general problems of the 2013 Chevrolet Volt

This is the third incident since I had this car along with charging issue in the beginning of ownership this Chevrolet Volt has been been deem total from the accident that occurred on January 6 because of the steering locking up.

Oct 24th morning murrieta, CA , it was raining and big thunders and lighting. My wife started for work , the car was fully charged. She made her usual right turn from " murrietta hotsprings rd " to " butterfield stage road" in city of murrieta / temecula CA. She put the car in "regeneration mode" as the road was down hill. There was a big lighting and followed by a big thunder sounds. She saw white light and was blinded for fraction of second, it was raining heavy, immediately she felt the car was floated/drifting to left , hit the center raod divider and all air bags were already deployed. She tried her best to pull the car to right (she could not see due to airbags deployed all except passenger side airbag) but could not do so , she also stated the steering was struck. The car came to stop after jumping into other side of the street. No other car was involved. Most of the damage to the car was to the front wheels, front under body due to impact with the center road divider. All airbags were deployed except for the passenger. She was alone in the car. The police and emd were at the scene after 10 -15 mins as someone had already called 911. I was at the sceen as the location was 10 mins from my home. The police report is still due as I notify you. Insurance declared total loss. My wife had minor injuries due to air bags. We hope someone can find answers for the following questions. 1) did lighting cause any electrical interference with vehicle electronics which may have contributed to the accident ? 2) why did air bags deploy if the wheels hit the center divider . Or what was the cause of airbags deployment ?.

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the power steering assist malfunctioned sporadically without warning. The contact mentioned that the steering wheel would become stiff for several seconds and before returning to normal function. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 18,000.

At any speed over 57mph, if you leave the steering wheel centered (such as on a long straightaway) the steering wheel will lock in that center position. It takes significant force to pull the car out of that center locked position. Chevrolet is aware of this issue, but has so far been un-willing to fix it in my vehicle (they will not send the part to the dealership).