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.
Propulsion power is reduced while driving. Power is lost and battery cells are drained Chevy dealership claims they can not find error or address problem. After photo showing error on dashboard.
Shift to park issue. Even when the gear lever is in park position and trying to switch off the power the car still request to move to park and doesn't switch off
Purchased a 2107 Volt premier with 40K miles in July 2020. My wife was driving the car and it lost power on the freeway with a "shift to park" warning and check engine light. She was able to glide over to the shoulder and I came to rescue her. After repeated on off cycles I got the car to move a couple of miles with several "jerking" motions while driving then it died again and I lost power braking (went to manual only). This time I was unable to "re-boot it" and had onstar have it towed to a local Chevy dealer who has a "certified ev specialist"
As I was driving I received a message on the driver info center to shift in park and I lost acceleration while driving. Pulled off to the shoulder contacted onstar to get vehicle towed to nearby dealer. Was pushed by two police officers to get off the side of the road on the two lane highway. Once towed to dealership the tow driver said I have drive and reverse capability again which I didn't have while put on tower. As I was stopped on side of road my driver info center stated propulsion power is reduced so I couldn't drive or reverse. Check engine was on that night and that morning. At the dealership, no codes could be read because check engine light went away.
At speed 82 in busy traffic the car show up a message propulsion power is reduced and started to jumping and it lose power at the same time engine was raving and the battery start to drain fast
- Dania, FL, USA
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Must shift to park; car will not shut off. Already in park, and pushed very hard to make electrical contact. Shift out and back to park several times to make contact and allow car to shut off. At first, only once a week, now almost every day.
Vehicle will not turn off while in park and a 'shift to park' notice is displayed. Vehicle needs to be shifted in and out of park several times for it to register. Happens intermittently. The manufacturer is aware of the issue and has bulletin # 19-na-206 issued - a recall should be mandatory as the vehicle cannot be left running unattended. It is a violation of California vehicle code 22515(a) no person driving, or in control of, or in charge of, a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand on any highway unattended without first effectively setting the brakes thereon and stopping the motor thereof.
Becm failure. 1) shift into park message displayed. 2) failure to charge, orange light displayed. 3) switch to gas with intermittently with battery capacity existing. Erratic/fluctuating battery levels displayed. 4) failure to drive. 5) ac failure.
Dash board displays 'shift to park' although the car is in park already. The energy marker appears full although 0miles remain, after 'after shift to park' appears car stays stationary and does not accelerate nor reverse. Engine does not start when the hood is open and car will not turn off. The steering wheel also loses power and does not move. Check engine light is on as well.
When merging onto the highway, I pressed the accelerator, but there was a significant lag to get up to highway speeds. With the wheels being powered by the electric engine, the response had always been instant, until today. After arriving at my destination, I turned my car off and back on, but the check engine light came on and the dash read "shift to park, " even though the car was in park.I turned the car off and on again, and this time I was able to shift the car to drive, but the check engine light remained on. The accelerator did not propel the car and the steering wheel was locked. I again shifted to park and turned off the car. I waited a few minutes and started the car back up, and the fuel engine turned on this time, but I received a message saying the car was not charging. I was able to drive it, but the engine would not shut off, as it usually does after the batteries are sufficiently charged. I drove about 3 miles on surface streets and the fuel engine remained on the entire time. There was a significant amount of lag in response time between pressing the accelerator and the batteries charging up enough to propel the car, causing an unsafe response time in merely getting the vehicle going after stopping at a light and turning onto a new street.
For the propulsion many times while driving it occasionally slows down or speeds up kind of like a bucking horse. For the electrical the bluetooth connectivity to my cell phone and also my fob often disconnect and then I can't lock or unlock my car. For the other issue I have a shift to park problem that locks my car and I can't switch gears or turn the car on or off for a few minutes then it all of a sudden turns back on but the issue is that when it says shift to park it is actually in the park position.
I purchased my used 17 Chevy Volt 2 months ago. Suddenly my car started having intermediate issues of showing "shift to park" when the vehicle is clearly in park mode. When this occurs the vehicle cannot be shut off. I have attempted to contact GM but they claim there are no recall or service bulletins for my VIN/vehicle. There are countless online complaints from 17 Volt owners showing the same issue (this is also occurring with other GM models & I am also seeing similar complaints on this site). GM is fully aware of this defect & has only issued service bulletins on some VIN # - while they should have cause - based on numerous complaints - that this impact is occurring with the majority of 17 Volts. This is a safety issue when a 3,794 lbs vehicle cannot be shut off. I am asking that NHTSA issue a recall in regards to 2017 Chevy Volts & the "sh*t to park" issue. While this is an intermediate issue and some days my car shuts of fine while others it takes moving the shifter back between gears in order for the electrical component to recognize it's parked - I will try to contact my local dealer for help but I am filing this complaint to put GM & NHTSA on notice regarding this well known defect that is not being addressed and could be a serious safety issue. GM should do the right thing and address this issue which is well documented - by providing a recall. Please see these similar complaints for GM on various models showing "shift to park": https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2018/GMC-acadia-shift-to-park-issues-lawsuit.shtml https://www.reddit.com/R/Volt/comments/8et2nw/action_required_shift_to_park/ https://abc6onyourside.com/on-your-side/westerville-family-in-limbo-as-GM-leaves-them-in-dark-over-shift-to-park-issue https://www.cruzetalk.com/threads/shift-to-park-lock-problem.51401/ https://repairpal.com/cannot-turn-off-2016-Volt-action-required-shift-to-park-522
On my 2nd day of ownership when the vehicle had 50 miles on it the vehicle stopped without warning in the middle of the highway. While driving 65 mph on interstate 5 (4 lane highway) the vehicle began smoking and lost all propulsion and forward power. The vehicle had just changed from electric power to gas power. The warning message displayed was "action required - shift to park". the orange engine symbol was displayed. Then the steering wheel locked up, all displays and controls were turned off. Luckily I was able to move from the 2nd to far right lane of 4 and get just off the highway. There was just enough space to glide the vehicle to a stop off the highway. However, the I5 is the primary trucking route and in this uphill location all semi trucks are required to drive in the far right lane. My vehicle was swayed continuously by the large high profile vehicles for over 2 hours. A chp stayed with me with flashing lights to attempt to move vehicles to the left. The vehicle was towed to the nearest dealership. The vehicle was replaced by the dealership with another vehicle after 9 hours. However, I am now in arbitration with GM over the same issue "action required - shift to park" with the 2nd vehicle. The vehicle has been in service for 95 days over an 8 month period and I am seeking a vehicle buyback under the California lemon law with the BBB for impairment of value, use, and safely.
While entering the highway the vehicle experienced significant loss of propulsion and the warning displayed "propulsion power reduced".this loss of power occurred when the vehicle switched from electric to gas power. I have experienced issues with the vehicle switching from electric to gas regularly and it sputters and bucks. After a few miles the sputtering and rough change to gas will dissipate. On this occasion the power loss was significant and dangerous. I would not have had the power or propulsion to enter the highway. I was able to divert to city streets and get home at speeds under 40 mph. The vehicle would not go any faster. The vehicle was serviced by my local Chevy dealer and out of service for 18 days with approximately 250 miles of road testing while in service. I no longer believe this vehicle to be safe or reliable and am engaged in arbitration under the California lemon law and the BBB.
While driving on a busy surface street the vehicle lost all propulsion and stalled. Steering locked up, was disabled, and electric power stopped. The warning light read "action required - shift to park'. this stall is immediate and highly dangerous. I was able to glide to the side of the road without being in or causing an accident. The orange engine symbol was illuminated. All systems shut down on the vehicle. The car was towed to the nearest Chevy dealership but we were unable to turn off the vehicle or shift it in neutral. The car start button would not turn off the vehicle and had to be towed running and the battery disabled at the dealership.
The battery energy control module failed at ~34K miles. This happened when the vehicle was parked and prevented the car from using the batteries for driving. The failure made the car unusable.
Takata recall Chevy Volt's defective HM1 module and failed needs to be replaced after 2 years on 2017 Volt not covered by owners warranty 3 yrs or 36 K miles. Vehicle warranty expired with 42 K miles. Replacement coat is $600+ and installation cost $660. Total $1,260. Safety issues as this is the main module to control all other modules as back up camera, gps, electrical settings and electrical charging settings as rate can not be viewed as info screen is totally blank. In addition all other functions to other items displayed are blank on screen. Replacement module is back ordered.
The trouble began on March 16th, I came to a stop at a light, ready to take a U turn.driving in ev mode. All lights in the console turned on and I got three errors "information : propulsion power is reduced" "service : stabilitrak" "service : power steering. Drive with care" the power steering gave up.restarted the car after 5mins, everything was normal. On March 24th, on a highway, in hold mode. After a few miles in, I got an error "action required: Engine overheating reduce speed" took the next exit out and saw that the coolant tank is empty. Turned on ev mode, drove back home. On March 25th morning, took the car in to service center (drive-in). They identified a valve leaking in the coolant loop. Replaced the part. Multi-point inspection done. 2 pending recalls done. Got the car back on 26th. On March 28th, at a light, about take a left turn, driving in ev mode. Again, all lights in the console turned on and I got the same 3 errors.I took it home. On March 29th morning, took the car in to the service center again. They found another leak in the coolant, a hose this time and replaced it. They found passenger side front axle is spilling geese and replaced it. Got the car back on April 3rd. On April 4th evening, the car gave me a check engine light again. Got an appointment for 5th morning, the light was off on the morning. I spoke to the service adviser and he mentioned that we can read the codes but wont be of much help if the lights are off and bring it back in if the lights on again. On April 5th afternoon, just got on the highway, turned on hold mode. Again, all lights in the console turned on and I got same three errors. I took it to the service center. With all the lights on. I got it back on tusday 9th. On April 12th evening, it happened again on the freeway, I almost crashed into another car. I gave the car in again.
When vehicle runs out of gas and only has battery power (no matter the charge) the car goes into reduced power mode which is dangerous in any traffic especially interstate highways!!! this happens every time you run of gas!! also the adaptive cruise not working all the time and disengages by its self for no reason(like nothing in front of you)!!
Like others, including the incident in rancho cucomonga, ca on the same day, April 25th, I was driving on the highway at high speed. I was in the carpool lane on the 210 freeway. I think I also was told to put the car in park. I lost the ability to accelerate on at a very dangerous time, while I was the furthest to the left in the late afternoon. Miraculously, there was only 1 car quite far behind me. So, after deceleration was forced upon my car, I began to steer the car to the right through 5 lanes - one of the widest parts of the highway at that point. Here is what I now think. I have been through loss of power in my 2014 Volt. I had accidentally turned it off while being on the highway. They fixed that design flaw in this 2017 model. I have shared my theory with GM. GM/Chevy has 3-way called me with the "stolen vehicles dept". they aggressively describe how they won't issue a slow-down through the on-star unless they have a request through police, the police are behind, the lights blink, etc. But, they're reluctant to share what happens next. They've been reluctant to share how they track your vehicle through the VIN and gps tracking. They're reluctant to share that this system can be hacked. It is evident that much can go wrong once the ability to control your car is placed in other's hands -- who aren't in the car driving it. The dealership could see the code of the slow-down. Of course they were surprised. This wasn't just a "failure". this is a "feature" in the car...but someone else used it without our permission. I want the on-star control disabled in my car!!! it could have killed my daughter and me. It could have killed the others who reported a similar situation.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Peoria, IL, USA