2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV: harsh or hard shifting

6 of the 63 complaints about the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV describe harsh or hard shifting.

owner complaints: 6
of this car's complaints: 10%
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 11 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Harsh or hard shifting by model year

2027
1
2023
6
2021
1
2020
2
2019
3
2018
3
2017
6

What owners say

Filed Sep 15, 2026 · Transmission · MA

Both front wheel drive shaft anti-click washers on my 2023 Bolt EV fractured at 18,269 miles. The failure caused a repeatable click/clunk from the front of the vehicle on torque application — accelerating from a full stop, from a slow roll under 5 mph, or accelerating out of a coast at about 20 mph. A Chevrolet dealer confirmed both anti-click washers were cracked (Repair Order 652900). The repair required removing both front half-shafts, replacing the washers (GM P/N 42754282) and drive shaft nuts (GM P/N 13208079), and reinstalling the axles. The noise was eliminated. This is a safety issue because GM has documented in writing that this exact failure can damage the ABS wheel speed sensor, which sits directly in-line with the washer on the outboard joint of the half shaft. GM TSB 22-NA-089 (Bolt EV) and TSB 19-NA-103 (Volt) both state the fractured washer causes "possible collateral damage to the ABS wheel speed sensor," that ABS, Traction Control, and StabiliTrak lamps may illuminate intermittently, and that those systems "may be deactivated/shut off for that ignition cycle," setting DTCs P215B and C0035-C0051. Loss of anti-lock braking and stability control is a direct safety hazard. My core concern is scope. GM acknowledged this defect in 2019 (Volt, MY2016-2019) and 2022 (Bolt EV, MY2017-2019), but capped the bulletins at model years that exclude my vehicle. My 2023 Bolt EV suffered the identical failure of the identical part, fixed by GM's identical specified procedure and part numbers. Other owners report the same failure on 2020, 2022, and 2023 Bolts. I was charged $737.34 as customer-pay. The dealer submitted a warranty claim and GM rejected it, stating a BEV has no applicable powertrain coverage for this component. I request the federal safety agency review whether this defect extends to later model year Bolt EV/EUV vehicles and whether a recall is warranted.

Filed Jun 27, 2026 · Steering · WA

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.

Filed Feb 12, 2026 · Steering, Suspension · IL

Clicking/Clunking under driver's feet

Filed Oct 8, 2025 · Steering · CA

The steering system has developed a progressively worse clunking sound when turning the steering wheel left or right when stopped, or at slow speeds. Additionally, the steering wheel will no longer return to center when exiting a turn. (In other words, it requires effort from the driver to return the steering wheel to center)

Filed Apr 23, 2025 · Steering · CA

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.

Filed Jan 17, 2025 · Steering · NY

There is a clicking, or a light clunk, sound that *I THINK* is coming from the front passenger side of the car. The sound only occurs when accelerating, most often from a stop but not always, and occasionally when breaking. It is not a repeated click. It happens once at the beginning of the acceleration or breaking process. The problem is easily reproducible. My dealer did a repair under warranty to the front driver side, but this did not eliminate the click. I am currently waiting for my dealer to get parts in to do the same repair to the right hand side of the car. It appears the parts on back order.