Rattle from steering column area on rough roads?

[Pigwich]

First of all, the car is driving and acting perfectly fine. Couldn't be happier.

BUT for the past few months I've been noticing a little bit of a rattle coming from the steering column area. To me, it seems like there's the slightest bit of lash somewhere in the system and it manifests when I'm driving over bumpy surfaces (dirt driveways, crappy pavement, etc)
I felt the lower universal joint near where the steering shaft penetrates the floor, and it feels solid as a rock with zero slop. I almost wonder if it's the electric power steering. Is the motor for that up in the steering column itself? Hope it's not coming loose. Anybody care to comment on this minor issue? The tilt/telescope is completely locked. I've adjusted it and it persists. Is there a bulletin out about this? Or did it take me 9 months to notice something that's always been there?

 

[timeToy]

You are not the only one, and hopefully it is very simple loose bolt:
http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6390&p=23833&hilit=steering#p23833

http://www.chevybolt.org/forum/178-2017-chevy-bolt-ev-issues-problems/10658-rattle-loose-feeling-steering.html#post129353

 

[Pigwich]

That post helps. Found the culprit. It's the bolt on the lower part of the U-joint where the spline actually comes OUT of the floor. not where the U-joint connects to the long shaft that goes up the steering column. There's no way that was properly torqued, or if it was, something is clearly "up" - I put a torque wrench on it and got almost a full turn or more out of it before the requisite 42 ft-lbs clicked off.

GM - Is there anything else you'd like us to know about? I just can't keep from going back to that scene in Fight Club on the airplane.

At any rate, I'm going to see how this goes. If it opens up again, I'm going to Loctite it or put a mil spec bolt and a castle nut. Crazyness.

View attachment Bolt.JPG

View attachment setup.JPG

Good times.

 

[BerkeleyBowlt]

That post helps. Found the culprit. It's the bolt on the lower part of the U-joint where the spline actually comes OUT of the floor. not where the U-joint connects to the long shaft that goes up the steering column.

The exact same thing happened to me. At around 9,500 miles, "something that sounds like it's under the dashboard" started horribly rattling on rough roads at slow speeds, and the steering developed a new sound and looseness of play when moved left and right a bit. My Bolt was built December 2016.

It appears the problem is that a loose lower shaft bolt allows the intermediate shaft to travel up and down on the spline bit when the spline bit bumps up and down. Although the bolt on mine felt tight even with a socket wrench (I don't have a torque wrench), I could move the intermediate shaft up and down a fraction of an inch with my bare hands.

I loosened the lower shaft bolt, pushed the intermediate shaft as hard as I could onto the spline (tapping it down a bit with a rubber mallet), and tightened the lower bolt again. I can no longer move the intermediate shaft up and down with my hand and the rattle seems gone.

I just can't keep from going back to that scene in Fight Club on the airplane.

Yeah. Jeezums, Chevy. I guess this is my fault for buying one of the first few hundred Bolts, but WTF?

Thanks for posting the solution, Pigwich and others.

 

[Paul6381]

My Bolt is a November 2016 build. I think there's more to this story than just incorrect torque on the steering column. This probably applies to ALL early build Bolts. I took my Bolt into the dealership because of steering column noises and clicks. When they reviewed my Bolt the dealership discovered a major structural issue and asked to keep my Bolt for a few days.

Please respond to this thread if you've had similar surgery to your Bolt from the dealership after taking it in for steering column clicks or noises.

I posted this a few weeks ago on this site to a different thread and I'm surprised that no one has commented on it. Check out my full post http://mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6390&p=30150#p30150

Here's what car looked like on the inside after taking apart the dash:

 

[EVHOO]

We have had this annoying steering noise for several months and the dealer seems incapable of finding the source of the noise. It's a 2017 Bolt so it's out of warranty. We took it in last month and they replaced the steering gear and I was charged nearly $2600. (The parts were about $300.) Within a week, the noise was back so we took the car back to the dealer. It's been there since last Monday, so we've now been without the car for 4 weeks, and counting, out the last three months. We only have 21K on the car, and it's been driven on city streets and highway, not on backroads.