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.
Two incidents related to the powertrain. 1) In December, 2023, the EV battery was drained and the car would not start based on the gas motor. The dealer fixed it in our recollection. 2) On [XXX], I was driving the car out of a Detroit Convention Center parking lot, going up the ramp when the car, with no warning, completely lost power and stopped. The message on the display said "Powertrain loss" or "Powertrain lost." I wish I had taken a photo of it, but I was panicked. Cars were backed up behind me on the ramp out of the parking garage, honking and having to back up. I tried turning the car off and on, googling the problem, and was about to call a tow truck when after 12-13 minutes, I was able to restart the car. I was scared that this could happen again on the freeway. When we could do it together, my husband and I took the car to Chevrolet Suburban of Ann Arbor, which says that they can find nothing wrong with the car, cannot replicate the problem, and that the car computer does not have any error code. They and GM are not willing to do anything to fix it. If they are really unable to find an error code, then something is wrong with the car computer too. I will not drive that car again until it is fixed - I consider it to be risking my life and others' lives to do so. We are spending a lot of money leasing a replacement vehicle as they will not even give us a loaner. The car is just sitting in their lot. And if we trade it in, will they resell it to someone else, potentially putting their lives at risk? - The vehicle is available for inspection at Chevrolet Suburban Ann Arbor. - My safety was at risk. So was that of other drivers around me. I could have been rear-ended. - The problem has not been reproduced/confirmed. - The vehicle and component have not been inspected by the manufacturer, police etc to our knowledge. - There was NO warning ahead of time and no symptoms prior to the problem. The warning message displayed simultaneously with the problem INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF
Mileage: 38523 Engine Not Available Service Soon Propulsion Power Is Reduced Fuel Range Low: 3/4 Tank full of gas [XXX] - I was driving Northbound on [XXX] South of Castlewood in Northern California. I was driving 70 mph when I suddenly received the error messages above on my dashboard screen. The vehicle immediately had power from 70 mph quickly going below 59 mph. The traffic was extremely high and I had to quickly use my hazard flashes and carefully maneuver to the right shoulder of the frwy. The vehicle lost power so quickly I could have easily been rear ended or in a serious vehicle accident. The dealer test drove the vehicle and stated they received the errors at 95 mph. The dealership is recommending I have the entire transmission replaced with the assembly and the 45,000 mile maintenance. No other warning lamps, messages or symptoms or failures occurred. First occurrence [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle lost propulsion and all power mid turn at approximately 45mph. Powe steering and assisted brakes were gone. Conditions were rainy, resulting in single car crash. Car did not restart. No codes present. Occurred again after repairs at 70mph on highway. Codes P0AC4 and P0C0E indicating Drive Motor Power Inverter B. Despite being under warranty, GM cannot repair, and has no replacement parts. GM has ignored messages requesting buyback per federal law.
When shifting to park, the vehicle reports that it is NOT in park. This prevents turning off the vehicle. It is difficult to confirm that the vehicle is indeed in the park mode. This is happening more and more frequently and we will contact the dealer for service. I have not called the dealer about this yet.
System propulsion lost on start up. When I called a tow truck for a jump, they confirmed the 12V battery still had a full charge and the vehicle should have been able to start. The dealer indicated that they saw the same propulsion system DTC, but could not identify the problem. After a few days of having it, the car worked "normally" again, and the dealer was unable to replicate it in the shop. This happened once before on start up - the vehicle spontaneously lost power and seemingly resolved itself a few days later.
- Madison Heights, MI, USA
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Had shift to park appear and car would not shut off. If you play with it it might shut off but will not allow it to restart. GM is aware of this and has put multiple tsb's out to fix it and now they have a new one. It affects all gen 2 Volts and other models. It can strand you if it happens. This should be a recall no one wants to be stranded in the dark anywhere.
2018 Chevrolet Volt. Consumer writes in regards to transmission failure. The consumer stated while driving the freeway, the vehicle experienced sudden loss of acceleration. The dealer was made aware of the failure.
Brand new car suddenly stalled while driving - still had about 10 ev miles left and a full tank of gas when it happened, traveling straight at around 45mph. Messages displayed on dash telling me "propulsion power reduced to 0" and "shift to park", giving me about 30 seconds to pull over before it completely stopped. Restarted car several times, but "initializing wait to shift" and "propulsion power reduced" messages displayed, as well as check engine light. Car would not shift out of park, even to neutral. Luckily I was on a quiet city street at night and not on the freeway, as this could have been extremely dangerous. On star service had me towed to dealership, whose service department said it was a faulty part in the electric engine charging module. They will replace the part. However, since having this issue I have read of countless other similar situations on previous Volt models, with sudden stalling and "propulsion power reduced" messages. It is so common there is a pinned message about it on the Volt internet forums, and I have read several previous NHTSA complaints. It seems all too common and I believe is something that should be investigated as it could cause serious injury or death depending on where/when it happens. If it was a known fault on previous Volt models it should have been fixed in the 2019 version.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Ann Arbor, MI, USA