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

What owners actually said

245 reports

123,781 miles · Sep 24, 2019

Air Bags

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED DUE TO A FAILED SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. HAD TO REPLACE WITH A USED SEAT.

NHTSA ODI #11257751

96,323 miles · Sep 24, 2019

Air Bags

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED DUE TO A FAILED SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. HAD TO REPLACE WITH A USED SEAT.

NHTSA ODI #11257707

161,748 miles · Sep 24, 2019

Air Bags

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED DUE TO A FAILED SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. HAD TO REPLACE WITH A USED SEAT.

NHTSA ODI #11257703

120,000 miles · Sep 19, 2019

Service Brakes

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE PRECEDING VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED AND CAUSED THE CONTACT TO SUDDENLY DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL. SINCE THEN, EVERY TIME THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE SHOOK AND THE BRAKE ASSIST WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO SIMPSON CHEVROLET OF IRVINE (LOCATED AT 21 AUTO CENTER DR, IRVINE, CA 92618, 949-328-6026) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE AND BRAKE PRESSURE MODULATOR VALVE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V271000 (ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES); HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000. [XXX] PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *PM

NHTSA ODI #11256705

146,000 miles · Aug 27, 2019

Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

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THE CAR WILL SHUT ITSELF OFF WITH VERY LITTLE TIME TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IF THAT IS EVEN A POSSIBILITY. WHEN SWITCHING FROM BATTERY POWER TO THE GAS MOTOR. RANDOMLY. THE CAR WILL DIE AT ANY SPEED. FIRST MESSAGE IS LOW PROPULSION POWER. NEXT MESSAGE ENGINE NOT AVAILABLE, SERVICE SOON. LESS THAN 4 MINUTES FROM 1ST MESSAGE TO TOTAL SHUT DOWN. LEAST AMOUNT OF TIME BETWEEN MESSAGES AND SHUT DOWN IS 15 SECONDS. CAR WILL DECELERATE (ON HIGHWAY WHERE VEHICLES BEHIND HAVE NO WARNING... NO BRAKE LIGHTS THAT CAR IS RAPIDLY LOSING SPEED). NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN. USUALLY CAR WILL RESTART AND RUN TERRIBLE.. AFTER 20 MINUTES OR SO. AFTER RESTART CAR RUNS BAD LOW POWER. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. AFTER 10 MORE MINUTES OF DRIVING. IT STRAIGHTENS OUT. USUALLY. DEALERSHIP UNABLE TO FIND PROBLEM. ASSORTED CODES IN COMPUTER. VERY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT HAPPENS AND IT IS 15 SECONDS TO COMPLETE SHUT DOWN. I HAVE OPENED A CASE WITH CHEVROLET. NO RESPONSE AS OF YET. THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO CALL WITHIN 2 DAYS. I WILL UPLOAD AN ATTEMPT AT RESTART AS IT IS THE ONLY ONE I HAVE WHERE I WAS SAFELY IN A PARKING LOT WHEN IT HAPPENED. USUALLY I AM NOT. AND MANY ROADS IN MY AREA DO NOT HAVE A SHOULDER.

NHTSA ODI #11246669

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

86,000 miles · Aug 10, 2019

Fuel/propulsion System

COMPLETE LOSS OF PROPULSION WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED IMMEDIATELY AFTER TRANSITION FROM BATTERY TO FUEL. ABLE TO COAST OFF OF INTERSTATE AND COME TO A STOP ON A BUSY FRONTAGE ROAD, NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE FURTHER TO MOVE OUT OF TRAFFIC.

NHTSA ODI #11243007

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

133,621 miles · Jul 13, 2019

Fuel/propulsion System

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MY 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT SHUTDOWN WHILE DRIVING WITH A FULL TANK OF GAS WHEN THE ELECTRIC BATTERY REACHED ZERO RANGE. THE CAR WENT INTO NEUTRAL ON THE FREEWAY AT 65MPH AND WOULD NOT MOVE UNDER ITS OWN POWER. THE CAR WOULD NOT JUMP START OR CHARGE. THE HPCM2 HAS DISABLED CHARGING AND CAUSED A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WITH ALL 4 BATTERIES IN LOW VOLTAGE LOCK OUT. THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM AS ANOTHER RECALL WHICH GM WILL NOT PERFORM BECAUSE THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V397000 I HAVE A UNSAFE CAR THAT IS NOW LOCKED OUT UNTIL THE RECALL IS APPLIED BUT THE FACTORY WILL NOT APPLY THE RECALL.

NHTSA ODI #11231591

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