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.
We were driving in traffic. The battery had plenty of charge. Suddenly, there was a warning notice about propulsion power problem and the car converted to gasoline mode. We continued to destination and parked. When we went to start the car, it would not start at all. Had car towed to our local Chevrolet dealership (all service done there) and that is where it is still sitting. The part needed (battery) is on back order. This occurred on July 21, 2023. Today is March 13, 2024! as of today....approaching 250 days sitting in the dealership open lot,
50 miles into a 500 mile trip, my Volt displayed a warning message, "propulsion power reduced." It operated almost normally for the first 250 miles and we were able to reach our destination, but the propulsion battery was not able to recharge from the engine power as efficiently as usual. An auto shop at the destination who does not specialize in EVs examined the car and found a fault in the engine control module, but the car was otherwise in drivable condition. On returning home, the car was required to climb a long steep hill. It gave the message "engine unavailable" on the freeway and began running on its battery reserves, which were barely enough to reach the nearest exit. If the car had run out of battery reserves where pulling over to stop would be unsafe, a dangerous situation would have resulted. The car had to be towed home. An EV specialist mechanic inspected the car and diagnosed a faulty EGR valve resulting in a short in the power to the engine control module. The car has been waiting at the mechanic for a new EGR valve for 5 months due to a nationwide parts shortage. Two months ago the request for the new EGR valve was escalated to a "STACK order" but I still have no updates on when the new part will actually be available. Online forums dedicated to the Volt have many posts about cars waiting for months for a new EGR valve. Two weeks ago, I contacted the Chevrolet parts concierge about the issue. They took down all my contact information and stated they would be in touch. Today after not hearing back from Chevrolet, I called the parts concierge again. The staff found no record of my previous call.
Check engine light came on and low propulsion warning came on. Took my vehicle to the Dealership and was told that the EGR valve needs to be replaced. The only update I received a week or so later was that the part had been ordered. Now I am being told that the part is currently not available (out of stock) with no known ETA. In reading Volt threads, it appears that this is a widespread problem. I think it is unacceptable that GM cannot provide the parts that are needed to keep this car in operating order. It only has about 40,000 miles.
Propulsion error, steering wheel locked up today, last week shut off to dead stop while idling, trouble restarting. Speed and sudden battery drop issues. 14 miles without any power steering. Unsafe.
EGR valve failed. This can cause the Volt to stall in traffic. No ETA on replacement. The situation seriously limits driving ability. Reduced propulsion and engine light came up. f3 fuse blew related to failed EGR. This is a known issue with Chevy Volts. It was checked out by dealership in Aug. They replaced fuse and basically said can only drive on electric. If turns over to gas it could cause major problems.
- Redmond , WA, USA
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The EGR valve had failed, causing a check engine light, which turned into a blown fuse. The fuse blowing left the vehicle stranded until I unplugged the EGR valve and replaced the fuse. I drove it to a shop, where they replaced the valve and the car has been functional since then.
I am writing to report a series of safety concerns regarding my 2017 Chevy Volt, which have persisted despite multiple attempts to address them with the dealership. These issues pose significant risks to my safety and that of others on the road. On January 18th, 2024, I brought my vehicle to the Provo Utah Chevrolet dealer after experiencing reduced propulsion power while driving on the highway, coupled with the illumination of the check engine light. The mechanic performed a quick inspection and used a GM scan tool to diagnose the issue, revealing the code P1E00 for the Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2, which was cleared without a thorough investigation. I was advised to return if the issue reoccurred. Despite the reset, the problem persisted, and on February 9th, 2024, I scheduled another appointment due to my Chevy Volt's High Voltage battery charging only to 65% capacity despite indicating a full charge. However, upon arriving for the appointment at 4:00 PM, I was informed that the hybrid mechanic had left for the day, and I was asked to return on another day. Subsequently, on February 11th, 2024, the check engine light illuminated again, and on February 12th, 2024, while driving to work, I experienced a loss of propulsion power on the highway, placing my safety at risk. These ongoing issues with propulsion power and the high-voltage battery charging system are not only inconvenient but also potentially dangerous. Despite multiple visits to the dealership and attempts to diagnose and resolve the problem, it persists, indicating a systemic issue that requires immediate attention. I urge the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to investigate this matter thoroughly to ensure the safety of Chevy Volt drivers and passengers. It is imperative that General Motors addresses these issues promptly and implements appropriate measures to prevent further incidents.
The EGR Valve on the vehicle went bad, causing the vehicle to display 'propulsion reduce' and 'engine not available' errors on the dashboard before the vehicle came to a stop while driving on an interstate. Searching this issue for the Chevrolet Volt online yields a significant amount of similar issues experienced by other Volt owners. Vehicle was inspected and repaired by a Chevrolet dealership, but seems to be a recurring issue with very limited parts supplied by GM, leading to potential of very long delays in repair time.
Was driving home from work and my car just stopped check engine light came one the engine came on but then went off and i was stranded my issurance came threw with a tow but from all good to a complete stop sucks
My BECM failed on my 2017 Volt. The vehicle set a check engine light and went into reduced engine power 3 times when I was driving it. I took it to a dealer in Metaire, Louisiana. That was 4 weeks ago. I have no confirmation of when the vehicle will be repaired. I have been communicating with both GM Customer Assistance and the dealership, Best Chevrolet in Metaire, Louisiana.
I was traveling at 75 mph with the cruise control on when a message came on about reduced purpulsion. My vehicle lost all power and rapidly decreased speed, the gas pedal did nothing until my speed had dropped under 60 mph. I was on the freeway and could have caused an accident. Chevrolet says a programming update was needed to fix the problem but my BECM is now also out.
Car would not start, lose power, or show propulsion reduced message. This seemed to have been an ongoing issue related to cold weather (bought in July 2019) and would occasionally get temporary check engine lights. Dec 2022 and Jan 2023 cold weather seemed to aggravate w car no starting on occasion. Eventually by January car started propulsion reduced error. Turned out to be BECM (which had been under service bulletin in 2019). Other related repairs like shift to park issue and drained 12 volt battery also repaired at MY personal cost of nearly $4,000. The propulsion issue almost led to some accidents when it would happen pulling into road or on highway driving.
Driving on the road with a near full electric battery and then lost most of my power and got this message on the dash along with a check engine light. "Propulsion Power is Reduced" - I was in freeway traffic on a hill and had to put hazards on to move to the slow lane. Engine came on and seemed to be revving to full power to maintain speed.
BECM failure on car confirmed at 128,000 miles. While driving the car's check engine light came on; immediately followed by a message of reduced propulsion and the EV range dropping to 0. Vehicle switched to gas and ran very rough for a short distance to an available stop. Have been informed by dealership that the vehicle is now unsafe for driving due to a potential stall.
I was in a neighborhood driving ~30 mph and slowed down to take a right turn. Once I completed the turn my car stalled out completely and would no longer accelerate. I tried putting the car in park and back into drive with no luck. I quickly turned the car off and back on and was able to resume driving. As I was just through the intersection I could have easily been hit while motionless and had my newborn baby and wife with me in the car at the time. The issue has no happened again, but I am terrified it might. As there were no warning signs or any signals of problem in the dashboard I don't have any idea when it might happen again.
While we were driving on the freeway, we saw a check engine light and -??propulsion power is reduced-?? message. The car began driving very roughly and we had to slow down. We had this happen once before where the car engine stopped working entirely while driving at city speeds after seeing this error earlier in the summer, so we pulled over as soon as we could. We were traveling in a remote area at the time, just before the holidays, and it was fairly cold out. The car dealer inspected the car and told us it was unsafe to drive, that we could not take it back until it was fixed, and that it was an EGR valve problem. We previously had this fixed under warranty as well for similar behavior, and the car is barely five years old with very few miles on it. It-??s our only car and we have been waiting on the part for weeks now, with no response on when we-??ll be able to have our car back, and no rental car that we can drive in the meantime to get to our jobs and get groceries. The part is covered under our warranty. Both times this has happened to us, we were actively driving. In the city, it was very unsafe for the engine to unexpectedly stop as we were driving because of the amount of traffic and pedestrians, and because it meant we didn-??t have full control of the vehicle. On the freeway, it was very unsafe because of the speed we were going on the freeway. Knowing that our engine was at high risk of unexpectedly stopping working while driving on the freeway from the past experience in the city made it difficult to safely concentrate on pulling over and also maneuver in traffic.
Vehicle lost power on highway and on local streets. -??Propulsion power reduced-?? warning. Car brought to dealer 7/2023. EGR valve ordered at that time. The EGR valve has not been available since that time. No time frame for availability has been given.
1 month ago was driving on toll and Population power is reduced came on, vehicle was reaving high and felt like power was being reduced/speed, was going 70 and had to immediately decrease speed and get off toll and found closest Chevy shop. Looked at dash and vehicle should have had at least 10 energy miles but it had immediately dropped down to 0. Before taking to Chevy, I had a quick inspection done by a Valvoline shop and they told me the battery had to be replaced. Carvana (Silverrock) warranty refused to do the repair under their coverages as -??batteries were not covered under warranty-?? Had it towed from Valvoline to Chevy. Found out Chevy battery was under warranty so it was taken there. Vehicle was checked in and didn-??t have an eta as hybrid battery was on back order with no ETA. 3 weeks later the part was received and it was a control module not a battery as the -??battery was not failing at the time-??. Service called and said vehicle was ready for pick up. Had vehicle for 1 week and was at work starting it up and after 9 hours sitting started it up and low population came back on and vehicle started idling higher than before then after a minute looked at back of car and a large cloud of while smoke started forming from back of vehicle. Immediately turned off car and called gmc roadside assistance to have vehicle towed to another dealership where is it sitting again for diagnosis with no eta.
Propulsion power reduced message appears on dash board. Yes available for inspection. Unsafe to drive losing power on highway. Yes there are warning error messages appearing on dashboard.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Laguna Niguel, CA, USA