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
What owners actually said
308 reports
70,000 miles · May 5, 2021
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System
VEHICLE HAS STOPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. DURING THIS TIME THE VEHICLE WILL POST AN ERROR ON THE DASH SCREEN. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE TRANSITIONS FROM ELECTRIC FUEL TO GASOLINE, WHEN THE ELECTRIC FUEL IS DEPLETED. CHEVY REFUSES TO REPAIR OR WARRANTY THE VEHICLE, ALSO THE DEALER REFUSES T…
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VEHICLE HAS STOPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. DURING THIS TIME THE VEHICLE WILL POST AN ERROR ON THE DASH SCREEN. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE TRANSITIONS FROM ELECTRIC FUEL TO GASOLINE, WHEN THE ELECTRIC FUEL IS DEPLETED. CHEVY REFUSES TO REPAIR OR WARRANTY THE VEHICLE, ALSO THE DEALER REFUSES TO COMPLETE THE NECESSARY RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE DOES NOT RETURN TO NORMAL UNTIL YOU TURN THE VEHICLE ON AND OFF MULTIPLE TIMES.
NHTSA ODI #11415209
70,000 miles · May 4, 2021
Air Bags
WHENEVER ANY WEIGHT IS APPLIED TO THE PASSENGER SEAT, A SERVICE AIRBAGS ERROR COMES UP AND THE RED AIRBAG SIGNAL ILLUMINATES SIGNALING THAT THE AIBAG IS TURNED OFF FOR PASSENGERS. THERE IS NO INFORMATION ON HOW TO TURN IT BACK ON
NHTSA ODI #11415091
67,000 miles · Apr 23, 2021
Air BagsSeats
THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR FAILS WAS FAILING. THE CHECK AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT WOULD COME ON WHILE DRIVING WITH A PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE. THIS WOULD DISABLE THE AIRBAG (WHEN THE CHECK AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT INDICATING THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS ENABLED SWITCHES TO OFF.) THIS IS A DANGEROUS FAILURE. IF THE CAR KNOWS TH…
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THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR FAILS WAS FAILING. THE CHECK AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT WOULD COME ON WHILE DRIVING WITH A PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE. THIS WOULD DISABLE THE AIRBAG (WHEN THE CHECK AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT INDICATING THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS ENABLED SWITCHES TO OFF.) THIS IS A DANGEROUS FAILURE. IF THE CAR KNOWS THAT THE SENSOR HAS FAILED THEN THE 'SAFE' CONDITION SHOULD BE TO DEPLOY THE AIRBAGS OR THE 'SEAT OCCUPIED' CONDITION SHOULD BE 'LATCHED TRUE' UNTIL THE VEHICLE STOPS. (A PASSENGER CANNOT SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR WHEN THE CAR IS MOVING AT 35 OR 40 MPH). THIS HAPPENED REPEATEDLY IN 2020 AND 2021. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE - WAS TOLD THAT THE ISSUE WAS RESOLVED. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS THE ISSUE STARTED AGAIN. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER APRIL-2021 AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR HAD FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.
NHTSA ODI #11413551
76,000 miles · Apr 6, 2021
Air Bags
MY CAR HAS ABOUT 76K MILES ON IT AND SUDDENLY GIVES A WARNING ABOUT "SERVICE AIRBAG" ON 4/4/2021. I HAVE NOT BEEN IN A WRECK, SPED OVER POTHOLES, OR HAVE ANY DAMAGE TO MY CAR SO I AM UNSURE WHY THIS LIGHT HAS BEEN ACTIVATED (I RECEIVED THIS WARNING PRIOR TO LEAVING MY DRIVEWAY THAT AFTERNOON). IT IS THE PASSENGER AIRBAG THAT IS …
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MY CAR HAS ABOUT 76K MILES ON IT AND SUDDENLY GIVES A WARNING ABOUT "SERVICE AIRBAG" ON 4/4/2021. I HAVE NOT BEEN IN A WRECK, SPED OVER POTHOLES, OR HAVE ANY DAMAGE TO MY CAR SO I AM UNSURE WHY THIS LIGHT HAS BEEN ACTIVATED (I RECEIVED THIS WARNING PRIOR TO LEAVING MY DRIVEWAY THAT AFTERNOON). IT IS THE PASSENGER AIRBAG THAT IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM.
NHTSA ODI #11406628
80,000 miles · Mar 30, 2021
Air Bags
THE AIRBAG SENSOR WARNING FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT GOES OFF EVERY TIME I DRIVE REGARDLESS IF THERE IS A PERSON OCCUPYING THE SEAT OR NOT. HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALER WHO SAYS IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY BUT THAT THE AIRBAGS WORK FINE AND THE ONLY REPAIR IS TO REPLACE THE SEAT SENSOR FOR $1000. QUESTION IS WILL THE AIRBAGS WORK PROPERL…
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THE AIRBAG SENSOR WARNING FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT GOES OFF EVERY TIME I DRIVE REGARDLESS IF THERE IS A PERSON OCCUPYING THE SEAT OR NOT. HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALER WHO SAYS IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY BUT THAT THE AIRBAGS WORK FINE AND THE ONLY REPAIR IS TO REPLACE THE SEAT SENSOR FOR $1000. QUESTION IS WILL THE AIRBAGS WORK PROPERLY OR NOT IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH?? I HEAR THERE IS AN INVESTIGATION OPEN FOR THIS ISSUE PE19013.
NHTSA ODI #11405608
Mileage unknown · Mar 15, 2021
Air Bags
MY 2013 CHEVY VOLT PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT WARNING CAME ON MY CLUSTER INDICATING THAT IT NEEDED SERVICE WHICH I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR BUT THE COST TO FIX IT'S OUTRAGEOUS SO I HAVEN'T FIXED IT AND IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE AND I BELIEVE THAT CHEVROLET SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THIS MATTER BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENING TO…
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MY 2013 CHEVY VOLT PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT WARNING CAME ON MY CLUSTER INDICATING THAT IT NEEDED SERVICE WHICH I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR BUT THE COST TO FIX IT'S OUTRAGEOUS SO I HAVEN'T FIXED IT AND IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE AND I BELIEVE THAT CHEVROLET SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THIS MATTER BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENING TO MANY CHEVY VOLT OWNERS.
NHTSA ODI #11403074
43,000 miles · Mar 9, 2021
Electrical SystemPower TrainUnknown Or Other
THE VOLT IS DISPLAYING MANUFACTURER CONTROL ERROR CODE P1 E00$07E8 AND IS NOT CHARGING. ON THE DASH, THE MESSAGE DISPLAYS AS "SERVICE HIGH VOLTAGE CHARGING SYSTEM". THIS IS A SOFTWARE ERROR THAT CHEVROLET NEEDS TO CORRECT ON THE 2013 CHEVROLET VOLTS AT NO COST TO OWNERS.
NHTSA ODI #11400016
110,000 miles · Mar 9, 2021
Air Bags
SERVICE AIR BAG WARNING COMES ON OFTEN WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE CAR. WILL BEEP AND COME BACK ON EVERY TIME THE PASENGER MOVES. EVEN WITH NO PASSENGER IT WILL SOMETIMES COME ON. WHEN IT DOES COME ON, THE AIR BAG DISPLAY WILL SWITCH TO OFF. THIS HAPPENS WHETHER STATIONARY OR MOVING AND ON ANY TYPE OF ROAD. THIS HAS BEEN GO…
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SERVICE AIR BAG WARNING COMES ON OFTEN WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE CAR. WILL BEEP AND COME BACK ON EVERY TIME THE PASENGER MOVES. EVEN WITH NO PASSENGER IT WILL SOMETIMES COME ON. WHEN IT DOES COME ON, THE AIR BAG DISPLAY WILL SWITCH TO OFF. THIS HAPPENS WHETHER STATIONARY OR MOVING AND ON ANY TYPE OF ROAD. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME DUE TO THE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE FIX OF THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR.
NHTSA ODI #11400002
78,000 miles · Mar 8, 2021
Air Bags
WITHIN A YEAR OF OWNING THE CAR THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR IS APPARENTLY FAILING. MY CHECK AIRBAG LIGHT TURNS ON AND OFF WHEN PASSENGERS OR MILD OR HEAVY OBJECTS ARE SITTING IN THE SEAT OR EVEN SHIFTING POSITION IN THE SEAT MAKES THE CHECK AIRBAG NOTIFICATION APPEAR ON DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN. IT'S AN ANNOYING NOTIFICATION AT…
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WITHIN A YEAR OF OWNING THE CAR THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR IS APPARENTLY FAILING. MY CHECK AIRBAG LIGHT TURNS ON AND OFF WHEN PASSENGERS OR MILD OR HEAVY OBJECTS ARE SITTING IN THE SEAT OR EVEN SHIFTING POSITION IN THE SEAT MAKES THE CHECK AIRBAG NOTIFICATION APPEAR ON DRIVER INFORMATION SCREEN. IT'S AN ANNOYING NOTIFICATION AT LEAST. AND NOT SURE IF ALL THE AIRBAGS WILL DEPLOY IF THE NEED TO. I'VE ADDRESSED THIS BEFORE WITHOUT WORD FROM THIS GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION.
NHTSA ODI #11399669
100,000 miles · Feb 22, 2021
Air Bags
SERVICE AIRBAG WARNING POPS UP WHEN PASSENGER IS SEATED AND MOVES IN SEAT. SOMETIMES TURNS OFF THEIR AIRBAG. RECENTLY WITHIN THE PAST YEAR THE DRIVER SIDE IS ALSO MALFUNCTIONING SAYING TO SERVICE DUE TO SEAT SENSORS. VEHICLE CAN BE STATIONARY OR DRIVING WHEN THIS OCCURRS.
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.
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.
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.
2013 Chevrolet Volt Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year
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