IllustrationPASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR, BEING TRIGGERED INTERMITTENTLY. SENSOR IS CONTAINED WITHIN THE PASSENGER SEAT. SENSOR IS QUESTION IS CALLED A PASSENEGER PRESENCE SYSTEM MODULE.
2013 Chevrolet Volt
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2013 Chevrolet Volt do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 169.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Volt years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
380–25K
2925–50K
6050–75K
4775–100K
33100–150K
6150K+
213 reports with mileage · 95 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 161 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
8 crash reports2 fire reports7 injury reports
Seats complaints
31 reportsPASSENGER SEAT UNOCCUPIED WILL ALERT AIRBAG SENSOR WARNING DISPLAY
AIRBAG WEIGHT SENSOR ISSUES ON PASSENGER SIDE
JUST PAID $975 TO HAVE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSOR REPLACED ON MY 2013 CHEVY VOLT. I WAS INFORMED BY THE GM VOLT THREAD THAT THIS A MANUFACTURING ISSUE WITH THE CHEVY VOLTS AND IS HAPPENING TO MANY VOLT OWNERS.
WHILE IN MOTION MY CAR SPORADICALLY DISPLAYS "SERVICE AIR BAG SYSTEM." UPON DIAGNOSIS, DEALER STATED THE PASSENGER PRESENCE MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS CAR IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD WITH 77,000 MILES. SEEMS LIKE A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD FOR THIS ITEM TO BE FAILING. RESEARCHING CHEVROLET VOLT OWNER FORUM YIELDS NUMEROUS CASES OF …
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WHILE IN MOTION MY CAR SPORADICALLY DISPLAYS "SERVICE AIR BAG SYSTEM." UPON DIAGNOSIS, DEALER STATED THE PASSENGER PRESENCE MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS CAR IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD WITH 77,000 MILES. SEEMS LIKE A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD FOR THIS ITEM TO BE FAILING. RESEARCHING CHEVROLET VOLT OWNER FORUM YIELDS NUMEROUS CASES OF THIS SAME ISSUE.
I WOULD LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAIN REGARDING A "SERVICE AIR BAG" LIGHT PRESENT IN MY CAR. THE LIGHT TURNS ON SUDDENLY REGARDLESS A PASSENGER IS PRESENT OR NOT. IT HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION OR PARKED. I TOOK THE CAR TO BE INSPECTED AND THE CODES GIVEN WERE: B0081 AND B0074 (PASSENGER PRESENCE MALFUNCTION) THE TECHNICIAN EXPL…
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I WOULD LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAIN REGARDING A "SERVICE AIR BAG" LIGHT PRESENT IN MY CAR. THE LIGHT TURNS ON SUDDENLY REGARDLESS A PASSENGER IS PRESENT OR NOT. IT HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION OR PARKED. I TOOK THE CAR TO BE INSPECTED AND THE CODES GIVEN WERE: B0081 AND B0074 (PASSENGER PRESENCE MALFUNCTION) THE TECHNICIAN EXPLAINED TO ME THAT IF THE PART WAS NOT CHANGED THE PASSENGER AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. MY CAR HAS NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT; IT HAS NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO ANY LIQUIDS THAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE. THE ESTIMATE PROVIDED AND REPAIRS WERE $980 (PART ONLY: $500) PLUS TAX. SO FAR, I WAS VERY SATISFIED WITH THE QUALITY OF THIS CAR BUT IT IS VERY DISAPPOINTING THAT SOMETHING THAT IS NOT NEGLIGENCE OF THE DRIVER IS NOT COVERED IN THE MANUFACTURING WARRANTY. UPON STUMBLING WITH THIS ISSUE I REALIZED THAT IT IS A COMMON MALFUNCTION OF THIS CAR FROM OTHER OWNERS AS WELL. I WOULD KINDLY ASK YOU TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THIS ISSUE AND INVESTIGATE IT SO THAT THE COMPANY CAN ISSUE A RECALL AND CUSTOMERS NO LONGER HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A VOLUNTARY REPAIR OR NOT HAVING A PASSENGER AIRBAG IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT IN SUCH MODERN CAR.
PASSENGER PRESSENCE MODULE SENSOR GETS DETORIATED WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT MOVES BACK AND FORTH. BASICALLY RUINING THE TOO SHORT WIRING CONNECTING TO THE SENSORS. THIS MAKES THE AIRBAG NONDEPLOYABLE. THE COMPUTER THINKS NO ONE IS SITTING THERE, ESSENTIALLY. THIS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AND GOES ON AND OFF, BUT HAS STAYED ON CO…
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PASSENGER PRESSENCE MODULE SENSOR GETS DETORIATED WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT MOVES BACK AND FORTH. BASICALLY RUINING THE TOO SHORT WIRING CONNECTING TO THE SENSORS. THIS MAKES THE AIRBAG NONDEPLOYABLE. THE COMPUTER THINKS NO ONE IS SITTING THERE, ESSENTIALLY. THIS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AND GOES ON AND OFF, BUT HAS STAYED ON CONSISTENTLY.
MY AIRBAG SENSOR INTERMITTENTLY COMES IN AND OFF. I TOOK IT TO A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG SENSOR AND THAT IT WOULD COST ABOUT $900. I HAVE READ ON A VOLT FORUM THAT THIS IS HAPPENING TO MANY OF US. THIS SHOULD BE COVERED BY GM.
PASSENGER PRESENCE MODULE NEEDS REPLACING AT A DEALER-QUOTED COST OF $700. REAR SEAT STITCHING CAME APART, REQUIRING SEVERAL HOURS OF REPAIR. 2 BAD 12 VOLT BATTERIES IN 36,000 MILES HAVE SOMEHOW AFFECTED THE MAIN COMPUTER AND I HAVEN'T RECEIVED A QUOTE YET. BAD OIL LINE CONNECTION ON THE MASTER CYLINDER. MECHANIC SAID DEFECTI…
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PASSENGER PRESENCE MODULE NEEDS REPLACING AT A DEALER-QUOTED COST OF $700. REAR SEAT STITCHING CAME APART, REQUIRING SEVERAL HOURS OF REPAIR. 2 BAD 12 VOLT BATTERIES IN 36,000 MILES HAVE SOMEHOW AFFECTED THE MAIN COMPUTER AND I HAVEN'T RECEIVED A QUOTE YET. BAD OIL LINE CONNECTION ON THE MASTER CYLINDER. MECHANIC SAID DEFECTIVE CRIMP. BOUGHT THE CAR IN 6/15 AT 16,000 MILES WITH A RECONSTRUCTED TITLE. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN ACCIDENT. I DOUBT THAT THE ACCIDENT INFLUENCED ANY OF THESE PROBLEMS. THE CAR PERFORMED FLAWLESSLY FOR 10,000 AFTER I BOUGHT IT (EXCEPT FOR THE 12 VOLT BATTERY).
SERVICE AIR BAG WARNING DURING OR SHORTLY AFTER SOMEONE SITS IN FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. ALSO SEE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES "OFF" FOR EXTENDED PERIOD. DEALER STATES IT IS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR THE PAST YEAR. BELIEVE THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT, AND ALSO A SAFETY HAZARD, AS AIR BAG MAY NO…
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SERVICE AIR BAG WARNING DURING OR SHORTLY AFTER SOMEONE SITS IN FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. ALSO SEE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATES "OFF" FOR EXTENDED PERIOD. DEALER STATES IT IS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR THE PAST YEAR. BELIEVE THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT, AND ALSO A SAFETY HAZARD, AS AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN A COLLISION.
Official recalls
323V516000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
Jul 27, 2023
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Camero, Sonic, and Volt vehicles. The driver-side air bag inflator may explode during deployment due to a manufacturing defect.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver-side air bag module, free of charge. On some 2013 Volt vehicles, the steering wheel will be replaced as well, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2023. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N232413120.
18V397000 · Hybrid Propulsion System
Jun 14, 2018
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. An update to the Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2 (HPCM2) may have disabled the cell balancing function causing a low-voltage condition.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the voltage drops, the vehicle may lose propulsion, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the HPCM2, free of charge. The recall began July 24, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18215.
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
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: 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
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: 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.
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
2DP22005 · 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.