10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 2 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 31,445 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
I received the following message on the car dash display: Propulsion reduced-engine not available. This message came on while I was driving in the carpool lane. I called GM thru on star and was told that I had a catastrophic error and needed to get my car into repair with 24 hours. With only 6 miles left on the battery, I told the GM rep that I better get the car to a Chevy dealer. I immediately drove to the dealership in culver city. The minute I pulled into the driveway of the dealership, my car stopped and would not restart. This could have been a disaster if the car had stopped in the carpool lane. I have read of other complaints on google and yahoo. I was told by the dealership that they were going to replace the engine module, which they said would take 8 hours to repair, but when I picked up the car, they only replaced the transmission module. Since the incident, I only get a full charge of 32 to 34 miles, where before the incident I was getting a full charge of 42 to 44 miles per charge. This is definite safety issue as GM blames the driver for the problem. GM needs to replace the engine module on my car.
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
The vehicle has repeatedly shut down while driving/failed to start since June 2013. The vehicle has been in service due to repairs = 42 days in the last 10 months. GM continues to replace/recall parts on the hybrid battery as well as other parts concerning secondary problems. I am afraid this vehicle will shut down again while I am driving causing an accident hurting me or others on the road. Clearly, it is a potential death trap.
- Williamsville, NY, USA
My Chevy Volt was at a car wash and the attendant was able to turn the car off while still in "D" gear. The car is able to roll and move while in this gear. I was surprised so I tested it for myself, and sure enough you're able to turn the power off and exit the vehicle while still in 'd'. every car I've owned (automatic) forces you to shift into P or N before allowing the key to remove. This is a great concern for me, so I called my Volt advisor today and was informed that other customers rolled into their garage, and the behavior was by design and normal.
- Sacramento, CA, USA
Car gas engine started, (engine running due to temp). Ran for just a few seconds, then shut down and went into "service mode" - killing both the gas engine and electric motor - without touching any buttons on dash.
- Albion, MI, USA
I leased a new 2013 Volt on Friday and drove it to work and home on Monday. The battery display showed it was at minimum, zero miles remaining. The Volt was running with the internal combustion engine. As I pulled out of a parking lot, "'propulsion power is reduced"', "'engine not available"', and "service stabilitrac" displayed on the driver information center. After going about 500 feet, I stopped at an intersection to make a left turn and the Volt stalled. I turned on the flashers and attempted to restore power by pressing the brake and the power button. The displays lit up but the instrument cluster continued to display "'initializing-wait to shift"'. I turned the Volt off by pressing the power button again and attempted to restore power several times with the same result. Cars behind me were attempting to pull around on the left side but were blocked by cars turning onto the two-lane street. I pushed the on-star button and requested assistance. Soon, a Volt specialist came on the line and said she suspected the security system or the 12V battery. She had me turn everything off and walk 200 feet from the car. When I returned and tried to start the Volt, it started briefly but shut down. She said the 12V battery might be low and they would have the tow truck driver bring booster cables to charge the battery. I had managed to push the Volt to the curb and got some cables to boost it. The Volt initialized and the displays looked normal. I drove to the next intersection and stopped for the light. When the light changed, it stalled again. I was able to continue to my house on battery power but it would not go up the slope of the driveway. I tried to charge it but the charge cycle would not start. The next morning, it had "'plug in to charge" light on. I started the charge cycle. It goes to the dealer tonight.
- Dublin, OH, USA
- Punta Gorda, FL, USA