Service Brakes Problems of Chevrolet Volt - part 1

I was stopped at a red light with my foot on the brake. When the light turned green, I released the brake and the car suddenly accelerated forward on its own, without me touching the accelerator. As soon as the car surged forward, I immediately pressed the brake pedal hard to stop it but instead of slowing down, the car continued to accelerate. It felt like pressing the brake was making it worse. The car was totally out of my control. The vehicle collided with tow truck and even after the impact, the engine was still revving as if it was trying to keep going. I had to shut the car off to stop it completely. There were no warning lights or error messages before or during the malfunction. The front end of my car was damaged in the crash. No one was injured, but the malfunction could have easily caused serious harm or death. This was not user error it was a terrifying mechanical and electronic failure. The car accelerated on its own and the brakes failed or possibly triggered more acceleration. I have never experienced anything like this. After looking online, I found other Volt owners reporting similar problems involving brake assist failure, unintended acceleration, and stuck revving. This looks like a serious pattern that deserves urgent attention. I’m asking the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) and general motors to immediately investigate this issue. I want to know if there are any recalls, technical service bulletins (tsbs), or known defects related to brake failure or unintended acceleration in the 2011 chevy Volt. Please contact me with next steps. This is a major safety risk that could easily result in fatalities if not addressed.

See all problems of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Volt 🔎.

Front brake calipers are sticking on, causing the brake pad to engage the rotor causing excessive heat. Risk of fire when parked in garage. I have had the calipers taken apart and cleaned and greased and still have the issue. I have read many reports on message boards of the same issue with no fix.

See all problems of the 2018 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.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving in reverse the warning message "reduced propulsion" had displayed and suddenly the power steering failed and the vehicle lurch backwards and crashed into a utility pole. During the incident the driver had pressed the brake pedal but the vehicle did not stop. No injuries were reported and no police report was taken. The daughter was able to drive the vehicle home in "limp" mode. The contact later examined the vehicle and diagnosed that the engine battery ecm had failed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the manufacturer extended coverage for the failure. The failure mileage was 89,800.

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While driving, the car developed a brake malfunction. When the brake pedal is depressed you can feel the pedal pulsating and was not slowing down until you pressed harder then the brakes apply abruptly causing risk of rear ending. Upon pulling over to the hard shoulder the pedal pulsating/drumming continued to happen even though the car is completely stopped and is in parking gear. The symptom is similar to the service bulletin pic5734a. [xxx] the car was driven to the nearest dealership 'dublin chevorlet' in dublin CA and the car has been there for 4 weeks since gm is unable to help resolve the problem. I have reached out to gm and opened a support case. Case number [xxx] ]. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2013 Chevrolet Volt 🔎.

My 2017 chevy Volt has been making a clicking noise coming from the brake booster assembly since I have bought it. When your foot is released from the brake pedal, there is an audible click (3-4 times a second) inside of the cabin and I've decided to make a formal complaint as gm isn't taking the appropriate action to fix this issue. My reasoning is that this issue is not only common on the chevy Volt, but also the chevy bolt as they share the exact same brake booster. For the Volt, dealers are instructed to replace the brake pedal retainer - gm (39081933) and the brake master cylinder - gm (84006919). This repair is often quoted in excess of $2,000 even though there is a very high likelihood of the issue returning even when the parts are replaced. For the chevy bolt, dealers were instructed to stop replacing the brake booster as they determined there was a software fix that could solve the issue. There was a TSB regarding this which details both the problem and the repair procedure (# 20-na-170) https://static. Nhtsa. Gov/odi/tsbs/2020/mc-10181700-9999. Pdf while gm fixed this issue on the bolts, the Volts have the exact same issue and owners are being directed to spend $2,000+ to make a repair that won't even fix the issue. Gm needs to release the software fix for the Volts so that the issue can be resolved properly. This burdens current Volt owners improperly, as gm has proven that a software release can fix this but has thus far refused to address and implement it.

Main issue: ongoing issue with stuck caliper causing the pads and wheels to overheat increasing the tire pressure to dangerous levels. The regenerative braking system is actually very effective in slowing the car when driven in l mode. If driven smartly, driver rarely have to use a lot of force using the physical brakes and rotors. Three times now, I have had issues where the front calipers were seized and the brakes were stuck causing the wheels to have visible smoke, odors and extreme temps. Perhaps they are not being used as much as normal brakes but service was done at the dealership on both cases, only to have the issue return within a year on a low mileage car. Looking at online forums, this appears to be a common issue with the Volt. Often the high pressure accumulator (hpa) is not properly reset during a brake job. . Read more...

Abs system failure due to defect the cause of the condition may be a fracturing of the front half shaft anti-click washer (1) and possible collateral damage to the abs wheel speed sensor (wss). This defective $5 part causes thousands of dollars of repair this should be a recall as there are numerous reports of these parts failing and causing the vehicles braking system to be impaired this failure has happened to this vehicle 2 times with in the last 60 days.

Grandson was driving and went to brake to make a turn and the engine not available light came on and he had no brakes. He was unable to slow and take the turn and hit a truck in the front driver quarter panel which resulted in the car being a total loss.

See all problems of the 2012 Chevrolet Volt 🔎.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to reduce his speed, the brake pedal required an abnormal amount of pressure to slow the vehicle. The abs warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the brake pressure modulator valve. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 13v271000 (electronic stability control, service brakes), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

A shift to park message displayed while the vehicle is in park. The car will not turn off and continues to run. The issue is well documented through gm/Chevrolet, as they have a service bulletin (19-na-206) for it. That document specifically states that the Voltec warranty covers this issue, but Chevrolet is refusing to service my car based on its VIN number, despite identifying it as the same issue. And for the last question, no lights initially came on but then the check engine light came back on. When the car was finally turned off at the dealership, it turned back on with no issue lights or messages.

Vehicle does not allow driver to driven uphill when packed uphill but keeps rolling down the hill even upon being throttled. Also emergency brake goes not catch but locks the wheel. Chevy diagnosed the issues agreed is manufacture defect, parties contracted agreement singed for repairs at no cost. Upon arrival of parts roseville Chevrolet wanted $4,500 be paid said it was out of warrantee contrarily with the written agreement. Presently I have minors cannot ride in the car. The car may also cause accident and injury to owner and other road users if not fixed.

Becm failure resulted in a situation where the vehicle drove with erratic surging power delivery throwing engine codes p1e00, u2603,u2604, u2605,u2606 regen braking in this vehicle has a dedicated control on the steering wheel which applies only regen braking no friction brakes. When battery state of charge is high this can result in a situation where the regen braking button abruptly (I. E. During one extended activation of the button) delivers less brake force than the user is demanding.

1. Propulsion power reduced -again. We have had this repaired recently & it’s back. Apparently it’s “not a problem” as long as check engine light is not on. Unfortunately, the engine light is on again - despite being reset. The car is not accelerating when needed. 2. “brake assist” light is on again- and I do not have power brakes. It is hard to stop. Could we at minimum get accurate warning systems & repairs that work? 2.

Stacia was driving the vehicle on September 20th on a residential street. She was driving at 25 mph. All of the sudden the brakes slammed on by themselves and the car slammed to a stop. Luckily there were not any cars around, or there would have certainly been an accident. If this had happened on the interstate or on a busy street there likely would have been a serious accident. The vehicle was taken for service and it was determined that the brake pedal position sensor failed. This was replaced by eric von schledorn Chevrolet. Our concern is that the failure of one sensor could cause a potential catastrophic accident. We wanted to bring this to your attention in case others have had a similar issue, and a recall may be necessary.

I was driving on the highway at speeds greater than 60mph. Traffic came to a sudden stop and the pre-crash avoidance assisted with breaking. I resumed driving. The front right tire began smoking. I pulled over, the break was locked up and the rotor and pad were damaged. Overnight it releases. I take to service center and they are unable to replicate issue. I had to replace pads and rotors. A month later it locked up again, this time while driving. I became wary of the sighs now and pulled over immediately. Had the vehicle towed to service center. Again, they are unable to determine issue. They said there are no fault codes and no physical issues with breaking system. It is unfortunate the dealer does not know how to repair cars with complex computer operated systems. I don’t know what to do, right now we are in the stage of replacing random components to see if it fixes the issue. I can’t keep throwing money at this. I hope you can apply pressure to chevy to help. I don’t know what to do, all I know is this isn’t safe. They had a similar recall for 2018 model year Volts breaks locking up. But no recall issued for 2017 model year.

Late 2021 I noticed a strange noise and a slight stutter in my breaks that would only happen at the end of the breaking motion just before the car would completely stop. The sound and stutter, felt as though a clutch was trying to engaged. I scheduled a service appointment in January to have my tire replaced and car checked. The stabilitrack light came on while I was on vacation and also asked the dealership to check the stabilitrack. The dealership replaced my tires and inspected my car, but found nothing wrong with it. The tested the car and it appeared to be working just fine. I drove around another couple months with no incident. And then the notice and stutter came back, however it was intermittent. The stutter and noise slowly got worse and worse, but stilled continued to be an intermittent issue. On August 1st, while driving to work, my breaks completely failed and I almost got into an accident. I was pulling away from a red that just turned green. There was a red light ahead, I barely got up to 30-35mph before I started cruising towards the light. Started to press down on the breaks to stop and the pedal went straight to the floorboard with resistance and the breaks did not engage. I pumped the breaks frantically several times, with no change and quickly swerved and made a last minute right turn to avoid traffic. I continued to pump the breaks until it eventually did engage. I took the car to the dealership to have it serviced and inspected again, and was told it was the master cylinder that had failed. After it got replaced it was about another 2 weeks before I started to experience a similar issue again.

Several times since I purchased the car in Jan 2022, the left and/or right front brakes have dragged without brake pedal actuation while I was driving in surface street traffic, typically with speed limits of 25 to 35 mph. This has resulted in overheating of the brake caliper, rotor, and wheel. Typically the car can be driven again without issue after two hours of cool-off time. This phenomenon has occurred during both battery/electric and gasoline engine operation of the plug-in hybrid car. There are no instrument indications of a brake malfunction when it happens. It first becomes perceptible as a pulsation through the steering wheel and requires increased throttle pedal pressure to maintain speed. I brought the car to my local Chevrolet dealer after the first two of these incidents. Their first recommendation was a new set of tires to remove the influence of one mismatched tire. The new tires did not resolve the issue, and the dealer has not performed any other corrective action beyond a recommendation to replace calipers and rotors. Due to the intermittent nature of the failure and the fact that it affects both of the front brakes, I believe this is an abs system issue and not a caliper/rotor issue, and I have not replaced those parts yet. The car's adaptive cruise control does not work properly. It almost always fails to set and shows "adaptive cruise temporarily unavailable" regardless of road conditions. This condition is intermittent and is not reproducible on demand. This condition is dangerous because it overheats the brake, wheel, and steering components. The heat may have damaged the wheel bearing, steering components, and cv joints. The heat also creates a risk of sudden wheel and/or tire failure while driving. The unexpected application of the brakes affects vehicle response to throttle and steering inputs, and has the potential to reduce driver control of the vehicle.

Driving 75mph with cruise control during moderate traffic on freeway about 30 minutes after starting the car, my Volt shut off. There was a jolt of the car that felt like strong breaking and my dash along with everything electrical shut off for about 2 seconds then kicked back on with "service theft deterent" on dash. I could not break or steer the vehicle. I had to come to a rolling stop on shoulder of freeway. Luckily I was in toll lane #1 next to the shoulder or I might have been in a wreck with other cars. I have a check engine light on now and a scheduled appointment at chevy dealer made prior to today for tomorrow. I have had an issue with my Volt not charging at home/work for a few weeks. No breakers pop, the vehicle just wont complete the charge. The battery was replaced a week ago, driven over 250 miles with new battery, and it is still not charging properly. I have no messages on my vehicle regarding battery, engine, etc. Just the check engine light lit up.

See all problems of the 2015 Chevrolet Volt 🔎.

Brakes locked up durring a panic stop. Abs did not engage. Abs code c012e-12 hydraulic brake boost pressure loss-low input.

Several times over the 2 years I have owned this vehicle while driving an almost complete loss of braking occurs with a service notice for the abs system. If you turn off the ignition and restart it the braking works fine. I am in the process of having the electronic brake control module - gm (84070136) and the brake pressure modulator valve - gm (23283683) replaced. I believe that there is a design flaw in this system in that a problem of the abs should not eliminating the ability to stop the vehicle. This is costing me $3500, but the point is that loss of braking is a serious safety issue and should be addressed by the manufacturer. Thank you.

I was in stop and go traffic; when the car in front of me stopped suddenly, I tried to brake. I was far enough back that I should have been able to stop in plenty of time. My brake pedal froze and would not depress (brake pump failure). There were no warning light prior. The car has less than 28,000 miles and relatively new tires.

See all problems of the 2019 Chevrolet Volt 🔎.

Was approaching an intersection with a stoplight that was red. Another car stopped at light. Applied brakes, but car slowed down only slightly, no matter how hard the brake pedal was applied. It was like braking on black ice, even though the cars wheels were still going around. Rear ended the car at the light. Suspect that computer was telling the car to try to charge the battery using the forward motion of the car instead of stopping the car. All air bags deployed. Injuries were limited to bruises, abrasions, and general body soreness. Vehicle currently in possession of allstate ins. Have requested that brake system be inspected, and computer info be downloaded. Car was totaled. No injuries in other vehicle. No previous problems, no warning lamps or messages prior to accident. Car had been well maintained, including all recalls, and received routine maintenance (oil change, tire rotation) about three months before the incident. Problem has not been reproduced, nor is it likely to be since the vehicle is undrivable.

On 2 difference occasions over the past 3 weeks, my car has malfunctioned while I was driving. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to this. All of the lights on the dash came on, the power steering went out, the brakes would not work properly and I could not accelerate. I had my child in the car and we narrowly avoided being hit by other cars both times since I couldn't control the vehicle. I couldn't even power the car down initially but was finally able to turn it off and back on and function resumed after several cycles. I was driving on electric battery that time. The first time, the dealership stated that the following codes were present: p1e00 and p16ba. They replaced the g1 a/c compressor. The incident occurred again a week later when I was driving on gas. At that time, there were history u codes present for every module, per the technician but no current codes to identify the problem. The problem has not been able to be reproduced since. The 2nd incident occurred out of state and my car was towed back to texas where I live. The dealership there refused to investigate the incidents since they couldn't reproduce them and there were no current codes showing. It has subsequently been towed to a different dealership where they are still trying to identify the issue. I contacted general motors and was contacted by a rep who escalated the issue. The next rep escalated it again greater than 48 hours ago and I have received no further contact from gm. The 2nd rep informed me that since the dealership that it was originally at says that it's safe to drive that they can't do anything. This car is not safe to drive.

When I put the car in park the vehicle tells me I need to shift to park even though it is shift to park. Vehicle will not shut down and drain itself.

While using one pedal driving the brake lights do not engage unless brake pedal is used. This is a known issue by the company and was fixed in later models due to it being a problem. After speaking to the company I was advised to go to the dealer who informed me that the company has not offered any sort of update or repair option. If it was not deemed an issue why then did the company fix the issue in later models of the same vehicle? I have had many instances of very close calls with other vehicles. I truly believe if the company didn't believe it was an issue why then was it changed?.

While traveling slowly (about 25mph) on an uphill grade, my Volt suddenly, with no warning messages or other alerts to me, lost propulsion, power brakes and power steering. This car is extremely hard to steer and to brake without the power assists, so I really had to wrestle with the wheel to avoid losing control of the car, and I really had to jam on the brake pedal to get it to a stop, even though I was moving slowly and had a gravity assist from the uphill slope. It seems to me an event such as I experienced could be catastrophic if it occurred at high speed, and / or on a steep downhill slope or a street with a lot of traffic. Incidentally, when this happened I had just turned onto a side road from a highway with lots of traffic moving at 60-80 miles an hour on a slope so steep that in spite of numerous warning signs, accidents, including fatal accidents, occur regularly on this section of the highway due to drivers failing to apply their brakes hard enough or early enough to keep the car on the road. As a result I felt like I had barely escaped with my life, only as a result of a sudden whim that entered my head to leave the highway for the scenic side road. It may also be relevant that the incident occurred directly after I picked up the car from the chevy dealer following repair for another incident where I lost propulsion, power brakes, and power steering - the difference being that the car was stationary during the previous incident. The photo shows the electrical connections that the dealer ultimately determined were responsible for the second (oct. 20) incident, and maybe the first as well. These terminals are enclosed, and not visible to the car owner, even with the hood lifted. Checking the terminals is not part of any maintenance recommended in the owner's handbook, nor apparently in the standard service procedures, even when a car comes in with symptoms that could be caused by a loose connection, even after replacing the 12v battery, as they did.

Brake petal went to floor and now very hard to press.

After I put the car in park, the car dashboard doesnt reflect this change, essentially assumes the car is not in park and I am unable to lock the car and the lights will stay on for a while. After jiggling the shift handle just the right way I could get it to recognize the car was indeed in park.

This vehicle has a “shift to park” issue which is well established all over the internet. I’m afraid to walk away from the vehicle when that message pops up. Seems to be something that could injure/kill someone if the car cannot be left in park safely. This has been an ongoing/intermittent issue for months. The date stated below only represents today’s date of report.

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contacts husband stated while attempting to park the vehicle at approximately 1mph, the brakes would not function. The contact stated stability track warning lights was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of failure and told the contact that their vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 90,388.

Service brake booster emits a semi continuous tapping/clicking noise. Chevrolet state that it is not a safety issue and does not require repair. However, it is difficult to have confidence in the braking system while this sound persists and it is a constant distraction while driving. Plus, the ability to sell or trade the vehicle in this condition is diminished. Elimination of the noise involves costly removal and replacement of the brake booster assy. Chevrolet fixed an apparently identical issue on the bolt model with a software update, but currently have no intention to do anything similar for the Volt model.

It is an ongoing issue and that happens intermittently. When arriving to a stop (at times) the car still advances forward about a foot, even when the brake pedal is being used as far as it can. Also the vehicle claims to be losing propulsion, often, and seems strained when operating when the message appears.

I exited the vehicle and it rolled backward. I was struck by the door and crushed between the car and an adjacent brick wall.