do so in order to continue using the car safely.

Steering wheel sticks and doesn't return to center. Service center says the steering rack need to be replaced. The issue creates a significant safety hazard by impeding my ability to control the vehicle during turns, potentially leading to accidents.

Sticking steering wheel. Does not return to center, stiff steering. If steering wheel is not manually return to center, vehicle will continue to turn.

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 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 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 rack. This is a serious safety hazard that could result in loss of vehicle control. GM has not issued a recall or service bulletin, and repairs are expensive. See community reports here: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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! [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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.

Mileage: 35,000

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 potential defect in the steering gear or rack. This is a safety hazard that could result in loss of vehicle control. GM has not issued a recall or service bulletin, and repairs are expensive.

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 recommended specs. This behavior creates a safety hazard, as the driver must constantly correct the wheel back to center, especially after turns or curves. This introduces risk of overcorrection, lane departure, or delayed reaction in emergencies. Multiple other Bolt owners are reporting similar symptoms in this owner forum thread, suggesting a potential defect in the steering gear or electric steering system. GM has not issued a recall or service bulletin on this yet, and repair costs are substantial out-of-pocket. This issue could result in loss of control if it worsens. Please investigate.

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 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.

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

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

This steering issue waa forst noticed fall of 2024. Wheel will not come back to center on its own. For ex if you turn to the right it keeps going right, you have to consciously bring it back to center. Steering feels heavy/like no power steering. Safety issue ! I brought it in Nov 2023 at 37k mikes. They thought it was that i needed new tires and alignment, but that didnt help. I brought it back March 2025 at 40k, now they finally found it was steering gear assembly. It cost over $3,500.00. If you look on line everyone with Bolts is having this same issue at around 40k, with mine it was around 35k. It is a dangerous issue and should be a recall ! I am hoping that this will be resolved so people will not get hurt /killed, and I am also filing for reembursement this this is obviously a factory defect.

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 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.

Steering not returning to center, when making a turn across the street you have to quickly center the vehicle to prevent going into on coming traffic. Very stiff to turn and make popping sounds when turning.

when turning right or left the steering wheel will not return to center. The wheel sticks and pulls into the corner, and the steering rack has play in the center but is very stiff as you turn the wheel further, and occasionally it creaks as you turn at low speeds

Rack and pinion steering gear failed. Vehicle is difficult to turn at lower speed.

Rack and pinion steering gear failure at 70k miles

Steering is binding, doesn't completely return to center when letting go of the steering wheel after a turn. It needs to be manually turned back in the other direction.

STEERING FAILED AT 37900 MILES ON MY 2017 CHEVY BOLT.AGAING STEERING FAILURE AT 78200.THIS AFTER READING AND SEEING VIDEOS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM DUE TO LUBRICATION OF THE STEERING GEARS FROM A SEALED UNIT THAT LEAKS OUT ALL OF THE GREASE AND CAN'T BE REPLACED.THE UNIT LOSES THE ABILTY TO STAY ON AN EVEN STEERING PATH.THE STEERING WHEEL WILL NOT RETURN TO CENTER AND HAS A GAP IN THE CONTROL AND CLUNKS. THIS IS A TERRIBLE DESIGN ISSUE ON ALL MODELS BUT MORE SO ON THE EARLIER VERSIONS. THE REPAIR COST EVEN THOUGH ITS A DESIGN ERROR IS 2300 DOLLAR.THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE ISSUE NOT BEING ABLE TO CONTROL YOUR STEERING

While at a remote location, I unlocked and entered the vehicle normally. When I tried to start the vehicle, numerous unrelated error messages appeared on-screen. The instrument panel was energized, but the vehicle could only shift into neutral and park. Power steering was lost, as was window functionality. The vehicle could not be fully started, nor could not it be fully shut off either. It was stuck in a peculiar, unsafe, and unresolvable state of energized limbo. AAA towed the car to Watson Chevrolet who determined that the 12v system (vs propulsion) battery malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. There is no information in the owner’s manual about this issue. The tow truck mechanic had no clue what was wrong. Fortunately, we were in a safe location. But under different circumstances, such as being roadside, this could have been a very unsafe situation. This is the original battery. The car was recently serviced and there was no indication the battery was failing. This problem was only an annoyance for us, but it could have been much much worse under less favorable circumstances.

Ongoing steering issue, started at approximately 75K miles. When making turns (typically between 15mph and 35mph), steering requires driver input to manually return car to center. Car will continue turning without this input. Steering is stiff, loss of fine control.

While driving around a curve in the road, steering wheel will not recenter itself upon completing the curve. Vehicle will want to go in the direction the steering wheel was after completing the turn. This occurs in both direction, left turns and right.

The steering wheel does not return to center. Instead, the steering wheel and wheels get stuck at the turning angle and sometimes pull to the left or right. You have to manually return the steering wheel to center.

My steering wheel won't return to center after exiting a corner. Harbor Auto Group, my local Chevrolet dealer, confirmed the problem on a repair invoice for unrelated work, stating "Found the steering is stiff and the steering wheel will not return to center during road test."

Steering wheel gets stuck and won't return to center

steering does not return to center by itself. it needs extra help from driver to steer it back to center.

It is believed the steering rack is failing.When turning right the steering will not return to center. This seems to be a common problem when researched. Tires and all other related components are in good condition. We inspected everything at my place of work which is a automotive repair facility. There are no warning lamps or messages.

Steering Gear/rack and pinion clicking/clunking. Steering does not move back to center when going around left turn. All the oil drained out of the rack leaving it to fail

steering rack will not return to on center, will stay at turn angle, need to physically return to center forcefully or else car will steer at left or right turn angle

I purchased my 2017 Chevy Bolt new in early 2018. It has a little over 90k miles on it and no accidents. Over the past year, the steering on the car has become steadily stiffer, meaning that the wheel is harder to turn and does not return to center when the driver releases pressure coming out of a turn. If one releases his hands from the wheel in a turn, the wheel stays in the same position, neither sharpening the turn nor straightening out. I've also recently, as in the past six months or so, noticed a notch or a catch or a clunk when moving the wheel back and forth, especially when centered. I don't know if I can ask for feedback, but I'd like to know if a recall might be in the works for this issue. I know it's been fairly widely noted in the Bolt owner community, and I feel that it presents a safety hazard.

The steering rack get rusted prematurely et now the direction doesn't work properly. the steering wheel doesn't come back straight after a turn and you don't feel the movement has you should be which makes the driving unsafe.

My steering rack failed. Steering won't return to center on faster sweeping turns. Same thing happened to my neighbor who has a 2019 Bolt EV. Seems like such a common problem it probably should have been a recall.

The steering no longer returns to center after a turn, and manual correcting force is needed. This creates a safety risk in the event the driver is unable to correct the steering wheel. This problem was confirmed by a dealer, but the cause was not diagnosed. Multiple Bolt drivers have reported failed steering gear with the same symptoms, which is likely the cause. No warning lights appear when experiencing this issue.

Steering does not return to center on its own after a turn. Have to apply a lot of force to steering wheel to bring it back to center.

Steering doesn't want to return the center. This is a safety issue. Had steering rack replaced at 24k miles and now at 49k miles it's having the same issue. These parts are defective.

steering wheel bind when returning to center. This vehicle has less than 40,000 miles and just out of warranty. This could cause an accident if someone is taken by surprise when turning and the steering wheel is hard to turn back or stays in the turning position.

Within an hour of taking delivery of this used car, I noticed the steering system had an issue. When making a turn, the steering wheel would not return to center. It felt very unsafe to drive, having to force the steering back to center when turning. If I had not reacted fast enough I could have very easily ran into another car, or over the curb and into a pedestrian. I called and texted the Mazda dealership that sold the car to me, and they told me to bring it back to be repaired. They had the car taken to a Chevrolet dealership who confirmed that the steering gear / steering rack needs replaced. They are currently waiting on the parts to make the repairs. The service department of the Chevrolet dealership inspected the car and confirmed it needs repaired. There were no warning lamps or messages of the problem. The only indication of the issue was the steering not performing as it should.

During turns the steering rack will sometimes fail to return to center like normal and the power steering assist will fail to provide assistance mid turn. When this occurs the first symptom is the steering will pull into the direction of the turn at the beginning of the turn. This feels like an oversteer condition, but it happens at any speed and is a result of the steering moving into the turn on its own. After the turn is complete the steering wheel will not return to the center position on its own at all. This requires the driver to correct the steering wheel's position. Since this occurs seemingly unpredictably it feels like a safety risk since it requires me to be alert and ready to make quick manual corrections at any point while driving. I am reluctant to allow others to drive the vehicle since they are not away of this unexpected steering behavior. This is most easy to perceive during sweeping turns where there is plenty of time to notice the fault, however it occurs during tight turns as well. This is particularly scary during left turns at intersections when there is oncoming traffic. This issue has been occurring for approximately the last 10k miles at least and seems to increase in frequency but still not easy to predict or anticipate.

1. Steering, the steering gear does not return wheels to straight position when exiting a turn, I need to forcefully move steering wheel from a turn back to a straight position. 2. Brakes, after hitting brake a knocking sound is heard. Also does this when car is off and opening and closing doors, was told this is a brake actuator problem.

The steering has begun binding and after turning, the steering wheel does not smoothly return to center like it used to. Steering randomly sticks. I worry the steering rack will fail completely, potentially causing loss of control of the vehicle.

When I turn at slower speeds the steering does not return to center when I release pressure on the steering wheel. It will maintain the turn or increase the turn. This is when I turn the wheel 1/4 to 1/2 revolution or more. The car could remain in a turn when that is not desired. I have not taken it to the dealer. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police or others. There are no indications of failure on the panel. This is a new car to me. It is used with 93,000 miles.

My steering was difficult to turn and would not automatically return to center. It was difficult to keep the vehicle pointed in the right direction without a lot of effort. I brought the vehicle to the dealer and they first reprogrammed the power steering module, but that did not resolve the problem. They then did diagnosis with GM and found that the steering rack (steering gear) was binding and required replacement. There were no warning lamps or codes that appeared to be raised as part of the failure.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while turning the vehicle to the left or right the steering wheel failed to return to center as expected. The contact had to use excessive force to maneuver the steering wheel back to the center while driving. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact researched the failure and linked the failure to the steering rack. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.

Mileage: 35,000

Popping noise during turning at low speed and steering wheel does not return to center coming out of a turn.

When making a turn, if I release the steering wheel, the steering of the car does not return to center. In addition, if I the steering is all the way to the left (such as when parking), it seized in that position and I had to add significant input to the steering wheel in order to make it turn back from full deflection. Once I got past the point where it was locked, it went back to moving with normal effort.

I am having problems with the steering rack. While driving straight, the front wheels shake. While turning, the steering wheel does not return to center and it feels like it sticks in place . This makes for some dangerous turning situations. The steering rack is still in the car and available for inspection. I took the car to the dealer and an independent shop when the problem was intermittent. Now it is constant. There are no warning lights illuminate or messages on the car regarding the steering. The problem first appeared around 2-3 years ago.

About five weeks ago my car started not wanting to auto correct after a turn or curve. The steering seemed to be resistive to turning the steering wheel in either direction except for a small part in the center. The not correcting is worse when turning right. It does occur to a lesser extent turning left. On right turns I sometimes have to really push the steering wheel to get the car to go straight. I have taken it to the Chevy dealer twice regarding this issue but they seem to not know how to correct it. This issue occurs at most any speed. Sometimes the steering seems to stick, i.e. I drove two thirds the way around a clover leaf with no hands on the steering wheel.

My car has been showing signs of faulty steering wheel for some time, particularly at sweeping corners while on low speed. The wheel will not return to its center any more. It turns out that this could be caused by a faulty gear. Is there any recall about that problem, please? NB: The color of the car is red, and not blue as it appears in the report.

The steering wheel will intermittently fail to return to center. It's entirely possible to take a sweeping corner at speeds of 50mph and the vehicle will require no additional steering input beyond the initial turn in. This makes it hard to judge the behavior of the vehicle especially when trying to judge road feel when there is no feedback through the wheel that is stuck.

Out 2017 Bolt Premiere since purchase has had steering that does not return to center on it's own and requires more steering effort than expected for a modern power steering car. Research indicates this is a common problem with the Steering Gear failing, but many drivers likely don't realize how serious it is. In our case we didn't fully appreciate it until we bought a second 2017 Bolt EV that did not exhibit this problem and we could directly compare their steering behavior. This raises a concern that there may be more failing steering units but without a "good" car to compare against, it may go unnoticed by drivers until there is a catastrophic failure, potentially causing an accident and/or injury. Issue has been present since used purchase, date of incident is approximate purchase date.

The steering wheel doesn’t return to center and makes clunking noises. It is a safety hazard while driving. Scares the crap out of me. The problem has been reproduced and diagnosed as a faulty steering rack assembly. There are no warning lights . My car is parked in my driveway available for inspection by anyone.

When traveling at moderate speeds the steering wheel does not return to straight when steering input is not provided. The car will maintain the steering direction, requiring additional input to return to straight. This is not how a car is supposed to behave. It is not an alignment issue.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH and making either a left or right turn, the steering wheel failed to return to the center position. The contact stated that he manually steered the steering wheel to the center position. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated. The contact consulted with an independent mechanic who had previously repaired a vehicle of the same year, make and model. The mechanic informed the contact that the steering rack was likely failing and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Mileage: 70,000

Steering would not return to the center position after turning.

Steering failing to return to center - Steering gear (rack and pinion) operating at greatly increased effort. Self- inspection performed, results are consistent with other drivers on a specialty internet forum reporting similar problems with replacement of the steering gear being the remedy. Inspection of failed part shows likely chemical degradation and failure of the factory installed lubricant.

Steering wheel fails to return to center and gets stuck in a curve position requiring manual effort to return the wheels straight causing the potential for an accident. It is periodically becoming harder to straighten.

The steering does not return to center after turning left or right. The steering sticks and you have to apply force to bring it back to center. This is very dangerous.

The steering wheel started feeling gritty and not returning to its central position. I was told this was an internal steering gear failure.

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 Department of Transportation will investigate this issue.

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.

While turning the steering wheel, it is stiff and feels like something is grinding when I try to turn it!!! Someone please fix this It is making me uneasy I can send video but this form doesn’t have that option

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel would not properly return to center. Additionally, the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. The was taken to the local dealer who indicated that the steering failure was caused by faulty gears within the steering rack. The contact was informed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.

Mileage: 50,000

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 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 gets stiffer and stiffer and won't return to center after a turn. This should be fixed by GM. The car has had the issue for a long time and slowly gets worse,\.

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.

Vehicle and steering wheel will violently share for no apparent reason. Started after battery was replaced as part of recall. Tires balanced, and aligned. Only seem to happens when reach about 50% of battery capacity. Please help

The steering is very tight compared to other like models I have driven. I have, on several occasions almost had low speed collisions when turning. When turning at speeds below 45 MPH, the steering wheel will not return to center without applying what I would consider to be excessive force by the driver. The problem is worse when turning to the left. I feel that this is a safety issue as the wheel should return to center when released when in a turn at below highway speed. I purchased the car in 2020 when it had 27000 miles on it, and it exhibited the problem of tight steering at that time, although it seems to have gotten worse over the past two years. I recently posted on the Chevrolet Bolt Facebook forum asking if anyone had experience the same issue and if so, were they able to get it fixed. Multiple people responded that they had the same issue and some had fixed it by having the steering rack replaced. Soon thereafter, the post was removed from the forum by General Motors, and they contacted me via direct message. They were very insistent that they wanted to help me resolve the problem and took my information so they could arrange to have the problem diagnosed at a Chevrolet dealer. I agreed and gave them the VIN and my contact information. I made a service appointment at the dealer, and took the car in for diagnosis. The dealer kept the car for a day and they communicated to me that the steering did indeed feel tight, and that there was a service bulletin for that problem that involved reprogramming the computer that controlled the steering. They then said they test drove the car and that it was operating as it should. I picked up the car after paying their $125 fee for the service. After driving the car, I could tell no difference in the steering. It is still tight, and will not return to center when turning at speeds below about 45MPH. I communicated this service advisor and the Chevrolet representative. Both declined to be of any further assistance.

The steering on my 2017 Chevrolet bolt has a weird issue when driving highway speeds the steering feels loose and the steering wheel feels like it shaking back and fourth rapidly and making shuttering noises and the steering constantly veers while driving with any irregularity of a road surface. I have take my car to a repair shop and have good wheels and tires and had a wheel alignment service and they checked all suspension and steering component and the issue still persist. The shop told me the issue seems to be coming from the steering rack and the electric steering assist.

For some time now the steering wheel doesn’t return to center by itself. Sharp left or right turns , the wheels stay that angle when I let go of the steering wheel . I thought it would work itself out , but over the months it’s getting very noticeable. I feel for my safety .

Steering has to be manually turned back to center on any turns. New tires did not help. New alignment did not help. Reprogramming steering module did not help. This is dangerous as we are taught to let the steering bring itself back to center.

Since purchased 4/21/2022, the steering doesn’t return to center after turning. Feels like steering wheel is so tight that I have to turn wheel back after turning to be able to then go straight again.

My vehicle for months failed to correct back to straight from right turns. Later on the vehicle started making creaking noises when turning, especially tight turns. The car started to frequently turn itself tighter in right turns, where I would have to force the wheel back to straight or even compensate left to maintain a consistent turn. My local trusted mechanic diagnosed that the steering rack/gear is failing and told me I would lose all steering control should the part fail and that it was unsafe for me to continue to drive my vehicle. I had the vehicle brought to a dealership to do the work. Through discussions with other Bolt owners, this is a common problem for Bolts and particularly the 2017s.

Mileage: 62,243

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.

Mileage: 39,500

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.

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.

The steering file to return to center after turning. It also sticks and binds making a audible noise when it breaks free from sticking.

The steering on my 2017 Chevy bolt does not return to center after making a turn (left or right). If you do a search, this is a common issue with Chevy Bolts and Chevy wants lots of money to fix it. I did pay Chevy to do do a software update (Service Bulletin #17-NA-148) which should have made the situation better but it made it (if anything) worse. I believe there is an issue with the steering gear and Chevy should issue a recall. Here is a recent discussion https://www.chevybolt.org/threads/steering-wont-return-to-center-bad-steering-gear-steering-sticking-in-one-direction.42988

The car has displayed a minor loss of steering power from when I received it as well as some tapping/banging from the underneath. I only recently reported it to the dealer since I thought that the loss of power was just electrical load issues under certain conditions. The dealer investigated and reported a broken steering gear. They found NO evidence that there was external damage causing this and told me to not drive the car until it is repaired.

The electronic steering has stopped automatically returning to center after turning - mostly right hand turns. Have seen other similar complaints on a Bolt forum where the entire steering mechanism had to be replaced. Our Chevy mechanic knew nothing about this but told us that this type of repair is out of warranty & would cost well over $1,000 to replace the components.

Steering wheel does not return easily to stationary position after being turned. As a result, wheel must be manually turned in order to straighten steering. This can be particularly cumbersome when in a deep curve or while maneuvering around parking lots, U-turn, etc.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed with needing a steering rack however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of failure and the contact was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

Mileage: 44,000

The steering gear is failing to return the wheels to center. When you steer into a curve and you complete the curve the steering does not return to center, you must physically turn it back out of the curve. The steering wheel is tight but operates. This could be a problem for me to perform and it is hard to keep within the lines of a lane. Billion Chevy in Iowa City Iowa has confirmed the malfunction. This is a $2100 repair. There are many complaints online of this problem. Why is this not a recall???? They got a batch of bad steering gears in 2017.

Mileage: 38,058

Sway bar components and steering making noises and excessive movement. These issues were noticeable just after 3yr 36k limited warranty had expired (approx 23k miles on vehicle). Items later found to be faulty by dealership, GM gave significant pushback and offered limited assistance with repairs and claims the treat items on case by case basis. I have read multiple reports of these repairs being performed under warranty and with a few customers out of warranty with similar symptoms. It’s time to investigate Sway Bar and Steering turn signal switch and related component issues in Bolt EV 2017-19, possibly later and require GM to issue a recall.

REAR BACKUP CAMERA DISPLAY FREEZES AFTER PLACING VEHICLE IN DRIVE WHICH MAY BECOME DISTRACTION AND CREATE UNSAFE SITUATION FOR DRIVER WHILE MANEUVERING IN PARKING LOT OR ON ROADWAY WHILE OPERATING AT HIGHER SPEEDS ' CAN BE REMEDIED BY MANUALLY RESTARTING INFORTAINMENT SYSTEM/POWERING OFF/RESTARTING VEHICLE. I HAVE SEEN SYSTEM UNFREEZE FOR RESTART AUTOMATICALLY WHILE VEHICLE IN MOTION WHICH MAY CAUSE DISTRACTION TO DRIVER AND INABILITY TO ADJUST CERTAIN FEATURES OF CLIMATE CONTROLS. TEMPORARY LOSS OF POWER TO HEATING UNIT OR INABILITY TO REGISTER CHANGE IN FAN SPEED (OCCURANCE ONCE). STEERING FEELS LOOSE WHEN INITIALLY MOVING STEERING WHEEL AND COMPONENT(S) MAKING NOISE WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL (RESISTANT ISSUE). SUSPENSION MAKES LOUD CREAKING NOISE(S) WHEN OPERATING ON UNEVEN ROAD SURFACES OR STEEP INCLINE/DECLINE. STEERING/SUSPENSION HAVE BEEN ONGOING ISSUE SINCE PURCHASED IN OCTOBER 2020 ' WILL HAVE DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSE AT POSSIBLE OWNERS EXPENSE. DATE OF STEERING ISSUE WILL BE UTILIZED FOR SECTION BELOW.

Mileage: 36,600

THE STEERING IS BINDING AND STICKY. THE CAR WILL NOT RE-CENTER IT SELF IN THE ROAD AFTER MAKING A TURN. ALL OF THE OIL APPARENTLY LEAKED OUT OF THIS SEALED RACK AND PINION AND IS NOW DRY AND YOU HAVE TO USE EXTRA EFFORT TO KEEP THE CAR CENTERED WHILE DRIVING AND TO MAKE TURNS AND BE READY TO FIGHT IT BACK TO CENTER ONCE THE TURN IS COMPLETE. TOOK THE CAR TO GM AND THEY SOLD ME A SET OF TIRES BECAUSE THEY SAID THE BRAND I BOUGHT AT WALMART 6 MONTHS AGO WAS NOT RECOMMENDED AND SAID ONLY MICHELIN ENERGY TIRES WERE RECOMMENDED. BOUGHT THE TIRES AND DEALER CALLED AND SAID, WELL THAT DIDN'T FIX IT, YOU NEED A STEERING RACK REPLACEMENT. BY THE WAY, YOU STILL OWE US FOR THE TIRES THAT WE RECOMMEND THAT DIDN'T FIX YOUR STEERING ISSUE!

Mileage: 54,000