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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.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

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

Tires complaints

6 reports
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Mileage unknown · Sep 18, 2021
Tires

Tire pressure dose not hold air to recommended tire pressure. Passenger tire seem to control pressure on all four tires. Once tire pressure is inflated to recommended pressure. All four tires deflate and inflated to uneven pressure after driving. Vehicle was seen by Terry Cullen Johnsboro, Ga. They said the passenger rim need to…

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Tire pressure dose not hold air to recommended tire pressure. Passenger tire seem to control pressure on all four tires. Once tire pressure is inflated to recommended pressure. All four tires deflate and inflated to uneven pressure after driving. Vehicle was seen by Terry Cullen Johnsboro, Ga. They said the passenger rim need to be replaced 800.00. But I ask about the rubber oring around the valve stem replace, they said no oring on the valve stem. I ask about a valve replaced they said no a new tire is the best they could do. My gas mileage dropped to 28 miles a gal from 40. This is a critical fix for a car that has no spare tire. In addition, oil change could not be done on the transmission because there is 126,000 miles on the car is what the technician had said.

NHTSA ODI #11433463

200 miles · Jan 20, 2017
Tires

THIS NOTE IS SUPPLEMENTAL TO NHTSA #10940031 OF 1/1/17. THE TIRE THAT HAD JUST REPLACED THE SECOND FAILED TIRE ALSO SUSTAINED DAMAGE DEEMED TO BE UNACCEPTABLE TO REPAIR ONLY ABOUT 200 MILES AFTER IT WAS INSTALLED. GIVEN 3 OF THESE TIRES FAILED VERY PREMATURELY OVER 7.5K MILES, NEVER MIND 2 IN 200 MILES, THIS SUGGESTED TO ME A …

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THIS NOTE IS SUPPLEMENTAL TO NHTSA #10940031 OF 1/1/17. THE TIRE THAT HAD JUST REPLACED THE SECOND FAILED TIRE ALSO SUSTAINED DAMAGE DEEMED TO BE UNACCEPTABLE TO REPAIR ONLY ABOUT 200 MILES AFTER IT WAS INSTALLED. GIVEN 3 OF THESE TIRES FAILED VERY PREMATURELY OVER 7.5K MILES, NEVER MIND 2 IN 200 MILES, THIS SUGGESTED TO ME A POSSIBLE ATYPICAL WEAKNESS IN THE DESIGN OF THESE TIRES SO I SCRAPPED ALL 4 FUEL MAX TIRES AND REPLACED THEM WITH THE FAR SUPERIOR GOODYEAR ASSURANCE TRIPLETRED TIRES. HAVING PUT 70K+/- MILES ON A SET OF PREVIOUSLY OWNED TRIPLETRED TIRES WITHOUT A SINGLE FAILURE UNDER VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL CONDITIONS TO THOSE I USED THE FUEL MAX TIRES UNDER I CAN STATE WITH CONFIDENCE THAT THEY ARE MUCH MORE DAMAGE RESISTANT TIRES THAN THE FUEL MAX VERSION OF THE ASSURANCE LINE IN ADDITION TO HAVING NOTICEABLY GREATER/SAFER TRACTION IN RAIN AND SNOW. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10946800

24,420 miles · Jan 5, 2017
Tires

THESE TIRES ARE SHOWN AS BEING THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES GM PUT ON THEIR VOLTS. IN MY EXPERIENCE THEY ARE SEVERELY BELOW NORMAL DURABILITY. MY VOLT'S FL TIRE WAS REPLACED AT 17K MILES (SLOW SIDEWALL LEAK) FOLLOWED BY THE RR FAILING AT 24K MILES (CATASTROPHIC). DESPITE THE USUAL POTHOLE AND ROAD DEBRIS ENCOUNTERS MY PREVIOUS…

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THESE TIRES ARE SHOWN AS BEING THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES GM PUT ON THEIR VOLTS. IN MY EXPERIENCE THEY ARE SEVERELY BELOW NORMAL DURABILITY. MY VOLT'S FL TIRE WAS REPLACED AT 17K MILES (SLOW SIDEWALL LEAK) FOLLOWED BY THE RR FAILING AT 24K MILES (CATASTROPHIC). DESPITE THE USUAL POTHOLE AND ROAD DEBRIS ENCOUNTERS MY PREVIOUS SET OF PIRELLI P4 TIRES RAN 115K+ MILES FAILURE FREE AND THE MICHELINS I HAD BEFORE THEM LASTED 64K MILES WITHOUT A FAILURE. ADDITIONALLY, I SEE MY TWO REMAINING FACTORY TIRES ARE DOWN TO 6/32 TO 7/32 OF AN INCH TREAD AFTER ONLY 24K MILES WHICH MIGHT EXPLAIN THEIR DISTRESSINGLY POOR GRIP IN RAIN AND SNOW. TO PUT THAT WEAR IN PERSPECTIVE, THE PIRELLI TIRES STILL HAD FROM 5/32 TO 7/32 OF AN INCH TREAD LEFT WHEN AT 115K MILES. THAT THESE TIRES SEEMINGLY NEED REPLACING AT THE RATE OF ONE TIRE ROUGHLY EVERY 6K TO 12K MILES SUGGESTS THEY SUFFER FROM A FUNDAMENTAL DESIGN DEFICIENCY. I GATHER MY EXPERIENCE IS NOT A FLUKE. A VISIT TO A VOLT OWNERS' SITE FOUND COMPLAINTS OF 5 FLATS IN 36K MILES, 2 FLATS IN UNDER A YEAR, 3 FLATS IN 3 MONTHS, 2 FLATS IN ONE YEAR, 4 FLATS IN A YEAR AND A HALF, 2 FLATS IN 10 MONTHS AND 2 FLATS IN 22K MILES. SUCH DISMAL RELIABILITY AND APPARENT DANGEROUS FRAGILITY SUGGESTS A RECALL, OR AT LEAST AN INVESTIGATION, MIGHT BE JUSTIFIED FOR SAFETY. REFERENCED SITE: HTTP://WWW.MYCHEVROLETVOLT.COM/CHEVY-VOLT-FLAT-TIRE-NO-SPARE-TIRE-WOES#COMMENT-873011

NHTSA ODI #10940031

5 miles · Nov 4, 2016
SteeringTiresCrashInjury

OCT 24TH MORNING MURRIETA, CA , IT WAS RAINING AND BIG THUNDERS AND LIGHTING. MY WIFE STARTED FOR WORK , THE CAR WAS FULLY CHARGED. SHE MADE HER USUAL RIGHT TURN FROM " MURRIETTA HOTSPRINGS RD " TO " BUTTERFIELD STAGE ROAD" IN CITY OF MURRIETA / TEMECULA CA. SHE PUT THE CAR IN "REGENERATION MODE" AS THE ROAD WAS DOWN HILL.…

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OCT 24TH MORNING MURRIETA, CA , IT WAS RAINING AND BIG THUNDERS AND LIGHTING. MY WIFE STARTED FOR WORK , THE CAR WAS FULLY CHARGED. SHE MADE HER USUAL RIGHT TURN FROM " MURRIETTA HOTSPRINGS RD " TO " BUTTERFIELD STAGE ROAD" IN CITY OF MURRIETA / TEMECULA CA. SHE PUT THE CAR IN "REGENERATION MODE" AS THE ROAD WAS DOWN HILL. THERE WAS A BIG LIGHTING AND FOLLOWED BY A BIG THUNDER SOUNDS. SHE SAW WHITE LIGHT AND WAS BLINDED FOR FRACTION OF SECOND, IT WAS RAINING HEAVY, IMMEDIATELY SHE FELT THE CAR WAS FLOATED/DRIFTING TO LEFT , HIT THE CENTER RAOD DIVIDER AND ALL AIR BAGS WERE ALREADY DEPLOYED. SHE TRIED HER BEST TO PULL THE CAR TO RIGHT (SHE COULD NOT SEE DUE TO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED ALL EXCEPT PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG) BUT COULD NOT DO SO , SHE ALSO STATED THE STEERING WAS STRUCK. THE CAR CAME TO STOP AFTER JUMPING INTO OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET. NO OTHER CAR WAS INVOLVED. MOST OF THE DAMAGE TO THE CAR WAS TO THE FRONT WHEELS, FRONT UNDER BODY DUE TO IMPACT WITH THE CENTER ROAD DIVIDER. ALL AIRBAGS WERE DEPLOYED EXCEPT FOR THE PASSENGER. SHE WAS ALONE IN THE CAR. THE POLICE AND EMD WERE AT THE SCENE AFTER 10 -15 MINS AS SOMEONE HAD ALREADY CALLED 911. I WAS AT THE SCEEN AS THE LOCATION WAS 10 MINS FROM MY HOME. THE POLICE REPORT IS STILL DUE AS I NOTIFY YOU. INSURANCE DECLARED TOTAL LOSS. MY WIFE HAD MINOR INJURIES DUE TO AIR BAGS. WE HOPE SOMEONE CAN FIND ANSWERS FOR THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. 1) DID LIGHTING CAUSE ANY ELECTRICAL INTERFERENCE WITH VEHICLE ELECTRONICS WHICH MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT ? 2) WHY DID AIR BAGS DEPLOY IF THE WHEELS HIT THE CENTER DIVIDER . OR WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF AIRBAGS DEPLOYMENT ?

NHTSA ODI #10924232

10,000 miles · Sep 5, 2014
TiresWheels

I'VE LEASED MY 2013 VOLT FOR 1 1/2 YEARS. JULY 3RD I GOT 2 FLAT TIRES (BOTH DRIVER SIDE, REAR AND FRONT). I BOUGHT 2 NEW TIRES AND THE SERVICE AT CHEVY PUT THEM ON THE 2 FRONT WHEELS. EXACTLY 2 MONTHS LATER, I GOT 2 MORE FLAT TIRES (PASSENGER SIDE, FRONT AND REAR). I FIND IT INCREDIBLY HARD TO BELIEVE THAT 4 NEW TIRES ARE NOW…

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I'VE LEASED MY 2013 VOLT FOR 1 1/2 YEARS. JULY 3RD I GOT 2 FLAT TIRES (BOTH DRIVER SIDE, REAR AND FRONT). I BOUGHT 2 NEW TIRES AND THE SERVICE AT CHEVY PUT THEM ON THE 2 FRONT WHEELS. EXACTLY 2 MONTHS LATER, I GOT 2 MORE FLAT TIRES (PASSENGER SIDE, FRONT AND REAR). I FIND IT INCREDIBLY HARD TO BELIEVE THAT 4 NEW TIRES ARE NOW FLAT. I'VE BEEN DRIVING FOR 40 YEARS AND HAVE OWNED MANY DIFFERENT NEW CARS, AND THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED! I FEEL THERE IS SOMETHING EITHER ABOUT THE CAR BEING ELECTRIC OR THE TYPE OF TIRES THAT IS CAUSING FLATS. BESIDES BEING VERY EXPENSIVE, IT IS ALSO VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE ON FLAT TIRES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10631086

2,176 miles · Feb 12, 2013
Tires

GOODYEAR ASSURANCE TIRES. 2ND FLAT AT LOW SPEEDS IN TWO MONTHS. CAR TIRE JUST BLOWS OUT IMMEDIATELY GOING FLAT. NO KNOWN OBJECT WAS DRIVEN OVER, FLATTENS OUT INSTANTLY. SECOND TIME IN TWO MONTHS THIS SCENARIO PLAYS OUT. SHOULD THIS HAVE BEEN AT A GREATER SPEED, THE SCENARIO WOULD HAVE BEEN FAR WORST. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10497858

Official recalls

3

23V516000 · 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

2

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.