Chevrolet Bolt EV Problems — All Years, Common Issues & Reliability

I have a 2023 bolt ev. Right where the odometer it started to go black. I touched it and made it worse. Right now it is not getting bigger but I am worried it will get worse. There is about 75,000 miles, I can't tell miles without the odometer. What would cause this? How do I fix this? Would I be able to resale it like that? How much would it be to get it fixed? I need the car to last intil I can buy a Slate Automotive pickup. Please see attached picture. Thank you! Is there another way to read the miles? Thank you!

Steering rack failure (wheel does not return to center, crunchy steering with increasingly more resistance over time).

The steering sticks when making turns and does not return to center. This causes the steering to drift on the highway and reduces the ability to steer in a straight line. I have not reproduced or confirmed it with the dealer. No inspection and no warning lamps. This issue occurs for a large number of Chevrolet Bolt owners.

While driving at approximately 45 mph, the regenerative braking feature of the vehicle suddenly failed, and also generated a master caution light on the dashboard display. This is the second time this has happened while driving and resulted in a sudden, alarming change in vehicle dynamics. Regenerative braking is the normal operation regime of the vehicle, with the traditional mechanical-hydraulic brake pedal available for added braking, as demonstrated by the Chevrolet dealership during a test drive and confirmed with the vehicle manual. Furthermore, the vehicle will no longer shut itself off and could pose a fire risk when stored in a garage, parking deck, other vehicles, etc. These issues happened in November 2024. The car was returned to the dealer for warranty repair. Even after extensive repairs to the electrical system, the car has repeated the alarming failure mid-drive. This indicates that there is a serious problem with the electronic and poses a serious safety risk.

Steering, Rack and Pinion is failing after 44k miles, Steering gear is binding internally

Steering wheel does not return to center, requiring driver input to do so. Force needed to turn the steering wheel continued to increase throughout the past year, getting abnormally difficult and unlike any other vehicle. Had the steering rack replaced, which corrected the problem.

There's a very common issue with these vehicles where the steering rack breaks and causes a number of issues including a clunking noise when driving over bumps and a rattle in steering wheel when turning left and right. However the most important and dangerous issue is that the steering wheel stops returning to center after making a turn. The steering wheel will move about 1/2 of the way back to center and then just stop and I have to manually turn it the rest of the way. You can imagine how dangerous this could be if someone doesn't realize what's happening and the car continues turning and goes into oncoming traffic. I have to manually turn the steering wheel back to center to avoid the car veering into the oncoming lane of traffic after making a turn. GM can fix it by replacing the rack, but it's a $4k repair and will happen again after replacing it.

Steering wheel fails to return to center after turns — potential steering gear defect 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV steering wheel fails to return to center after completing turns, particularly at low speeds. Steering requires manual input to re-center the vehicle after every turn. No warning lights or audible alerts. The issue is not attributable to alignment, tires, or tire pressure, as I have had new OEM-spec tires installed and an alignment performed without any improvement to the steering. I brought the vehicle to the dealership to address this safety concern. They stated unable to replicate the issue and sent me away without performing repair. The dealership charged me for an alignment but provided only post-alignment figures — no before measurements, making it impossible to determine whether any corrective action was actually taken or whether the alignment was a contributing factor. This is a safety concern as it requires constant driver correction after every turn, increasing risk of overcorrection, unintended lane departure, and delayed response in emergency situations. Condition is hazardous in low-speed environments such as parking lots, intersections, on/off ramps, and residential streets where frequent turns are made and rapid corrections may be necessary. Issue is not isolated to my vehicle or model year. Owners of 2017-2019, 2022, and 2023 Chevy Bolt EVs have reported identical symptoms across multiple owner forums, with hundreds of documented complaints. Community research and independent mechanic diagnoses consistently identify the steering gear (rack and pinion) as the root cause, with internal binding cited as the failure. GM's own service manual includes a diagnostic path for "Poor Return of Steering Wheel," confirming GM is aware this condition exists. No recall or service bulletin issued addressing this widespread concern despite years of owner complaints spanning all Bolt EV model years. Request that NHTSA investigate and consider issuing a recall.

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the electrical system became inoperable. The contact stated that the seat belt warning chime failed to function when the seat belt was not fastened. Additionally, the instrument panel became inoperable while attempting to reverse, and the rearview camera failed to function properly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the radio system and instrument panel screen had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

The Chevy Bolt steering wheel has a skip track and previous track button mounted to the left-rear side of the steering wheel. These buttons often become unresponsive for extended periods of time (up to 30 minutes) when a media device is connected. When pressed, they will display an error on the instrument panel screen that says “Action Unavailable While Indexing”. Although media controls are not explicitly safety related, the frustration caused by these unresponsive buttons can cause the driver to become distracted or look for unsafe methods of adjusting the media playback that the buttons are supposed to perform.

Steering gear assembly malfunction. Internal rack & pinion failure is present. Rack is binding/seized. When making a turn on the vehicle, the steering wheel does not return to center, creating a highly dangerous situation where if the steering wheel is not manually returned to center it can cause a motor vehicle accident. In other words, once a turn is initiated the car will remain in a turned state unless the steering wheel is wrestled with to return to traveling in a straight line. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by an independent service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representative, or others outside of an independent service center. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior the failure. The failure appeared starting at about 25,000 miles and gradually became worse to just under 40,000 miles which is the mileage on the car now.

Rear backup camera cuts out periodically while using. Multiple reports of this issue in online discussion groups.