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4.9

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
21,141 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 Chevrolet Volt drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2016 Chevrolet Volt Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #42

Jul 212023

Volt

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving in clear weather (with my ICE engine as propulsion) when an Engine Warning Fault light appeared on my dash and the vehicle slowed to 5mph with no response from the throttle pedal. I pulled into a parking lot, had the vehicle towed to an independent service shop, and had them check the codes. There were a dozen faults stored, but they found the 'Non Walk Home' fuse had blown, and faults pointed to the EGR Valve as having faulty electronics. They could not find an EGR valve for sale so they unplugged the EGR Valve and replaced the fuse, which allowed the engine to drive normally again, but with the Check Engine Light on at all times. I called my local Chevy dealer and they told me the EGR I needed was Part Number 12691147 for $243, but they were backordered and there were dozens of people in front of me for their dealer alone. Now, 11 months later, I'm still waiting on the part, I have found hundreds of other Volt owners online with the same issue, and the Part Number has been changed by GM to 19436113, with a price increase of 1100% to $2642. And the part is still not available because of "high demand" on a car that was discontinued five years ago.

- Gregory, MI, USA

problem #41

Aug 082023

Volt

  • miles
On [XXX], this Volt was towed to the Dealer because the Volt would not start, would not charge, and the engine light was on. The Dealer claimed that the problem was the Chevrolet Volt Battery Energy Control Module (BECM), GM Part # 24296900, which was covered under the GM hybrid VOLTEC warranty (8 years, 100,000 miles). On [XXX], 2024, this Volt (VIN [XXX] ) was towed to the Dealer again because the Volt would not start, would not charge, and the engine light was on. The Dealer claimed that the hybrid battery connectors were corroded, the disconnect relay should be replaced, and the BECM should be replaced again at a total cost of $5,005.58. On [XXX], GM issued special coverage warranty N232432680 (15 year, 150,000 miles) to cover BECM replacements for a malfunction involving the BECM. Plaintiff checked the VIN at the GM Recall and Warranty Center website. The Volt at issue is covered under special coverage warranty N232432680, according to the GM website. Plaintiff asked the Dealer and GM again after [XXX] about warranty coverage for the BECM at issue. GM responded that the bumper-to-bumper warranty expired and that they would provide no assistance. On [XXX], Plaintiff filed a complaint with the local Better Business Bureau (BBB) regarding the BECM at issue. GM responded in writing that the bumper-to-bumper warranty expired and that they would provide no assistance. Plaintiff sought arbitration, but both the local BBB and the BBB Auto Line found that Plaintiff was not eligible to arbitrate with GM due to GM-??s program summary guidelines with the BBB. GM breached multiple warranties and failed to provide sufficient repairs, and this Volt has been out of service for more than 80 days. Based on GM-??s warranty breaches, insufficient repairs and inconsistent statements, this Volt poses serious safety concerns. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Annandale, VA, USA

problem #40

Mar 222024

Volt

  • miles
No propulsion with U2603 through U2618 DTC in HPCM2 with "shift to park" message. BECM was replaced by dealership.

- Plymouth, MI, USA

problem #39

Mar 212024

Volt

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

GM issued a special coverage warranty for 2016-2018 Chevrolet Volts that had a BECM failure. However, they did not include all of the Volts. We have a 2016 that has a catastrophic BECM failure. The car won't start and the only indicator was the day before it said the vehicle didn't charge. This appears to be the same issue, but Chevrolet did not include our model. We have about 87k miles and are only 3 weeks past the original warranty.

- Winter Garden, FL, USA

problem #38

Sep 232022

Volt

  • miles
Vehicle suddenly lost power and displayed shift to park on display. Vehicle will not respond or display any status other than shift to park. Vehicle towed to dealership. Diagnosis of their mechanic is failed BECM module. Vehicle was brought to dealership 3yrs ago with infotainment center problems. Infotainment Software was updated but problem persisted. 2 years ago it was brought to dealership with complaint of intermittent inability to charge propulsion battery. Sunshine Chevrolet stated their mechanic could not diagnose issue so it was not covered under warranty. I demonstrated intermittent charging issue by plugging vehicle into dealership charger in front of showroom. I was at that time allowed to leave without paying diagnostic charge. 1? years ago while car was still under warranty car failed to start. Called dealership. They stated it could be 12volt battery. I purchased and replaced battery at dealership. Car started but intermittent charging issue and intermittent infotainment issue continued. GM is refusing to cover BECM replacement saying Car is now out of 8yr warranty time frame.

- Asheville , NC, USA

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problem #37

Jul 262023

Volt

  • miles
I picked up my vehicle from Wasler Polar Chevrolet on 7/26/2023 after they claimed to have "repaired" my vehicle. After receiving my vehicle, about 5 miles away from the dealership, my vehicle suddenly quit keeping up with traffic, and lost* power equipment. Brakes, steering and acceleration were all unresponsive. The vehicle almost sent me under a semi-trailer, but I quickly forced the steering wheel to the left and engaged the emergency brake, which successfully stopped the car. The vehicle bricked itself, and had to be towed back to the dealership.

- New Hope, MN, USA

problem #36

Nov 292023

Volt

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving suddenly the battery power died (1/3 battery life left) and the ICE came on reving very high and check engine lights came on and vehicle slowed. Pulled over at first spot I could find and tired to restart the car. Car would not power down or restart the ice motor and the electric drive motors stopped working and vehicle would roll backwards once put into drive. Vehicle had to be towed back to dealership. Car would not power down or reset.

- Woodland Park, CO, USA

problem #35

Oct 252023

Volt

  • miles
I had just left my house about to enter the on-ramp to Interstate 95 south when my 2016 Volt abruptly and without warning stopped. I was unable to coast or pull the car to the side of the road. I was in the middle of the lane in a dangerous place to stop a car and a dangerous place to get out of the car due to the steady traffic entering the interstate. My car would not restart and I had it towed to the Portsmouth NH Chevy dealer. As it was the beginning of the GM strike I had to wait several days for the replacement battery control sensor then I had to wait for another 4 weeks or so for a replacement transmission to be installed. The day after I got my car back, about 2 weeks ago, the transmission fluid was leaking onto the garage floor. The Chevy dealer has ordered new transmission hoses but only one has come in and I was told not to drive my car until these were replaced. The sensor pad and transmission were covered under warranty, I was told the hoses to the transmission and labor to install them are not part of the transmission and not covered. The incident has been extremely inconvenient but the way my car just abruptly stopped and wouldn-??t restart was very unnerving and could have been very dangerous. I do not have paperwork at the moment but can provide a dealer invoice of the covered work so far. Please contact me with any questions.

- Portsmouth, NH, USA

problem #34

Dec 012023

Volt

  • miles
Driving 72mph down I5 interstate the display notified me with a check engine light with two errors, enigne propulsion reduced and engine overheating. I pulled over to the side of the road and called a tow. This was a very traumatic event. I had my partner and my 2 year old daughter in the car.I just purchased this used vehicle from a Toyota dealer the same day. It has 63k miles on it and still under powertrain warranty. I literally drove the car 45 miles. TOTAL. I have spent more time towing and fixing this car than actually driving it. This is a total lemon. I need a refund from GM and all the pain and suffering that this caused my family.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #33

Aug 172022

Volt

  • miles
My car, without warning, lost power while driving and then flashed an engine light. This happened on a street and I was able to coast to safety, but if it had happened in an intersection I would not have been so lucky. The problem was confirmed by a dealer as a failure of the Battery Energy Control Module, which has been happening to this car with numerous other owners, according to the Volt owner website.

- Graniteville, SC, USA

problem #32

Apr 122022

Volt

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Action Required Shift to Park message comes up on the dash after starting the vehicle & shifting into gear out of Park. The message goes away when shifted back into Park, but the vehicle doesn't respond when shifted into gear. Reverse, Neutral, Drive, Low - none will engage. I had to repeat the process of starting the vehicle 28 times before it would operate as it should. Start Vehicle to View Application message comes up when in Park & trying to shut the vehicle off & will not power down until the driver door is opened. I worried that I'd be stranded if this continued to happen & took the vehicle to Brad Deery Motors in Maquoketa, IA for repair on 4/14/22. I paid $736.71 & the invoice states: 106128 shift to park, diag, intermittent open in the shift park solenoid, replaced shift park solenoid and jumper harness, tested working properly. I brought the vehicle home & had the same messages appear on 4/19/22. I have since read a forum on the Volt & understand that this has been a common issue & found a service bulletin: 19-NA-206, but wondering if there is an actual recall. I plan to contact GM regarding this issue.

- Davenport, IA, USA

problem #31

Apr 142022

Volt

  • miles
Action Required Shift to Park message comes up on the dash after starting the vehicle & shifting into gear out of Park. The message goes away when shifted back into Park, but the vehicle doesn't respond when shifted into gear. Reverse, Neutral, Drive, Low - none will engage. I had to repeat the process of starting the vehicle 28 times before it would operate as it should. Start Vehicle to View Application message comes up when in Park & trying to shut the vehicle off & will not power down until the driver door is opened. I worried that I'd be stranded if this continued to happen & took the vehicle to Brad Deery Motors in Maquoketa, IA for repair on 4/14/22. I paid $736.71 & the invoice states: 106128 shift to park, diag, intermittent open in the shift park solenoid, replaced shift park solenoid and jumper harness, tested working properly. I brought the vehicle home & had the same messages appear on 4/19/22. I have since read a forum on the Volt & understand that this has been a common issue & found a service bulletin: 19-NA-206, but wondering if there is an actual recall. I plan to contact GM regarding this issue.

- Davenport, IA, USA

problem #30

Nov 152021

Volt

  • miles
There is a -??Shift to park-?? message on the driver information screen when attempting to shut off vehicle. I don-??t know if the vehicle is still in gear and will move (forward or back) when I think it is in Park. I have not had it in for inspection/repair yet, as it is a recent occurrence that is becoming increasingly frequent. This started happening around 11/15/2021.

- Hillsboro, OR, USA

problem #29

Jul 012021

Volt

  • miles
When parking vehicle a "Shift To Park" error appears on the dash and vehicle will not turn off for some time. This is an intermittent issue that seems to be getting more frequent as time goes on. Vehicle can be stolen if issue is unnoticed.

- Washington , NJ, USA

problem #28

Aug 272021

Volt

  • miles
My 2016 Chevy Volt has an issue where the is an intermittent shift to park message displayed while the vehicle in in park. This issue has been identified as a widespread issue and Chevrolet has published a Service Bulletin (NHTSA Technical Service Bulletin 19-NA-206). The most recent version is Version 6 that was published in December 2020. The dealership is refusing to perform repairs that are clearly under warranty. The service bulletin specifically says it is covered under the warranty.

- Tehachapi, CA, USA

problem #27

Jun 162021

Volt

  • miles
Vehicle Shifter does not correctly register the vehicle is in park. Does not allow the vehicle to be turned off. This is a common issue experienced by Gen2 Volt owners and well known by GM Service Tech and GM has not yet issued a recall. There is a potential safety issue if someone believes the vehicle is parked and exits the vehcile and the car is left running. Potential Driver Confusion on the park status could lead to the vehicle continuing to run or being put back in gear. GM needs to issue a recall for Gen2 Volts - 2016 and on.

- Thousand Oaks, CA, USA

problem #26

Oct 012019

Volt

  • 46,000 miles
When I put the car in park and try to turn it off, I frequently get an error on the gauge display that says "action required, shift to park." This is very frustrating. When this error happens, I'm unable to power off the car or lock the doors. I turn the car back on, jiggle the shifter or move it into drive and back to park, and then try turning the car off again. Sometimes I have to go through this process 5 or more times before the car will power down. This error happens about half the time that I use my car, which makes it a daily problem. I bought the car used in Oct 2019, and the previous owner also had the problem but I don't know when it started for him.

- Culver City, CA, USA

problem #25

Jan 162021

Volt

  • 49,061 miles
An error appears "shift to park" when parking. The car does not recognize that it is shifted to park thus it continues to run. A running vehicle that cannot be turned off and can run on gas is a considerable hazard. The GM forum for Volts contains many such messages for 2016 Volts and a problem with the same system error led to a recall in 2017 Volts. The problem is occurring with increasing frequency in this car, starting a few months ago.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

problem #24

Sep 022019

Volt

  • 34,000 miles
When parking the car there's a chance for the error "shift to park" to occur when trying to turn off the car, . this is due to a defective switch that wears out within the shifter assembly. The error starts to become more and more common as time go on. It is too easy to accidentally leave the car "on" when shifting the car to park and stepping out of the car and using the push to stop. The only known workaround is to flick the shifter button until the car registers that the car is now shifted to park. This is a recurring and well known issue in the Chevy Volt community. It's predicted that all 2016+ Chevy Volts will eventually develop this issue due to the defective design of this switch. I have another Volt in the family that's already had the shifter replaced because of this same issue.

- Whittier, CA, USA

problem #23

Aug 082020

Volt

  • 100,000 miles
After 100K miles right when my warranty ends, I'm getting the shift to park error message, constantly having to power up the vehicle off and on is annoying. I I feel like the car is breaking more. Very unsafe.

- Oxnard, CA, USA

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