Short version: A clicking or knocking noise from the front of a Chevrolet Bolt or Bolt EUV is usually not the axle, the CV joint, or a wheel bearing — it’s a deteriorating front-axle anti-click washer shedding metallic debris onto the front wheel speed sensors. Caught early, it’s a cheap washer-and-cleanup job. Left alone, that debris can chew up the sensors themselves and trip your ABS or traction-control warning lights.
You turn the wheel pulling out of the driveway in your 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV and there it is: a clicking or knocking sound from the front, worst at low speed. It is the kind of noise that makes you brace for an expensive front-end repair. An axle, maybe. A CV joint. A wheel bearing. On the Bolt, it is usually none of those.
A customer came to us with exactly this. They had already done their homework and suspected the front axle anti-click washer, but they wanted the axle, CV joint, hub, wheel bearing, and suspension checked properly before spending money on a guess — and asked us to rotate the tires while the car was in.
What we found
We started where a front-end noise diagnosis should start: on the road, then under the car. Here is what our technician wrote on the repair order:
Took the vehicle on a test drive and was able to duplicate the clicking noise on both sides. I inspected the axles, CV joints, hubs and bearings. They all appear to be ok at this time. Then I removed the wheel speed sensors for both front wheels and found debris from the anti-click washers deteriorating.
The axles, joints, hubs, and bearings were fine. The noise was coming from the anti-click washer on the front axle nut — a small hardware piece that had started to break down and shed metallic grit. That grit had migrated onto the tip of each front wheel speed sensor, the sensor that reads how fast each wheel is turning. In the photos our technician took, you can see the crusty buildup packed right onto the sensor tip.
This is not a one-off. As the same note put it:
This is also a known problem with this generation of Bolts. Usually there is damage to the speed sensors as well but it looks like it got caught just in time.
That last line is the important part. On many of these we see the debris chew up the wheel speed sensor itself, which turns a hardware-washer job into a sensor replacement — and a damaged wheel speed sensor can also wake up the ABS or traction-control warning light. On this car, with under 30,000 miles on it, we caught it before the sensors were ruined.
The fix
Once the diagnosis was clear, the repair was straightforward:
Replaced both anti click washers and cleaned off the speed sensors. Test drove afterwards.
We replaced both front anti-click washers, cleaned the shed debris off both front wheel speed sensors, torqued everything back to spec, and road-tested the car to confirm the clicking was gone. Because the sensors were caught in time, they did not need to be replaced.
Why this is worth catching early
A clicking noise on a Bolt is easy to talk yourself out of. It comes and goes, the car drives fine, and nothing is flashing on the dash. But the failing part here is actively grinding itself into the wheel speed sensors. Left alone, a cheap washer problem can grow into replacing sensors and chasing ABS and traction-control faults. Catching it while it is still just a washer is the difference between a modest repair and a much larger one.
This washer is one entry on the short list of things we watch for across Chevrolet’s EVs and hybrids. A used Bolt is a genuinely great car, but every model has its own known quirks, and knowing them is most of what separates a proper diagnosis from a parts-cannon guess. It is the same lesson we lay out in our guide to buying a used hybrid or EV, and in why an EV problem’s repair bill often depends on the badge on the hood. It is also worth being picky about where a used one comes from, which is why we keep a short list of the used-car sellers we actually trust in Portland.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a clicking noise from my Bolt’s front end dangerous to drive on?
A slowly deteriorating anti-click washer is not usually an immediate safety problem, but it is not something to ignore either — the debris it sheds can damage the wheel speed sensors that feed your ABS and stability systems. If your Bolt is making a new clicking or knocking noise up front, have it looked at before it grows into a bigger repair.
Could my noise be the CV axle or a wheel bearing instead?
It could — those are exactly the parts a good shop rules out first, because they can make similar sounds and they are far more expensive to fix. On this car we drove it, then inspected the axles, CV joints, hubs, and bearings before we ever touched the washer. That order matters: you want the cheap, common cause confirmed, not assumed.
Will this turn on the ABS or traction-control light?
It can. The wheel speed sensor is part of the ABS and traction-control system, so once the shed debris damages a sensor, those warning lights can appear. Catching the washer early — before the sensor is damaged — is how you avoid that. It is another case where a small, inexpensive part causes an alarming-looking problem, which is a recurring theme across Chevrolet’s EVs and hybrids.
Related reading
- Chevrolet EVs and Hybrids: What We’ve Seen Servicing Them
- Thinking About Buying a Used Hybrid or EV? Read This First
- Why an EV’s Repair Bill Often Depends on the Brand
- Used-Car Dealers We Recommend in Portland
Think your Bolt has this? Email us at [email protected] or, to book, text us at 503-969-3134.
About the author: Travis Decker is the owner of Atomic Auto in Portland, Oregon, and an ASE Master Technician (L1, L3). Atomic Auto specializes in Toyota, hybrid, and EV service.