2017 Chevrolet Volt

Check engine light came on car was able to start but the cluster started reading the battery being full with a charge. And was having trouble starting. Fast forward a day I get a propulsion system reduced warning on the dash as I’m entering the highway and the car fails to stay on I’m able to pull it to the shoulder and I cannot get the car to start. Get towed home throw it on the charger and the dash says unable to charge. swap the 12v (checked it and it died) thinking that might fix the problem since the car was able to power on but not start. To no avail through my code reader and code p1e00 code. Took it to my local dealer and was told id need replace the becm… and was quoted 33xx for the repair. Had any of this happened while I was on the freeway I might not have been able to make it to the shoulder potentially putting myself and others on the road and a possibly fatal situation.

I was driving my car from Houston to Dallas when I got the "reduced propulsion" message and a check engine light. When I first saw the reduced propulsion issue I thought it might be related to the BECM issue again since I had already experienced that problem before. In the last few minutes of my trip the AC started to get hot and when I checked the coolant temperature I noticed it was around 240 - 255 F. I hadn't noticed it since there was no warning light for high temperature which I am used to with other cars. I'm not sure of the full extent of the issues yet, but I know for certain that the EGR valve has failed completely at about 71,500 miles. This is with very few miles on the actual ICE. I typically only use the ICE for a few hundred miles of driving each year. Fortunately for me, even though the CEL came on for the reduced propulsion I was able to reach my destination. However, when I went to leave, the car left me stranded as the ICE would shut down after a few minutes of running. The propulsion system is reduced and the engine becomes unavailable. Only the battery power will allow the car to drive. The F3 fuse in the EGR circuit blows if the engine is activated, and has happened multiple times already confirming the EGR issue. I have additional check engine lights that are a result of the EGR failure to circulate coolant properly. Below is a list of all the CEL codes that were pulled: P06DB P0030 P0031 P0403 P0405 P0443 P0458 P0489 P0597 P0598 P06DA P0AC4 P0135 P0AC4 P16E0 Looking into this issue I found that this is an one of the most common failures in the Chevy Volts but is no longer covered under the vehicle warranty and no bulletins posted for an extended warranty other than the BECM failure. This failure is so prevalent that I am surprised it is not.

While driving approximately 65 MPH on an interstate highway, the vehicle's check engine light illuminated. Very shortly after, the dashboard screen displayed the message "propulsion power reduced," and the internal combustion engine turned on. The vehicle's power was significantly reduced, almost causing an accident when another car started merging without checking their blind spot, forcing me into the left lane in front of a third vehicle that had to brake sharply to allow me to accelerate to keep up with traffic in that lane. Upon scanning the vehicle with an OBDII reader, codes P1E00, P1F06, U2603, U2604, U2605, U2606, U2617, and U2618 were present. Together, these codes indicate an issue with the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM). The vehicle is currently at a Chevrolet dealer, awaiting replacement of the BECM under the applicable warranty extension.

I got a warning from my car a little over a week ago (around 6/1, unsure of exact date) that I needed to service the battery charging system, but then the check engine indicator light shut off and so did the warning light. The hybrid battery took a charge with no issues after that. Then, I left work the evening of 6/9 and drove home. On my way home, the check engine light came back on, followed by warnings that I needed to shift to park. Before I could pull over, my car stopped moving. Cars had to stop abruptly behind me and navigate around me into incoming traffic. I shifted to park, then tried to turn my car off and on again. I tried to switch between the gas engine and the battery, I tried to move my vehicle in any way. I couldn't get it into neutral to push it out of traffic. I turned on my hazard lights and a person came out from his house to assist in directing traffic away from my car for about an hour while I waited for a tow truck to arrive. The kind bystander who directed traffic and I were very concerned about a car accident happening due to my stopped vehicle. A police officer stopped by to check on us and try and get my vehicle into neutral but he was unable and said he was on his way to a 911 dispatch so he did not write a report of any kind that I could see. He told me the vehicle placement was not safe and I agreed with him. The tow truck came as he was leaving. The dealership I sent my car to said it is likely a short circuit in the 12v battery but I know the BECM in the Chevy Volt is known to cause similar behavior. Dealership refused to service the BECM when asked about it.

While driving the vehicle, the car shut down. Thankfully I was coming to a yield at a round about after exiting the Interstate. I was finally able to get it to restart and proceeded on my way. If this had happened on the Interstate myself, and other drivers would be at risk due to unassisted steering and braking. I also have experienced intermittent periods of "Reduction of Power" while on the interstate and other 55MPH plus highways. This presents a hazard to myself and other drivers as well. These issues ARE covered for similar vehicles under Special Warranty Coverage N232432680 as required by NHTSA on March 6, 2024. My vehicle also exhibits all of the primary symptoms described in that coverage, but GM claims that my vehicle is NOT covered. CEL is on. Can't charge condition Reduced power No start condition

There was a recall for the HPCM2 where the propulsion power reduced warning would come on whenever the car's cell battery was depleted. This happened with my car and there were several times it slowed on the freeway and on exit ramps as I tried to safely get my car off the road. It first happened on 4/13/25. I took my car to a regular mechanic who charged me 3k of repairs on basic maintenance, new tires, etc but were unable to fix this issue. They advised it was a manufacturer issue and to go to a hybrid specialist or a dealership. I called a hybrid specialist who found the faulty code and advised the same. I took my car to Felix Chevrolet (3330 S. Figueroa St. LA, CA 90007) and they offered to do many maintenance service items that I had done earlier this week in an attempt to fix the HPCM2 software bug. After I told them that the maintenance items were complete, they called me back an hour later to tell me I needed other maintenance repairs that are less common. When I gave them the description of the recall and re-explained this is identical to my car's symptoms and that this manufacturing issue may have affected other vehicles like mine that were outside of the recall batch, they told me it was impossible to apply this diagnosis as long as my VIN number was outside of the recall batch. Can you please add my VIN to this recall or have my car reviewed by someone who can debug the software?