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.
On [XXX] while driving with my son in IN on [XXX] to my niece's wedding in PA, a reduced power warning sounded on the driver's console. Was able to stop and get gas at the eastbound travel plaza near mile marker [XXX]. Getting back on the road and accelerating toward 70 mph, suddenly lost all drive power. The fuel gauge side of the console was lit in yellow and said something like "No fuel detected." Pulled over to the shoulder and found the engine would start, run, and then die. An IN State Police Officer was kind enough to offer us an escort to the next exit near mile marker [XXX]. Noticed that the engine would remain running for longer periods and finally stayed on continuously. While being escorted, was able to run the speed up to 55 mph and made it safely to the interstate exit. During this time my son was checking online and found that the problem might be due a blown fuse. At the [XXX] exit we found a Pilot station that carried fuse sets. One of the sets had the fuse we needed. We bought two sets. We replaced the fuse--it had blown--and the car ran well again. This fuse is called "No walk home." We were able to continue on at 70 mph until stopping at a friends home in western PA for a few hours rest. While at our friend's home we partially charged the Volt's battery giving us about 20 miles of electric range. While in electric mode we stopped for gas. We drove through the mountains without incident then stopped for gas again in central PA at the Cumberland Valley Service Plaza. Filled the tank and while accelerating from the plaza again lost power and had to pull over. Replacing the fuse solved the problem once more. It appeared that turning off the engine while in gas mode and then turning the engine back on leads to the fuse blowing. That Sunday on the return trip to IL, I never turned the car off when refueling. This got me back home without incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving on the highway, the EGR valve in my car malfunctioned, initially causing my dashboard to read "Propulsion Power is Reduced". After continuing to drive the car, the dashboard read 'Engine not available, service soon', where it stalled and we had to restart the car. After restarting, the car went into EV mode with significantly reduced speed. Our safety was put at risk due to the initial stalling and subsequent reduced speed on the highway. The problem has been reproduced since the initial incident and our dealership confirmed the problem relating to the EGR valve which continues to blow fuses when the engine is over-exerted while using gas. The dealership said that this is covered under warranty however, there has been a 5-year back-order on the part and they are refusing to offer any loaner car or compensation for a rental car.
While driving in August 2023, the vehicle seemed to lose acceleration power and a warning regarding the reduced propulsion appeared. The vehicle was taken in to the dealership and the diagnosis was that the EGR valve needed to be replaced. Still waiting on the issue to be resolved as GM doesn't seem to have the part required to fix the problem.
The "module" that controls the engine's charging of the battery failed and the car quickly went into reduced power mode and then quickly shut down altogether this happened within a mile or so. Fortunately this happened on a parkway where I could get to the curb safely. However, I had just come off [XXX] in St. Louis with very heavy 65 MPH traffic, and had it shut down a few miles earlier I would have been in real trouble. I understand the NHTSA has opened an investigation into this type of problem with the Volt, but I have also heard that G M is reporting they have the parts to fix cars that are affected. This is not true! I live in Lenexa, KS, and my Volt is at ELCO Chevrolet in Baldwin MO. The service representative told me on [XXX] the part I need is "on backorder" and he has no idea when the part might be supplied to him. Apparently, GM does not have this part anywhere in the world, a part without which the car will not move. This is inexcusable! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Early on the week of November 9th my car displayed a message that there was "Low propulsion power - engine not available." Upon returning home and parking the car it started without incident the following day. On November [XXX], my vehicle stated "Low propulsion power - engine not available" but this time the car shut down completely leaving me unable to return home. I had the car towed to Fairway Chevrolet for repairs. The service technician indicated that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced and the part was out of stock and would take 3 weeks to become available. No rental or loaner car was provided. On November [XXX] I was told that my car was fixed and it would be able to be picked up. I picked up the car and parked it at home and drove the car I was currently renting to California for the Thanksgiving holiday. Upon returning home, I returned my rental and returned to my car. The car behaved normally but after driving down a busy roadway for less than 2 miles the "Low propulsion power - engine not available" message reappeared and the car shut off IMMEDIATELY. This is horrifyingly dangerous especially considering the speed and location of where I was driving. I had the car towed to Fairway Chevrolet but didn't speak to anyone until the morning. In the morning I called in and explained what happened and stressed the safety fact that my car was returned and malfunctioned in a very dangerous way. The tech said that they were going to perform a diagnostic which they were going to charge me for, even though the original repair did not fix the defect. Fairway performed the diagnostic and stated they need to clean the engine bay and run a separate diagnostic of the brake system. These total more than $1.6k out of pocket and are not related to the power deactivating while in motion. My car is still at Fairway as they have not started the repairs and I am still self paying for a rental car. Fairway is uncooperative and refuse to check into the propulsion INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM
- North Las Vegas, NV, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Lost propulsion power went from doing 75mph to 35mph on the fast lane with no warning vehicles swerving to avoid hitting me..very scary and dangerous 3rd time this happens I now try to avoid fast traffic.. please look into this someone going to get hurt if no action taken..
My 2018 Chevy Volt has experienced the GM knows BECM issue. There are several Volt Owners that have experienced this issue. I would like to bring this to the attention for GM to post a recall/mandatory service repair as my car stopped working, would not start, was displaying false information on the electrical module, etc. Issue: 1. Car would not start 2. Battery stated fully charged with solid green light but display showed only 1 electric mile available 3. Tried to shift car to Reverse press gas nothing happened 4. Tried to shift car to Drive press gas nothing happened. 5. Car engine light is on 6. Utter confusion as stress as I-??m stranded with no way to get my car working 7. Chevy dealership has had my car for one week now with the only update of ordered BECM module. No ETA on when this will be fixed 8. No indication of what caused the issue
After recent repair of hybrid transmission, experienced a loss of power, MIL, and several trouble codes related to the battery control module (BECM). This affects safety as the loss of propulsion unexpectedly causes deviations in speed from typical traffic flow. The problem was confirmed by OnStar and a manufacturer representative was advised with a dealer appointment scheduled when they next open. There were no lamps or other symptoms prior to this MIL and loss of power. Restarts after shut down have not been attempted until able to take the vehicle to the dealership.
"Propulsion power reduced" message along with check engine light, loss of propulsion power from battery, loss of ability to charge battery. OBD2 scanner reveals P1E00, and 12 U26xx fault codes relating to Battery Energy Control Module failure.
After getting some repeated "propulsion power is reduced" display warnings, my 2018 Chevrolet Volt literally died without warning while I was driving it on New Year's Eve and could not be restarted.
Chevy Volt lost power while driving on the highway. No warning. The car has been at the dealership for 3.5 months and they have yet to tell me what the issue is, I have asked every time. Seems as though they don't want me to know. HIghly likely it is is BECM issue. Also, I scheduled the car to be looked at via their app, the day I arrived for the appointment no technician was available, and said I needed to reschedule and bring it back in a week. I just left the car there because it was incredibly unsafe.
Initially was receiving intermittent -??Recieved Propulsion Power-?? warning and no check engine light. Did it about every 2 weeks but became worse. Received Reduced Propulsion power warning on a road trip from East TN to Charlotte then showed a check engine light. I continued to Charlotte I had 4 miles left on battery and was running on gas engine when -??Engine Not Available-?? warning came on leaving me with a nearly dead battery for propulsion. Fortunately, there was a very nearby GM dealership in Charlotte which I was able to drop off and flew out of town for the week. I was told by the dealership that it was an O2 sensor and they had replaced it. Picked up the car the next week. I began the 3 hour trip back to East TN and about 30 miles into the trip I received the Reduced Propulsion Power AND Engine Not Available. I had about 10 miles left on the battery so I stopped and stayed at a hotel with a car charger overnight. Resumed trip home that am, but same code was displayed and engine would not come on. Rented a uhaul w/trailer and towed it home. Dropped it off at Champion Chevrolet in Johnson City and they diagnosed it as a faulty EGR valve. I learned that the part has been back ordered and looking at web forums I see people have described the same problem and they have been waiting many months for an EGR to be available. So, nature of complaint is: I got lucky in that I did not get stranded. Fortunately I was in the right place at the right time. I could have easily totally lost propulsion were my battery were fail and don-??t know if I could have gotten off the roadway.
On Dec 3, 2023 I got the message "Propulsion Power is Reduced" and the gas engine started even though there was about 53 miles left in the battery. I was able to continue on to my destination use the gas engine. On Dec 8, 2023 I drove the car to La Quinta Chevrolet and they diagnosed the problem as a failed BECM (Battery Energy Control Module). On Dec 11 I got the car back and was told the BECM is on backorder and there is no estimated delivery date. Also on 12/3 when I tried to start the car after getting it home I started getting the message "Shift to Park" The dealer was able to fix this before I got it back on 12/11. I've been told I don't qualify for a loaner vehicle so I am left with a car that could stop at any time.
In June of 2023 the car experienced propulsion power reduction. The car was at the dealer awaiting repair for 3 weeks. On Dec. 14,2023 the same thing happened again. The car was also unable to accelerate once mobile. The car has about 90k miles on it.
Car died while driving down road. Has engine codes to service high voltage system although It showed a full battery it only had 1 mile range and the gas motor wouldn't run.
The Battery Energy Control Module needs to be replaced (BECM). The car is available to be inspected at Key Chevrolet in South Burlington, VT. The car was parked when it failed. The car wouldn't start (lights on the dashboard came on) and it wouldn't turn off. I got a "shift to park" error message, regardless of which gear I was in. The car wouldn't go into Drive to go forward with either the drive battery or the gas generator. I had the car was towed to the dealership. It was inspected and diagnosed by them. When they did the diagnosis, they said the BECM had failed and there were cells in the drive battery that needed to be replaced. The BECM failure is a common problem with Chevrolet Volts and is covered by the Voltec warranty. There were no warning lights or other warnings (e.g., reduced propulsion) whatsoever. The car had shut off like normal but would not start or turn completely off. I was fortunate to have had the BECM fail while the car was parked. My understanding is that BECMs can fail while the car is moving and the power will stop and you won't have any control.
the vehicle will lose power without warning on a regular basis. the vehicle will also accelerate unexpectedly when switching from battery to engine power at speeds under 50 mph. I have taken the vehicle to the dealer and have been informed there is nothing they can do for me, the vehicle does not have any faulty components.
The vehicle failed to restart after being parked in a garage all day while at work. On board diagnostics returned multiple codes concerning the EV battery and vehicle integrated control module. Specific descriptions include: The Lithium-Ion Battery is not performing as expected. An issue has been detected in the Onboard Charging System which manages your vehicles battery pack charge level; Vehicle network communication code. The network provides a communications link between systems inside the vehicle and when the network is disrupted a code can be set. If vehicle functionality is impacted please seek service soon. Dealership indicates the Battery Module needs replacing and part is back-ordered with unknown delivery time. There had been no warning or other diagnostic codes visible prior to the failure.
While Driving my 2018 Chevy Volt from Payson Utah to Provo Utah going north on the I-15 Freeway the car Lost Power and came to a stop. Luckily I was in the outside lane and was able to coast to a stop on the shoulder and wait for a tow truck to take the car to the nearest dealer in Spanish Fork Utah. My safety could have been seriously affected if I had remained stalled on the freeway. The car would no longer start or Turn off. The display only showed that the car should be shifted to park even though I had already completed that request. The car has been inspected by the Dealer for GM. No one else that I know of has inspected the car. No Previous warnings or messages appeared before the incident occured.. The Dealer is Telling me the car-??s battery energy control module needs to be replaced and that it could take months to get a part. This is way to long for a car to wait to get repaired if the manufacturer claims to still be making the part.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Naperville, IL, USA