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.
The car suddenly started starting problem, then the electrical charging component to refuel the power from an electrical charging outlet was unable to charge. Now it does not start at all. I brought the 2017 Chevy Volt to a dealer, it has been more than a week and they said that the part to fix the problem is not available yet and I have to wait. They do not have any idea when they will get the part.
I received a 'Reduced Propulsion' message along with a check engine light and that progressed to a 'Engine not Detected" message and stranded along the interstate in a dangerous situation. Had it towed to a dealership which had a technician which could work on a volt - he replaced the Engine Control Module fuse which "fixed" the car for about 15 miles and then the 'Reduced Propulsion' error with the Check Engine light appeared. Technician said something must be shorting out the fuse. Dangerous situation.
Shift to park message and will not allow car to be turned off. This problem also occurred ~2 years ago and the part was replaced by Chevrolet under warranty. This seems to be a serial defect
The check engine light came on followed by a loss in propulsion power of the engine. During freeway driving, a sudden loss of power posed a significant risk to both driver and other drivers on the road as the resulting sudden loss of acceleration forced other drivers to swerve around the vehicle to avoid hitting the car. The problem was reproduced when the engine came back on after 2 attempted repairs. I am very scared and concerned with my life/safety.
I bought the car in 2020. It had intermittent problems with the car registering -€œshift to park-€ when the car was in park. This would not allow the car to be started, leaving me stranded. The intermittent problem has become much more frequent now. Yesterday and today 16 Dec 2021, the car is not ever registering that the vehicle is in park. The transmission display shows I am in -€œP-€ (park), but the display keeps saying -€œshift to park-€ and the car won-€™t start.
- Murrieta, CA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact mentioned that the electrical hybrid battery failure warning error was illuminated, and the check engine warning light was also illuminated. The vehicle was able to start after multiple attempts to switch over to gasoline mode. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery energy control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle loss motive power with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. However, the vehicle would lose motive power whenever the vehicle exceeded 60 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the dealer informed the contact that the warranty had expired and there were no appointments available. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Keyes Chevrolet (5949 Van Nuys Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91401) and the dealer informed the contact that the warranty was expired and could not assist the contact without the contact paying the diagnostic fee. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they would escalate it to the legal department. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.
I have owned the 2017 Volt since August of 2017. Late 2018 or early 2019 I started having an intermittent problem when I turned the car off. The screen showed an error message "Action required - Shift to park". The car was in park already. I would push the start button. Shift into gear and shift again into park. In the beginning that solved the problem. But the car did not fully shut down when the error message is displayed. If the door is opened, the signal that the engine is running beeps. I took it to the dealer service department. They kept the car for a day to diagnose the problem but did not get the error message. But as the problem was intermittent, it continued. I returned the car to the dealer and they said they made an adjustment that should resolve the problem. It didn't. The problem became constant and I could not shift into park. The car did not fully shut off and I couldn't lock it. I returned the car to the dealer and it was there for several days while they waited for a new shifter. It was on their EV charger full time so as to not drain the battery. The shifter was replaced in February 2019. I thought this was a random incident but found out it is not. In July 2021 the same problem returned. I called 2 dealers for an appointment and have to wait 3 weeks for an appointment. I looked online for solutions and to see if others had the same experience. I found many postings and comments with screenshots of the same error message and cars not turning off. It seems to be a defect affecting the Volt and other GM cars of the same age. I had an appointment at lunch 8/3/21 and after several tries to engage the parking gear, the car still would not turn off. I had to leave it running in the parking lot for 30 minutes and it would not lock. The car shut off normally when I returned to the office. This is not an issue of safety on the road, but the inability to turn off the car and lock it is a safety factor, especially for women.
The car suffers from periodic electrical issues where it does not recognize the current status of the transmission and says "Shift to Park" even though vehicle is already parked. This culminates in a complete failure of the control module/battery/wiring harness systems and eventually the entire electrical system stops connecting to the engine. Our vehicle is now in the shop and
Car would not turn off. Got the message "Shift to park" on driver display, but car was in park. Had to cycle the gear shifter several times in order to get it to shut off.
While driving on the interstate at 75 mph I had to accelerate briefly to allow another vehicle to merge safely onto the road. Immediately my dashboard gave me a warning message saying -€œreduced propulsion acceleration may be limited-€ and the engine warning light came on. The temperature of my coolant began to rise over 230 F & then 240. Miles from my destination, I reduced speed & took the next exit to stop for fuel and read my owners manual. I discovered that the same message could appear if the car was not put into -€œmountain mode-€ thereby failing to reserve a certain amount of energy in the battery. I had hoped we starting the engine & resetting the computer with the car in -€œMountain mode-€ would resolve the matter, but that was not the case. I let the engine cool down for a bit & restarted my trip as I was just 20 miles away from my destination. Later on, I got another message as my engine began frequently skipping and sputtering that told me my -€œengine as not available-€ despite having a bear full tank of gas. I pulled over to read the manual & discovered that this message indicated once my car ran out of electric energy it would just stop working! As I had been on the road for 6.5 hours prior, I knew there was no electric reserve to pull from & said a prayer that my 4-yr-old daughter and I could get safely and get a tow to the dealership. The -€œreduced propulsion-€ message is part of a recall on the gen2 Volt, tho that recall relates to a software glitch & the remedy just provides -€œadditional warning time-€ for this serious issue. My car just turned 5 years with 33,000 miles on it. I have followed all maintenance recommendations. Seems like an electrical emissions issue, & with a lithium battery on board, fire from overheating scares me as much as than engine failure on the interstate. But I had a full tank of gasoline! Dealer says it is a -€œshort in my EGR Valve-€ & that part needs replacing.
We are having the "Shift to Park" problems described many times on various forums about this car. The car does not recognize that we have indeed shifted into Park (when we have) and remains on. Others have described power outage whiles driving and various serious issues once this problem starts. GM is aware of the problem.
Car would not shut off. Message appeared "Shift to park" on driver display, but car was in park. Had to cycle the gear shifter several times in order to get it to shut off.
When I park the car, it will not turn off. Gives the message "Action Required Shift to Park" But it gives that message while the car is in park. Originally, when it first started happening two years ago, it could not be reproduced. As such, while it was under warranty the problem could not be reproduced. Now it happens over 80% of the time I stop the vehicle. I mentioned the problem to the dealer but they could not replicate the issue. Eventually, if you move the transmission linkage around enough the error clears and you can turn the car off. But this puts excessive wear on the transmission linkage. And now, its out of its basic warranty. Its clear the problem has happened to many others out there, with far fewer miles than me (51,300 miles). Why isn't the manufacturer being held accountable for this issue?
At approximately mile 370 of a 390 mile trip while operating the engine in hold mode, the engine overheated, requiring me to pull over to the side of the road, wait for the engine to cool, and then proceed to the nearest Chevrolet dealership using the battery in order to be repaired. The first warning I received was a "reduced engine power" message. I scrolled through the status pages and found the coolant temperature to be 230 deg F. I continued to monitor the temperature until a few minutes later received the overheat warning and pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle is a 2017 Chevrolet Volt with approximately 15,000 miles. The dealership found the EGR valve (part # 12691147) to be internally shorted and replaced it. From various internet reports this appears to be a common occurrence for this model year. This is a safety risk in that it is most likely a known defective part that fails prematurely totally unexpectedly.
After being parked for over 24 hours, when we started the vehicle we got a message shift to park. The car would not go into gear and was undriveable. We tried to contact onstar from the vehicle but thd connection kept breaking up. We got through on our cell and were forwarded to GM. They ordered road side assistancece. While waiting, we again started the vehicle. There was a bew message initializing: Wait to shift but the car did not go into gear. When roadside assistance arrived, they also tried without success. The car was towed to a dealership. In reading various forums, it appears this is a common problem and a major repair. I am curious as to why there has not been a recall fir this issue?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Park Ridge, IL, USA