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Rear Axle Failure

45K views 150 replies 48 participants last post by  GuyDudeman 
#1 ·
24000km and 12 months old, noticed strange creaking noises coming from
Rear of vehicle at low speeds in reverse or forward motion. Not just on bumps, more just in motion. Dealer needed 1 week to diagnose and I’m getting a new axel next week. Strange. Noise sounded like two heavy metal hangers banging behind driver seat.
 
#5 ·
A squeaking noise doesn't sound like an axle failure, but it does sound like a lack of lube. Somebody on here recently had their front anti-roll bar links replaced for dry, squeaking joints. Insufficient lube, bads seals. Come on GM, that stuff is not rocket science.
 
#6 ·
Crabby Ermine I might have missed it but did the new axle correct your issue. I am having a similar issue
"creaking noises coming from Rear of vehicle" after 3 days at the dealership for diagnosing / duplicating
they too have ordered a new axle. Car is scheduled for repair tomorrow 11-14-18
2017 LT @ 21,904 build date 09/17
 
#12 ·
service department said they isolated my creaking to a "bushing" on the rear passenger suspension. and said bushing has to be ordered as part of an assembly that's on a "back order" type status. the service manager speculated that the part was being redesigned and the parts have been pulled from inventory so it might be awhile. thought they might know more by next week.

got the car back while they sort it out. he mentioned they called the GM mothership (my words) and it appears they know what the issue is.
 
#13 ·
Thanks Xj12 for the response and I did pass this on to my dealership here in Ohio as well. I know they tried verifying all torque specs along with what I think was new shocks. The issue was still present and from what I was told they too have spoken to the mother ship and ordered additional parts. I picked the car up late Friday and the service tec working on the car is off until Monday so I will talk with him then. Same as you I have the car back until parts arrive. Once I know more I will post the results. Again thanks for the information I really appreciate it.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I figured they would have my car for days to replace the axle assembly. They did the work in one day. Took it in at 8:00 AM and they called to say it was ready before 4:00 PM. Now I have an ICE vehicle with nearly a full tank.

They mentioned that the axle assembly was $1,200 and that it was a good thing it was under warranty.

My response was that I could live with the creaking noise if I had to pay that much.

Bottom-line, the service was great and the noise was eliminated completely. I was also surprised that they charged the car.
 
#17 ·
Hi our US friends! I am a member of Chevy Bolt club in Ukraine & Poland (EU). We faced the same issue with axle on our 2017 year cars. The dealers did not help, because they are not official GM dealers here who just ship and sell cars from the USA, poor service. We decided to help our clubmates and try to fix the problem ourselves. What we need... is a used axle for testing and modifications. Is it possible to find and order a used axle in the USA or maybe your dealer left the old defected axle for you as a souvenir? We'll pay for the shipping. If you can find a used one, we can agree about the price. Spending over $1K for a new one is too much. Thanks. My mail address is fm.ua@ua.fm
 
#18 ·
@Val sorry to hear that you don't have good warranty support for your Bolts there.

I never had this issue, and only know what you do by reading this thread.
I do know that in the us parts replaced under warranty, especially on a newer vehicle like the Bolt, typically are returned to the factory for analysis and supplier resolution.

I would be very surprised if anyone has a used axle.

My suggestion would be to check junk yards for a crashed Bolt that is being parted out. Or eBay.
 
#19 · (Edited)
I had a similar issue -- don't know if it was the same sound -- on my '19 Bolt about 6000 miles in. You can hear the sound in the short video here: The ping / creak was occurring at lower speeds (and usually in warmer weather), and primarily when there was differential stress on the rear suspension - bump on one side, not on the other, etc. After a couple visits, the dealership finally concluded that the noise was coming from the rear axle. They said it is a "double walled" axle, and that one of the walls was flexing into the other under certain circumstances, which made the noise. They apparently had to call GM Tech Advisory Center to help with the final diagnosis (my repair form (see below) indicates "TAC 9-5417628243" associated with this repair). Replaced the whole axle (under warranty) on recommendation of GM. Just got it back, and noise is gone (thank goodness). Hope that helps someone.

Text Font Document Paper
 
#20 ·
Thanks for posting the video, I think this is exactly the sound I’ve been hearing on ours as well, and in the exact same wheel area. Problem is, I think I’ve begun hearing it on the driver side front as well. But all the same, I’ve finally eked out some time in my schedule to bring it to the dealer next week. The sounds have gotten worse in this warm weather.
 
#24 ·
I have the same rear axle noise on my 2017 Bolt, and it is very low mileage at ~9,000. The service department took several days to isolate the noise via largely a process of elimination, swapping out many components in the process - when they finally identified it, they brought me into the shop and demonstrated the clunk while the car was on the lift. The axle is designed to flex. By applying upward pressure (a jack) on one side of the axle, they can replicate clunk/click - it comes directly from the axle itself. They speculated that I probably heard the sound most often when one wheel goes high, torquing the axle vertically - running over a bump on one side, for example. Insofar as I can tell, that is correct. While the service dept does not believe that it presents a safety issue (after all, I have the "clunker" back, they have ordered the replacement to be installed in a few days. My car was the first one into the dealership with the problem, however, during the remainder of the week, 3 others came in for the issue.

They pointed out that since the Bolt is so quiet, and since the sound insulation is less than most cars, noises like this are more perceptible. But there was no hesitation on their part to order the replacement since they don't have enough history with the axle to know if it would pose a downstream hazard.
 
#25 ·
You bring up a good point here. I’ve actually done the last 2 tire rotations myself using a floor jack in the garage, and I’ve reliably been able to replicate the clunk / tink / annoying noise every time I jack that side of the vehicle up. As it turns out though, the Bolt is still with them and haven’t gotten back to me yet as to what they think is going on.
 
#34 ·
Love the chevybolt.org forum as a resource to share info. Encountered noise from right rear similar to that recorded in earlier video. Appointment scheduled tomorrow at Weseloh Chevrolet, Carlsbad, CA (dealer where ‘19 Bolt EV LT purchased). Coming up on 37K miles. Will share my findings with Service Department and post results after their evaluation.
 
#35 ·
UPDATE to my post (11/12/19)

Politely received at 7A by Service Consultant, Oscar Chavez. Gave him a history of my '19 Bolt EV LT, three tire rotations, no issues other than noise from right rear noticed about 2 months ago and getting louder. I referred to rear axel video posted by sjdprods and replayed it for Oscar offering him a ride around that he might hear it himself (noise was audibly evident in one 360 degree turn in the service area). Oscar had the GM TAC no. 9-5417628243 as I gave this to Dealer when I set up today's appointment. Next step offered by Oscar was to leave vehicle for Bolt Tech to evaluate problem. I was prepared to wait a few hours, but was informed that Dealer has only one qualified Tech for Bolts/Volts and that this Tech was "backed up." Oscar could not tell me whether my car would be looked at today, said maybe tomorrow, but provided no "certainty" when Tech would be able to evaluate or confirm problem. Dealer does not offer loaners. I understand $$$ association with a loaner program and am prepared to rent a car, but given the uncertainty of when and how long this initial Tech evaluation will take, I will schedule an appointment for the evaluation late next March '20 when I have access to our other car (a BMW i3 Rex). Hopefully Dealer can give me assurance that my '19 Bolt EV LT will be looked at within a more reasonable time frame then.

Oscar mentioned he personally has a Volt and Bolt. Great vehicles (two of my associates have Volts), but the lack of sufficient Dealer Technicians for these cars is troubling.

Bottom line. No Tech evaluation yet.

More posts to follow until the issue is resolved in my saga.
 
#36 ·
Hmm.. Do you have an extended warranty? The typical B2B warranty coverage is 36K. My concern is that if you don't have this, they may deny when you bring it back to them in March. In my case, it took them a total of 3 weeks of the Bolt being with them to diagnose and repair. Also, if I remember correctly, the cost associated with it was in the order of several thousand to have the rear axle replaced, but since I brought it under warranty (I was still under 30K), everything was covered.
 
#41 ·
Think Dealer's vague response is a runaround? I sent a email to the Service Consultant upon arriving at my office requesting a day/time when their EV qualified Tech would evaluate. Fair questions, right? I'm prepared to rent a vehicle if necessary for a day for the evaluation but an "open ended" rental period is not practical (IMHO). Fingers crossed.
 
#43 ·
I hope the "mothership" is interested. I've owned many cars (incl. some GM products early to mid-80s that were frankly disappointing) and was reluctant to give the General another shop.
A year and a few months later I can say I am pleasantly surprised with my 2019 Bolt EV LT (other than the noise which started a few months ago). Fingers crossed the my right rear noise problem is diagnosed and resolved quickly.
 
#44 ·
I hope the "mothership" is interested. I've owned many cars (incl. some GM products early to mid-80s that were frankly disappointing) and was reluctant to give the General another shop.
A year and a few months later I can say I am pleasantly surprised with my 2019 Bolt EV LT (other than the noise which started a few months ago). Fingers crossed the my right rear noise problem is diagnosed and resolved quickly.
UPDATE TO my initial post (11/12/19)

Change to another dealer.

No email or call from Service Consultant at Weseloh Chevrolet from where I purchased my 2019 Bolt EV LT. I'm disappointed but not surprised by the lack of follow-up.

Decided to call another dealership, Connell Chevrolet, within a few miles of my office this morning. They had no problem in receiving me within an hour of my conversation with Service Consultant, Dave Anderson. Dave was professional, heard my story, wrote up a service order, and offered a shuttle to my office saying that he would be back to me later in the day. Five hours later I received a his call that the evaluation was complete. Guess what? A shuttle came to pick me up and paperwork notes an axle replacement which is on back order. It may take a few weeks before the necessary parts come in but I was informed my 2019 Bolt EV LT can be driven in the interim and that they'll have the work completed in one (1) day.

I'll continue to post on my saga as it unfolds. Fingers crossed the axle replacement resolves the noise issue.

Find a Dealer that is vested in qualified personnel when you buy or consider an EV. Connell Chevrolet is! They have three (3) qualified EV Techs.
 
#45 ·
via chevrolet.com - The Chevrolet Powertrain Limited Warranty covers specific components of your vehicle, such as, but not limited to, the engine and transmission, for 60,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first. It is fully transferable with no fees and no deductibles. The Roadside Assistance and Courtesy Transportation programs are also included for the first 60,000 or 5 years, whichever comes first. For more details, please visit your Chevrolet dealer.

via valleychevy.com - Oct 1, 2019 - Basically, a Powertrain warranty, also known as your car or truck Chevy factory warranty, covers the most expensive and most important parts of your vehicle: its engine, its axle assemblies, its transfer case and its transmission. ...
 
#46 ·
My bolt is a 6/2019 build, 1000 mi. I'm occasionally hearing a ping from the back similar to sjdprods video in Post #19. I'll probably be headed for a rear axle replacement at some point. Glad I have this info handy so I know what's going on and what to direct the dealer to.

I took a look at the axle assembly. Pretty simple. Amazing that something like that could be defective so soon. Makes you wonder how long GM has been designing and building cars. :unsure:
 
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