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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 6 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #39

Aug 042021

Volt

  • miles

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

I have owned the 2017 Volt since August of 2017. Late 2018 or early 2019 I started having an intermittent problem when I turned the car off. The screen showed an error message "Action required - Shift to park". The car was in park already. I would push the start button. Shift into gear and shift again into park. In the beginning that solved the problem. But the car did not fully shut down when the error message is displayed. If the door is opened, the signal that the engine is running beeps. I took it to the dealer service department. They kept the car for a day to diagnose the problem but did not get the error message. But as the problem was intermittent, it continued. I returned the car to the dealer and they said they made an adjustment that should resolve the problem. It didn't. The problem became constant and I could not shift into park. The car did not fully shut off and I couldn't lock it. I returned the car to the dealer and it was there for several days while they waited for a new shifter. It was on their EV charger full time so as to not drain the battery. The shifter was replaced in February 2019. I thought this was a random incident but found out it is not. In July 2021 the same problem returned. I called 2 dealers for an appointment and have to wait 3 weeks for an appointment. I looked online for solutions and to see if others had the same experience. I found many postings and comments with screenshots of the same error message and cars not turning off. It seems to be a defect affecting the Volt and other GM cars of the same age. I had an appointment at lunch 8/3/21 and after several tries to engage the parking gear, the car still would not turn off. I had to leave it running in the parking lot for 30 minutes and it would not lock. The car shut off normally when I returned to the office. This is not an issue of safety on the road, but the inability to turn off the car and lock it is a safety factor, especially for women.

- Gardnerville, NV, USA

problem #38

Jul 112021

Volt

  • miles
The car suffers from periodic electrical issues where it does not recognize the current status of the transmission and says "Shift to Park" even though vehicle is already parked. This culminates in a complete failure of the control module/battery/wiring harness systems and eventually the entire electrical system stops connecting to the engine. Our vehicle is now in the shop and

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #37

Jun 232021

Volt

  • miles
Car would not turn off. Got the message "Shift to park" on driver display, but car was in park. Had to cycle the gear shifter several times in order to get it to shut off.

- Springboro, OH, USA

problem #36

Jul 042021

Volt

  • miles

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

While driving on the interstate at 75 mph I had to accelerate briefly to allow another vehicle to merge safely onto the road. Immediately my dashboard gave me a warning message saying -??reduced propulsion acceleration may be limited-?? and the engine warning light came on. The temperature of my coolant began to rise over 230 F & then 240. Miles from my destination, I reduced speed & took the next exit to stop for fuel and read my owners manual. I discovered that the same message could appear if the car was not put into -??mountain mode-?? thereby failing to reserve a certain amount of energy in the battery. I had hoped we starting the engine & resetting the computer with the car in -??Mountain mode-?? would resolve the matter, but that was not the case. I let the engine cool down for a bit & restarted my trip as I was just 20 miles away from my destination. Later on, I got another message as my engine began frequently skipping and sputtering that told me my -??engine as not available-?? despite having a bear full tank of gas. I pulled over to read the manual & discovered that this message indicated once my car ran out of electric energy it would just stop working! As I had been on the road for 6.5 hours prior, I knew there was no electric reserve to pull from & said a prayer that my 4-yr-old daughter and I could get safely and get a tow to the dealership. The -??reduced propulsion-?? message is part of a recall on the gen2 Volt, tho that recall relates to a software glitch & the remedy just provides -??additional warning time-?? for this serious issue. My car just turned 5 years with 33,000 miles on it. I have followed all maintenance recommendations. Seems like an electrical emissions issue, & with a lithium battery on board, fire from overheating scares me as much as than engine failure on the interstate. But I had a full tank of gasoline! Dealer says it is a -??short in my EGR Valve-?? & that part needs replacing.

- Fredericksburg , VA, USA

problem #35

Jun 012021

Volt

  • miles
We are having the "Shift to Park" problems described many times on various forums about this car. The car does not recognize that we have indeed shifted into Park (when we have) and remains on. Others have described power outage whiles driving and various serious issues once this problem starts. GM is aware of the problem.

- Stanford, CA, USA

problem #34

Jun 012021

Volt

  • miles
Shift to park issue. Can not turn the car off as it does not recognize it is in Park.

- Vernon, AL, USA

problem #33

Jun 032021

Volt

  • miles

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

When shift-to-park the vehicle says the cars is not in park and will not turn off.

- Corona, CA, USA

problem #32

May 172021

Volt

  • miles
Car would not shut off. Message appeared "Shift to park" on driver display, but car was in park. Had to cycle the gear shifter several times in order to get it to shut off.

- Easton, PA, USA

problem #31

May 222021

Volt

  • miles
When I park the car, it will not turn off. Gives the message "Action Required Shift to Park" But it gives that message while the car is in park. Originally, when it first started happening two years ago, it could not be reproduced. As such, while it was under warranty the problem could not be reproduced. Now it happens over 80% of the time I stop the vehicle. I mentioned the problem to the dealer but they could not replicate the issue. Eventually, if you move the transmission linkage around enough the error clears and you can turn the car off. But this puts excessive wear on the transmission linkage. And now, its out of its basic warranty. Its clear the problem has happened to many others out there, with far fewer miles than me (51,300 miles). Why isn't the manufacturer being held accountable for this issue?

- Schenectady, NY, USA

problem #30

Apr 262021

Volt

  • miles
At approximately mile 370 of a 390 mile trip while operating the engine in hold mode, the engine overheated, requiring me to pull over to the side of the road, wait for the engine to cool, and then proceed to the nearest Chevrolet dealership using the battery in order to be repaired. The first warning I received was a "reduced engine power" message. I scrolled through the status pages and found the coolant temperature to be 230 deg F. I continued to monitor the temperature until a few minutes later received the overheat warning and pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle is a 2017 Chevrolet Volt with approximately 15,000 miles. The dealership found the EGR valve (part # 12691147) to be internally shorted and replaced it. From various internet reports this appears to be a common occurrence for this model year. This is a safety risk in that it is most likely a known defective part that fails prematurely totally unexpectedly.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #29

Mar 222021

Volt

  • 29,965 miles

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

After being parked for over 24 hours, when we started the vehicle we got a message shift to park. The car would not go into gear and was undriveable. We tried to contact onstar from the vehicle but thd connection kept breaking up. We got through on our cell and were forwarded to GM. They ordered road side assistancece. While waiting, we again started the vehicle. There was a bew message initializing: Wait to shift but the car did not go into gear. When roadside assistance arrived, they also tried without success. The car was towed to a dealership. In reading various forums, it appears this is a common problem and a major repair. I am curious as to why there has not been a recall fir this issue?

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #28

Mar 122021

Volt

  • 28,000 miles
I am having a 'shift to park' issue. When I stop the car and shift to park, I attempt to power off the car. The Volt will not power off and I get an alert on the dashboard that states "shift car to park to turn off". but the car is already in park. I am unable to lock the car and the lights will stay on for a few minutes. Worse yet, it is intermittent. After multiple attempts at re-starting and stopping the car if usually turns off. My Volt has only 28K miles.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #27

Mar 082021

Volt

  • 16,500 miles
Since purchasing this vehicle in mid-2020, I have experienced this issue on several occasions including again today. I understand there is a technical service bulletin out on this issue currently.

- West Springfield, MA, USA

problem #26

Jan 082021

Volt

  • 27,000 miles
My wife and I were taking a 200 mile trip. I was using the "hold" mode, driving at 65 mph, and about 60 miles into the trip a message came up that I was in reduced power mode and the check engine light came on. I pulled over and read the manual and then proceeded another 30 miles using the engine. I reduced my speed to 50 mph. After stopping for an hour at our destination, we started back home, but the same alerts were on the screen. I went to a local Chevrolet dealer, 5 miles. Before getting there the engine shut off. I had 40 miles of battery left so I proceeded the last 2 miles to the dealer on battery power. They could not service the vehicle so I had it towed by aaa 90 miles to tulsa. The day before I left I had received the monthly diagnostic report which stated all systems were fine. The car has 27,000 miles on it. The dealer says it is the egr valve, which are back ordered. I don't know when it will be repaired.

- Owasso, OK, USA

problem #25

Nov 112020

Volt

  • 40,000 miles
Propulsion power is reduced while driving. Power is lost and battery cells are drained Chevy dealership claims they can not find error or address problem. After photo showing error on dashboard.

- Peoria, IL, USA

problem #24

Nov 122020

Volt

  • miles
Shift to park issue. Even when the gear lever is in park position and trying to switch off the power the car still request to move to park and doesn't switch off

- Schaumburg, IL, USA

problem #23

Aug 072020

Volt

  • 44,000 miles
Car is not turning off when stopped. Displays "action required" shift to park. This is a problem that has been around and Chevrolet has not fixed the problem.

- Coram, NY, USA

problem #22

Jul 302020

Volt

  • 24,300 miles
Shift to park message appears when you shift to park and you turn off the engine. So even though you are in park the engine will not turn off. Very frustrating!

- Windsor, CA, USA

problem #21

Jul 062020

Volt 4-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
Becm failure. 1) shift into park message displayed. 2) failure to charge, orange light displayed. 3) switch to gas with intermittently with battery capacity existing. Erratic/fluctuating battery levels displayed. 4) failure to drive. 5) ac failure.

- Toms River, NJ, USA

problem #20

May 162020

Volt 4-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
After you power off your car, you'll get an alert on your dashboard that states "action required" "shift to park". I have found multiple complaints on forums as such. In some cases self resolves with a little shake in the shifter. In other cases takes a few minutes to engage properly. This is on going and seems to be increasing in frequency.

- Buckeye, AZ, USA

Read the next 19 complaints »

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