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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
9,709 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.

2017 Chevrolet Volt engine problems

engine problem

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2017 Chevrolet Volt Owner Comments (Page 4 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #79

Sep 152023

Volt

  • miles

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

Sometimes when the vehicle powers on, it will not engage to drive in gas or electric mode when fully charged or with a full gas tank. Also sometimes while driving, it will say "gas mode not available propulsion limited". It frequently says "charging not available" as well. This is an on going, intermittent, problem.

- Saint Cloud , FL, USA

problem #78

Sep 162023

Volt

  • miles
Car intermittantly lost propultion while driving. this started happening more and more frequently. One time driving on the freeway propulsion cut out and I barely made it to the side of the road. Put the car in park and it would start again. Drive for a few hundred feet then it would cut out again. Finally took it into the dealer when I was driving down the highway and propulsion cut out and I was stuck in the middle of traffic. As I was driving the instrument cluster power remained on but the engine just cut out. I was using the electric motor at the time but this is happened on the ice as well. As I rolled to a stop in the middle of traffic I put it in park so that I could restart the car as I had been able to previously but it would not start. It would not let me shift the car out of park into neutral so I could push it to the side of the road. After several attempts of disconnecting the battery and the high voltage battery I was able to get the car out of park into neutral. Even when I shifted the car into drive the propulsion system would not work, a officer stopped traffic to allow me to push the car to the side of the road. After getting to the dealer they were able to determine that a ground strap to the engine chassis was at fault. It interrupted the communication on the can bus which wouldn't allow the ECU to communicate with the drivetrain Which just shut down the propulsion system. This was extremely scary I have attached a snapshot of fault codes and snapshots of a video I took showing that the screen would just show that the car was initializing the entire time

- Ogden, UT, USA

problem #77

Dec 012023

Volt

  • miles
Any time the car switches from battery to gasoline the 12v battery comes on, I get the message to shift into park, and the car shuts off. This happens multiple times a day, making it difficult to drive long distance. It also makes it difficult to work more than a couple of hours at a time as an Uber driver. It has happened on the highway, very dangerous.

- Topeka, KS, USA

problem #76

Jul 032023

Volt

  • miles

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

Was driving on the highway at approximately 70mph for a couple of hours, when I suddenly received a check engine light and "Reduced Propulsion Power" message. Engine temperatures were much higher than normal (220F-240F). Was able to get the car to a Chevrolet dealership eventually where they diagnosed the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve as faulty. There are no parts available for months. Any time that I drive on gas power at highway speeds, engine temperatures are high and cruise control has disengaged. This is a safety issue as I am not always able to maintain speed during extended highway driving when using the gas engine.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #75

Mar 012023

Volt

  • miles
BECM issues causing vehicle to lose power, not go in to park, will not remote start, battery failure, and not turning on or not turning off when prompted.

- Carson City, NV, USA

problem #74

Oct 142023

Volt

  • miles
During a drive the car began warning of loss of propulsion. The vehicle is at a dealer waiting for repair since Oct 16, 2023. There is no ETA on back ordered EGR valve that the technician anticipates a fix.

- Leander, TX, USA

problem #73

Nov 152023

Volt

  • miles

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

Egr valve failed causing walk home fuse to blow causing vehicle to shut down while driving. Check engine light did come on. The problem was reproducible as car would not start, egr valve needed replacement. I would like to add that the video on youtube on cleaning the egr valve for this car has 27000 views, with is more than 1/3 of the number of Chevy Volts of this generation that have been sold. This is a serious and consistent issue.

- Glen Carbon, IL, USA

problem #72

Sep 202023

Volt

  • miles
Chevy Volt's Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system valve and cooler The EGR system on these cars are faulty. I have had to take this car in multiple times related to the EGR. In Septemer 2023 car suddenly stopped on middle of highway putting my life in danger. At dealership Pohanka Chevy in Northern Virginia, I was told it was the EGR valve, I had the EGR cooler replaced by the same dealership in 2023 so I took the car to Koons Chevy in Northern Virginia for a second opinion. The dealership indicated that this is very common problem with Chevy Volts and they said the parts are not available for it. Apparently the last customer waited 3 months. Currently the car will not run on the gas engine but only on the electric which is about 40 to 50 miles which makes it non useable for me. In addition, the car will not part emissions test rendering it against the law for me to use even if the engine was running. I reported this to Chevy corporate (case number XXX) and now it has been multiple months and nothing has happened except Chevy sending me a email every ten days indicating they do not have a part. They will not also give me a rental (I have to pay out of pocket and they will reimburse me which is something I cannot afford). Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, I took it to two chevy dealerships in Northern Virginia and one in Georgetown Delaware. They cannot correct the issue since there are no EGR valves. The car will not pass emissions test. The Chevy dealer I am using is Koons Chevy at Tysons Corner, Phone 703-448-7221 (POC was Johnathon) Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others" Yes Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" Check engine light I purchased this car brand new of the lot ($37K) and now saddled with something that is of no use INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATI

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #71

Oct 172023

Volt

  • miles
Intermittent starting Had car towed to auto shop Auto shop stated that the B.E.C.M Board is going out Battery Energy Control Module G.M Has a class action lawsuit over this matter

- Lebec , CA, USA

problem #70

Oct 102023

Volt

  • miles
As reported by the dealer the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) has failed. Car initially did not start but then did start with a check engine light and a "Propulsion Power is Reduced" warning. Vehicle has approximately 56,500 miles. Car could have abruptly stopped or slowed considerably while driving. Chevrolet dealer is blaming the current UAW strike for complete lack of replacement parts. They also state there is no way to forecast a delivery date of the part. I am out a vehicle for an unknown amount of time with no promise that GM will reimburse me for out of pocket expenses for a rental vehicle.

- Oak Ridge, NC, USA

problem #69

Sep 232023

Volt

  • miles

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

Random no starts, engine turns on at random, won-??t charge, car jerks, hesitation while driving, hard to climb mountain roads, Battery Energy Control Module Lost Communication With Hybrid/EV Battery Interface Control Module 1-12

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

problem #68

Jun 172023

Volt

  • miles
When the EV charge runs out and car turns on gas engine. Gas engine will run for a few minutes and then turn off with an error message on dashboard. Car will only drive safely for as long as you have EV power, which is a problem since the gas engine is used when the EV power runs out. Mine failed on an interstate, but I made it to a safe place to stop only because I had a tiny bit of EV charge left due to my practice of using hold mode to save some battery power on long interstate drives. Service reported back that it is a faulty EGR valve and I am waiting to find out if they can even get the part in stock. GM is not adequately stocking these EGR valves. The failure rate from known manufacturing/design defects is higher than the rate that they restock them. These cars are not street legal when the EGR valve fails due to their inability to pass emissions testing since the EGR failure causes the service engine soon light to be on. An owner cannot renew the registration to legally drive the vehicle once the EGR valve fails, the whole car is undriveable without the part being available.

- Highland, IN, USA

problem #67

Oct 102020

Volt

  • miles
When I first purchased the car (used around 30,000 miles), I began to have electrical and propulsion issues where the engine would turn off. After Chevy refused to warranty or lemon the car, eventually the electrical/hybrid issue repeated and caused cooling issues with the car and then water pump went bad. while chevy still refused to fix the hybrid and battery issues, that continued issue and then the water pump failing from it then caused overheating that then broke the head gasket

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #66

Dec 262022

Volt

  • miles
After the battery runs out, the engine loses propulsion and fails to run on gas. The car completely stalls in the middle of traffic. The speed drops from 70+ mph to 0. Extremely dangerous to myself and others. The issue suddenly appeared at the end of December 2022 during a long drive. The engine check light remains on and a warning re: reduced propulsion power is displayed every time the car is turned on. Dealer is unable to fix the issue because they already have multiple cars with the same issue waiting for weeks to be repaired. Recently filed class action law suit suggests that this problem is caused by defective BCEM unit.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

problem #65

Nov 162022

Volt

  • miles
I have owned my 2017 Volt since November of 2016. I drive about 200 miles a week and currently my mileage is at 109,000 (9,000 miles PAST the warranty period). My car did not start one morning and had to have it towed to my local GM dealership. They diagnosed it with a bad BECM and a repair bill of $1,400. They have no estimated time on when the part will be shipped. It is unacceptable to not have an ETA for a critical part or the vehicle. I have read on many forums that the BECM is a known failure for the 2017 Volt.

- Eau Claire, WI, USA

problem #64

Jul 132022

Volt

  • miles
Vehicle started to lose power. Showed error messages "reduced power" after a series of "shift to park" messages when first starting. Had no propulsion power until several attempts to start vehicle. Once started engine would run but all electric propulsion was inoperable. Vehicle has become totally unreliable at approx 22,000 miles, sometimes starting and sometimes not. Power loss occurs while driving which is definitely a safety hazard if on the Interstate and minimum speed can't be maintained. Have taken vehicle to dealer where it was diagnosed as a defective "BECM" (I believe a master control module attached to the main propulsion battery). The dealer has ordered a replacement module but it's been four months with no sign of a replacement. Essentially I now have an unreliable and potentially unsafe vehicle with no sign of the manufacturer trying to facilitate repairs.

- Marysville, WA, USA

problem #63

Aug 242022

Volt

  • miles
Emergency warning messages appeared on 24 Aug 2022 and a day later vehicle was taken to Chevrolet dealer who first replaced a "section of the battery" and eventually verified a problem with the BECM (Battery Energy Control Module). Now (end Nov 2022) 3 months later no repair part has become available. Because we immediately took the vehicle to a dealer, we had no safety issues.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #62

Feb 032021

Volt 4-cyl

  • miles
Dear Madam or Sir, regarding the recall of Chevrolet Volt 2017. The vehicle made in USA, VIN No [XXX] has been bought an officially from IAAI auction (after an accident, but repairable) and delivered to Lithuania (Europe), repaired successful. The information regarding the recall has been found in an official GMC site (the details please see in att.) Starting from March 2022 I have been tried to contact to GMC US (Chevrolet authorized dealership is not exist in Lithuania, just for Cadillac), but any help did not received yet. At this moment the vehicle is not safety to drive, because already several times it's has been stopped in a road - the defected Energy control module, which has been mentioned in recall. So, be so kind and help to pass this problem. Waiting the comments Thanks for the kind replay. Sincerely Doctor[XXX] P.S. the conversation please make by email INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Tahoma, CA, USA

problem #61

Sep 122022

Volt

  • miles
Driving and check engine appeared. Vehicle hybrid power train acted erratically, switching into and out of limp mode. Potential loss of control without any previous warning signs. Diagnosed with a failure of Battery Energy Control Module 24296900. Multiple complaints of the same issue from other owners. 5 other same model cars at dealership waiting for the same part. Estimated arrival is 8-12 weeks. This has been a well documented problem since 2018, and Chevrolet has released a TSB acknowledging the issue, and potentially loss of control and stranding.

- Milliken , CO, USA

problem #60

Jun 062022

Volt

  • miles
Vehicle Make and Model 2017 Chevrolet Volt LT -??Miles Currently 28,000 -??(Car is recalled) Energy Hybrid -?? The vehicle will not turn off, Motor Light Constantly on -?? I never received a recall letter, email not mail notification -??The whole car smells like smoke and gasoline when AAA gives me jumps -?? I-??ve had two not at fault accidents since I-??ve had the vehicle -?? CarMax sold me the vehicle in February of 2021 -?? I spoke with GM yesterday who stated and confirmed that my vehicle is defective and recalled -?? The recall states that any 2017 & other Models can-??t be sold due to a multitude of reasons -?? The recall was put in place before it was sold to me -?? At this point, I want another vehicle (Brand New, That is recalled and damaged) I-??m having panic attacks when trying and attempting to drive this car -?? I was badly injured and I still

- Plano, TX, USA

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