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.
Power surge I hit the gas to cross the highway and lack of power then got home the next morning started the car and it started serging in the driveway then it shut down altogether.
My car stopped all of a sudden and lost power while my wife was driving. She could've been in a major accident since the car lost power. This has happened a few times in the past. Luckily she wasn't on the freeway or she could've been rear ended at highway speeds. There were warning lamps that said check engine and "Lost Propulsion". This should be looked at closely as my safety as well as the safety of others was at risk. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION! I had my car towed to the nearest auto repair shop where it is being looked at.
Dear NHTSA officer, I am writing to report a serious safety incident involving my 2017 Chevrolet Volt. On November 9, 2024, while driving with my family, our vehicle unexpectedly lost power without any warning. The details of the incident are as follows: Incident: The car powered off suddenly. Passengers: Myself, my wife, and our two children were in the vehicle. Aftermath: We were unable to restart the car despite multiple attempts. Resolution: It took two hours and assistance from neighbors to push the car back to our driveway. Upon researching this issue, I discovered that other 2017 Chevrolet Volt owners have reported similar symptoms, which appear to be related to Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) failures. Furthermore, I found that GM issued Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 18-NA-261 addressing "an internal issue within the Battery Energy Control Module" for Volt models. This incident has raised serious concerns about the safety and reliability of our vehicle. I am requesting immediate attention to this matter, including: A thorough inspection and repair of our vehicle Information on any recalls or extended warranties related to this issue Assurance of the vehicle's safety for future use Given the potential danger posed by sudden power loss while driving, I believe this issue warrants urgent attention and possibly a wider recall. Thank you for your prompt attention to this critical safety matter. I look forward to your timely response and resolution. Sincerely,
While operating my Chevy Volt on a Los Angeles Freeway, warning lights came on informing me to park immediately, and that the power propulsion was reduced. The Check Engine light also came on. At that point the -??Shift to Park-?? message came on. My car is experiencing the -??Shift to Park-?? issue. I already had this happen previously in 2023. The repair cost $1,200. There are many, many references to this issue on the Internet. The -??Shift to Park-?? defect is well known in the Chevy Volt community. When this happened the SECOND time, ([XXX]), I was stranded on the side of an LA freeway. The car will not start. It will cycle through the -??Shift to Park-?? message on the dashboard and it will not go anywhere. The car initializes, so there is power in the vehicle, but no propulsion. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Porter Ranch, CA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH. The contact stated that the message "Propulsion Power Reduced" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer, and it was diagnosed and determined that the 12V battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. Additionally, the contact stated that the hybrid battery was no longer charging and failed to turn on. The contact had the vehicle towed to the same dealer however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
My BECM failed and should be covered under the N23243268 special coverage. For some reason, GM is saying that the special coverage does not apply to my VIN despite the fact that I am experiencing the exact failure that this special coverage is supposed to cover and it is during the covered years of 2016-2018 where this issue is known to be common.
Automation-On 10.1.24 my car stopped working. It would turn on, but would not shift. It was also showing my EV was fully charged but the EV miles read 0. My husband came and plugged my car in and saw that when I turned the car on it read "shift to park" Also the codes from my OnStar app read "Lithium Ion Battery"- Issue found in High Voltage battery. "12 volt battery needs attention" 10.2.24 we called GM to report issues and referenced N232432680 (BCEM). We were informed that even though we can read diagnostic reports on OnStar it needed to be confirmed from a certified GM dealership that they could not confirm this is the warranty issue if they did not 1st had the certified dealership share their diagnostic report. Bergstrom shared it sounded like BECM that is under warranty. They continued to share it didnt look good and the VIN was not in the system to be covered. Shared the minimum amount we would pay was $440 for the 2 issues for labor/diagnostics.10.4.24 we called GM to file a report we were given a case manager to work our case. 10.8.24 received call from case manager shared no warranties seen on file. I asked for this to be documented and emailed to me, I was told she could not share this information other than this phone call. Bergstrom called saying the car was ready to pick up, cleared codes/no issues, drove 26 miles with no codes. Shared GM never seen/heard anything like this and had no advise/help to offer. Shared only charged for 1 hour of labor. Asked for trade in for car. Was given price $1,200 under trade in value. Cause due to car not safe, potential issues. No documentation shared, nothing to show issues, car is clean/cleared to drive they had no answer than my car was fine but was not able to give lowest amount for trade in due to issues
Just purchased and not a week in it dies after I have charged it. I was in drive, at a red light when all of a sudden the car dies. No warning whatsoever. Was not able to turn it on afterwards. Had to get towed to my local Chevrolet dealership that has not been able to fix it for the last month with no ETA on a fix.
As I understand it, the EGR valve failed causing the car to shut down suddenly on the highway. Apparently by blowing the "walk home" fuse. The EGR valve has been unavailable from GM worldwide since Oct 2023 and there is no estimate when it will, if ever, be available.
Reduced propulsion message appears on the dash and car lost propulsion on the highway. The EGR blew a fuse and the car enters the walk home mode. This problem should be covered under warranty but my dealership says it is not covered. This issue causes the car not to be able to drive. Chevy is back ordered for the part and there is no estimate of when the part will be available. They apparently do not make the part anymore and there is no fix. the GR seems to have bad soldering and blows the fuse #3.
While driving on high-speed devided highways including stretches where traffic was 2-way (single lanes separated by concrete barrier during road maintenance) Chevy Volt indicated "reduced propulsion", and in 2 cases forced shut-down of electric and gas engine where the single-lane travel had cement barriers on both sides of the driving lane.In at least one case, the engine forced 30-40 mph travel until a break in the right-hand cement barrier was interrupted and I could get off the highway. In another case, the engine and fuel propulsion shut down but there was a breakdown lane on the right allowing traffic flow but exposing me to risk due to how close 65 mph traffic was passiing me. In each failure case, after turning off and re-starting the vehicle, the vehicle seemed to have re-set propulsion control and I could continue the trip at normal speed until another warning but not complete faillure occurred (both lanes being available so I could drive to an exit, turn off the ignition, restart and resume the travel). I believe the failure was in the BECM (Battery Energy Control Module) but the Chevrolet dealer identified an EGR failure that prevents their repair team from diagnosing the BECM. Whatever the failure was, it put me iin a very dangerous situation in at least 2 points in my 600 mile trip.
This car has a failed EGR valve which first became evident in March of 2024. There are no parts available, this in an emissions issue but the failure causes blown fuses which can cause the car to completely stop running which is a safety issue. Reduced propulsion is a symptom which is dangerous and this has been confirmed by three Chevy dealerships. I have had the EGR valve cleaned to the tune of $1200, have a deposit on a new valve which doesn't seem to exist for $850. There were no other messages before the failure. I am driving the car with the EGR valve disconnected, mostly on the battery power but no end is in sight to this problem.
While driving, a warning chime sounded and a message appeared saying "propulsion power reduced." The check engine light also appeared. The car lost power, would accelerate only very slowly, and eventually died along a busy road. After a period, I was able to restart car and drive very slowly to dealer. I was told that the problem was a faulty egr valve, which was blowing a fuse and would do so again. Dealer was unable to find a replacement valve anywhere in the nation. GM apparently is not manufacturing replacements for this components, and from reports found onliine, plenty of others have had the same problem. The temporary fix is to disconnect the egr valve, which results in increased vehicle emissions. I will be unable to pass my next emissions test next year. The safety issue is that the vehicle can quit running without warning in any situation.
Vehicle began exhibiting issues with BECM, reduced propulsion/limp home mode with range-extender activation. Car unexpectedly stopped running in the middle of the road, came to a complete stop and unable to move off road under car's propulsion.
P1E00 error code resulted in the propulsion system being reduced and climate controls turned off. My wife, driving at the time in a thunderstorm, lost the ability to drive the speed of traffic and also her windshield completely fogging up where she could not see. She could have been killed in this scenario in a number of ways. Took it to the dealer where GM apparently has no spare parts available for months"?" Parts at fault are related to the EGR valve and cooler. CEL light came on and off for a few days prior. Failed to be able to pull the error code because it would go off.
Purchased the '17 Chevy Volt for my Daughter on [XXX] with 58,867 miles. On [XXX], 60,600 miles; She was driving on the interstate when the engine temperature spiked, followed by a check engine light and a warning message: "Engine unavailable." The vehicle suddenly lost power when she reduced pressure on the accelerator, causing a rapid reduction in speed. nearly causing her to lose control. The vehicle's OBD Codes were scanned at a nearby auto parts store resulting in 30 DTC appearing. I found hundreds of complaints and posts about the F3UA fuse blown and a faulty EGR valve. A service bulletin for this issue was published by GM in Feb 2023. I notified the dealership of the issues and the vehicle was brought to Deacon Jones Chevy of Clinton, NC on July 16th. The service department informed me that the 12V Battery was bad and needed replacement to "correct" the issue, at a cost nearly $550. I asked if the fuse mentioned was blown and was informed that it was not. The check engine light was cleared and my daughter drove home. Before getting home, the check engine light came back on, the temperature spiked, and "propulsion power is reduced." message appeared. This was accompanied again by a rapid reduction in speed nearly causing a collision. I called the dealership back and informed them of the incident. They requested to have the vehicle brought back to the shop, however, towing was out of the question because the dealership is 70 miles from me & I did not want to drive the car in its condition. I took the vehicle to Team Chevy in Swansboro, NC, who ran proper diagnostics. I was informed the F3UA fuse was blown, caused by a short in the EGR Valve. The original dealer offered to split the cost, but Team Chevy said they could get the part & match price. When ordered, it showed the EGR Valve was backorder with no ETA. 6 weeks in and no safe transportation for my daughter and grandson. Significant safety issue with no replacement parts or accountability, ludicrous. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFOR
Without warning, my car stopped charging. Noticed it was at 0 miles despite charging it the night before. Believing I may have not properly connected the home cord (supplied by Chevy) to the car, I chalked it up to being my mistake and plugged in again the next night. Same result. 0 miles. Then it immediately started acting like a 12V battery failure with engine warning lights and then it just refused to start and/or charge and was dead in the water. I called AAA for a battery jump and they came. It got the car started, but the check engine light remained lit for two days and I primarily ran the car on its gas generator to hopefully charge it. Just last night, the check engine light went away. Despite having a partial charge, this morning 8/29, it registered 3 miles down from being higher. I just plugged in to my home outlet using the chevy cord, and again, it would not charge (no green light on dash indicating active charge and a message on the dash should "unable to charge". I suspect a Battery Energy Control Mondule (BECM) failure which seems to happen with this car. My 12V ACDELCO battery is relatively new (3 yrs) and not used heavily (given COVID).
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
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.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Valdosta, GA, USA