2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV Complaints

Low mileage vehicle purchased preowned with only 32,166 miles, and steering wheel (steering rack & pinion) is stiff and will not return wheel to center after turning more than a quarter turn.

Steering not returning to center when coming out of turns. Many have reported this issue with the steering rack. Concerned that steering will bind and cause an accident

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to return to center after turning to the left or the right. The contact used excessive force to manually return the steering wheel to center. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the rack and pinion assembly had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 24,000.

The steering wheel is very stiff; if you turn left or right, when you complete the turn, if you were to release the wheel, it does not counter-turn back towards the center. Put differently - in an open parking lot, you could turn the wheel all the way to one side, release the wheel, press the accelerator --- and you'd go in circles. This has been happening for some time, but just recently had it pointed out that it is not normal. I feel its a meaningful safety risk. I researched the issue online and it seems that it is common for this model but GM has been unresponsive.

Steering wheel doesn't return to center after a turn, it must be turned back manually. If left unfixed this can cause the steering to lock up entirely when the steering gear fails.