10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 4
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 3 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 16,991 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
Our 2017 Volt started experiencing a "Shift to Park" error message on November 2, 2022 when the vehicle is stopped and the transmission shifter has been placed in "Park". Apparently the microswitch responsible for detecting "Park" (GM part # 84955382) has failed and this appears to be a common defect in several models of Chevrolet. With this error message the vehicle will not turn off and the car cannot be secured properly (both of which are a safety concern). Our vehicle has less than 30K miles on it so it should not be a case of normal wear and tear causing the problem. GM has not issued a recall for this defect yet but we see there are several class action law suits looking to force them to do so. We also note that a number of consumers have reported the error progressing so that it occurs while the vehicle is in operation causing the driver to have to pull to the side of the road when transmission operation ceases. Chevrolet released document ID 5403533 on December 11, 2020, Bulletin #19-NA-206 due to the frequency of this defect detailing the parts needed to effect repairs for several models of Chevrolet. We have discussed this issue with our local Chevrolet dealer and they concur the vehicle should be repaired ASAP to avoid the progression of switch failure in the vehicle. Since the car is out of warranty and in the absence of a manufacturer's recall that will cost approximately $310. We will have this repair done tomorrow (November 15) and will ask the dealer to provide us the defective switch in case you care to inspect it.
- Tracy, CA, USA
The car will not turn off and it says it needs to be shifted into -??park-?? after it is already parked. I am left unable to leave my car or lock it when I need to leave which makes this dangerous in case of an emergency where I need to leave the car quickly and cannot without leaving the car on and open.
- Studio City , CA, USA
At approximately 61,500 miles my Chevy Volt would not start. I had it towed to a repair facility who determined the problem was a faulty BECM (Battery Energy Control Module), but that it would still be covered by the manufacturer's warranty. So I had the vehicle towed to a dealership. The vehicle has been at the dealership for six weeks as of the time I write this, but report they have yet to diagnose the problem or offer a solution. Doing research online I have found that BECM failure is a common problem among the Chevy Volt, of all model years. And due to "supply chain disruptions" people are having to wait weeks to months for their vehicle to be repaired. Fortunately my vehicle did not fail in a dangerous location, however the BECM failure could happen randomly at any time at any mileage and appears to be a design flaw. Fortunately my vehicle is still covered by the manufacturer's warranty, but in my opinion, repair should be extended to all Chevy Volts.
- Albuquerque, NM, USA
Control module battery energy control failure part is unavailable for more then 3 months or more Check engine light on Car can be disabled At any time traveling down Highway Dealer confirmed part needs to be replaced
- Mokena , IL, USA
Shift to park error.
- Farmersville, CA, USA
Shift to park notification after being placed in park. Used to only happen occasionally, but is almost every time I turn my car off now
- Draper, UT, USA
This car star having many issues with over heat.
- Long Beach , CA, USA
The car will not shift
- Chicopee, MA, USA
When attempting to turn my car off, a message is displayed saying "SHIFT TO PARK". My car is already in park, and jiggling the gear shifter will generally get rid of the message. Sometimes this can take several minutes. It is not possible to turn my car off when this message is displayed, and the battery will die if the car is left with this message displayed. The car is available for inspection upon request. It is being repaired in the next few days though. The problem has been confirmed by a local mechanic. The problem has a class action lawsuit against GM for the issue: https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2021/gm-shift-to-park-lawsuit-vehicles-cant-be-shut-off.shtml#:~:text=The%20car%20does%20not%20detect%20park%20mode%20and, and%20Maryland%20plaintiff%20Juanita%20Crawford%20%282017%20Chevrolet%20Malibu%29. The problem first appeared approximately 2 weeks ago without any prior notice or warnings, at 44,000 miles.
- East Norriton, PA, USA
Unknown what caused the fire per fire department. I drove to my bosses house and parked the car for about 15 minutes. I was about to leave in the car right before the fire started. At 12:05PM on 09/22/21 the car started smoking and fire appearing under the car. My safety and other by standers was put at risk by the thick black smoke and flying debris from the car. Thankfully I was not driving when the car caught fire. There were 4 different explosions two of which I believe were the two front tires and the gas tank. The Saint Louis County police and West County EMS & Fire protection both took a report but I do not have a copy of it. No warning signs or lights on the car when I parked it.
- Saint Louis, MO, USA
I place the car in park and I receive a warning on dash that says -??action required shift to park-??. The car will not shut off. I have had to leave it running twice. I googled and others have had similar problem
- Gainesville , FL, USA
SHIFT TO PARK. INDICATOR ON DASH "said ""shift to park " but is parked and car turned off. ?? [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- Indian Head, MD, USA
After putting the vehicle in park, a warning comes up that says -??action shift to park-?? and the vehicle will not turn off or recognize that it is in park. Also the heater doesn-??t work at all at times in the winter and only blows cold air, finally after driving for two weeks only once a message that said service heater came on but that was in the summer. The cruise control intermittently stops working. I have asked CarMax to service when it was under warranty and they couldn-??t find anything wrong with it apparently. It has happened numerous times since and now it-??s not under their warranty of course. I have photos of it happening and a video of the cruise control problem as well. These things have happened multiple times not just once so to put in a date of the incident I do not have enough dates that I can even put in. I have added my three photos. The additional photos are other peoples comments about the same cruise control problem when I researched if this was a common problem.
- Waunakee, WI, USA
When putting my 2017 Chevy Volt in Park and attempting to turn off the vehicle, I get a "Shift to Park" notice on my screen. The gear shift says I'm in Park, but it's not registering. When this happens I cannot turn off the vehicle properly. This has been an intermittent problem for several months, which is increasing in frequency. I have an appointment to have this repaired next week at my dealership, but have been told this is not covered by my warranty, as I'm at 45,000 miles. Apparently, this is a known issue with several GM vehicles.
- Rochester, NY, USA
When I put the car in park, and turn off the engine, I receive a -??Shift to park-?? message, and the engine doesn-??t turn off. It has been happening for about a year, and is happening more frequently now.
- North Haven , CT, USA
This is a shift to park issue. Like all the others I have read online when I put the car in park, and hit the power button the car will not power off. A message appears on the dash that says To shift into park. Obviously I-??m already in Park.
- Laguna Beach , CA, USA
For a second time in 2 years I am having a "shift to park" issue. When I go to park the car and shift to park, I get an alert on my dashboard that says "Action required Shift to Park". The car will not turn off, and I have to re-start the car and try shifting back to another gear and then shift up to park - sometimes, this takes over 10 times before the car finally recognizes I've shifted to park. I had this problem fixed within a month of purchasing the car in 2019, which was the first time this issue started happening. The dealership (McCluskey Chevrolet - Cincinnati OH) replaced the motor unit. Within the past week (7/19-7/25) this issue started again. Chevrolet is aware of this issue, and has not been compelled to issue a recall. I'm requesting that NHTSA move forward with an official recall for this faulty component.
- Isle Of Palms, SC, USA
As do many other owners of Chevrolet Volts and Malibus, I have experienced the "Shift-to-Park" problem last year and again this year. The problem involves shifting to park and then shutting off the motor. The motor stops but the error message "Shift to Park to turn off engine" appears on the dashboard console. The engine has stopped, the car is in park, but the message continues. When I open the door, the beeping alert signal begins and continues. I had it repaired by the dealer last year and the 2017 Volt is back at the dealer's for the same problem again this year. There should be a recall for this widespread problem.
- Indianapolis, IN, USA
I frequently get an error message that says, "SHIFT TO PARK." The car is parked but it does not turn off because the car does not recognize that the the gearshift is in the park position.
- Oakland, CA, USA
- Los Angeles, CA, USA