2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV Steering Problems

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

Steering sticks and does not return to center in sweeping turns. Clicking noise over bumps in very cold weather (may or may not be related--steering issue most concerning). Most prominent at higher speeds (for example, getting off of the highway) but occurs at any speed. Once you turn the wheel, it will return slightly then stick in place. It takes a small amount of extra force to correct it back towards center. During these occurrences it may continue to stick or may begin to act normally after the "correction." I would be alright with providing the vehicle for inspection and/or demonstration if requested. The first time this happened, I was driving along twisting roads in northern Michigan. The occurrence caught me off guard, and I traveled over the lines. …

I first noticed an issue with the steering wheel not returning to center after a turn, and also when in a slow sweeping curve that the wheel would hold the position and keep in the turn/curve unless corrected by manually turning it straight. I had new tires installed on 11/6/2024 and the alignment was checked and was correct. The tires that I chose turned out to be way harsher riding and noisy then the OEM's so I went with a different tire that was more EV specific. Nothing changed in regards to the steering issue. I checked online at the Chevy Bolt EV forum site to see if anyone else was having this problem and it appears to be a common issue with these cars. The steering rack should not be failing after 33K miles of use. …

The car has only 20k miles and the gear steering box failed and had to be replaced. This is apparently a very common defect where if the part fails the dealer said the steering will lock up and potentially cause a crash. $2500 to replace it is a huge hit and kicked in just out of warranty. Chevy should admit to either bad design if this key part goes bad with minimal use/mileage or defective manufacturing by its part provider since the issue apparently stems from the grease within the gear box separating or breaking down. In short, Chevy is well aware of a dangerous defect in its Bolt product line that could lock up steering but will not fix it. It is only a matter of time before someone gets killed, if it hasn't happened already. NHTSA should investigate reported Bolt accidents where vehicles go off the road.

The steering wheel does not return to center. When turning and then releasing the steering wheel to come out of the turn, the wheel stays where it is, causing the car to continue to turn. You must manually steer the wheel back to center position. This always happens when steering. It is not a one-time or intermittent. This is not safe as it makes the car go off the road. There is no warning light or alert from the car itself that something is wrong. I purchased the car used from a used car dealership and it is doing this when I bought it. They confirmed it. To my knowledge, no one else has inspected the vehicle's steering. Looking online, there seems to be many other Chevrolet Bolt owners complaining/experiencing the same steering problem.

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.

The steering wheel fails to return to center after turns. 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 Chevrolet Bolt owners are reporting the same behavior, pointing to a potential defect in the steering gear or rack. This is an very serious safety hazard that could result in loss of vehicle control and death. GM has not issued a recall or service bulletin, and repairs are extremely expensive.

Steering rack is starting to fail at under 47000 miles, car pulls to right during acceleration and pulls left when decelerating. Steering wheel does not return to the center and a slight left pull on the wheel has to be maintained at all times so the car doesn't merge right into traffic. It is available upon inspection request. I almost didn't realize it pulling to the right and almost merged into another car on the highway. It has not been confirmed yet by a third party. It has not been inspected yet. No warning lights or messages occured when it started happening.

The steering wheel does not return to the center on its own and keep stuck in which direction it is turned. The steering wheel also produces types of clunking noises when the car is standing or at a slow speed, and if you move the steering wheel left and right, it gives clunk clang clank clunk noise. it is very much a safety issue and can create a big accident. I have not taken it to the dealer, but will make an appointment to see what the dealer says. It's been like this for over a month but now it's getting a little louder

An inspection of this vehicle has found the steering to be binding. The car is only 3 years old and there is no logical reason to justify the need to replace the steering gear. If others are reporting this issue, which I'm guessing they are, I think a recall is warranted. The steering binding is a safety issue, and if it further or fully binds up it could cause an accident. I understand that it could also reduce my ability to sense road traction conditions and make fine adjustments.

Steering After turning, the steering wheel will not return to center on its own. You have to manually return the steering wheel to the center. This can cause you to steer off the road and hit pedestrians. The steering also will not align even after new tire and an alignment. The car will not drive straight. This can also cause accidents and driver fatigue. There are no warning lights.

Steering complaints in other Bolt EV years