2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV · symptom sheet

Steering sticks, feels notchy or jerks

38owner reports
40,000median miles
$2,500median quote
0involved a crash

Newest report Sep 1, 2026 · checked Sep 9, 2026

123 of the 346 complaints on this car are about the steering system. 38 of those describe sticky steering. Only dead battery is reported more often on this car.

Tick what matches of 38 reports

sticks or catches when I steer

feels notchy or jerky

worse at highway speed

pulls or veers on its own

locks up or is hard to turn

no warning light came on

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the steering rack (28 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the steering system covers the 2017 model year as of Sep 9, 2026.

What owners paid

10 of the 38 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $2,073 to $3,000.

$2,073$2,500$3,000

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 35,000 and 54,000 miles, from the 9 reports that gave a mileage.

120

1122

623

424

1025

626

What owners wrote

“steering wheel bind when returning to center. This vehicle has less than 40,000 miles and just out of warranty. This could cause an accident if someone is taken by surprise when turning and the steering wheel is hard to turn back or stays in the turning position.”
Filed Nov 29, 2023 · 40,000 miles

“The steering does not return to center after turning left or right. The steering sticks and you have to apply force to bring it back to center. This is very dangerous.”
Filed Jan 30, 2023

“Steering wheel no longer returns to center. When I make a turn the steering wheel feels like it is binding and does not return to center without the drivers correction.”
Filed Dec 20, 2022

“The steering binds after making a turn. It will not return the wheel to center without deliberate effort on my part. I had the alignment checked and it is all within spec. It appears to be an issue with the steering rack itself. This is an ongoing issue.”
Filed Dec 12, 2022

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 0 of 38 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation.