Steering Problems of Chevrolet Bolt Ev - part 2

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.

See all problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt Ev 🔎.

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 rack started to fail after only 15000 miles.

See all problems of the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt Ev 🔎.

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.

Steering does not return to center without effort. Feels stiff. Very different from other owned cars.

See all problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt Ev 🔎.

The steering fails to return to center after a turn, especially at low speed. It requires me to manually center the wheel, and can make steering difficult in low speed city driving. No warning lights or codes are displayed. Front end alignment seems to be good with very little drifting in either direction. Highway driving provides some centering of the wheel, though less than any of the vehicles I have driven. When test driving the vehicle on 9/15/25, I asked the dealership about the issue. They stated it had been inspected roughly a month prior and no issues were found with the steering, and no pending recalls existed that were related to steering. I bought the vehicle the same day and realized it had the symptoms at all times at low speeds. Chevy bolt forums have reported the same issue, with a lot of vehicles having low miles.

Steering rack failure, does not return to center most of the time. Every once in a while it will. Loud clunking in steering, started right around 36k mile warranty expiration, but I didnt know what it was so did not report it right away.

See all problems of the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt Ev 🔎.

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.

The steering wheel will not return to center and feels like its binding on something, sometimes its tough to steer other times not. Does not feel safe. No warning lamps and nobody has inspected or worked on it yet.

See all problems of the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt Ev 🔎.

When I make a left or right turn, the steering wheel does not return to the center on its own. I have to manually bring it back to center in order to straighten the wheels after a turn.

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 very stiff will not return to center on its own. Seems to be the steering rack. Not returning to center seems dangerous in certain situations. This is a 2020 vehicle but seems to be a common problem on all years Bolt Ev/euv.

See all problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt Ev 🔎.

Steering gear is bound up due to a documented manufacturing error. Steering is increasingly stiff at speed, and will not return to center without significant driver input. This is a widespread issue that has been documented and causes a major safety concern to chevy bolt owners and should be addressed and repaired by the manufacturer.

The steering wheel will not return to center after turning. The steering feels stiff, and the steering wheel will not return to center on its own.

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.

Rack and pinion steering rack is failing. The steering wheel is not returning to center, causing the vehicle to meander into oncoming traffic when executing left turns. Recently this forced a vehicle in oncoming traffic to ditch onto the shoulder. Luckily there was no incident (to their vehicle or driver) after stopping to check with the other driver. Dealer has since confirmed the failure of the steering rack with a $3k cost to replace, and that this issue is "common" with 2022-2023 Chevrolet bolts.

The steering rack loses its lubrication make it turn harder and could potentially fail completely leading to a loss of steering. I noticed that when I am steering around a curve the steering wheel fails to pull back to the center position and has to be manually forced back. Loss of steering or steering malfunction could lead to a fatal crash. I have not had my vehicle inspected by a dealer or mechanic but have researched the problem and many people online have reported failure of the steering rack/gear as well. There is no warning from the manufacturer about this problem and could go unnoticed until the problem is severe. The manufacturer (Chevrolet) should be required to replace this faulty part at no charge to the customer.

So I bought a used bolt and the steering is sticking, at moderate speed (50mph) sweeping corners it lightly wants to pull harder into the corner and won't return to center if you let off the wheel, regardless of direction, you must always forcefully guide the steering wheel back to center. This is wrong, if your bolt does this your steering rack is likely failing. This is a malfunction, in the gm service manual for the bolt there is a diagnosis for "poor return of steering wheel" which is described as "after completing a turn, extra steering input is required for the steering wheel to return to center. ".

See all problems of the 2019 Chevrolet Bolt Ev 🔎.

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.

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!.

Steering wheel does not return to center.

Steering would not return to center after a turn only for left turns, even at higher speeds. Steering would be sticky at low speeds. Resulted in challenging to predict cornering particularly for left turns. Manufacturer replaced steering gear under warranty. Ok now.

Steering rack is binding, not returning to center after completing a turn. Only 50,000 miles on it.

Steering will not return to center. Stiff and sluggish.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? steering rack. Steering wont return to center at 38,000 miles. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? car handles unpredictably posing safety risk to others and myself. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes. Quoted $2,700 to replace rack and pinion. I refused service as vehicle has less than 40k miles. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no.

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).

Power steering fails go return to center intermittently causing unexpected handling characteristics while turning that could cause to over/undershoot a turn. Haven't taken it to the dealer to check and there are no warnings or lights.

The steering of my 2018 chevy bolt is sticky. At moderate speeds and going around sweeping corners and curves, the steering becomes sticky and does not want to return to center - you must guide steering back to center and there is friction involved in pulling it back to center. This is a safety issue because the sticking does not allow the driver to sense true road conditions especially in adverse weather. The problem has been reproduced by the dealer and is commonly discussed in chevy bolt forums including this one: [xxx] there are no warning lights or indicators of this issue - it is something that you begin to feel with the steering. Certain weather, temperature, and driving conditions seem to make it more pronounced. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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.

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

Component or system that failed/malfunctioned: the electric power steering (eps) gear / steering rack assembly. The component has not yet been removed from the vehicle and is available for physical inspection upon request. How safety is put at risk: when navigating low-speed turns or accelerating from a stop where the steering wheel is rotated to approximately 45 degrees, the steering gear mechanically binds and catches. The wheel completely fails to self-center or return to a straight position on its own. The driver must apply sudden, manual physical force to yank the wheel back to center. This creates an immediate loss-of-control and lane-departure hazard during low-speed maneuvers. Because this is a progressive mechanical wear issue, there is a severe risk of a total steering lockup at higher highway speeds. Confirmation by dealer/independent center & manufacturer inspection: the vehicle has not yet been inspected by a dealer, independent service center, or the manufacturer due to the high out-of-pocket cost of the repair. The owner is operating the vehicle with extreme caution while awaiting a formal safety recall regarding this documented steering gear defect. Warning lamps, messages, or prior symptoms: no electronic dashboard warning lights or error messages have illuminated. The primary prior symptom was a subtle, rotational scraping/friction noise heard coming from the front driver-side wheel well when passing roadside walls or barriers, indicating ongoing mechanical friction within the steering assembly. The 45-degree steering binding first appeared several months ago and has progressively worsened.

Well known steering issue causing steering to almost "lock" and not return to center. Seemingly caused by lack of grease on the steering gear. Obviously dangerous for all involved as it is a steering problem.

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 car had weird noise (clunky) when I make the turn either left or right since beginning in apri 2025. On April 17 in the morning, I drove to work while exit on freeway. When I try to turn into other street at speed of 20 mph, the car is not turning as normal as expected. It went beyond the other lane even I just turn in regularly with normal angle within my lane. (with huge clunky noise and lose control to make a turn) I was almost hit the other car on my left side as those are parallel with 2 lanes. I immediately rush to local gm dealer next day (April 18) and drop off the car for inspection. The dealer identified and confirmed there is an issue with the steering gear. (no fix due to extremely costly) I have to keep driving at risk.