BOLT SEAT ISSUE - DATA COLLECTION & REPORT HERE

[DoninLAlaland]

Hi. Unfortunately, my experience so far with Chevy taking responsibility for the seat is similar to KarenK. Here's a summary of where we are:

1. My dealer put me in touch with Chevy
2. Chevy then set up an appointment with the dealer to check the seats.
3. The serviceman at the dealership told me, his manager, and Chevy that my seats are the same as all the other Bolts on the lot.
4. I called Chevy back to tell them and to escalate the issue. I've asked for a cancellation of the lease because of a design defect.
5. Chevy then escalated it to one of the people handling the California market, named Jeremy.
6. Jeremy called the dealer to find out any additional information.
7. Spoke with Jeremy today who told me that because there is nothing wrong with the seat as per my dealer and Chevy has not issued a recall, there is nothing he can do. I asked to speak to his boss.
8. I called my dealer and told them what Jeremy told me.
9.My left hip and leg is feeling MUCH better now after not driving the Bolt for more than a week. The dealer put me in a Chevy Malibu. It's interesting how that seat is fine, but the Bolt's is not.

Still waiting to hear from Jeremy's boss. It sounds like Chevy/GM is throwing this back on the dealer.
Needless to say, I am very, very disappointed in Chevy's/GM's response.

 

[scbolt]

Purchased my Bolt EV earlier this month. Very happy with almost everything about the car ... except the front seats. Like most people reported, they are EXTREMELY uncomfortable. The padding is very thin, the seat is too narrow and the hard plastic edge keeps bruising my left thing when driving, and especially when getting in and out of the car.

I have reported this issue to my dealership as well as to GM and they are completely ignoring this issue and not willing to do ANYTHING

Here are the details requested here:

1. Model: Bolt EV Premier
2. When bought: May 2017
3. Last 5 of your VIN (if you want actual tracking done by GM): 60049
4. A picture or two if you want/need to: pictures won't help, since the issue is not visible ... you only feel it when you sit on it
5. Your size/height: 5'10" / 200 lbs
6. Very brief summary of where you see the issue, a few details, etc: see above. Main issue is that the left edge of the hard plastic keeps cutting into my left thigh and hurts bad when driving, and especially when getting in or out of the car
7. Verdict: Good/Bad? Etc: Horrible, Pathetic, EXTREMELY bad

 

[DoninLAlaland]

Purchased my Bolt EV earlier this month. Very happy with almost everything about the car ... except the front seats. Like most people reported, they are EXTREMELY uncomfortable. The padding is very thin, the seat is too narrow and the hard plastic edge keeps bruising my left thing when driving, and especially when getting in and out of the car.

I have reported this issue to my dealership as well as to GM and they are completely ignoring this issue and not willing to do ANYTHING

Hi, SCbolt. Where are you located? I found a dealer who was willing to swap my seat. He had me sit in 6 different bolts with the cloth seats. I chose the one most comfortable to me and he replaced the original seat. I no longer have any pain in my left leg or thigh and was waiting a week to post on here to make sure I had no back pain.

 

[scbolt]

Purchased my Bolt EV earlier this month. Very happy with almost everything about the car ... except the front seats. Like most people reported, they are EXTREMELY uncomfortable. The padding is very thin, the seat is too narrow and the hard plastic edge keeps bruising my left thing when driving, and especially when getting in and out of the car.

I have reported this issue to my dealership as well as to GM and they are completely ignoring this issue and not willing to do ANYTHING

Hi, SCbolt. Where are you located? I found a dealer who was willing to swap my seat. He had me sit in 6 different bolts with the cloth seats. I chose the one most comfortable to me and he replaced the original seat. I no longer have any pain in my left leg or thigh and was waiting a week to post on here to make sure I had no back pain.

hi Don - VERY glad to hear that your dealership finally took care of you! It definitely seems that different dealerships are providing different levels of support ... some providing no support, unfortunately!

I am located in Colorado, and still going back and forth between my dealership and Chevy customer care ... so far each one is saying it is not their problem and the other side should take care of me.

I had seen another post here where someone had mentioned that GM is aware of the problem and promised to address it. From what I have seen so far, I definitely do NOT see any signs of that, unfortunately

 

[DoninLAlaland]

Thanks for your quick reply , SCbolt. Not sure whether you tried taking your car to a different Chevy dealer. Perhaps that dealer will have a different opinion and be willing to swap your seat. My dealer in Glendale from whom I leased the car would do absolutely nothing. I took it to a dealer in Valencia on the recommendation of a friend. The dealer in Valencia was willing to swap the seat out. It was totally worth the 35 minute drive each way and taking a vacation day at work.

FYI - I got the same thing you are getting: GM pointing to the dealer to do something ("it's a customer service issue") and the dealer pointing to GM to do something.

Interestingly, what GM and the dealer seem to forget is how the charging stations are like the office water cooler -- everyone asks about each others cars while waiting to charge. When coming back from Valencia, I stopped at a fast charging station. 3 different EV drivers asked me what I thought of the Bolt. I told them how horrible GM and the dealer in Glendale were and if they are still interested in the car, try each and every seat and buy or lease the one that has the most comfortable seat. So, word of mouth is MUCH louder with EVs than regular cars.

 

[rybolt]

1. Model: Premier
2. When bought: 1/22/17
3. VIN: 36968
4. Picture: Same as others have been posting
5. Size/height: 185 pounds / 5'11"
6. Summary: Severe pinching at sides of seat cushion (causing pain, mostly to my left leg); moderate pinching at sides of seat back.
7. Verdict: Awful. One of the first things I caution prospective buyers to beware of. I *love* my Bolt, but this sucks.

 

[Engineer731]

1. Bolt EV LT
2. June 22, 2017
3. 49786
4. Sorry - No pics yet.
5. 6'-2" 260 Lb
6. I think the plastic sides are too high and the seat is too thin
7. Verdict: Definitely uncomfortable, but not a deal breaker.

I have mine on a lease. I have driven a Prius for the past four years and always found the driver's seat comfortable. Not so in the Bolt. One of the negatives when test driving, but enough to break the deal. I really believe that the seat frame needs to be re-engineered. And, that is surprising because everything else in and on the vehicle seems to have been very well thought out. I am a retired mechanical engineer and I promise you that if I had been in charge of the the design team - this problem would have been stopped long before production started.

 

[ScooterCT]

Over on the other Chevy Bolt forum site, there is a guy putting Jetta seats into his Bolt. It made me wonder - has anyone unhappy with the seats given a thought to checking the Sonic seats to see if they fit? I imagine you can get a Sonic seat cheap at a salvage shop. I bet they'd even let you check the fit free.

 

[Anonymous]

1. Bolt LT
2. July, 2017
3. 64366
4. A picture or two if you want/need to
5. 5'8" 160 lb.
6. This is the first time ever the car seat started hurting my back within minutes of driving. First, I've noticed how left side of the seat is pushing into my left thigh and causing noticeable discomfort. I've got back pain after about 20 minutes of driving this thing. I've tried to adjust the seat and could not find any comfortable position to sit in it. Getting out of the car is always painful, as the hard plastic side pushes into your left leg.
7. Verdict: I've never though that a seat in a car could be that horribly designed. I hope we can get a recall going to fix this.

 

[k0an]

I've started a Change.org petition so we can all consolidate our feedback into one place to maximize our visibility. Please sign and spread the word!
http://chn.ge/2xwEBVx

 

[iletric]

I've started a Change.org petition...http://chn.ge/2xwEBVx

Thanks! Signed up and posted on Twitter.

 

[k0an]

Thanks! Signed up and posted on Twitter.

Thank you!

 

[Anonymous]

I have owned my Bolt for about three months now. The seat discomfort is unbearable at this point. I took my Bolt to the dealer and contacted CAC but no fix was offered. If I would have known that the seat discomfort was going to be this bad, I definitely would not have purchased this car. I cannot wait for GM to come up with a solution since I have a two-hour daily commute. I am going to have to fix the seat myself or get rid of the car. I have constant pain and numbness in my right leg and can never find a comfortable position. GM has made an amazing EV with the Bolt. They put so much research and development into this vehicle. It really is an amazing car with great technology and range. However, they forgot that a person is going to have to sit and drive comfortably in the car for maybe an extended period of time. I feel they should come up with a DTB (dealer technical bulletin) to address this issue or it may kill the Bolt. I could not in good conscience recommend someone buy this car unless they are certain they are comfortable in the seat.

 

[SeanNelson]

I am going to have to fix the seat myself or get rid of the car. I have constant pain and numbness in my right leg and can never find a comfortable position.

If it's that bad for you then I can't believe you haven't done something, a seat cushion at least, to try to alleviate the problem.

Some people are adding foam underneath the seat cover as shown in this video - the technique seems to work well for many of the people who have tried it and it's easily reversible if you're worried about warranty claims.

 

[ProfessorBolta]

1. Premier fully loaded
2. 10/2017
3 Dunno off hand
4. Just a Bolt
5. 6'3 ectomorph
6. All my family is tall and thin and we have no issue with it
7. Verdict: We love the seats, very comfortable, actually probably the most comfortable of any we've had

 

[Anonymous]

1. 2017 Bolt EV LT
2. Late June 2017
3. 27948
4. n/a
5. 5'10", 170lb male.
6. For the seat portion, the narrowness combined with the height of the side bolsters means that my right leg gets a little numb if I don't reposition it every 10-15 minutes. The rear area where my tailbone and back of my butt puts the most pressure on the seat just isn't that comfortable - the squish is less than 1/2" deep. For the back portion, there's clearly a hard bit of plastic inside the seat approximately 16" up from the bottom, and my spine hits that. Additionally the side bolsters have 1/4" of padding at best, with hard plastic underneath. Not terrible for a 30 minute drive, but after 2 hours, it's uncomfortable and aching.

I compared the seats of my similarly sized GM hatchback, a Pontiac Vibe, and the seats on that are far superior. Much more squish in the padding - almost 1" deep padding in most areas. The side bolsters are firm but with plenty of padding depth to avoid any hard plastic. And this is all on a 10 year old car (a 15 year old design), with 150K+ miles of wear and the seats are better than the Bolt's.

In full disclosure, my 5'8" 125lb wife has no complaints about the seat, but she hasn't driven the Bolt over an hour at one time yet.

7. Verdict: I'm pretty amazed at how bad these seats are in multiple places, especially when compared to other 'cheap' GM vehicles, of years past.

 

[Usain]

This is an area where people can simply check in and post their seat issue / non issue. Simple, fast, and something that can be tracked. If this problem is to be resolved, it needs to be documented properly and consistently.

Things to list:

1. Model
2. When bought
3. Last 5 of your VIN (if you want actual tracking done by GM)
4. A picture or two if you want/need to
5. Your size/height
6. Very brief summary of where you see the issue, a few details, etc
7. Verdict: Good/Bad? Etc

That's it.

1. Bolt Premiere
2. Purchased 9/30/2017
3. vin 79378
5. I'm 5' 8", 150 lbs

6. I don't have any problem with the seats and I've taken the car on a road trip with more than 10 hours of driving in two days. The seat comfort could be improved. My old 2000 Volvo had seats that were so comfy you could almost fall asleep. But I haven't noticed the major problems others have talked about.

7. OK

 

[sgt1372]

Don't recall reading about this particular seat complaint yet. So, here goes.

Leased my Bolt LT w/cloth seats in Feb 2017. Drive it only about 10-15 miles a day, 5 days/wk. Usually 2-3 stops per trip.

I have no complaints about comfort but I just noticed that the fabric on the left edge of the driver's seat near the seam is starting to fray.

Nothing serious yet, just a few loose threads, but it's only been 8 months of limited use and is a cause for concern.

If I owned the car, I'd probably buy seat covers but, since I lease it, I'm just going to let it go and hope that a hole doesn't develop b4 I turn it in.

Just for comparison, my 15 yr old MR2 has cloth seats and, despite some obvious surface wear along the outer edge of the driver's seat, the seat fabric still has not frayed or developed a hole in it.

On the other hand, I had a 2007 FJ Cruiser w/cloth seats that was 10 yrs old when I traded it in on the Bolt. The driver's seat was frayed and had developed a hole along the left edge of the seat back.

My impression is that the fabric used on the Bolt seat is less durable than that used on the MR2 and FJ seats.

Just something to keep an eye on if you also have cloth seats in your Bolt.

 

[SeanNelson]

I have no complaints about comfort but I just noticed that the fabric on the left edge of the driver's seat near the seam is starting to fray.

So by "fabric" I take it that you have an LT with the cloth seats?

 

[sgt1372]

I have no complaints about comfort but I just noticed that the fabric on the left edge of the driver's seat near the seam is starting to fray.

So by "fabric" I take it that you have an LT with the cloth seats?

That's what I said in the second line of my post above before I used the word "fabric." I also used the word "cloth" repeatedly in my post, including the last line.

LOL! :roll: