Other Fuel System Problems of Chevrolet Volt - part 1

The battery energy control module (becm) on my 2016 Chevrolet Volt has failed. The vehicle and the component are currently located at my home address and are available for inspection upon request. As of writing this now. This failure caused the vehicle to enter a "reduced power mode" and subsequently resulted in a no-start and no-charge condition. The sudden loss of propulsion power presents a severe safety and crash risk, as the vehicle can lose motive power and stall unexpectedly while in transit. Prior to the complete failure, the vehicle displayed a check engine light and a "reduced propulsion power" message on the dashboard. The local Chevrolet dealership has inspected the vehicle, pulled the associated diagnostic trouble codes, and officially confirmed that the becm has failed. General motors has already acknowledged this specific safety defect through special coverage bulletin n232432680, which extends becm warranty coverage to 15 years or 150,000 miles to prevent sudden loss of propulsion. However, gm corporate and the dealership are refusing to honor this bulletin. They are denying coverage due to an administrative database flaw because my vehicle's under-hood veci label designates it as an original California (carb/pzev) vehicle, gm's system excluded my VIN from the special coverage bulletin automation. Furthermore, because the vehicle is currently registered in a non-carb state (texas), the original carb warranty is considered void. Gm is using this internal database loophole to deny repairing a documented safety defect.

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Received "reduced propulsion" message, with no engine detected. Car slowed to a near stop while driving on the interstate highway. Very dangerous to have that suddenly happen. Message popped up randomly with no prior warning.

See all problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Volt 🔎.

While driving at highway speeds over 100 miles away from home with my child in the vehicle, the car experienced a sudden, catastrophic loss of propulsion power and entered 'propulsion power reduced' mode, dropping vehicle speed immediately and creating an extreme hazard with high-speed highway traffic. A full computer scan revealed active diagnostic codes u2603 through u2624, confirming an internal hardware communication failure of the battery energy control module (becm). This matches gm technical service bulletin 18-na-261. The vehicle has over 150,000 miles, but I have only owned the car since January. This is a known, systemic manufacturing defect (cracked internal circuit board solder joints) that creates a critical safety liability regardless of vehicle mileage. Gm has refused to remedy the safety defect due to the mileage limit.

Message on dash "service high Voltage charging system" . Code cleared by inexperienced mechanic. Stalled on the side of the road with "engine not available" , "low propulsion" . My local chevy dealership confirmed a high Volt battery leak its now at risk for catching on fire.

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I purchased the above-listed 2016 Chevrolet Volt through carvana, relying on the contractual promise that the becm was covered under special coverage n232432680 for up to 15yrs or 150k miles. The vehicle has suffered persistent, severe mechanical and electrical issues resulting in a prolonged loss of use: 1. Initial breakdown and delivery: the vehicle originally had a reduced propulsion power alert on Monday [xxx] around 8pm and nearly caused me to be rear ended on a major road due to accelration issues. It then officially broke down on Tuesday, [xxx]. It was then delivered to vic koenig Chevrolet (1040 e main st, carbondale, IL 62901) via tow by freedom towing the following Friday, may 29, 2026. 2. Delayed work start & shop stay: vic koenig Chevrolet was able to officially begin diagnostic and repair work on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. The facility held the vehicle for several weeks to address the failures. 3. Brief release and immediate re-breakdown: I picked up the vehicle upon its supposed completion on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. Then less than 24 hours later, on Wednesday, [xxx], the vehicle suffered a recurring breakdown and had to be returned to the dealership immediately. 4. Wrongful coverage denials: on Thursday June 19, 2026, silver rock claims representatives issued explicit coverage denials to me via text message. That same day, service representatives from vic koenig Chevrolet phoned silver rock multiple times to provide diagnostic evidence, but silverrock repeatedly issued oral denials over the phone. They stated the pcm and becm were not included in the contract, screenshots of the vontract state the opposite. Silverrock sent this refusal via email to me on June 19. I also contacted gm by phone on Wednesday 5/27/26 and so did the dealership and they refused to cover my vehicle under the special warranty for the known issue. I tried to request a cost reduction and they denied it again on 6/22/26. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My 2016 chevy Volt started experiencing the "propulsion power is reduced" issues associated with a faulty bcem unit. I brought my vehicle in for service at a chevy dealer and they confirmed that the bcem needed to be replaced. This is a known issue resulting in special coverage under n232432680. Chevy is not honoring the special coverage for my vehicle despite my vehicle being less that 15 years old and having fewer than 150,000 miles. According to the service manager after talking to someone higher up the food chain at chevy, "they're no longer covering this service. ".

I was driving my 2018 chevy Volt at about 30 mph on ev mode. The battery was at 50%, the car was performing normally. Then the battery jumped to 100%, the check engine light came on, and the vehicle lost power. I was in rush hour traffic and unable to get the vehicle to go faster than 5-10 mph. I switched to "normal" mode to engage the gasoline engine, hoping this would help but it did not. The gas engine rpm fluctuated wildly and did not restore the ability to accelerate the vehicle. I was still unable to go faster than 5-10 mph. I was a few blocks from home and managed to get home safely. The engine code was p1e00. I put the vehicle on the charger and it seemed fine the next day. This exact situation I ran into - reduced engine power - is addressed in special coverage n232432680, which includes this vehicles VIN. I took the car to the gm dealer today and they are telling me that the car is fine, they can find no problems. I mentioned that this issue is covered under special coverage n232432680, and was told that unless they can reproduce the issue in the shop, that they cannot apply special coverage n232432680.

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Fully charged. Goes from electric to generator/gas propulsion and abruptly slowes about 1/2 speed. Very dangerous.

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The car suddenly lost power and produced error messages on the screen. I had to quickly change lanes to get out of traffic on the highway. My dealer diagnosed the issue as a becm malfunction and quoted a repair cost of approximately $3500. However, due to my car originally being registered in California, this failure is not covered under gm special coverage bulletin n232432680 (issued March 2024), which provides an extended warranty for becm issues on affected 2016-2018 Volts up to 15 years or 150,000 miles. My VIN does not qualify for this coverage despite the vehicle being within the model years affected by known becm soldering/connection failures. This appears to be part of a broader pattern of becm defects in 2016-2019 Volts that can lead to sudden loss of propulsion, as previously investigated by NHTSA. Gm should extend coverage or issue a recall for all affected vehicles, as this defect compromises vehicle safety and leaves owners with expensive out-of-pocket repairs for a known issue.

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).

I received the "propulsion power is reduced" alert engine light while driving in "normal" mode on the freeway at around 60mph with 8-9 miles of battery capacity, it showed 0 miles of battery forcing the gas engine on and the vehicle hesitated upon applying the accelerator for the remainder of the drive. My safety and that was others was at risk because the acceleration dropped quickly and I was on a busy freeway at the time when the alert happened causing further hesitation. Upon stopping I could not get the vehicle to take a charge nor would it start up until a mechanic arrived and was able to confirm the problem.

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).

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?.

This vehicle has had multiple incidents of surging of the propulsion system both on battery power and when powered by the internal combustion engine, causing loss of propulsion and sudden acceleration almost causing collisions multiple times. We have paid for over $4,000 in repairs that are not covered under the propulsion system warranty, and these repairs have not remedied the issue.

The vehicle losses power on high speed, check engine comes on, low propulsion massage displays. Vehicle does not charge. Issues similar to the investigation dcs6812.

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.

Battery energy control module malfunction. It is a known issue with this system failing on the chevy Volt. There is a service bulletin on this problem. 18-na-261 is the service bulletin. The car will not start and when it does start it has loss of power while driving. Chevy is only fixing certain VIN numbers even thou it pulls up the same codes in their bulletin. Chevy only gave extended warranties to certain VIN numbers also. Extra warranty bulletin n232432680. This is a major component for the high Voltage battery which drives the vehicle. The dealership wants $5000. 00 to repair this.

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.

In may 2025, the egr (exhaust gas recirculation) valve failed on my 2016 chevy Volt with approx. 60,000 kms / 40,000 miles on it - that cost me approximately $3,000 to fix. In my opinion that should have been covered under warranty given that it is a common failure point on second generation Volts. Note that the egr value (oem - original equipment manufacturer) is a readily available part. In October 2025, my becm (battery energy control module) failed. Luckily, due to significant Volt owner complaints, gm was forced to provide a special warranty on this item, so the work that would have cost me approximately $4,000 was covered under this special warranty. The becm is covered for my 2016 chevy Volt until 2030. Note again that the becm is a readily available oem part. In December 2025 my chevy Volt check engine light went on again, and this time the chevy dealership is telling me that the main hybrid battery needs to be replaced. However, gm decided in their infinite wisdom to discontinue production of the chevy Volt battery, and so they can't even sell me a new hybrid battery, a critical component on this vehicle. My understanding is that the 2016-2019 chevy Volt battery is the same part #24060122. The chevy dealership has asked me to see if I can find a battery on my own, as their parts department cannot source one (gm used "york electronics" in canada). As a result, I am now left with trying to find a used/refurbished hybrid battery. If my Volt was a 2019 (the last year gm made the Volt), then this battery would be covered under warranty (8 years from in service date), yet gm wouldn't even be able to fix a 2018 or a 2019 chevy Volt because they stopped making the battery for all Volts. How can a manufacturer get away with not even providing parts for 10 years (in my case), or 7 years (2019 Volt)? my only option seems to be to send a perfectly maintained car to the junkyard at 60,000 kms/40,000 miles. Never again will I buy gm.

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.

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.

After experiencing loss of power and loss of propulsion on the highway, took the car to tropical Chevrolet in miami shores, FL. After diagnosing the car for $287. 37 (credited to the estimate total of $3101. 20), the dealership replaced the battery energy control module and bled the battery pack cooling system. We paid the bill ($2665. 89). On January 4, 2026 the check engine light came on again when the propulsion was reduced again, while driving on a highway. Tropical reported that the cause of the failure was their failure to replace or do the original repair at all. They replaced the exhaust gas recirculation valve and refilled the cooling system. The parts should be covered by warranty. We filed a claim with gm 2 months ago and still have not been reimbursed.

Component/system failed: the engine of my 2016 Chevrolet Volt experienced a sudden internal crack, leading to complete engine failure. The engine is available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: the engine failure rendered the vehicle completely inoperable, posing potential risk if it had occurred while driving. Sudden loss of engine power could have caused a crash or left me stranded in traffic, endangering myself and others. Problem reproduction / confirmation: the failure was confirmed by a gm dealership, which performed a full inspection and documented the engine crack. The dealership verified that the crack was sudden and not caused by negligence or improper maintenance. Inspections by others: the vehicle has been inspected by the dealership, and all reports are available. I have also submitted the issue to gm corporate for warranty review. No police or insurance representatives have reviewed this, as this was a mechanical failure with no collision. Warning lamps or symptoms: no warning lights, messages, or unusual symptoms appeared prior to the failure. The engine appeared to operate normally until the sudden failure. Upon failure, low oil and low propulsion error message appeared on dash. Current no dash lights are on in the vehicle. Assessment of cause: based on dealership inspection and documentation, the failure appears sudden and possibly related to a defect in emissions-related engine components. No external damage or user error contributed to the failure.

Component: battery energy control module, available from dealership atm daughter's safety compromised when vehicle power decreased quickly to 5mph in the middle of fast heavy city traffic. The problem has been confirmed by Chevrolet dealership service department the vehicle has not been inspected by other than dealership service center. I contacted gm, and was told that the component was replaced once already in 2021, so they will not replace it a second time on special coverage n232432680 released March 6, 2024. Warnings:propulsion 11/3/25 power reduced and check engine light on 11/3/25. Gm dealer service center cleared codes, did a software update 11/7/ propulsion power reduced and check engine light again. Vehicle is at gm dealer service center.

P0401, p0b9a loss propulsion power on highway shift to park issues and car uses gas before electricity is empty.

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.

Chevy had done an update for the propulsion power being reduced. In 2024, I had to do another update when the check engine light came on. After that the electric battery power decreased, I am only getting 17 miles per charge. August 2025, the check engine light came on again. I had it check and no codes came up. While driving home on the freeway, the propulsion power being reduced warning came up. I had to pull off the freeway. Once I turned my vehicle off, I was unable to drive my car. There was not any acceleration. I had to have my car towed 50 miles home. A mechanic was able to repair it at that time. On 10/7/2025 the check engine light came on again and once again no codes appeared, on 10/14/25 the propulsion power being reduced warning came on again. I was able to get home safely, but I got off the freeway and took side streets home. At this time, the vehicle will not accelerate.

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.

The car can't decide if it wants to use the battery or the engine. It shows zero charge even though it is full. It lurches at stop lights as it tries to decide whether to use battery or engine. It says "propulsion power reduced". "not able to charge". "shift to park". Check engine light is on.

My 2015 chevy Volt has been experiencing ongoing mechanical and electrical issues, including random power loss, reduced propulsion warnings, and sudden vehicle shutdowns with no prior indication. These problems pose a serious safety concern, as the car can lose power unexpectedly while driving. Despite these issues, gm has refused to service the vehicle or unlock necessary components because they no longer manufacture or support the required parts. As a result, I am left with an unsafe and unreliable vehicle with no available remedy from the manufacturer. This is forcing me to trade in the vehicle at a loss.

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