2017 Chevrolet Volt

While driving, a warning message came on: "Engine unavailable." I was able to drive a few more blocks but then the car stopped on its own. This happened despite the fact that the car had almost a full tank of gas. If this had happened on the highway, it would have been very dangerous. Luckily, I was on a fairly empty city street and I simply pulled to the curb. This is a known problem with the Chevy Volt (2017). An independent service center confirmed that the original problem is that the EGR valve needs replacing. When this is an issue, a fuse often blows and this fuse stops the car from moving. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance rep or others. There was a message that came on a few days before the incident that said "propulsion power is reduced." An independent service center said the EGR valve needs to be replaced. There are no EGR valves available; they have been on back order for months. I have an appointment with the Chevy dealer for next week, so they can confirm the EGR valve needs replacing and I can get on their waitlist to receive an EGR valve. This is expected to take 6-12 months or possibly longer. In the meantime, I can drive the car on electric charge but am supposed to avoid engaging the ICE engine. If I end up running out of electric charge, I am at risk of once again having the fuse blow and the car failing to move forward. This is ridiculous. Why is GM/Chevy not required to provide parts in a timely manner to existing customers to make sure their cars run safely? I am definitely not the only Volt owner experiencing this issue -- there are many people online complaining about the same issue. All of us risk a situation of the car stopping to run at any time.

Starting June 2024 my car started s displaying the check engine light with the message “Propulsion power is reduced” when driving on electric. When the message is displayed it switches to gas even if it has a full charge. Since June 2024 the check engine light is mostly on but sometimes turns off when electric is depleted and it’s running on gas. The message is randomly displayed when I accelerate

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed, or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

I took my car to Platinum Chevrolet in Santa Rosa, Ca. They did a checkup and claimed that both of the spindle axle washers were cracked and should be replaced ASAP. They told me that it could be very dangerous if I continued to drive the car without repair. They told me that this flaw was quite common on Chevy Volts. I researched on the internet and this flaw is reported quite often and is said to be dangerous. There is no recall for this flaw. If this flaw is very dangerous, WHY is there no recall?

I own a 2017 Chevrolet Volt and at about 90,000 miles on the odometer, my dashboard displayed a "Propulsion Power Reduced" message, and upon diagnostic scanning, error code P0401 was detected. This code indicates an issue with the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve. After further investigation, it has been determined that the EGR valve has failed and requires replacement. However, finding a suitable replacement part has proven to be challenging due to limited availability. I had work done to repair the issue at the dealership, but found it wasn't resolved during a recent attempt to pass emissions. This issue is well-documented with Chevrolet Volt owners and can lead to a dangerous loss of power, particularly when driving uphill or in demanding traffic conditions. The sudden reduction in propulsion power could potentially impede traffic flow and create hazardous situations for both the driver and other road users.

While driving my 2017 Chevy Volt on the highway, a “Propulsion power is reduced” message appeared accompanied by the CEL. Prior to this there had been no indication that anything was wrong. The warning was quite vague and it wasn’t at all clear what it actually meant so I continued driving. Shortly after this, I began to notice a bit of a “chuggle” or lurching sensation (particularly on hills). This made the acceleration slightly unpredictable, and at one point even triggered the forward collision warning when the car accelerated a bit after I took my foot off the gas pedal (coming up behind another car at a traffic light). I pulled over and attempted to figure out what the issue was. I had a notice regarding the BECM recall in my glove box which listed a reduced power mode as a potential symptom, so I scheduled a service appointment (figuring it was that) and continued my trip. I stopped to get gas, then a mile or two down the road the engine overheated and shut off. By sheer luck I had a few miles of range left in electric mode which allowed me to pull over safely, but I was now stranded over 100 miles from home. I managed to get the vehicle to a dealership in Danvers, MA where they diagnosed the problem as a failed EGR valve. My understanding is this is related to a defect in the valve electronics.The valve failed and blew the F3 fuse, which also supplies power to the engine cooling system. It doesn’t take long for the engine to overheat and it seems this can lead to a complete loss of power while driving when the electric range is already depleted. The valve is currently unplugged while I await a replacement but there is no word on how long that might be. Other Volt owners have had to wait months or even years to get a new valve. The repair quote I received is also unreasonably expensive (> $4,000). I failed my state emissions inspection and am in the process of applying for a waiver. Given how common this is, I'm surprised this isn't already a recall.

SERVICE BRAKE BOOSTER EMITS A SEMI CONTINUOUS TAPPING/CLICKING NOISE. CHEVROLET STATE THAT IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE AND DOES NOT REQUIRE REPAIR. HOWEVER, IT IS DIFFICULT TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM WHILE THIS SOUND PERSISTS AND IT IS A CONSTANT DISTRACTION WHILE DRIVING. PLUS, THE ABILITY TO SELL OR TRADE THE VEHICLE IN THIS CONDITION IS DIMINISHED. ELIMINATION OF THE NOISE INVOLVES COSTLY REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT OF THE BRAKE BOOSTER ASSY. CHEVROLET FIXED AN APPARENTLY IDENTICAL ISSUE ON THE BOLT MODEL WITH A SOFTWARE UPDATE, BUT CURRENTLY HAVE NO INTENTION TO DO ANYTHING SIMILAR FOR THE VOLT MODEL.

While making a 90 mile drive on 7/20, after having depleted the primary battery charge and switched to hybrid mode, a "propulsion power is reduced" warning appeared on the console, along with the Check Engine Light. Other than somewhat reduced power (max displayed of ~40-50 kW), performance otherwise seemed unimpeded. Contacted local dealership to schedule service for earliest available date of 7/26. Car made return 90 mile trip on 7/21 without issue additional issue ("propulsion power is reduced" message remained.) Service identified "numerous codes", but replaced a fuse known to result in the above issue and observed no other issues. Car was driven purely on battery at that time, and for the intervening time until a 170 mile drive on 8/2, where the message and Check Engine Light reappeared, again after battery charge was consumed and car switched to hybrid power mode. Dealership was again contacted to schedule service, slated for the morning of 8/7 (tomorrow, as of this writing). Car reached its destination without further incident. During return 170 mile trip on 8/5, traveling on the highway, car abruptly alerted that the engine was no longer available and entered a severely reduced-power mode. Car had been operating in "mountain mode" (conserving some extra battery charge) as a precaution, so we were able safely exit the highway and pull into a local parking lot, at which point AAA was contacted to tow the car the remaining 120 miles home. Upon arriving home, the car was able to pull into the garage without the "engine not available" alert, but still displaying Check Engine Light and "propulsion power reduced" messages. We have come to understand this is a fairly common issue with Generation II Volts and have been advised by other owners to file this report.

10 months ago, I took my vehicle in to the local chevy dealership because the check engine light was on and I had noticed the vehicle seemed to be running rough. I had also seen a message that said the vehicle was running at reduced propulsion. The dealership told me I had a shorted EGR valve which also cause fuse 3 to blow and ordered the part. Then I waited. My vehicle stopped running on the road once. Just died. I had no battery charge remaining either. That was a safety issue for me and anyone who might hit my car because it was on the road. I sat there for a while and then tried to start it. I wasn't far from home and was able to limp home. I waited for months, contacted the Chevy/GM manufacturer and kept in contact with the dealership. Over the next 10 months was told several different things: part not being made, strike affected part manufacture, part and install price was increasing to $3500, can install Chinese part without warranty, dealership had 2 other people waiting for the part like me, part was not covered under any warranty. I was called a couple days ago to hear that there was a GM manufactured part available for my car but it would be $3500. I asked for a reduction in cost since I had waited so long. I was told they could reduce the price by $500. I said I had been quoted $1200 in 2023 when I took the vehicle in. I was told to share anything I had in writing for that. I found my invoice which showed the purchase cost for the parts ($717.80) which I just sent. I received a call today telling me the dealership has the part and will give it to someone else unless I agree to get it done today for $3500; however, since I did not know the part was even here for me, they will wait one more day to hear if the manufacturer will honor the original quote. For the last 10 months, I had no car to drive or could drive it on battery and hope I didn't run out of charge (~50 miles of battery charge) and get stranded on the road again.