Equipment Problems of Chevrolet Volt - part 1

I would like to file a formal complaint. 2017 Volt suffered an evap purge line hole due to the failure of the remedy applied under NHTSA campaign id 19v891000. Recall #n192273600 was completed on my vehicle in 2020 by installing a protective bumper. That bumper failed by shifting out of place, and the a/c line has now rubbed a hole completely through my evap purge pipe—the exact failure the recall was designed to prevent. I called gm and asked for a goodwill policy adjustment, and they refused as my dealer had already offered me a $500 reduction to the repair. The total cost of the repair is over $2700.

See all problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Volt 🔎.

The vehicle operates normally in all-electric mode for its full range of approximately 48 miles. The failure occurs consistently at the exact moment the high-voltage battery depletes and the vehicle attempts its automatic transition from electric propulsion to the internal combustion engine. At the point of transition, an unexpected surging or sudden acceleration occurred, followed immediately by a propulsion power reduced warning and an engine not available message on the instrument panel. The gas engine completely failed to engage or deliver power. Because the battery was depleted, the vehicle suffered an immediate, severe loss of motive power and rapidly decelerated in active traffic despite full depression of the accelerator pedal. This sudden inability to maintain road speed during the powertrain handover left the vehicle stalled in traffic, creating an acute risk of a rear-end collision. The vehicle has not yet undergone formal inspection or scanning by a dealership or repair facility due to diagnostic fee barriers that should be covered by manufacturer safety protocols. The vehicle and its components remain in their failed, unmodified state and are available for inspection upon request. The failure condition involves a breakdown in hybrid powertrain handoff systems, consistent with documented defects in the battery energy control module (becm) under gm special coverage program n232432680, or critical failures in the engine management and exhaust gas recirculation circuits that prevent transition to gasoline power. General motors must investigate and address the safety implications of plug-in hybrid vehicles abruptly losing all motive power when electric charge is exhausted.

See all problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Volt 🔎.

I was driving back from [xxx] on xxx, when I received a "propulsion power limited" message on my dash with a check engine light. I pulled off to a nearby gas station and tried to scan the code to figure out what was going on when I then received the message "engine unavailable" and the car shut off. I checked the fuse box and found that the f03 fuse had blown. I replaced the fuse and attempted to start the car again. It began normally, but then after driving 10 feet, I received the "engine unavailable" message again with a check engine light and the car no longer had power and I had to coast into a parking spot. I checked the fuse again and found it was blown. If I had not stopped in the gas station, I would have been stranded on the side of the highway, or worse yet, I would have stalled out on the highway and potentially got hit. I had my car towed to a dealership who eventually completed their inspection of the car on xxx and determined that the egr valve had failed (the servo motor burned out and blew the f03 fuse). This is a well known issue on the 2nd generation of Volts and it is likely faulty servo motors in the egr valves. The dealership even included in its financial assistance request to chevy on my behalf that the egr valve failure is a known issue. When asked if there was any preventative maintenance suggested to prevent the egr valve from failing, the service technician indicated that there wasn't anything that I did as the end user to cause the problem. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

What component or system failed? when the bcem failed on my car, it led directly to the transmission failing as well as the pim. I was driving normally then had a completely inoperable car with no warning. I was told to pay over $17k for repairs by the dealership because there is no recall on the transmission, but I see proof that this is a common issue among Volt users. There needs to be a recall and repair to keep the road safe. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I was driving on a busy road to school when my car fully locked up, jerked like crazy, and became inoperable. If I had been somewhere like a freeway instead of in front of a school, I likely would have become badly injured when the wheels stopped even turning. The tow truck even had to use wood under my wheels to get it onto the tow truck. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I took it to the dealership and worked only with them. They replaced the bcem without charge but have left me with an inoperable vehicle because I am unwilling to pay twice the cost of the car to repair it. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer? dealership. But also, as mentioned, this is clearly common and needs to be recalled. A 2018 car with 117k miles of gentle driving on a well maintained vehicle shouldn't be failing, and there shouldn't be so many Volts being sold for parts because their transmission failed. This is clearly a dangerous issue related to production and should have a recall. Were there any symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? I bought the car with just under 16k miles in 2021 and within 3 months I had symptoms, but the dealership couldn't figure them out, as they happened intermittently and only in heat, and the dealership always sent me away without repairs. The failure itself happened at 62°, but was foreshadowed by lesser versions of its demise.

Rear view camera display experiences intermittent failures. The display only occasionally works when the car is placed in reverse. This has led to nearly impacting one or more pedestrians when the car is driven in reverse.

See all problems of the 2014 Chevrolet Volt 🔎.

Dealer non-compliance with recall n192273600 I am reporting anderson Chevrolet for failure to identify and perform a mandatory federal emission recall while the vehicle was in their possession for service. Because the dealer neglected their statutory duty to perform the free recall repair, I was forced to spend $584. 83 at independent shops to diagnose and fix a defect that is a direct mechanical match to the recall repair. General motors has denied reimbursement, claiming the independent shops repair is ineligible, despite the fact that the dealer’s original negligence created the need for the independent repair. I did call the general motors customer relations department, was told by breanna a case would be opened and followed up by angel. No case number given. Angel called the next day and informed me the reimbursement was denied because services were rendered by an independent shop.

My 2018 chevy Volt started making a creaking and clanking noise when driven at low speeds. Dealer diagnosed the problem as being the rear shocks and bushing. Replacing these did not fix the problem. Not sure if this is a safety issue or not.

It was the xxx recall for the dtc p0442/check engine light code. The dealership said that the recall had been satisfied in 6/2020 by putting a buffer in to separate the 2 lines but not replacing the part. Now the exact same code dtc p0442/check engine light in the exact spot that occurred for the original recall. The dealership originally quoted $5,093, then after me complaining that it is the same recalled problem they dropped the cots to $2384. I believe that is an agreement that the manufacturer should cover this. Of course I will have to pay to get my car but I would like the manufacturer to reimburse me for it seeing it was a manufacturer default. I spoke to the manufacturer they flat out refused to cover it. I obviously disagree. Would like you to pressure them to change their decision. Thank you, [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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.

Gm is not honoring coverage from n232432680 for carb vehicles in non-carb states. They have failed to tie carb vehicle vins to the coverage in n232432680.

See all problems of the 2016 Chevrolet Volt 🔎.

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.

Dashboard displays “shift to park” message even when the shifter is in the park position for the past month. I am unable to turn off the vehicle completely until I shift to drive then back to park multiple times.

While driving 50mph on a 4 lane highway, propulsion reduced speed and engine unavailable message came on and the car immediately shut down, a car almost hit me because of it. I had to hurry up jump out and try and push it off the road out of oncoming traffic! after about 15 minutes of turning car off and then back on. It finally started again, I then drove 1/4 mile and it did it again this time as turning left across a 2 lane highway with traffic oncoming, once again had to hurry up and jump out and push it out of the road! this was such an extremely scary situation for me and I thank god my wife wasn’t driving with our daughter and grand kids! this is the 2nd time because on 8/1/2025 it did the same thing while driving on a major 4 lane toll road, was able to pull off to side of the highway but had to be towed home!.

On [xxx], our 2018 chevy Volt experienced a critical becm (battery energy control module) failure while being driven by our [xxx] daughter. The failure caused the vehicle to enter limp mode, resulting in a severe loss of power and the inability to shift properly. Most alarmingly, the brakes failed to function correctly—despite being fully engaged, the car continued to move forward at a red light, placing our daughter in immediate danger. She was only able to safely stop the vehicle by maneuvering it off the road into a parking lot. This becm defect is a well-documented issue for chevy Volts from 2016 to 2018. However, Chevrolet has refused to cover our VIN under the existing special service bulletin, despite our vehicle using the same faulty part number as those included in the recall, and has provided no explanation for this exclusion. As a result, we are being forced to pay $2,100 out of pocket to replace a part that gm knows is defective. This is an unacceptable financial burden for a safety-critical issue. Gm should immediately issue a recall for all vehicles equipped with this faulty part number to ensure the safety of all drivers and prevent further undue costs. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I was attempting to purchase this vehicle from payless used car sales in anchorage alaska. I noticed odometer discrepancies between the mechanic reported odometer in 2022 and the present odometer in 2025. The 2022 reported odometer was 60000, and now in 2025 it is 47000. When I made this concern to the salesman he asked me to leave. I left and won’t consider purchasing from this dealership in the future.

While driving northbound on a freeway downhill, my vehicle suddenly lost power and displayed a "shift to park" message while still in motion. I was unable to accelerate, and the engine became unresponsive. The vehicle began coasting with no power, creating a dangerous situation. A semi-truck was in the lane next to me, and a car was behind me — I nearly got into an accident while trying to safely exit the roadway. This is the second report I’ve made regarding the same issue. The unexpected "shift to park" malfunction while driving is a serious safety concern that needs immediate attention.

I am submitting this complaint regarding a recurring and potentially hazardous issue in my Chevrolet Volt 2017. The vehicle frequently displays a “shift to park” warning message even when the gear shifter is correctly in the park position. This malfunction prevents the car from shutting off properly, posing both safety and operational concerns. This issue is widely reported among Chevrolet Volt owners, and general motors has acknowledged it in technical service bulletin (TSB 19-na-206). Despite this, no formal recall has been issued to ensure a permanent solution for affected drivers. My Volt currently has 138000miles, and although it is outside of the Voltec warranty period, this is clearly a manufacturer defect—not a result of normal wear and tear. The problem affects the safe operation of the vehicle and may lead to battery drain, inability to power down the car, and driver confusion. I strongly urge the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) to investigate this issue and consider initiating a recall to protect drivers and ensure accountability. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Becm is broken. Not covered under special warranty but have been told the pzev warranty would cover it. Dealer & gm will not even discuss covering it. This should not be a VIN specific fix as the part is identical in all 2016-2018 chevy Volts.

When moving the shifter to the "p" position after parking, the car will refuse to turn off with the message on the dash: "action needed: shift to park". Shifter is in park position but car will not recognize this and does not turn off. The issue can sometimes be resolved by pressing the shifter knob button repeatedly, or by pulling the shifter all the way back to drive and forth to park multiple times until the message is cleared. This happens about 4/10 times that I drive, there is currently a bulletin posted by chevy for a fix. However, the fix is only covered under a "warranty" and the chevy repair center at the dealership quoted $400 to complete the repair out of warranty.

Passenger presence detection system is malfunctioning, and causing a "service airbag" warning. This is a huge safety issue that could be detrimental or deathly in the event of an accident. This is a common issue among generation 1 Volt owners, and should be considered for a recall or warranty coverage. The passenger presence detection system parts are discontinued, and even if I found the part the dealership cannot confirm for the pricey repair, that the airbag / sensor will not simply malfunction again -- which makes this a persistent safety concern and huge owner inconvenience to say the least.

See all problems of the 2012 Chevrolet Volt 🔎.

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.

The Volt experienced a "shift to park" error, preventing it from recognizing when it was in park, even when the gearshift was engaged. While this issue was frustrating, it initially didn’t affect the car’s driving capability. I simply had to wiggle the gearshift until the system registered that it was in park. This problem persisted for a month until one day, the vehicle would no longer shift into any mode, though the "shift to park" message remained on the dashboard. The car turned on but would not accelerate. The issue was eventually repaired at the dealership, a process that took about two weeks. During this time, we were not initially offered a rental car. It was only after we called and insisted that the dealership provided one while waiting for the necessary parts. This issue appeared to be a factory defect. While part of the repair was covered under warranty, we still had to pay $685 out of pocket.

When shifted into park, persistent error message that car was not in park. Unable to shut off the car despite numerous manipulations of shift. Few similar preceeding incidents were resolved by shift to drive then back to park. Goes to dealer tomorrow. Car running endlessly is dangerous. What if I could not stay with the car, or the car was on the local ferry. No one has inspected it yet. First time problem occured was in November 2024. Most recent more serious problem occured Friday. I am afraid to use the car since, and have not driven it since.

See all problems of the 2019 Chevrolet Volt 🔎.

Been having issues with the dealership sierra chevy of monrovia. Brake fluid light came on. My car has been at the dealer for over two months now in counting. Closer to 3 months. First time was in July 24, 2024 for a check engine light. Fast forward to today Nov 19th, 2025. The car has been back at the dealer for the same issue the brake fluid light. Its now almost past 2 weeks. I have talked to the service manager and advisor a week ago. They told me they are having issues finding where the leak is coming from after having my vehicle there the past month. So I told them it was fine for the mechanic to drive the vehicle and figure it out. Now its almost another week and the service manager and advisor are not responding to my calls and texts. Left the service manager 2 voicemails already. Please help me get my car fixed and back to me. Service manager told me he would help me out with a rental since its a reoccurring issues . No communication from the dealership at all. No one is responding. After they claim to have fixed my vehicle the issue came back in less than a week. Dropped my car at the dealership on Nov 6th, 2024. Scared my vehicle's brakes will fail! its still under warranty. Dont want the car back till its fixed properly. Just want my vehicle to be fixed.

•vehicle lost power while driving on the highway at speed. The vehicle would not run with gas engine power or ev charge basically died on the road in traffic. After coming to a stop safely but not without some close calls vehicle would not start even with car having fuel of two types in it. •the battery charge would not register, and the car would not start for a little while. Display showed nothing and was only making a dinging sound. Around half hour later the vehicle started, and I drove it to my home and parked it. I have not been driving it as it seems like a safety concern with the battery system and not feeling reliable. I had tried to charge it after the initial event and it did not charge. I did only a little research on cost for battery issues and the cost made me very put off even looking at the car. The car has been sitting sense August of last year. I took the car into a gm repair shop a week ago and the shop told me that the becm module is weak. I looked this up and found that there is a lot of people having the same issue! also, there are 19000 cars just like mine who got a recall or special coverage. I am told I don’t meet the requirements for the coverage even though my car has the issues. They say my VIN is not on the list, clearly this special coverage did not go far enough. There appears to be some gaps in the coverage of this issue there are tons of people having this issue a full recall should be investigated and enacted there is clearly a problem that should be addressed. The fact that most cases do not happen when the car is running seem to put this on everyone’s back burner but people are being harmed financially while gm uses loop holes to not address an issue that could cost people there time, hard earned money, lost wages, even there life if this malfunction causes accidents. There was and is clearly enough to warrant action. Letting gm get away with a half hearted attempted at fixing this is a crime.

Egr valve failed while driving on the freeway. Loss power. Check engine light on. Propulsion power reduced. It is safety and emissions related.

I was driving on the highway when suddenly the car lost power, it was very dangerous. I had to glide to the side of the road. The car will not move forward or back after I stopped, it had to be towed.

Egr valve short circuit caused f3fuse to blow causing engine light to go on and propulsion reduced power warning. The f3 fuse affects 4-5 other systems.

Shift to park issue. Known issue with 2018 Volts but dealer is charging diagnostic fee when they know it is the issue because it displays shift to park when you try to shut car off. There is a bulletin stating this 19-na-206. It states the Voltec warranty covers this but dealer states it is not. Dealer is west herr chevy, east syracuse. Had to wait two weeks with the problem and then they left me stranded at the dealer ship because they did not fix it. This dealer had computer issues and sent service home early and left me without a ride home when I returned. Gm needs to notify these dealerships that this problem is covered.

Three incidents in the last few weeks. My 2017 chevy Volt today has about 84,000 miles. First incident, while driving on an interstate at about 50 mph I suddenly lose ability to accelerate. There was some beeping, dashboard turns yellow, I get a low fuel warning and I cannot accelerate. I pull over on interstate. Re-start vehicle and car restarts. Second incident, driving about 20 mph leaving a neighborhood. I have 4 passengers, all kids. The same exact error happens. I’m unable to accelerate though I’m pushing down on gas, fuel light turns yellow. Low fuel light. I pull over. I restart vehicle. Car starts normally. Car goes into shop. Chevy dealership says it’s the catalytic converter. About a week later, 3rd incident. Entering highway at about 60 mph, trying to accelerate and merge into traffic doing 70 mph. I cannot accelerate past 60 mph, I hear the beeps, fuel gauge turns yellow, low fuel warning. Check engine light turns on. Several days prior to this, I had a low propulsion error on dashboard momentarily. But it went away when I restarted vehicle. Safety of myself, passengers and other drivers were out at risk as there was no warning that I would lose ability to accelerate. There was a no fuel warning but my gas tank was mostly full.

Vehicle propolusion reduced and engine not available messages were suddenly showing. Check engine light turned on. Suddenly stalled/stopped in the middle of highway. Safety concerns.

When attempting to power down car after shifting into park, message states shift to park. Car cannot be locked or secured.

2016 chevy Volt started to not shut off with the message that car needed to shift to park. Car is just over 100,000 miles (104,000) spent a few weeks jiggling shifter to get car turned off then made an appointment at platinum chevy of santa rosa. While waiting we researched the issue to find that the shift to park is a known issue and the Volt has in fact been named in a class action suit. Am currently at crossroad as I cannot get gm to stand behind their product. It’s taken four calls and an escalation to management to find out that they may offer a percentage to fix the problem but because we’re out of warranty it is a customer problem. So, to cap it off, gm has sold us a vehicle with a known safety issue with no recall and will not fix their problem.

My 2018 chevy Volt has experienced the gm knows becm issue. There are several Volt owners that have experienced this issue. I would like to bring this to the attention for gm to post a recall/mandatory service repair as my car stopped working, would not start, was displaying false information on the electrical module, etc. Issue: 1. Car would not start 2. Battery stated fully charged with solid green light but display showed only 1 electric mile available 3. Tried to shift car to reverse press gas nothing happened 4. Tried to shift car to drive press gas nothing happened. 5. Car engine light is on 6. Utter confusion as stress as I’m stranded with no way to get my car working 7. Chevy dealership has had my car for one week now with the only update of ordered becm module. No eta on when this will be fixed 8. No indication of what caused the issue.

Battery failure is still under warranty but they don’t make batteries any more.