2017 Chevrolet Volt

Failure of Battery Energy Control Module (BECM), within the high voltage battery. Vehicle is unable to charge and sets “reduced power” message. GM released special coverage bulletin for this issue (N232432680), but this vehicle is not listed due to which state it was registered. Continued failure of the BECM will lead to inoperability of the vehicle.

Three separate high-voltage battery section failures within one year, each causing complete loss of propulsion. Two occurred at freeway speeds on [XXX]. FAILURE 1 ([XXX]): Vehicle lost propulsion. Dealer diagnosed DTC P0AFA (low voltage), failed cell in Battery Section 3. Section 3 replaced under GM Special Coverage N232432680 (BECM, 15yr/150k). Vehicle out of service approximately six months awaiting GM authorization and parts. FAILURE 2 ([XXX]): Vehicle lost propulsion on [XXX] at night at freeway speeds. Required towing. Dealer diagnosed DTC P0AFA, Cell 85 at 1.85V in Battery Section 1 (different section). Section 1 replaced under same Special Coverage. Vehicle returned Jan 28, 2026. FAILURE 3 ([XXX], ~300 miles after Failure 2 repair): Vehicle again lost propulsion on the freeway with check engine light, then progressed to no-start condition. Towed to dealer. Diagnosed Feb 20, 2026: DTC P0AFA, Cell 57 at 1.5V in Battery Section 2 (GM minimum spec 2.5V). Third distinct section failure. Vehicle remains at dealer awaiting GM repair authorization as of filing date. SAFETY CONCERN: Loss of propulsion at freeway speeds is an immediate safety hazard. During the Nov 2025 event, the vehicle lost power on [XXX] at night in active traffic. The progressive failure pattern (three different sections failing sequentially in the same pack, identical DTC) suggests a systemic defect rather than isolated component failures. Prior section replacements have not resolved the underlying problem. Vehicle has been usable approximately 20 total days in the past 12 months. All repairs performed or pending under GM Special Coverage N232432680. GM Case [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I am reporting a series of safety concerns regarding my 2017 Chevy Volt, which have persisted despite multiple attempts to address them with the dealership. These issues pose significant risks to my safety and that of others on the road. On January 18th, 2024, I brought my vehicle to the dealer after experiencing reduced propulsion power while driving on the highway, coupled with the illumination of the check engine light. The mechanic performed a quick inspection and used a GM scan tool to diagnose the issue, revealing the code P1E00 for the Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2, which was cleared without a thorough investigation. I was advised to return if the issue reoccurred. Despite the reset, the problem persisted, and on February 9th, 2024, I scheduled another appointment due to my Chevy Volt's High Voltage battery charging only to 65% capacity despite indicating a full charge. Subsequently, on February 11th, 2024, the check engine light illuminated again, and on February 12th, 2024, November 25th, 2025, January 11th, 2026, and February 12, 2026 while driving to work, both times I experienced a loss of propulsion power on the highway, placing my safety at risk and lost all power in a traveling lane of traffic. These ongoing issues with propulsion power and the high-voltage battery charging system are not only inconvenient but also potentially dangerous. Despite multiple visits to the dealership and attempts to diagnose and resolve the problem, it persists, indicating a systemic issue that requires immediate attention. The reduced propulsion power while driving on the highway, coupled with the illumination, I urge the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to investigate this matter thoroughly to ensure the safety of Chevy Volt drivers and passengers. It is imperative that General Motors addresses these issues promptly and implements appropriate measures to prevent further incidents.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 - 40 MPH, the message stating that the propulsion was reduced was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle, and the vehicle unintendedly decelerated. The contact arrived at the destination and parked the vehicle, and the message “Shift to Park” was displayed even though the gear shifter was in park(P). The message “Charging Unavailable” was displayed. The contact stated that while charging the vehicle, the mileage was reduced from 72 miles to approximately 29 miles during the winter months, and 42 miles during the summer months, while still indicating a FULL charge. The “Shift to Park” failure had occurred twice the previous year, and the vehicle was turned off and restarted to correct the failure. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed that the hybrid power train control module had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified on the website, and a case was filed; however, a representative was not reached. The failure mileage was approximately 26,500.

My car started having issues with the hybrid system, with fault alerts related to the drive motor control module, hybrid powertrain control module, and battery energy control module in the transmission, and the vehicle is available for inspection if needed. The engine light had been on for about a week, and I was waiting for availability at work to take it to a mechanic. While driving around 70 mph on the highway, a “Propulsion Power Reduced” message suddenly came on and the car started limiting its speed. As I kept driving, the power continued to drop, making it unsafe to stay at highway speeds and putting both me and other drivers at risk since the car couldn’t keep up with traffic and could slow down unexpectedly. I took it to an independent mechanic who confirmed the issue and warned me it was dangerous to drive because the speed would keep decreasing as power dropped. So far, only an independent mechanic has inspected it. After doing some research, I found this is a very common problem with 2016–2018 Chevy Volts, with many people reporting similar situations where their cars lost power or started jerking at high speeds and they had to pull over.

On 10/14, I was driving the car to my job, when the car suddenly switched from its electric battery power to its internal combustion engine. The vehicle's information screen only showed that the battery was unavailable. I was able to operate the car on only the internal combustion engine to arrive at work. However, when I went to leave several hours later, the car would not start. The car was towed to a dealership and apparently repaired after about a week. However, the repair, a software reset, did not fixt the underlying issues, and on 10/27, after having the car for five days, the car again failed on my way to work, displaying a "Shift to Park" message and not starting. I towed the car to the same dealership, and they had it until 11/04. I recovered my car and drove it again to work that same day, but the car failed again due to the dealership not correctly diagnosing the issue, which appears to be the BECM, a failure related to bulletin N232432680. Due to this issue, I was left stranded on a busy highway for several hours on multiple occasions, and have not have a working vehicle since 10/14, meaning I have had to call off of work on multiple days, losing non-trivial amounts of income and undue economic hardship, due to this issue. Neither the dealership nor General Motors have offered any kind of help or support, and have generally attempted to avoid responding to my repeated phonecalls. Prior to this issue, there were no warnings or symptoms that I observed.

My 2017 Chevy Volt is having Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) issues. I receive the occasional error message of "propulsion is reduced" and engine fault codes of P1E00, U2619, U2620, U2621, U2622, U2623, and U2624. GM issued a Special Coverage bulletin (N232432680) extending the warranty for the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) on 2016-2018 Chevy Volts to 15 years/150,000 miles. My Chevy Volt is within this year and mileage range, but for some reason my Chevy Volt VIN is not included in this Special Coverage (N232432680), which means that this special coverage for some reason doesn't apply to my 2017 Chevy Volt, even though it has the same issue. Is there a way that my 2017 Chevy Volt VIN can be added to this Special Coverage bulletin (N232432680) so that I can get warranty repairs? Thank you.

The engine light starts blinking and telling me propulsion power reduced, and then I cannot use the cruise control after that turns on, and it starts losing power, driving on I 70 after work all of a sudden it turned on and wet from going 76 miles an hour to 52 on highway I 70 where the speed limit was 75. This problem was a recall problem which was fixed and now is happening again on the same part and having the same problems.