2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV steering problems

Filed Sep 17, 2026 · Steering · HI

Steering has resistance and will not to return to center/neutral position without driver manipulation. I've never experienced this probelm with another car and See many other Chevrolet Bolt owners have experienced the same problem. IT definitely seems to be a design and /or assembly flaw. Local GM dealer service department insists it's an isolated issue. Very costly repair required.

Filed Aug 5, 2026 · Steering · MD

Power steering assist cut out while driving and traction controllight came on. There is now no steering assist. The car is with the dealer shop and their diagnostics indicate the the steering column needs to be replaced. Dealer shop now says the steering column is on EXTREME backorder with no time estimate of availability. The car is almost impossible to steer at low speeds.The power steering rack and pinnion assembly was replaced back in August of 2023 due to the rack binding, so that part is realatively new.

Filed May 29, 2026 · Steering · CA

When driving at parking lot speeds, I hear a clunk sound and I feel some vibration in the steering column. This is not observed at higher speeds. Also, the steering intermittently becomes stiff and at other times is loose.

Filed May 23, 2026 · Steering · CA

Steering randomly will fail to return to center in turns, causing the driver to have to manually turn wheel back to center. Happens in both sharp and sweeping turns in both the left and right direction while accelerating, decelerating, and maintaining speed. Issue occurs several times a week. I nearly hit an oncoming car head-on in a very gentle sweeping left hand turn on May 10th when my Bolt continued turning left rather than re-center when I stopped giving it left steering input. I was going about 35 and decelerating gently for a stop sign at a T intersection at the bottom of a mild downhill slope of 5 to 10 degrees. The car I nearly hit was approaching in the opposite lane on the inside of the curve. When the left hand curve straightened out, my steering wheel (and wheels) did not return to center. My car continued across the yellow double lines. I had to quickly jerk the wheel to the right to avoid a collision. *I had to physically return the wheel to center through manual input to get my car to drive in a straight line.* I narrowly avoided a head-on collision. There was no advance warning. Having the steering randomly behave unexpectedly and in direct opposition of the vehicle's design, and *every* other vehicle's design is very dangerous. This is a known issue across many, many Bolts. Replacing the steering rack/column for this known safety issue on all generations of the Chevrolet Bolt is an expensive repair. Please investigate and issue a safety recall and force GM to correct this known safety defect that they should have already voluntarily recalled.

Filed Apr 19, 2026 · Steering · NH

Steering clunks during low speed maneuvers, shimmy started while rounding a curve at highway speed on uneven pavement. Local garage has identified it as a broken steering gear. Car has only 36000 miles.

Filed Apr 10, 2026 · Steering · WA

The steering wheel gets stuck, is difficult to turn, and doesn't return to center. Issues with this make the car much more difficult to drive and makes it impossible to sense the state of the road with the steering wheel. This can lead to loss of control. No warning lamps or messages informed me of this issue.

Filed Apr 4, 2026 · Steering · IN

Steering doesn't return to center when moving. When moving at low speeds steering is heavy. Possible steering gear issue. Always present while driving vehicle and turning.

Filed Mar 21, 2026 · Steering · CA

Steering stiff. Steering wheel does not return to center on sweeping turns. Getting progressively more pronounced with time.

Filed Mar 8, 2026 · Steering · IN

Steering wheel does not return to center and stays in a stuck position after turning it. VERY COMMON ISSUE THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED

Filed Oct 16, 2025 · Steering · TX

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.