Air Bags. Review the 86 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 86 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

6 crash reports2 fire reports8 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

86 reports

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145,000 miles · Aug 23, 2019

Electrical System

DRIVER'S INFORMATION SCREEN FAILURE. UPON STARTING, SCREEN WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. CANNOT SEE SPEED TRAVELING, FUEL AVAILABLE, TURN SIGNALS, HAZARD LIGHTS, ETC. UNSAFE AND SEEMINGLY COMMON PROBLEM THAT WE ARE NOW EXPERIENCING OURSELVES.

NHTSA ODI #11246028

101,400 miles · Jul 25, 2019

Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion SystemVehicle Speed Control

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I WAS DRIVING IN 50 MPH TRAFFIC IT LOST ALL PROPULSION. THE PROBLEM I HAVE SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE THE PROBLEM GM HAS ISSUED A RECALL FOR WITH 2013-2015 VOLTS. I BELIEVE GM DID OR SHOULD HAVE ANTICIPATED THE PROBLEM AND DID NOTHING. GM PROGRAM N172130462 HAS OWNERS OF 2013-2015 VOLTS BRINGING THEIR CARS IN TO DEALERSHIPS FOR A SOFTWARE UPDATE. GM HAS RECOGNIZED THAT THESE CARS "MAY HAVE A CONDITION WHERE IT COULD GRADUALLY LOSE THE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN VOLTAGE. IF BATTERY CONCERNS ARE NOT ADDRESSED, OVER TIME THE VEHICLE COULD ENTER A REDUCED PROPULSION MODE WHILE DRIVING, OR LOSE PROPULSION, OR IT MAY NOT START." I BROUGHT MY VOLT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP ON JANUARY 31, 2019, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT CONSISTENTLY HOLDING THE CHARGE THAT IT NORMALLY DID AND THE CAR WOULD OFTEN START IN "LOW PROPULSION MODE" WHEN STARTING IT AFTER TURNING IT OFF WITH THE BATTERY LOW OR DEPLETED. DESPITE BEING UNDER WARRANTY THE DEALERSHIP, BOB STEELE CHEVROLET IN COCOA, FL, CLAIMED THE COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS CAUSING THE PROBLEM, REFUSED TO TRY FURTHER, AND SENT ME ON MY WAY WITH A BILL FOR THEIR FAILED EFFORTS. ON JULY 19, 2019, I WAS DRIVING IN ON MY WAY TO WORK IN MY 2012 VOLT WITH 101,400 MILES. THE CAR SWITCHED FROM BATTERY TO GAS AS IT HAD MANY TIMES BEFORE. ABOUT ONE MILE LATER IT SWITCHED BACK TO BATTERY, GAVE A MESSAGE THAT IT WAS GOING INTO "LOW PROPULSION MODE", AND STOPPED PROVIDING ANY PROPULSION. THIS OCCURRED WHILE I WAS ON US1 AND IT WAS DANGEROUS FOR ME TO RAPIDLY CHANGE LANES WHILE LOSING SPEED TO GET OFF THE ROAD. I GOT TO A PARKING LOT WITHOUT ENOUGH SPEED TO GET UP THE MILD INCLINE AT THE ENTRANCE AND WAS STUCK BLOCKING THE ENTRANCE WHILE I AWAITED A TOW TRUCK. THIS LOSS OF PROPULSION COULD HAVE HAPPENED AT ANY SPEED AND THINGS WOULD HAVE BEEN WORSE HAD I BEEN ON THE INTERSTATE.

NHTSA ODI #11234818

70,000 miles · Jul 16, 2019

Electrical System

THE INSTRUMENTATION PANEL HAS WENT BLANK. STARTED BLINKING WHEN DRIVING, WENT FULLY BLANK BY THE TIME I REACHED HOME. NO WAY TO SEE THE SEEP OR REMAINING FUEL. CONTACTED DEALERSHIP THE WANTS TO REPLACE THE PANEL BUT THE PART TO FIX THIS IS UNAVAILABLE. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR IT FOR 4 MONTHS NOW,

NHTSA ODI #11232580

96,000 miles · Jul 12, 2019

Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

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VOLT LOSES POWER WHEN SWITCHING FROM BATTERY TO GAS. HAS NOW OCCURRED FOUR TIMES. EACH TIME VOLT IS TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY 65+MPH. VOLT DEPLETES BATTERY CHARGE AND IMMEDIATELY UPON TRANSITION TO GAS WILL LOSE ALL POWER. CANNOT ACCELERATE. STEERING WHEEL LOSES POWER STEERING. VOLT WILL DECELERATE UNTIL 0 MPH. VERY DANGEROUS. IN EACH INSTANCE DRIVER IS FORCED TO GET TO SHOULDER OR OFF FREEWAY IN VOLT WHICH IS RAPIDLY LOSING SPEED. OCCURRED ON HIGHWAY WITHOUT SHOULDER LAST TIME. ALMOST CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ODI #11231422

98,950 miles · Jul 9, 2019

Electrical System

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THE INFORMATION DISPLAY HAS GONE BLACK. THE INFORMATION DISPLAY SHOWS SPEED, MILEAGE, FUEL LEVEL, TURN BLINKER STATUS, AND OTHER CRITICAL INFORMATION. THE SCREEN BRIGHTNESS ADJUSTMENT DOES NOT AFFECT THE DISPLAY AND IS NOT THE PROBLEM. THE ISSUE CONTINUES WHETHER THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION OR STATIONARY, ON CITY STREETS OR HIGHWAY, TURNING, OR BRAKING. I DO NOT KNOW THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE ISSUE BUT IT APPEARS TO INVOLVE ONBOARD COMPUTER COMPONENTS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT NOR DAMAGED IN ANY WAY.

NHTSA ODI #11230575

190,000 miles · Jun 17, 2019

Air BagsElectrical SystemCrashInjury

PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG / SEAT SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE. SEEN MANY OTHER COMPLAINANTS EXACTLY THE SAME ISSUE. GOT IN A CAR ACCIDENT AND MY PASSENGER WAS ALMOST KILLED AS THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE MANUFACTURES REALLY NEEDS TO RECALL AND FIX THESE SEAT SENSORS. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON WAY TO LO…

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NHTSA ODI #11220773

80,000 miles · Jun 10, 2019

Electrical System

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE TACHOMETER GAUGES BECAME INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE SPEED, FUEL LEVEL, TEMPERATURE, OR OTHER FUNCTIONS WITH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE PERSISTED FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE DAYS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. *BF UPDATE: NEITHER DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER HAVE FOUND PART TO REPAIR VEHICLE.*AS

NHTSA ODI #11218850

50,000 miles · Apr 28, 2019

Air BagsElectrical SystemUnknown Or Other

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2012 CHEVY VOLT AIRBAG PASSENGER SIDE. LIGHT CAR HAS BEEN TAMPERED WITH BY THE DEALERSHIPS. HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR. REFUSAL TO FIX. ISSUE ALLOWS FOR THIRD PARTY ACCESS TO MY VEHICLE. USING SUB LANGUAGE MENUS. FOR SPANISH AND FRENCH. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AND NO ONE IS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THIS CALLS FOR A MAJOR INVESTIGATION INTO CHEVY DEALERSHIPS, FRAUD. MY CAR HAD THIS RIGHT AFTER MY FIRST IN WARRANTY SERVICE AT ROSEVILLE CHEVY DEALERSHIP. PLEASE HELP. MY VEHICLE IS BEING ILLIEGALY MONITORED . AND EXSTORTED FOR MONEY TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT IS RELATED TO TAILIGHT SWITCHING BULBS AND ANTILOCKOUT ISSUES WITH THE CAR.

NHTSA ODI #11204259

72,400 miles · Feb 18, 2019

Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

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VEHICLE DIES SUDDENLY WHILE MOVING, ALTHOUGH UNDER FULL ELECTRIC CHARGE. COULD NOT RESTART. CHEVY SAID WAS SOFTWARE PROBLEM AND MADE FIX DEC 2018. JUST HAPPENED AGAIN YESTERDAY 2/17. OTHERS REPORTED ON VOLT BLOG SITE. SAID WAIT 5-10 MINUTES AND THEN RESTART, WHICH I DID AND THAT WORKED. CONCERN THAT LOSS OF POWER IS SUDDEN AND WITHOUT WARNING. DIED IN MIDDLE OF INTERSECTION THIS TIME BUT FORTUNATELY NO CROSS TRAFFIC. THIS IS SERIOUS PROBLEM -- APPARENTLY OTHERS HAVE HAD SAME ISSUE. REPORTING TO LOCAL CHEVY DEALER AT THIS TIME.

NHTSA ODI #11180965

60,000 miles · Jan 14, 2019

Electrical System

THE MAIN DISPLAY ON THE DASHBOARD IS BLANK. I CANNOT SEE MY SPEED OR REMAINING CHARGE OR GAS.

NHTSA ODI #11170047

Official recalls

15V145000 · Electrical System:ignition; Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline

Mar 13, 2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Volt vehicles manufactured August 25, 2010, to June 26, 2013. If the driver exits the vehicle without turning off the electrical system, the battery may drain low enough that the gasoline engine will automatically start itself to recharge the electric battery.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the engine runs for an extended period of time in an enclosed space, there may be a build up of carbon monoxide, increasing the risk of personal injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the engine management software to limit the time that the stationary vehicle can be left in the ON position, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14617.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electrical System:ignition

Consequence: If the engine runs for an extended period of time in an enclosed space, there may be a build up of carbon monoxide, increasing the risk of personal injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the engine management software to limit the time that the stationary vehicle can be left in the ON position, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14617.

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline

Consequence: If the engine runs for an extended period of time in an enclosed space, there may be a build up of carbon monoxide, increasing the risk of personal injury.

13V271000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc); Service Brakes

Jun 27, 2013

General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Volt vehicles manufactured March 1, 2012, through April 17, 2012. Due to a brake pressure modulator valve problem, the vehicles do not relieve brake pressure from the front brakes during an anti-lock brake system (ABS), electronic stability control (ESC), or traction control event. One or both front brakes may lock up and not release. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No. 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems"' and No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the brakes lock up it could cause a loss of steering control and/or a lengthened distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will install a new brake pressure modulator valve free of charge. The recall is expected to begin July 12, 2013. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-866-694-6546. GM's recall number is 13184.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Service Brakes

Consequence: If the brakes lock up it could cause a loss of steering control and/or a lengthened distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will install a new brake pressure modulator valve free of charge. The recall is expected to begin July 12, 2013. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-866-694-6546. GM's recall number is 13184.

Electronic Stability Control (esc)

Consequence: If the brakes lock up it could cause a loss of steering control and/or a lengthened distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

PE19013 · Passenger Sensing System

Opened Sep 17, 2019 · Closed Jul 2, 2021

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger

In September 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19-013 to assess the potential safety related effects of a malfunction of the Passenger Sensing System (PSS) in 2012-2013 Model Year (MY) Chevrolet Volt vehicles. Consumers reported that due to a malfunction of the PSS, the air bag system malfunction indicator light (MIL) was activated. Many of the complaints noted the malfunction occurred after the warranty period expired and mentioned high repair costs as a major deterrent to the repair of the vehicle.The PSS sensor mat is embedded in the front passenger seat cushion and is intended to detect child seats and small statured occupants who could be harmed by deployment of the frontal passenger air bag. The PSS may develop a malfunction due to bunching of the sensor mat in the seat trench. The bunching of the sensor mat could cause the mat to repeatedly fold in the same location. Over time, the repeated folding can cause an increased resistance in the sensor mat. An increased resistance in the PSS sensor mat is detected as a fault in the air bag system diagnostic. If this fault is detected, a diagnostic trouble code will be stored in the air bag control unit and the air bag MIL will illuminate.Further, if the fault is detected, the passenger frontal and knee air bags will be suppressed in a crash of sufficient severity to warrant a commanded deployment regardless of the nature of size of the occupant of the front passenger seat.The report counts shown above include only those reports that specifically address the issue covered by this investigation, failure of the PSS sensor mat. Reports alleging only that the air bag light is on with no cause stated, or where a different cause was otherwise identified, were excluded as the air bag light could be illuminated for system faults other than a PSS malfunction.The subject vehicles have been in service for approximately ten (10) years. An analysis of General Motors (GM) warranty data for the subject vehicles, including a comparison with other agency and manufacturer data pertaining to similar occupant detection system failure investigations, indicates the subject vehicles experience a comparatively low complaint rate for this issue given the number of years the vehicles have been in service.GM has instituted a cost reduction program for the repair/replacement of the PSS in the subject vehicles. Based on this cost reduction program as well as:1) a comparatively low warranty rate; 2) no reported injuries, deaths or asymmetric deployments; and 3) the age of the vehicles; ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov under the following ODI identification numbers in a separate attachment.

PE11037 · Post-Crash Ev Fire Hazard

Opened Nov 25, 2011 · Closed Jan 20, 2012

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V Battery

The subject vehicles, which employ emerging technology, are range-extended electric vehicles that utilize a high voltage (HV) battery to provide energy for propulsion. The HV battery is lithium-ion based technology that has a nominal full charge of 390 VDC, a 16 kWh capacity, and a control system that incorporates liquid (antifreeze) cooling and various electronic devices (control modules, sensors, wiring, etc) to monitor and manage the HV battery. The HV battery, portions of the cooling system, and the control system are contained within a common enclosure.During an NCAP oblique side pole impact test conducted by NHTSA in May 2011, the pole struck and deformed the sill plate under the driver's door at a location where there is a structural member. The lateral member displaced inward, pierced the HV battery enclosure and battery, and caused a battery coolant leak. Thereafter, the Agency conducted a rollover test (the rollover test consists of four 90-degree rotate-and-hold movements about the vehicle's longitudinal axis). In that test, the HV battery and electronics were exposed to coolant that leaked as a result of the crash. The vehicle fire that occurred three weeks later and the additional testing NHTSA conducted are discussed in a report titled 2011 Chevrolet Volt Battery Fire Incident Report a copy of which is available in the public file. The report indicates that intrusion induced coolant leakage, and subsequent rollover that saturates electronic components, were the only test conditions which resulted in a subject vehicle HV battery fire.GM announced its intention to conduct a free-of-charge customer satisfaction campaign (CSP) on the subject vehicles on January 5, 2012. The action affects 14,735 vehicles produced prior to December 21, 2011. The CSP addresses three areas related to the issue under investigation. The first involves a modification/strengthening of the structure of the vehicle in the area where battery intrusion occurred in the May 2011 test. The second involves adding a sensor that detects excessive HV battery coolant loss, and control system software that then alerts the driver and prevents recharging of the HV battery. When the battery cannot be recharged, it will be depleted to a lower energy state as the vehicle continues to operate on the internal combustion engine. Lastly, a tamper-proofing device will be added to the system to prevent consumers from adding coolant. GM discusses these revisions in its response to an Information Request (IR) issued by NHTSA, noting that vehicles produced in calendar year 2012 and later will be manufactured to this condition.In December 2011, and at the same test facility, NHTSA repeated the May 2011 side impact test using a model year 2012 Volt modified to the structural condition described in the CSP. The test did not produce intrusion of the HV battery, a coolant leakage, or a fire (see test 7611, available at www.nhtsa.gov/Research/Databases+and+Software). In its IR response, GM describes four (4) additional side impact tests of modified subject vehicles it recently conducted using various build configurations and impact speeds (including higher speeds). GM reports that none produced HV battery intrusion, coolant leakage, or a fire.As noted in the complaint counts above, ODI has not identified a crash occurring in consumer's use of the vehicle that has resulted in a vehicle fire, or produced coolant leakage. ODI notes that side impact crashes with pole-like structures, such as would strike the sill plate, occur fairly infrequently, and such crashes with rollovers are even less frequent. A defect trend has not been identified at this time, and further investi