10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
7,232 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #171

Sep 112024

Volt

  • miles
Reduced propulsion power and check engine light. EGR valve failure per mechanic. Part has been on a global back order for 1.5 years. The car will not pass emissions testing and can blow a fuse that will make the car inoperable. The part is also costly at $2400 without labor costs. My car has 83,000 miles, is well-maintained and only 7 years old and now I can-??t drive it or sell it.

- The Hills, TX, USA

problem #170

Sep 112024

Volt

  • miles
Experienced severe engine failure while driving on the freeway, which cost to be in operable due to failure of EGR valve. This is a warranty repair however GM has part on backorder for over a year with no plan to fix. My car is now disabled and I have no other transportation.

- Pleasanton, CA, USA

problem #169

Aug 192024

Volt

  • miles
EGR Valve issue. I have a 'reduced propulsion energy' notice on the dash. Unable to get repaired because there is no parts. This is a common problem with these Chevy vehicles. Emissions test won't pass

- Marshall, WI, USA

problem #168

Aug 182024

Volt

  • miles
Egr valve failed. GM has this part in a national control status. Vehicle should be under warranty per the handbook but dealership is denting this. Dealer solution is to just disconnect the part and says it is safe to drive. Not comfortable with this since I have had this vehicle modified to allow myself who is handicapped the ability to drive it. Dealership wants prepayment of part before placing the order for it. Part is expensive and they have no idea how long they will be using my money before or if the part is available.

- Canal Winchester, OH, USA

problem #167

Aug 292024

Volt

  • miles
P1E00 error code resulted in the propulsion system being reduced and climate controls turned off. My wife, driving at the time in a thunderstorm, lost the ability to drive the speed of traffic and also her windshield completely fogging up where she could not see. She could have been killed in this scenario in a number of ways. Took it to the dealer where GM apparently has no spare parts available for months"?" Parts at fault are related to the EGR valve and cooler. CEL light came on and off for a few days prior. Failed to be able to pull the error code because it would go off.

- Berkley, MI, USA

problem #166

Aug 202024

Volt

  • miles
I was driving on a highway around 70 mph on cruise control, without warning a -??propulsion power reduced-?? message came up with the check engine light turning on and the car stopped accelerating/let off of cruise control. Very dangerous when driving at speeds above 70mph. I took the Car to Chevy and they said it-??s a EGR valve issue and that it would cost roughly $3,800 and the part is on massive back order. r Reading online, there-??s many Volt drivers with the same issue and can-??t get the part for months on (with some being offered a repurchase of the car from GM so the problem would go away) it seems like Chevy and or GM do not have sufficient parts to fix the massive amount of Volts having this specific problem and on top of that, this is the largest quote I-??ve seen for this repair.

- Wilmington , NC, USA

problem #165

Aug 262024

Volt

  • miles
Without warning, my car stopped charging. Noticed it was at 0 miles despite charging it the night before. Believing I may have not properly connected the home cord (supplied by Chevy) to the car, I chalked it up to being my mistake and plugged in again the next night. Same result. 0 miles. Then it immediately started acting like a 12V battery failure with engine warning lights and then it just refused to start and/or charge and was dead in the water. I called AAA for a battery jump and they came. It got the car started, but the check engine light remained lit for two days and I primarily ran the car on its gas generator to hopefully charge it. Just last night, the check engine light went away. Despite having a partial charge, this morning 8/29, it registered 3 miles down from being higher. I just plugged in to my home outlet using the chevy cord, and again, it would not charge (no green light on dash indicating active charge and a message on the dash should "unable to charge". I suspect a Battery Energy Control Mondule (BECM) failure which seems to happen with this car. My 12V ACDELCO battery is relatively new (3 yrs) and not used heavily (given COVID).

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #164

Jun 152024

Volt

  • miles
The EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve has failed, which causes issues with the fuel propulsion system, can cause the cooling system to fail, and affects the emissions system. We are unable to obtain a replacement valve anywhere and have been on a waiting list at the dealership for months. The car is not safe to drive in this condition.

- Monkton, MD, USA

problem #163

Aug 102024

Volt

  • miles
EGR valve failed while driving on the freeway. Loss power. Check engine light on. Propulsion power reduced. It is safety and emissions related.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #162

Aug 202024

Volt

  • miles
My 2017 Chevrolet Volt started displaying an error message last week "reduced propulsion power". I set up an appointment at the dealership but had to continue driving in the meantime. The error message changed to "Engine Unavailable" and shortly therefore shut down completely. We had it towed to a dealership, who has informed us that the EGR valve and gasket need to be replaced, and are on indefinite backorder. This is clearly a safety issue as we need to be able to rely on the car not shutting down in the middle of driving. Now we are left without a car or a timeline for repair.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #161

Jun 162024

Volt

  • miles
1st incident-While doing a U-Turn on an inclined road car suddenly sounded like it was going to die, no acceleration when I pressed on the gas pedal. Car almost stopped as it was on a hill and suddenly the gas engine turned on so the accelerator started to work again. I felt very unsafe and thought I was going to get hit by any on coming cars due to the loss of acceleration. 2nd incident(about a month after the 1st)-Just going straight down a road, pressed on the accelerator and again nothing happened, no acceleration, car sounded like it was turning off, then switched over to the gas engine and the accelerator started to work again. Also, not very safe with cars coming up behind me quickly and loss of acceleration. Had GM look at car, could not reproduce problem, BCEM module already replaced-they could not replace due to GM not approving a second replacement, they would not say car is safe, but go ahead and drive it anyway until the problem occurs again. How many times should this happen before I am actually in an accident because of this problem? I have been the sole owner of this care since 2017 and I have done all the maintenance required for it, I do believe this is a safety issue that should be addressed. I have just been told to drive it until it catastrophically doesn't work, how reassuring of GM!

- New Berlin, WI, USA

problem #160

Aug 112024

Volt

  • miles
While driving, a warning message came on: "Engine unavailable." I was able to drive a few more blocks but then the car stopped on its own. This happened despite the fact that the car had almost a full tank of gas. If this had happened on the highway, it would have been very dangerous. Luckily, I was on a fairly empty city street and I simply pulled to the curb. This is a known problem with the Chevy Volt (2017). An independent service center confirmed that the original problem is that the EGR valve needs replacing. When this is an issue, a fuse often blows and this fuse stops the car from moving. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance rep or others. There was a message that came on a few days before the incident that said "propulsion power is reduced." An independent service center said the EGR valve needs to be replaced. There are no EGR valves available; they have been on back order for months. I have an appointment with the Chevy dealer for next week, so they can confirm the EGR valve needs replacing and I can get on their waitlist to receive an EGR valve. This is expected to take 6-12 months or possibly longer. In the meantime, I can drive the car on electric charge but am supposed to avoid engaging the ICE engine. If I end up running out of electric charge, I am at risk of once again having the fuse blow and the car failing to move forward. This is ridiculous. Why is GM/Chevy not required to provide parts in a timely manner to existing customers to make sure their cars run safely? I am definitely not the only Volt owner experiencing this issue -- there are many people online complaining about the same issue. All of us risk a situation of the car stopping to run at any time.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #159

Jun 012024

Volt

  • miles
Starting June 2024 my car started s displaying the check engine light with the message -??Propulsion power is reduced-?? when driving on electric. When the message is displayed it switches to gas even if it has a full charge. Since June 2024 the check engine light is mostly on but sometimes turns off when electric is depleted and it-??s running on gas. The message is randomly displayed when I accelerate

- Aloha, OR, USA

problem #158

May 012024

Volt

  • miles
I own a 2017 Chevrolet Volt and at about 90,000 miles on the odometer, my dashboard displayed a "Propulsion Power Reduced" message, and upon diagnostic scanning, error code P0401 was detected. This code indicates an issue with the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve. After further investigation, it has been determined that the EGR valve has failed and requires replacement. However, finding a suitable replacement part has proven to be challenging due to limited availability. I had work done to repair the issue at the dealership, but found it wasn't resolved during a recent attempt to pass emissions. This issue is well-documented with Chevrolet Volt owners and can lead to a dangerous loss of power, particularly when driving uphill or in demanding traffic conditions. The sudden reduction in propulsion power could potentially impede traffic flow and create hazardous situations for both the driver and other road users.

- Parker, CO, USA

problem #157

Aug 052024

Volt

  • miles
While making a 90 mile drive on 7/20, after having depleted the primary battery charge and switched to hybrid mode, a "propulsion power is reduced" warning appeared on the console, along with the Check Engine Light. Other than somewhat reduced power (max displayed of ~40-50 kW), performance otherwise seemed unimpeded. Contacted local dealership to schedule service for earliest available date of 7/26. Car made return 90 mile trip on 7/21 without issue additional issue ("propulsion power is reduced" message remained.) Service identified "numerous codes", but replaced a fuse known to result in the above issue and observed no other issues. Car was driven purely on battery at that time, and for the intervening time until a 170 mile drive on 8/2, where the message and Check Engine Light reappeared, again after battery charge was consumed and car switched to hybrid power mode. Dealership was again contacted to schedule service, slated for the morning of 8/7 (tomorrow, as of this writing). Car reached its destination without further incident. During return 170 mile trip on 8/5, traveling on the highway, car abruptly alerted that the engine was no longer available and entered a severely reduced-power mode. Car had been operating in "mountain mode" (conserving some extra battery charge) as a precaution, so we were able safely exit the highway and pull into a local parking lot, at which point AAA was contacted to tow the car the remaining 120 miles home. Upon arriving home, the car was able to pull into the garage without the "engine not available" alert, but still displaying Check Engine Light and "propulsion power reduced" messages. We have come to understand this is a fairly common issue with Generation II Volts and have been advised by other owners to file this report.

- West Bridgewater, MA, USA

problem #156

Jul 032024

Volt

  • miles
[XXX], while driving on [XXX], check engine light came on with reduced propulsion warning. Continued driving to destination without incidence. Did not drive again until [XXX]. [XXX] while driving using "hold" method of propulsion using internal combustion engine, check engine light remained on, after the engine warmed up, all of the sudden, there was a noticeable reduction of power, followed shortly by the internal combustion engine shutting off while I was entering onto an interstate highway ramp. Fortunately I was able to pull off to the side of the road and back down the ramp without incidence and return home under grossly reduced battery propulsion. July 8, took vehicle to Chevrolet dealership (Baierl Chevrolet, Wexford PA) under battery power. Was told ECM module was bad. ECM module was replaced, error codes cleared, vehicle ran as expected. after driving approximately 50 miles, check engine light with reduced propulsion warning returned. Turned vehicle around and returned to the same dealership. Was told EGR valve was bad while blowing fuse F03 (Non walk home circuit). The dealership did not have a replacement in stock and it would take 7-10 days to obtain a replacement. I had to rent a vehicle out of my own pocket to return home for employment purposes. July 11th, I emailed dealership's service advisor for status of replacement part. Never heard back from service advisor. July 15, 11:24 am, talked to dealership service advisor, was told part was in transit with no estimated delivery date. July 22 called service adviser and left a voice mail message for a return status call. Never received a return call. July 23, called dealership, talked to parts department for part status, was told part had not shipped from warehouse yet and there was no estimate on shipment. After having to return the rental vehicle, I am without a vehicle for my daily required activities. Not an acceptable situations. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #155

May 162023

Volt

  • miles
I was driving down the highway at normal speeds when I noticed the engine temperature began climbing out of the blue, and eventually the CEL light came on before the dashboard read "Propulsion Power Reduced" and eventually the engine stopped entirely and I had to coast to an area on the side of the highway where I could pull over. The battery-only part of the car was drained but there was plenty of gas in the tank, so my only way out was via the ICE. I turned the car off, waited for it to cool down, then turned it back on, only for the same issue to occur within another couple of miles of highway driving. I had to repeat this process until I was able to get to an exit and coast to a business that would let me recharge the battery enough to drive on battery-only where I could park it overnight, as I was not near my home. Eventually I had to get the car towed to a dealership, where I was told it was either an EGR valve or EGR cooler that needed replacing. After the dealership refused to provide any specifics regarding the diagnostics in writing, Chevrolet corporate informed me that it was an EGR valve that was requested and is on global backorder. This issue has not been resolved for a year now, and put me in the extremely dangerous position of losing power entirely on the highway with almost no warning, and no statements to date that would have prepared me to deal with this issue.

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

problem #154

Jul 032024

Volt

  • miles
EGR Valve short circuit caused F3fuse to blow causing engine light to go on and Propulsion reduced power warning. The F3 fuse affects 4-5 other systems.

- Smyrna, DE, USA

problem #153

Jun 032024

Volt

  • miles
I had the BECM fail as part of many 2017 volts with this issue at around 40K miles. This failure has caused multiple near accidents with immediately losing power at highway speeds. The last time this happened (after the BECM was replaced) was a couple of weeks ago. They said the reason for the failure was a programming issue, and they have updated it. It is flabbergasting to me that a programming issue can result in such a dangerous result. The car reduced propulsion on the highway and got stuck on the offramp while trying to pull over on the busy highway. Not only were we left stranded on the highway with me being 8 and a half months pregnant, but my husband almost got into an accident twice while trying to make it over safely. Chevy needs to be accountable for these significant failures that seem to continuously happen to Chevy Volts. It's not just the BECM - they have multiple things that are causing extremely dangerous results. When they replaced the BECM they also replaced the 12V (with significant out of pocket cost to us) and leaving us with no vehicle for a long time. We bought a new car right after this incredibly scary incident.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #152

Jul 082024

Volt

  • miles
The propulsion system stopped working altogether while the car was in motion. The battery charge gauge went from 1/2 to full. The charging information screen displayed a message reading "unable to charge." The air conditioning only blew out hot air, but the coolant temperature gauge read 194-degrees F (within "normal"). The "check engine" light also came on. Diagnostics found the F3UA fuse blown and a faulty EGR valve. A service bulletin for this exact issue was published by GM in February 2023. The company is aware of the issue but is leaving it for customers to discover while operating the vehicle. Safety inspections and oil change centers do not catch this issue. This is a safety concern and should be recalled immediately.

- Chesapeake, VA, USA

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