general problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Volt - part 1

Failure of battery energy control module (becm), within the high Voltage battery. Vehicle is unable to charge and sets “reduced power” message. Gm released special coverage bulletin for this issue (n232432680), but this vehicle is not listed due to which state it was registered. Continued failure of the becm will lead to inoperability of the vehicle.

Coolant was found inside the lithium-ion battery module when the dealership opened it to repair a different issue. They condemned the battery on the spot. There was no damage to the battery module. All pms were performed at Chevrolet dealerships throughout the life of the car. All recalls were fixed. Including the becm replacement the car is known have problems with. Car had 127,000 miles on it. One of the service reps even admited that he's seen it on multiple cars and that it is a manufacturing problem. Dealership said the repair is $29,000. The car was $35000 new 10 years ago. Thank god there was no fire, I drove my family around in that car for years. The dealership won't even let me see the diagnosis report online anymore. . .

Three separate high-voltage battery section failures within one year, each causing complete loss of propulsion. Two occurred at freeway speeds on [xxx]. Failure 1 ([xxx]): vehicle lost propulsion. Dealer diagnosed dtc p0afa (low Voltage), failed cell in battery section 3. Section 3 replaced under gm special coverage n232432680 (becm, 15yr/150k). Vehicle out of service approximately six months awaiting gm authorization and parts. Failure 2 ([xxx]): vehicle lost propulsion on [xxx] at night at freeway speeds. Required towing. Dealer diagnosed dtc p0afa, cell 85 at 1. 85v in battery section 1 (different section). Section 1 replaced under same special coverage. Vehicle returned Jan 28, 2026. Failure 3 ([xxx], ~300 miles after failure 2 repair): vehicle again lost propulsion on the freeway with check engine light, then progressed to no-start condition. Towed to dealer. Diagnosed Feb 20, 2026: dtc p0afa, cell 57 at 1. 5v in battery section 2 (gm minimum spec 2. 5v). Third distinct section failure. Vehicle remains at dealer awaiting gm repair authorization as of filing date. Safety concern: loss of propulsion at freeway speeds is an immediate safety hazard. During the Nov 2025 event, the vehicle lost power on [xxx] at night in active traffic. The progressive failure pattern (three different sections failing sequentially in the same pack, identical dtc) suggests a systemic defect rather than isolated component failures. Prior section replacements have not resolved the underlying problem. Vehicle has been usable approximately 20 total days in the past 12 months. All repairs performed or pending under gm special coverage n232432680. Gm case [xxx]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

There is a ongoing problem with the becm on 2016-2018 Volts. Mine is one of them. Contacted Chevrolet and they say my VIN isn’t under the extended coverage. I believe it should be and can’t stand they won’t cover my car under warranty. Is there anything you can do?.

Experiencing intermittent propulsion system failure with multiple simultaneous warning messages on 2017 Chevrolet Volt at approximately 59,000 miles. Warnings displayed: - "propulsion power reduced" message - "check tire pressure monitoring system" (false alert - all tires properly inflated and recently replaced) - multiple dashboard warning lights including exclamation point indicators - vehicle exhibits abnormal driving characteristics pattern: issue occurs intermittently while driving. Vehicle can be restarted and may operate normally afterward, then fault returns unpredictably. Safety concern: this matches documented battery energy control module (becm) failure pattern referenced in gm investigation n232432680/pe23022 and customer satisfaction program 17228 recall n172096420 for reduced propulsion power in 2016-2018 Volts. Review of owner complaints shows other 2017 Volt owners experiencing sudden complete loss of propulsion while driving at highway speeds, creating dangerous situations requiring evasive action by other drivers. Risk: loss of propulsion power while driving with dependent passengers creates serious crash risk. Vehicle is used for daily transportation of minor children. Request: vehicle exhibits known defect pattern but manufacturer has not extended recall coverage. Request investigation into whether recall should be expanded to cover additional affected vehicles.

My car started having issues with the hybrid system, with fault alerts related to the drive motor control module, hybrid powertrain control module, and battery energy control module in the transmission, and the vehicle is available for inspection if needed. The engine light had been on for about a week, and I was waiting for availability at work to take it to a mechanic. While driving around 70 mph on the highway, a “propulsion power reduced” message suddenly came on and the car started limiting its speed. As I kept driving, the power continued to drop, making it unsafe to stay at highway speeds and putting both me and other drivers at risk since the car couldn’t keep up with traffic and could slow down unexpectedly. I took it to an independent mechanic who confirmed the issue and warned me it was dangerous to drive because the speed would keep decreasing as power dropped. So far, only an independent mechanic has inspected it. After doing some research, I found this is a very common problem with 2016–2018 chevy Volts, with many people reporting similar situations where their cars lost power or started jerking at high speeds and they had to pull over.

The becm (battery energy control module) failed. The vehicle illuminated the mil and the driver display to show a "reduced power". When restarted, the display showed "shift to park", which I did several times. After a couple of restarts it displayed the "reduced power" message, but would not go into drive. The mil was illuminated the entire time. Through numerous key cycles I got the VIN operable and took it to the dealer for repair. The becm part is at the dealer or on its way back to gm as a core return. While this occurred while I was leaving my garage, it could have occurred in traffic, which would put me or others at risk. The problem was investigated by my local dealer (currie Chevrolet in forest park, IL) and it was determined to be both a bad battery energy control module (becm) and a bad shifter assembly. The shifter had been replaced (or repaired?) for an earlier shift to park failure per TSB 23-na-119. The dealer kept the becm as a core. I have pictures of the core. The dealer or gm should have that core. The above described warning lamps and messages and systems first appeared at the time of the event that lead me to take it other dealer ASAP. Note the condition and model year is described in gm special coverage letter "n232432680 battery energy control module malfunction". Nhtsa investigation pe23022 lead to this coverage letter. Per gm, while my vehicle experienced the conditions and is in the model year coverage of the letter, its VIN is not covered. I think NHTSA should re-open the investigation and consider a recall. There could be other vins susceptible this failure condition. There could be operators of those vins who cannot afford the expense (~$3000 or more) or downtime of the repair, and will keep operating the vehicle, putting people at risk again. If a recall is not supportable, I'd request that the VIN list be expanded to cover all possible defective becms.

I was driving in stop and go traffic on a relatively busy road when I was cut off. I braked hard to avoid a collision. Immediately afterwards, the car would not respond to the accelerator and would not go forward. I was in the middle of the road and the car would not respond. It could have caused an accident. I put the car into park and then back into drive and it seemed to work again. But I am now worried about the car.

I am reporting a series of safety concerns regarding my 2017 chevy Volt, which have persisted despite multiple attempts to address them with the dealership. These issues pose significant risks to my safety and that of others on the road. On January 18th, 2024, I brought my vehicle to the dealer after experiencing reduced propulsion power while driving on the highway, coupled with the illumination of the check engine light. The mechanic performed a quick inspection and used a gm scan tool to diagnose the issue, revealing the code p1e00 for the hybrid powertrain control module 2, which was cleared without a thorough investigation. I was advised to return if the issue reoccurred. Despite the reset, the problem persisted, and on February 9th, 2024, I scheduled another appointment due to my chevy Volt's high Voltage battery charging only to 65% capacity despite indicating a full charge. Subsequently, on February 11th, 2024, the check engine light illuminated again, and on February 12th, 2024 and again on November 25th, 2025, while driving to work, both times I experienced a loss of propulsion power on the highway, placing my safety at risk and lost all power in a traveling lane of traffic. These ongoing issues with propulsion power and the high-voltage battery charging system are not only inconvenient but also potentially dangerous. Despite multiple visits to the dealership and attempts to diagnose and resolve the problem, it persists, indicating a systemic issue that requires immediate attention. The reduced propulsion power while driving on the highway, coupled with the illuminationi urge the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) to investigate this matter thoroughly to ensure the safety of chevy Volt drivers and passengers. It is imperative that general motors addresses these issues promptly and implements appropriate measures to prevent further incidents.

On 10/14, I was driving the car to my job, when the car suddenly switched from its electric battery power to its internal combustion engine. The vehicle's information screen only showed that the battery was unavailable. I was able to operate the car on only the internal combustion engine to arrive at work. However, when I went to leave several hours later, the car would not start. The car was towed to a dealership and apparently repaired after about a week. However, the repair, a software reset, did not fixt the underlying issues, and on 10/27, after having the car for five days, the car again failed on my way to work, displaying a "shift to park" message and not starting. I towed the car to the same dealership, and they had it until 11/04. I recovered my car and drove it again to work that same day, but the car failed again due to the dealership not correctly diagnosing the issue, which appears to be the becm, a failure related to bulletin n232432680. Due to this issue, I was left stranded on a busy highway for several hours on multiple occasions, and have not have a working vehicle since 10/14, meaning I have had to call off of work on multiple days, losing non-trivial amounts of income and undue economic hardship, due to this issue. Neither the dealership nor general motors have offered any kind of help or support, and have generally attempted to avoid responding to my repeated phonecalls. Prior to this issue, there were no warnings or symptoms that I observed.

My egr system caused a check engine light. P0401 this is an extremely well documented issue on gen2 Volts, especially 2017 models. Simply searching "egr" on the Volt subreddit or forums returns hundreds of related threads. This issue can lead to a clogged egr valve, causing further damage. A temporary resolution is unplugging the egr valve, which I have not yet done. But this leaves the cel illuminated, and without daily scanner, I wouls not know if other issues arise, causing a significant safety hazard.

Vehicle propulsion system failed. According to chevy dealer the battery energy control module and a/t control park switch and harness failed. Warning lights came on when the failure happened. Failure happened just past the extended 150k mile warranty. But car in only 8 years old.

Egr valve failed in this vehicle <55,000 miles. The egr valve has an electronic component that, when fails, can cause the car to shut down by blowing the "walk home" fuse. This is a safety issue. This is a well documented problem (internet) and Chevrolet refuses to fix it, leaving the owners with an expensive replacement quoted at $3900 (sept 2025). Recommend that it be covered by the emissions warranty, which was recently extended to 150,000 miles and 8 years for other problematic emissions components. An electric vehicle that cannot be driven because an egr valve is faulty - it's a joke.

Check engine light came on car was able to start but the cluster started reading the battery being full with a charge. And was having trouble starting. Fast forward a day I get a propulsion system reduced warning on the dash as I’m entering the highway and the car fails to stay on I’m able to pull it to the shoulder and I cannot get the car to start. Get towed home throw it on the charger and the dash says unable to charge. Swap the 12v (checked it and it died) thinking that might fix the problem since the car was able to power on but not start. To no avail through my code reader and code p1e00 code. Took it to my local dealer and was told id need replace the becm… and was quoted 33xx for the repair. Had any of this happened while I was on the freeway I might not have been able to make it to the shoulder potentially putting myself and others on the road and a possibly fatal situation.

I was driving my car from houston to dallas when I got the "reduced propulsion" message and a check engine light. When I first saw the reduced propulsion issue I thought it might be related to the becm issue again since I had already experienced that problem before. In the last few minutes of my trip the ac started to get hot and when I checked the coolant temperature I noticed it was around 240 - 255 f. I hadn't noticed it since there was no warning light for high temperature which I am used to with other cars. I'm not sure of the full extent of the issues yet, but I know for certain that the egr valve has failed completely at about 71,500 miles. This is with very few miles on the actual ice. I typically only use the ice for a few hundred miles of driving each year. Fortunately for me, even though the cel came on for the reduced propulsion I was able to reach my destination. However, when I went to leave, the car left me stranded as the ice would shut down after a few minutes of running. The propulsion system is reduced and the engine becomes unavailable. Only the battery power will allow the car to drive. The f3 fuse in the egr circuit blows if the engine is activated, and has happened multiple times already confirming the egr issue. I have additional check engine lights that are a result of the egr failure to circulate coolant properly. Below is a list of all the cel codes that were pulled: p06db p0030 p0031 p0403 p0405 p0443 p0458 p0489 p0597 p0598 p06da p0ac4 p0135 p0ac4 p16e0 looking into this issue I found that this is an one of the most common failures in the chevy Volts but is no longer covered under the vehicle warranty and no bulletins posted for an extended warranty other than the becm failure. This failure is so prevalent that I am surprised it is not.

Propulsion power reduced and check engine light came on my 2017 chevy Volt - been happening a few times now the last week.

While driving approximately 65 mph on an interstate highway, the vehicle's check engine light illuminated. Very shortly after, the dashboard screen displayed the message "propulsion power reduced," and the internal combustion engine turned on. The vehicle's power was significantly reduced, almost causing an accident when another car started merging without checking their blind spot, forcing me into the left lane in front of a third vehicle that had to brake sharply to allow me to accelerate to keep up with traffic in that lane. Upon scanning the vehicle with an obdii reader, codes p1e00, p1f06, u2603, u2604, u2605, u2606, u2617, and u2618 were present. Together, these codes indicate an issue with the battery energy control module (becm). The vehicle is currently at a Chevrolet dealer, awaiting replacement of the becm under the applicable warranty extension.

Portion message car stalled on hey.

Driving on interstate doing 65 and suddenly warning pops up and car dies immediately. I was lucky to get over to the edge and not wreck or cause an accident. Found that the 12 Volt battery was not being charged without warning until failure. Found a 15 amp fuse blown in the high Voltage relay module.

I got a warning from my car a little over a week ago (around 6/1, unsure of exact date) that I needed to service the battery charging system, but then the check engine indicator light shut off and so did the warning light. The hybrid battery took a charge with no issues after that. Then, I left work the evening of 6/9 and drove home. On my way home, the check engine light came back on, followed by warnings that I needed to shift to park. Before I could pull over, my car stopped moving. Cars had to stop abruptly behind me and navigate around me into incoming traffic. I shifted to park, then tried to turn my car off and on again. I tried to switch between the gas engine and the battery, I tried to move my vehicle in any way. I couldn't get it into neutral to push it out of traffic. I turned on my hazard lights and a person came out from his house to assist in directing traffic away from my car for about an hour while I waited for a tow truck to arrive. The kind bystander who directed traffic and I were very concerned about a car accident happening due to my stopped vehicle. A police officer stopped by to check on us and try and get my vehicle into neutral but he was unable and said he was on his way to a 911 dispatch so he did not write a report of any kind that I could see. He told me the vehicle placement was not safe and I agreed with him. The tow truck came as he was leaving. The dealership I sent my car to said it is likely a short circuit in the 12v battery but I know the becm in the chevy Volt is known to cause similar behavior. Dealership refused to service the becm when asked about it.

While driving the vehicle, the car shut down. Thankfully I was coming to a yield at a round about after exiting the interstate. I was finally able to get it to restart and proceeded on my way. If this had happened on the interstate myself, and other drivers would be at risk due to unassisted steering and braking. I also have experienced intermittent periods of "reduction of power" while on the interstate and other 55mph plus highways. This presents a hazard to myself and other drivers as well. These issues are covered for similar vehicles under special warranty coverage n232432680 as required by NHTSA on March 6, 2024. My vehicle also exhibits all of the primary symptoms described in that coverage, but gm claims that my vehicle is not covered. Cel is on. Can't charge condition reduced power no start condition.

There was a recall for the hpcm2 where the propulsion power reduced warning would come on whenever the car's cell battery was depleted. This happened with my car and there were several times it slowed on the freeway and on exit ramps as I tried to safely get my car off the road. It first happened on 4/13/25. I took my car to a regular mechanic who charged me 3k of repairs on basic maintenance, new tires, etc but were unable to fix this issue. They advised it was a manufacturer issue and to go to a hybrid specialist or a dealership. I called a hybrid specialist who found the faulty code and advised the same. I took my car to felix Chevrolet (3330 s. Figueroa st. La, CA 90007) and they offered to do many maintenance service items that I had done earlier this week in an attempt to fix the hpcm2 software bug. After I told them that the maintenance items were complete, they called me back an hour later to tell me I needed other maintenance repairs that are less common. When I gave them the description of the recall and re-explained this is identical to my car's symptoms and that this manufacturing issue may have affected other vehicles like mine that were outside of the recall batch, they told me it was impossible to apply this diagnosis as long as my VIN number was outside of the recall batch. Can you please add my VIN to this recall or have my car reviewed by someone who can debug the software?.

Unknown my car has been accelerating and decelerating on it’s own while I’m driving. I got it checked with fix finder and states that my egr valve and abs system failed. I brought it to a mechanic for a repair and I was told that the valve was unplugged so they plugged it back in and cleaned it , and said that everything was fine it said it might also be the cause of the failed abs system but everything looks fine. After I got it fixed, it’s doing the same again and it’s worse this time. The car is accelerating on it’s own faster than what it did but the dashboard is saying 0mph. I was driving in the highway when it happened and it’s scary so I had to pull over.

Vehicle lost all motive power while driving on the highway. Vehicle is part of gm special coverage program number n232432680 for becm issues up to 150,000 miles. Vehicale currently has 109350 miles. Failure on highway while driving is unacceptable and should have been a recall instead of special warranty. Gm support is not helpful with service or transportation (one month out for service only at select locations). Vehicle will not restart and had to be pushed from the roadway.

Battery energy control module failure there is an existing nthsb issue related: n232432680 I was told my VIN is not included in this issue, so the failure is not covered under warranty by gm. That said, the same failure and symptoms occurred (prompt multiple battery cell failures leading to electric drive inoperable). I was told, by others with Volt's who had same issue, that my VIN was not included because it was under a pzev warranty since it was originally sold in California. I do not live in California, so the extended 150k mile / 15 year warranty does not apply to me. Car is currently at the dealership, and I was told the same repairs as in this nthsb issue are needed at a price of > $2,500. As such, I am asking to have my VIN added to this issue for reimbursement.

My chevy Volt went into reduced propulsion system power mode, the engine light came on and the vehicle stalled while sitting at a traffic light on [xxx] at [xxx] in tyler texas. Checking the computer and the complaints online I found that my 15 amp #03 fuse (no walk home) had blown. I replaced the fuse and the next day on [xxx] the same thing happened again after driving 30 miles. The vehicle stalled at an intersection outside of tyler texas. The egr valve is known to cause the fuse to blow, so I had no choice but to unplug the egr valve and replaced the fuse and has not blown the fuse since. This is both a safety issue and an emissions issue, but the replacement part cannot be found anywhere to purchase anymore so I am having to drive this vehicle with this ongoing safety issue. Due to the nature of the egr valve blowing the fuse all the time and that it affects the safety of the vehicle a nationwide recall needs to be done on these vehicles to force gm to start making the part again. This is a dangerous flaw that will cause the vehicle to stall and create a safety hazard. This has been ongoing for quite some time with these Volts, and something needs to be done about it ASAP. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My car needs an egr valve replacement and this is a known and common problem with this car and now they are trying to charge me outrageous prices for an issue that they know is defective. The becm , the egr valve, and the shift to park. Need to be recognized as recalls.

The egr valve failed. This caused the vehicle to have insufficient propulsion while driving. The dealer has confirmed the egr valve is the problem. The vehicle is at the dealership. The check engine light came on. The dealer is now stating the replacement egr valve is a $4000 part because gm stopped making the part when they discontinued the Volt. An egr valve should cost $250-$400 not $4000. The current trade-in value of my vehicle is only $7000. I cannot get my vehicle fixed due to the cost and the vehicle is too dangerous to drive due to the power loss issues.

I was driving effortlessly down [xxx] between san francisco and santa cruz when suddenly I seemed to be losing power. Pressing the accelerator/gas pedal was not obtaining the usual result and I was going slower and slower by what felt like the second. I also noticed that it switched to gas although it said there were around 12 miles on the ev battery which was a sign that something was wrong. Fortunately there was a break and traffic was going at a speed which allowed me to make it across three lanes of traffic in just enough time for an alert posted on my dash saying something about loss of propulsion (not sure what it said exactly, because, I was driving!) and I coasted onto the shoulder, but barely. By that time it indicated that there were zero miles on the ev battery. (2 weeks prior I had been unable to start the parked car. I had the 12v battery replaced as the local mechanic where it was towed thought that that might be the cause. ) I turned the car off and back on and when I tried to shift to d or r the dash stated "return to p" aaa made us a priority tow as we were on a major thoroughfare. We were at risk, but thankfully we were relatively safe. I called gm to say that it seemed that the ev battery had died suddenly. I was advised to bring it to the dealer. I called the dealer and they quoted me the cost of replacing the ev battery. They mentioned nothing of national highway traffic safety administration investigation into the model year 2016 through 2019 Chevrolet Volt amid complaints about the hybrid’s battery energy control module, or becm, some of the complaints indicating that drivers had little to no warning before the car lost operating power or entered reduced power mode, which was exactly what had happened to me. Nor did they mention a letter I discovered on line dated March 6,2024 re:battery energy control module malfunction, and stating that they would be contacting customers. I was never contacted. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 55.

The egr valve and egr cooler went out on the vehicle while driving on the highway, causing my propolsion power to decrease or rendered unusable. This also caused inconsistent engine pressure and caused my engine to overheat, having to pull over multiple times while driving. The problem has been diagnosed by a chevorlet certified repair center. There were no warning lamps or messages until the problem began abrubtly while driving.

Egr failed, which blew out the walk home fuse. That is a safety issue. Gm discountunued Volts and the egr value is not available worldwide.

Several years ago, when I was driving the vehicle, I got a sudden "reduced propulsion alert" and the onboard coolant temperature gauge showed a significant spike in temperature. To avoid overheating, I had to pull over on the side of the highway. In the onboard fuse box, there was a blown f3 fuse. I replaced the fuse and the same issue happened again last year. After some online research, it is clear that the egr valve failed. Unplugging the valve and replacing the fuse has returned the vehicle to normal operations, but it's now out of compliance with local emissions regulations. Gm has failed to properly produce replacement parts. As of Feb 11, 2026, a local gm dealer in bloomington, in quoted a backorder and unclear wait time on a replacement part and quoted me at $2,000+ just for the part. If not for my quick thinking, this part failure could have overheated my vehicle causing extensive damages. Gm has failed to produce enough replacement parts and given the safety issues associated with a blown fuse and overheating, NHTSA should order a recall on this part and force gm to replace the parts for owners. This is a widespread problem documented among Volt owners, and the only stopgap issue is to drive the vehicle out of compliance with local emissions rules.

Propulsion power reduced and car had trouble breaking and would stall for a moment. Will not let me use the ev range even though the ev battery is at fully charge.

This is a safety issue for chevy Volt. After seven years of good operation, our 2017 Chevrolet Volt stopped running in traffic while we were driving on 18 Dec 2024. The check engine light was on, and "reduced propulsion" message on dashboard panel. We brought it to the dealer from whom we purchased the vehicle. Tech report paraphrased, customer states ck engine light is on and "reduced propulsion" message on dash fault codes: p0030, p0031, p0054, p0135, p0403, p0405, p0443, p0458, p0489, p0597, p0598, p06da, p06db found fuse [f03] blown for egr valve likely egr valve sticking and causing fuse to blow. The technician stated the exhaust gas recirculation (egr) valve is defective, and needs to be replaced. Replacements are scarce, on backorder, and can be many weeks or months to wait for a part. Many report their Volt unusable, sitting idle, waiting for egr replacement. Egr valve replacement cost is quoted as $2800, which is quite expensive for a valve replacement. This has been happening in recent time to many Volt owners. There are many reports in online forums and no the gm forum website. . Read more...

My car stopped all of a sudden and lost power while my wife was driving. She could've been in a major accident since the car lost power. This has happened a few times in the past. Luckily she wasn't on the freeway or she could've been rear ended at highway speeds. There were warning lamps that said check engine and "lost propulsion". This should be looked at closely as my safety as well as the safety of others was at risk. Very dangerous situation! I had my car towed to the nearest auto repair shop where it is being looked at.