NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Electrical System complaints
310 reportsClear category filter99,000 miles · Oct 30, 2023
Electrical System
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the "Propulsion Power Reduced" message would appear on the instrument panel. In addition, several other unknown messages appeared on the instrument panel during the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic was un…
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The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the "Propulsion Power Reduced" message would appear on the instrument panel. In addition, several other unknown messages appeared on the instrument panel during the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that it took hours for the vehicle to start up after multiple failed attempts. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to Manufacturer Communication Number: 18-NA-261.The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
NHTSA ODI #11552553
Mileage unknown · Oct 4, 2023
Electrical SystemUnknown Or OtherCrash
In 2020 my 2017 Chevrolet Volt had an intermittent problem turning off. My Chevrolet dealer worked to fix the problem. This March I had an accident which involved me thinking the car was shut down. I was half way out of the car when I realized it was moving. Before I could get completely in to apply the brakes, I had hit and…
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In 2020 my 2017 Chevrolet Volt had an intermittent problem turning off. My Chevrolet dealer worked to fix the problem. This March I had an accident which involved me thinking the car was shut down. I was half way out of the car when I realized it was moving. Before I could get completely in to apply the brakes, I had hit and pushed an object into a building which caused damage to the building and my car. The was a police report which states that I was at fault. My car was towed to my. Chevrolet dealer for repair. The repair took about two months mostly due to obtaining shifting parts. I can now drive the car but the parts to replace the shifting mechanism is still on back order. It is now early October. The “shift into park” as I think the problem has been named, is still an intermittent problem for me. Sometimes the car shuts down promptly as it should. Sometimes however, I go though the process of shutting down a few times before I am confident that the car has really turned off. I would like to know if this defect has caused other accidents. If so, it my mitigate my responsibility for my my accident which has caused me grief and a large increase in my insurance premium. Another reason I am writing is because There has been a report of a fatal accident in Vienna Township, near Flint, Michigan involving a women being pinned under her car after exiting to check her mail box. The article in “M-Live” paper by Joey Oliver [XXX]. The supposition was that she thought her car was in park. I am hoping that the investigators of her accident would consider the possibility of the car being defective. I believe the police report number [XXX] by officer [XXX]. [XXX], 8525 E. Government center dr., Sutton Bay, MI 49653 I have pictures of the accident, etc but don’t know how to upload them Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11548325
40,000 miles · Sep 1, 2023
Electrical SystemFire
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH the message "low brake fluid" suddenly displayed before multiple warning lights began to illuminate and the vehicle stalled. While the vehicle was coasting on the shoulder the contact discovered that the braking system had malfunct…
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The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH the message "low brake fluid" suddenly displayed before multiple warning lights began to illuminate and the vehicle stalled. While the vehicle was coasting on the shoulder the contact discovered that the braking system had malfunctioned and the vehicle did not stop when pressing the brake pedal. After coasting to a stop the contact noticed smoke coming from the front end of the vehicle. Eventually, the flames engulfed the front end of the vehicle and the fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away. A fire report was taken at the scene. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.
NHTSA ODI #11542073
Mileage unknown · Aug 31, 2023
Electrical SystemPower Train
The shifter of the car will NOT go into park! It takes forever. Have to shut it off, start it back up, and keep trying to get it to work. It's insane! This has to be recalled. Literally thousands of people are having this exact same problem. It's all over the internet. And I wouldn't mind if it were a simple $50 repair, but this…
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The shifter of the car will NOT go into park! It takes forever. Have to shut it off, start it back up, and keep trying to get it to work. It's insane! This has to be recalled. Literally thousands of people are having this exact same problem. It's all over the internet. And I wouldn't mind if it were a simple $50 repair, but this is a $500 to $600 thing to fix and it's just not right. The gear shift cable is not long enough. Chevy knows this because they've manufactured a cable extension that needs to be installed. What does that tell you? Manufacturers defect! Please recall these vehicles for this problem and get them to repair their factory mistake. Thank you. Sincerely & Respectfully, [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11541979
115,000 miles · Aug 7, 2023
Electrical SystemPower Train
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while parked, the transmission was shifted into reverse (R); however, the vehicle failed to reverse. Additionally, the contact stated that while the transmission was shifted into drive (D) the vehicle failed to move. The check engine warning light was illuminated. T…
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The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while parked, the transmission was shifted into reverse (R); however, the vehicle failed to reverse. Additionally, the contact stated that while the transmission was shifted into drive (D) the vehicle failed to move. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who informed the contact that the body control module (BCM) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
NHTSA ODI #11536902
Mileage unknown · Jul 21, 2023
Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train
The vehicle suddenly, and unexpectedly lost propulsion while driving. The vehicle is no longer able to turn on or drive. I contacted several Chevy official dealers and took the car in for repair. They said it is a problem with the hybrid battery system. But the car is no longer manufactured and parts are no longer available. So …
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The vehicle suddenly, and unexpectedly lost propulsion while driving. The vehicle is no longer able to turn on or drive. I contacted several Chevy official dealers and took the car in for repair. They said it is a problem with the hybrid battery system. But the car is no longer manufactured and parts are no longer available. So I am now stuck with a car that is non-operational and not repairable.
NHTSA ODI #11533715
Mileage unknown · Jul 16, 2023
Electrical System
Vehicle displays warning "Shift to park" sometimes when vehicle in placed in park. Vehicle will not lock properly and drains battery if left in this state. Vehicle is unable to turn off while this message is present and the only way to get it to go away is to repeatedly shift the vehicle in and out of park and attempt to turn it…
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Vehicle displays warning "Shift to park" sometimes when vehicle in placed in park. Vehicle will not lock properly and drains battery if left in this state. Vehicle is unable to turn off while this message is present and the only way to get it to go away is to repeatedly shift the vehicle in and out of park and attempt to turn it off. This issue is commonly reported with several GM models. TSB 19-NA-206 was published for this issue in September 2019, but the repair is not covered under a recall at this time.
NHTSA ODI #11532574
Mileage unknown · Jul 2, 2023
Electrical System
The car was been driving, shifting, and turning off normally for 10 months. Then last week, I started to get a "Shift to Park" message on the dashboard when I tried to turn off the car. On all occasions, I was stopped and the shift gear was in park, but the car kept running. I could not get the "Shift to Park" message to stop…
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The car was been driving, shifting, and turning off normally for 10 months. Then last week, I started to get a "Shift to Park" message on the dashboard when I tried to turn off the car. On all occasions, I was stopped and the shift gear was in park, but the car kept running. I could not get the "Shift to Park" message to stop. I finally had to hit Power again, shift the car from park to drive, then return it to park. After a couple attempts, the electrical system changed to "Park." This has now happened over 10 times. I'm concerned at some point the trick will stop working and I won't be able to power off the car.
NHTSA ODI #11529980
Mileage unknown · Jun 22, 2023
Electrical System
While driving the 2017 Chevy Volt, for about 20 minutes, the electrical system shut down. The warning said to put the car into park and look at the screen. The first instance the car was traveling at 45 mph, the second time it was on the freeway at 70 mph. At this point the check engine light came on. After turning the car off a…
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While driving the 2017 Chevy Volt, for about 20 minutes, the electrical system shut down. The warning said to put the car into park and look at the screen. The first instance the car was traveling at 45 mph, the second time it was on the freeway at 70 mph. At this point the check engine light came on. After turning the car off and on three times the car was able to be driven, but it happened again on the next leg of our journey.The Volt at first would not charge. It said "charge not available", then after about an hour the Volt was able to be charged. We believe it is the battery charging module being defective. GM was sued for this very problem, and lost, but has not issued a recall on this very dangerous occurrence. It has issued a bulletin to it's employees, but again, has not addressed the issue.
NHTSA ODI #11528288
Mileage unknown · Jun 14, 2023
Electrical System
After putting the vehicle in park and turning off the engine, the car gives a warning that the car is not in park. The main problem with the inability to shift into the park gear is that I anm unable to shut off my vehicle, which could potentially drain the battery. Consumers have been unable to exit, lock, and turn off their …
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After putting the vehicle in park and turning off the engine, the car gives a warning that the car is not in park. The main problem with the inability to shift into the park gear is that I anm unable to shut off my vehicle, which could potentially drain the battery. Consumers have been unable to exit, lock, and turn off their vehicles due to the shifting malfunction. The true issue at hand here is not that the vehicle is unable to physically shift into the park gear, but the vehicle is incapable of detecting the shift. Typically, when this malfunction occurs, the driver will receive a “Shift to Park” message on the driver information center, even if the gear selector is moved to park and the ignition is switched to the off position. The driver then must either restart the vehicle and try to repeat the shutting down process or toggle the shifter enough that the vehicle’s electrical system finally detects the shift change. While this strategy sometimes does the trick—it doesn’t always work, and drivers are stuck with a vehicle that will not shift into park.
NHTSA ODI #11526995
NHTSA investigations
2PE23022 · Loss Of Motive Power Due To The Battery Energy Control Module
Opened Nov 29, 2023 · Closed Mar 3, 2025
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System; Electrical System:propulsion System; Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery:management System/energy Control Module (bms/becm)
On November 29, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE23022 to investigate allegations of a loss of motive power, including a stall, reduced power state, and/or a no start condition due to the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) in model year (MY) 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt passenger car vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The BECM is located within the high voltage electric vehicle (EV) battery pack and monitors the temperature, current, and voltage of the high voltage battery cell groups. GM stated that the root cause was identified as an internal failure leading to a loss of communication within the BECM and does not pose a risk to motor vehicle safety. GM further stated that the failure cannot result in a complete stall, only a reduced power mode, no start condition, or a no charge condition. GM additionally stated that if these conditions occur, the driver will be warned via a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) and/or a reduced-propulsion message in the Driver Information Center (DIC). Data received and analyzed by ODI from all sources indicates that nearly all related BECM failures caused conditions aligning with GM’s predicted outcomes. Despite the large number of warranty claims, nearly all failures were not safety-related, i.e., not a stall or reduced power mode. ODI isaware of a single minor crash and no injuries or deaths. In March 2024, GM issued Special Coverage N232432680, which was mailed to consumers, addressing BECM failures in certain MY 2016-2018 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. This special coverage provides an extension of the warranty coverage for the BECM from 8 years / 100,000 miles to 15 years / 150,000 miles for all 2016-2018 Chevrolet Volts. Additionally, GM stated that replacement components are sourced from a different supplier and not susceptible to the failure. In view of the Special Coverage issued by GM, the existing warranty coverage already in place, and the low number of safety-related occurrences, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation (PE). 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 future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Additional source detail variants (3)
Electrical System
On November 29, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE23022 to investigate allegations of a loss of motive power, including a stall, reduced power state, and/or a no start condition due to the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) in model year (MY) 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt passenger car vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The BECM is located within the high voltage electric vehicle (EV) battery pack and monitors the temperature, current, and voltage of the high voltage battery cell groups. GM stated that the root cause was identified as an internal failure leading to a loss of communication within the BECM and does not pose a risk to motor vehicle safety. GM further stated that the failure cannot result in a complete stall, only a reduced power mode, no start condition, or a no charge condition. GM additionally stated that if these conditions occur, the driver will be warned via a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) and/or a reduced-propulsion message in the Driver Information Center (DIC). Data received and analyzed by ODI from all sources indicates that nearly all related BECM failures caused conditions aligning with GM’s predicted outcomes. Despite the large number of warranty claims, nearly all failures were not safety-related, i.e., not a stall or reduced power mode. ODI isaware of a single minor crash and no injuries or deaths. In March 2024, GM issued Special Coverage N232432680, which was mailed to consumers, addressing BECM failures in certain MY 2016-2018 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. This special coverage provides an extension of the warranty coverage for the BECM from 8 years / 100,000 miles to 15 years / 150,000 miles for all 2016-2018 Chevrolet Volts. Additionally, GM stated that replacement components are sourced from a different supplier and not susceptible to the failure. In view of the Special Coverage issued by GM, the existing warranty coverage already in place, and the low number of safety-related occurrences, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation (PE). 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 future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Electrical System:propulsion System
On November 29, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE23022 to investigate allegations of a loss of motive power, including a stall, reduced power state, and/or a no start condition due to the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) in model year (MY) 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt passenger car vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The BECM is located within the high voltage electric vehicle (EV) battery pack and monitors the temperature, current, and voltage of the high voltage battery cell groups. GM stated that the root cause was identified as an internal failure leading to a loss of communication within the BECM and does not pose a risk to motor vehicle safety. GM further stated that the failure cannot result in a complete stall, only a reduced power mode, no start condition, or a no charge condition. GM additionally stated that if these conditions occur, the driver will be warned via a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) and/or a reduced-propulsion message in the Driver Information Center (DIC). Data received and analyzed by ODI from all sources indicates that nearly all related BECM failures caused conditions aligning with GM’s predicted outcomes. Despite the large number of warranty claims, nearly all failures were not safety-related, i.e., not a stall or reduced power mode. ODI isaware of a single minor crash and no injuries or deaths. In March 2024, GM issued Special Coverage N232432680, which was mailed to consumers, addressing BECM failures in certain MY 2016-2018 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. This special coverage provides an extension of the warranty coverage for the BECM from 8 years / 100,000 miles to 15 years / 150,000 miles for all 2016-2018 Chevrolet Volts. Additionally, GM stated that replacement components are sourced from a different supplier and not susceptible to the failure. In view of the Special Coverage issued by GM, the existing warranty coverage already in place, and the low number of safety-related occurrences, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation (PE). 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 future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery:management System/energy Control Module (bms/becm)
On November 29, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE23022 to investigate allegations of a loss of motive power, including a stall, reduced power state, and/or a no start condition due to the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) in model year (MY) 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt passenger car vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The BECM is located within the high voltage electric vehicle (EV) battery pack and monitors the temperature, current, and voltage of the high voltage battery cell groups. GM stated that the root cause was identified as an internal failure leading to a loss of communication within the BECM and does not pose a risk to motor vehicle safety. GM further stated that the failure cannot result in a complete stall, only a reduced power mode, no start condition, or a no charge condition. GM additionally stated that if these conditions occur, the driver will be warned via a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) and/or a reduced-propulsion message in the Driver Information Center (DIC). Data received and analyzed by ODI from all sources indicates that nearly all related BECM failures caused conditions aligning with GM’s predicted outcomes. Despite the large number of warranty claims, nearly all failures were not safety-related, i.e., not a stall or reduced power mode. ODI isaware of a single minor crash and no injuries or deaths. In March 2024, GM issued Special Coverage N232432680, which was mailed to consumers, addressing BECM failures in certain MY 2016-2018 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. This special coverage provides an extension of the warranty coverage for the BECM from 8 years / 100,000 miles to 15 years / 150,000 miles for all 2016-2018 Chevrolet Volts. Additionally, GM stated that replacement components are sourced from a different supplier and not susceptible to the failure. In view of the Special Coverage issued by GM, the existing warranty coverage already in place, and the low number of safety-related occurrences, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation (PE). 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 future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
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.