2017 Chevrolet Volt

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the message “Unable to Charge” was displayed with the check engine warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

The car has a Check Engine Light and "reduced propulsion" warning. Based on OBDII errors, the EGR on my chevy volt failed. I am not in a CARB state (i'm in Hawaii, though I bought my Volt in CA, which is a CARB state). The EGR issues plague all Gen2 Chevy Volts, and tends to break around 40-70k miles into the life of the car. EGR spare part availability is very limited. Given the frequency with which this car breaks for this issue, and the negative impact on emissions, this should be a recall issue nationwide, not just for states that keep CARB requirements.

I was driving effortlessly down [XXX] between san francisco and santa cruz when suddenly i seemed to be losing power. Pressing the accelerator/gas pedal was not obtaining the usual result and I was going slower and slower by what felt like the second. I also noticed that it switched to gas although it said there were around 12 miles on the EV battery which was a sign that something was wrong. Fortunately there was a break and traffic was going at a speed which allowed me to make it across three lanes of traffic in just enough time for an alert posted on my dash saying something about loss of propulsion (not sure what it said exactly, because, i was driving!) and i coasted onto the shoulder, but barely. By that time it indicated that there were zero miles on the EV battery. (2 weeks prior I had been unable to start the parked car. I had the 12V battery replaced as the local mechanic where it was towed thought that that might be the cause.) I turned the car off and back on and when I tried to shift to D or R the dash stated "Return to P" AAA made us a priority tow as we were on a major thoroughfare. We were at risk, but thankfully we were relatively safe. I called GM to say that it seemed that the EV battery had died suddenly. I was advised to bring it to the dealer. I called the dealer and they quoted me the cost of replacing the EV battery. They mentioned nothing of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation into the model year 2016 through 2019 Chevrolet Volt amid complaints about the hybrid’s battery energy control module, or BECM, some of the complaints indicating that drivers had little to no warning before the car lost operating power or entered reduced power mode, which was exactly what had happened to me. Nor did they mention a letter I discovered on line dated March 6,2024 re:Battery Energy Control Module Malfunction, and stating that they would be contacting customers. I was never contacted. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 55

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that upon arriving to the destination and moving the gear shifter into park(P), the vehicle failed to turn off. The contact stated that the message "Please Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact became aware that the gear shifter failed to return to drive(D). After several attempts over 40 minutes, the vehicle returned to normal functionality. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the gear shifter assembly. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 24,000.

I was driving at about 50mph all of a sudden I got a propulsion error and my car stopped working it had no power! People had to swerve around me and I was almost hit. My car would not drive I shut it off and back on multiple times. Finally it started but would not go above 25 it was so scary. I went to the dealership they said it’s known issue since 2016 and that my miles were too high so it would not be covered to fix the total amount it almost 3,000 this seems unfair that Chevy would continue to sell a vehicle knowing it had issues with a energy control module and not fix it for free. Especially when you could be killed while driving it!!

N232432680 / PE23022 On some 2016-2018 model year Chevrolet Volt vehicles, a malfunction involving the battery energy control module (BECM) may cause a reduced power mode, a no start condition, or a no charge condition. The above safety issue required an extended warranty recall for *all* 2016-2018 Chevrolet Volts due to a known issue with failing battery energy control modules (BECM). The warranty was not extended to vehicles sold in CARB states, as the Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) warranty is the same as the extended warranty granted by the NHTSA investigation which resulted in the extended warranty noted above. (N232432680) However, it GM's practice to decline warranty coverage for a CARB vehicle with the PZEV warranty if it is not longer registered in a CARB state, thereby skirting around the special coverage from the NHTSA investigation. This is a circumvention of the findings by the NHTSA and the safety of motorists.

My car's check engine light went on and after a while started blinking. The car would not go. When I got it towed and checked by the dealership, they said my EGR Valve had an issue and needed to be replaced. They said the part was on backorder and it could take months and tried to charge me $2,000 up front to "reserve the part." It seems like GM has deprioritized this part and is putting drivers like myself at risk of not being able to use our cars and not being able to pass emissions inspections required in my state. This was originally diagnosed in spring 2024 and I have been unable to get a replacement as of January 2025

On [XXX] my 2017 Chevy Volt was having propulsion issues, and later would not start at all. This was not the first instance of propulsion issues, fortunately I was able to pull the vehicle into parking lots. The vehicle was towed to Midway Chevrolet, 2323 W Bell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85023. On Friday [XXX] the dealership called me to let me know the vehicle was ready for pickup. After my arrival at Midway the car was driven one last time and must have experienced trouble, so it was checked out. Midway then informed me that one of the 32 Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) was not producing enough voltage to propel the vehicle and not drivable. Midway ordered the replacement BECM and when I inquired several days later I was told the BECM was on backorder and they hoped to have the BECM in September 2024. In September I was told that part might be available in December 2024. I have checked with the GMPARTSCENTER and other component distributers and told the part was on national back order. Although I was fortunate the vehicle didn't die completely while I was driving it, it was certainly a concern. The vehicle has now been at Midway for 6 months and the lack of availability of the replacement BECM is a concern. What if another section of the battery has a voltage issue once I get the vehicle back? I will be placed in an unsafe situation and facing months of having the vehicle at the dealership waiting on parts. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)