What 73 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV

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.

NHTSA ODI 11678008

Sometimes, the steering wheel of the car will not return back to center after turning. The steering also feels a lot heavier. This usually happens after driving straight for a little and then having to make a turn, but may happen spontaneously in other situations as well. The steering wheel suddenly not returning to center when it is expected increases the chances of accidents, especially in areas with many curves and people/activities. The car does not show any warning signs. The dealership said they said they didn't notice it when driving and thus didn't want to further check it (they only drove it from one parking spot to another).

NHTSA ODI 11674151

On 4/5/2025 I was driving at 35mph and the steering wheel began to violently shimmy. The vehicle became difficult to steer putting safety at risk. Slowed to 25mph but shimmy did not stop. ABS warning light came on and Stabilitrak warning light came on and warning that steering was being was being automatically reduced. Driving became very difficult. Stopped and had car towed to Chevrolet. Car was diagnosed with broken left and right front axle anticlick washers and metallic debri found on sensors. Both front axle anticlick washers were replaced, sensors cleaned, and codes cleared, and brake fluid had to be flushed. Cost $850 to repair. Subsequently found out another friend had same thing happen to their 2018 Bolt. This was a safety issue and put us at risk while driving.

NHTSA ODI 11667654

Steering wheel does not return to center

NHTSA ODI 11665544

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)

NHTSA ODI 11663334

Brake modules not working properly and need reprogramming. GM not honoring their buyback warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11658951

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.

NHTSA ODI 11658214

HMI module failed. Distraction from road because the display pops on and off. Im not taking in my car because there are forums and forums discussing this issue. Not inspected by anybody either. There were no warnings, it just stopped working 2 weeks ago.

NHTSA ODI 11634452

my bolt was bought in 2018 (2018model) and has only a lil over 35k mileage. I was just informed by the dealer that the whole steering gear needs to be replaced as it could fail at any moment. I checked online for similar issues and seems like there are thousands of complaints of this, I was quoted for $3700 to get this repaired.. This is such a safety issue that it needs to be a recall, especially when considering such a low mileage!!

NHTSA ODI 11621223

The steering gear went out at 45k miles and I JUST got the car recently. The steering stays stuck when I turn it and it takes turns very sharply. In snow or rainy conditions,This might be fatal. I checked out a couple of forums online regarding this issue and seems like a lot of people have also encountered it. It’s a $4000 fix when I took it Chevrolet. This should be something Chevrolet recalls, not for us to fix as it could end up in a lot of injuries or ever death.

NHTSA ODI 11619945

The steering does not return to center after a turn. It must manually be returned to the center position. Also, there is a creaking sound when turning the wheel.

NHTSA ODI 11612564

While driving, the steering wheel is stiff when turning left or right and the steering wheel will not return to center after turning a corner or chaning lanes.

NHTSA ODI 11605442

The radio antenna/receiver/reception in my 2018 Chevy Bolt is very poor. There are many areas I receive almost no radio stations, or stations are extremely fuzzy. The reception is getting worse over time. In searching for a solution to this, I have found that there are many accounts, complaints, and forums related to this issue in all model years of this vehicle. The greater community has not found a viable solution outside of buying a separate radio and hooking it up to the auxiliary input. Many others have brought their vehicle to get inspected repaired and told by the dealers that everything is functioning as it should. The quality and operation of this part pales in comparison to all other vehicles and devices I, and others as they describe, have owned. Understanding this is not a "life and death" safety concern, I hope that this issue can be addressed. This is a basic piece of equipment found in all vehicles, and it is important to have access to at minimum public radio in order to receive potential emergency alerts. It seems chevy has done a disservice to their customers in their failure to provide a properly functioning basic component in these vehicles. I hope you can assist the community of Bolt drivers in this headache. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11589769

The rack and pinion steering degraded over a short period of time with less than 25,000 miles on the vehicle. The first thing we noticed was that the steering wheel would not return to center. Gradually, the steering worsened until it got to the point that the only way the steering would return to center was if it was forcefully pulled to center by the driver. The dealership told us they had no idea what could cause this. We looked online at Chevy Bolt forums and discovered that many other people were having these issues. We took the vehicle to a highly rated repair shop and the mechanic drove the vehicle. He felt it was one of two issues and tried to repair the system without replacing the entire rack and pinion but the repair was unsuccessful. He disassembled the car and determined that the rack and pinion had failed. He showed me evidence of a leak in the system. We have not had any difficulty since it was repaired 6 months ago. There were no warning lights or messages. This was extremely dangerous to both the driver of the vehicle, other drivers and passengers, as well as pedestrians and bicycles because the steering was so unresponsive. It was not possible to make a steering correction quickly due to the issue, thereby putting those in the vehicle and others on the road in danger of a collision.

NHTSA ODI 11586239

Steering gear failed. My young daughter usually drives this car. I drove it for the first time in a couple of weeks because it was blocking my car in and immediately knew there was a an issue. When turning a corner it was difficult to straighten the steering wheel back to center and if not forced it would continue turning instead of returning back to center on its own. I immediately took it to a mechanic who indicated that the steering gear was failing. He said that when he had the car on the lift to diagnose, it was very difficult to move the wheels by hand. The failure happened pretty quickly and could have been disastrous had I not driven the car.

NHTSA ODI 11558240

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that after the dealer performed the recall repair under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V560000 (Electrical System), the new battery charge range allowed for up to 90 miles, whereas the older battery allowed for up to 150 miles before recharging. Additionally, the new battery failed to retain a complete charge, with the "Unable to Charge" message displayed while charging. The contact felt that the recall remedy was not a permanent fix but a temporary repair. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11538393

My 2018 Chevrolet Bolt steering does not self center. After a turn I have to manually turn the steering wheel back to center. This occurrs turning either left or right. The steering also feels a bit heavy. This is alarming that something is binding in the steering. It is becoming more noticeable. The car was recently in the dealer shop for a seat belt cover recall and they didn't notice anything wrong. The tires were rotated but that made no difference. My wife took the car in for the recall but didn't know to ask about the steering. There are no warning lights.

NHTSA ODI 11530503

Dealer will not do recall : (The high voltage batteries in these vehicles may pose a risk of fire when charged to full, or very close to full, capacity. General Motors said that the bottom of the battery tray is damaged.

NHTSA ODI 11528909

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that while driving at night at an unknown speed, the regen on demand (Rod) was engaged but did not notice any rear illumination. On other occasions, the contact noticed that the vehicles behind were often beeping at her while driving. The vehicle was inspected vehicle while running and the regen on demand (RoD) paddle was activated; however, the rear lights failed to illuminate as needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

NHTSA ODI 11523206

Have inquired repeatedly since recall no. 21V560 issued. Told each time by authorized GM dealer that replacement lithium-ion batter pack is not available yet. Coming up on two years and presumably my vehicle remains at increased risk of fire. Would like GM to execute on the recall and repair.

NHTSA ODI 11521189

The factory installed steering rack is binding and fails to return to center. The car has 96,000 miles on it. The steering is dangerous and the vehicle does not track straight even after multiple attempts to align the front end suspension. We replaced the tires, front struts and aligned the vehicle only to discover there is a manufacturing defect in the design of the steering rack.

NHTSA ODI 11513826

Driving 65mph in middle lane the vehicle suddenly dropped in speed to 45mph and on the dash a warning came up that said “Propulsion power is reduced” this almost caused a semi truck to rear end me.

NHTSA ODI 11512482

I received a "Propulsion Power Reduced" warning indicator on my 2018 Chevy Bolt while driving on the highway. Although I did not lose power, I am afraid to drive my car. I am advised by the car repairer that I should not drive the vehicle until it is repaired because it may stop suddenly without warning. GM has never contacted me about this safety issue despite being aware of the problem. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should open an investigation and issue a safety recall on this issue. This problem should be categorized as a severe safety hazard and listed on the NHTSA website for the benefit of consumers.

NHTSA ODI 11507102

I purchased this car at 15,000 miles in October 2021. It’s my first electric car, and I just assumed that the stiffness in the steering wheel was part of the electric car experience. Big mistake! I took it into the dealer last week and they want $3500 to replace the steering mechanism, I’ve been looking online and I see lots of other people having this issue. This seems like a severe safety issue and Chevy needs to take responsibility for it.

NHTSA ODI 11497866

This car has only 33,000 miles and has been driven gently, mostly on the highway. My wife took her car into the dealer to have the computer software updated (from the battery fiasco-it has never worked correctly since the batteries were changed) and the dealer advised that the car has a "stuck" steering gear, and it was unsafe to drive. The dealer produced an estimate for $2883.24 to change the steering gear, with the same presumably defective parts that were originally used. Now that it has been pointed out my wife said that the steering was getting harder and harder over time and that it probably was starting within the 3 year warranty period. Chevrolet does not consider the vehicles steering to be part of the "drivetrain", even though you cannot drive the car without steering and the dealer says that it is "unsafe to drive"

NHTSA ODI 11490285