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.
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.
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.
check engine light has been on since Oct of 2023 due to needing EGR valve. Dealership placed order for part number 12691147 in Oct and says it has been on backorder from GM with no estimated delivery date. I just placed an order for the same part via GM parts center. Again, says on backorder. Is there anyway to get a hold of GM parts to escalate getting this? We cannot get the car inspected with this issue and are worried about the safety of the car.
I have needed a new EGR valve for my 2017 Volt for 11 months now. GM told me this in August of last year. I was able to continue to drive the car (without a passing inspection) since then, until recently I was on the highway and my car simply stopped responding to the throttle. I slowly coasted to a stop on the shoulder and was eventually able to get started and off the road, into a parking lot. This is a serious safety issue as I ended up going 20 mph on the highway for a while, which easily could have caused an accident. GM needs to be held responsible for not supporting this part in a timely manner. This is a known issue amongst Volt owners and GM does not seem the least bit interested in making things right.
On a recent trip on a highway on our 2017 Chevy Volt, the Exhaust Gas Recirculation [EGR] failed and caused "low propulsion" errors. We ended up with a surprise bill of more than a thousand dollars to replace the EGR cooler assembly, but the problem was not resolved. The dealership then said we need to replace the EGR Valve which is estimated above $2700 plus labor. Upon checking the GM-Volt users community this is a reoccurring issue on several thousands of vehicles and the inflated price is due to the fact that GM redesigned the EGR valve to fix their original faulty design. We as consumers shouldn't be responsible for such an outrageous cost and mainly safety due to a design flow by GM. This issue should warrant a recall by GM to fix the issue once and for all.
- Cedar Falls, IA, USA
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Three incidents in the last few weeks. My 2017 Chevy Volt today has about 84,000 miles. First incident, While driving on an interstate at about 50 mph I suddenly lose ability to accelerate. There was some beeping, dashboard turns yellow, I get a low fuel warning and I cannot accelerate. I pull over on interstate. Re-start vehicle and car restarts. Second incident, driving about 20 mph leaving a neighborhood. I have 4 passengers, all kids. The same exact error happens. I-??m unable to accelerate though I-??m pushing down on gas, fuel light turns yellow. Low fuel light. I pull over. I restart vehicle. Car starts normally. Car goes into shop. Chevy dealership says it-??s the catalytic converter. About a week later, 3rd incident. Entering highway at about 60 mph, trying to accelerate and merge into traffic doing 70 mph. I cannot accelerate past 60 mph, I hear the beeps, fuel gauge turns yellow, low fuel warning. Check engine light turns on. Several days prior to this, I had a low propulsion error on dashboard momentarily. But it went away when I restarted vehicle. Safety of myself, passengers and other drivers were out at risk as there was no warning that I would lose ability to accelerate. There was a no fuel warning but my gas tank was mostly full.
The EGR valve had an electrical short, causing the 15A F03 fuse to blow. This causes a "reduced propulsion" message to appear and also causes the vehicle to start overheating. The faulty EGR valve is available for inspection. This failure occurred while we were on the interstate driving 70mph. We were also at least an hour from home/family. The EGR valve short is a known problem with Gen 2 Chevy Volts. Online message boards are filled with posts about this issue. The vehicle was inspected by a Chevy dealership (we had to have it towed). However, the EGR valve is on national backorder with no ETA on when they would be available again. We are currently driving the car with the valve unplugged. However, this causes the engine to run less efficiently and at higher temperatures, so we cannot run it for long periods of time. There were no warnings before the problem occurred, it just suddenly happened while we were driving on the interstate. Luckily we were near an off ramp and a hotel; since the problem occurred on Easter weekend, there weren't any dealerships open.
While driving down the highway a "reduced propulsion" message appeared on the dashboard and the drive became very rough if speed changed, also the engine temperature increased but it did not overheat before we could stop. This was diagnosed as an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Valve failure. I spoke to multiple dealers and did research online as well and this is a very common issue on this vehicle. So common that the part is impossible to get and has an eight month wait which means I cannot drive my vehicle. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" EGR Valve How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My car had reduced propulsion, engine temperature increased and it suddenly lost speed quickly on highway when my foot was removed from gas pedal. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, Chevrolet is aware of this issue and say we just have to wait 8 months for the part. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" No pre-warning a "reduced propulsion" message and a check engine light turned on at the time of the EGR valve failure.
Driving at freeway speeds when suddenly the cars propulsion power failed and I went from 75mph to 45mph with no warning and no way to accelerate. Happened multiple times even after pulling over and turning the car on and off. I was told by the dealership that was a gas engine part and that I could drive it on the electrical engine only. When attempting to drive on the electrical engine, I received a notice of engine failure and had to coast into the driveway of a dealership. I was told the engine -??could explode-?? if I continue to drive
The car stalled at a high rate of speed on a freeway because of EGR failure. Engine check light is on, along with a warning about a critical problem with emissions system that requires immediate attention. The part is out of stock in all dealership within a reasonable reach. The problem is under warranty, but I have made multiple attempts to fix this issue with no success.
Check Engine light came on codes indicate the EGR and EGR cooling components have failed and a Propulsion Power Is Reduced message is displayed. Max speed at this point in 10 mph. This would be my second time replacing the EGR valve if the parts were available but they are not and there is no anticipated delivery date. The parts are covered in CARB states (those that have adopted California's emission rules) but not my state of NC.
While driving on the interstate car suddenly flashed a "reduced propulsion power " warning indicator. At this time the car was speed limited and made us a liability on the interstate. We were about 80 miles from our home so ended up driving the car back home being speed limited. Took car into the shop and was told the EGR valve was bad which kept causing the "no walk fuse" to blow. Ended up having the EGR valve, gasket and cap replaced. All together with labor total for repair was $1,738 on a car that we had only been driving for a year. Bad EGR valves seem to be very commonplace for 2nd generation Chevy Volts but it seems GM refuses to do anything about this issue. I have no plans to every purchase another GM vehicle. Very frustrated!
Had to replace EGR valve after losing power on the highway back in 2022. Lost power steering and reduced engine power while driving at highway speeds, luckily was able to get off the highway and limp the car back to my house. I almost crashed due to loosing engine power and power steering. It's appears to be a BECM issue.
On [XXX] my 2017 Chevrolet Volt with just 24,000 miles on it suddenly jerked/lost power/revved up while on the highway while using the gas engine--frightening/dangerous -- and continued to do that until I got to my destination. The error read "reduced propulsion". I was afraid of pulling off the highway for fear the car wouldn't restart and I had my 91 yr old mother in the car so we bucked along in the slow lane, the car revving fast, then losing power. It was very frightening and i proceeded with the flashers on. Took car to dealership balise in warwick ri. Tech said it was a bad EGR valve. They told me that GM would cover the repair under warranty but the part was on backorder. I opted to leave the car at the dealership hoping for the best but they said another customer had been waiting since September. They told me to take the car home, but i didnt feel the car was safe to drive. Web search reveals this is a common problem and people are waiting all over the U.S. for this part for over a year. Subsequent phone calls revealed that the part may or may not be manufactured ever again, and the dealership suggested I buy a refurbished part on ebay and have it installed at a local repair shop at my cost --- but that would null the warranty, and seemed risky to me. I asked the dealership to buy my car and they offered me $5k less than fair market value-so I declined. Opened a case at GM and they also had no answer, and offered to give me "points" to buy another GM car. Havent had use of the car since because I'm afraid to drive it with the car revving forward and at the next moment losing power. My car has been sitting in the dealer's lot for over 3 months, while I continue to pay registration, insurance and watch the value of the vehicle decline. Dangerous and GM will not buyback or rectify!!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
We were driving in traffic. The battery had plenty of charge. Suddenly, there was a warning notice about propulsion power problem and the car converted to gasoline mode. We continued to destination and parked. When we went to start the car, it would not start at all. Had car towed to our local Chevrolet dealership (all service done there) and that is where it is still sitting. The part needed (battery) is on back order. This occurred on July 21, 2023. Today is March 13, 2024! as of today....approaching 250 days sitting in the dealership open lot,
50 miles into a 500 mile trip, my Volt displayed a warning message, "propulsion power reduced." It operated almost normally for the first 250 miles and we were able to reach our destination, but the propulsion battery was not able to recharge from the engine power as efficiently as usual. An auto shop at the destination who does not specialize in EVs examined the car and found a fault in the engine control module, but the car was otherwise in drivable condition. On returning home, the car was required to climb a long steep hill. It gave the message "engine unavailable" on the freeway and began running on its battery reserves, which were barely enough to reach the nearest exit. If the car had run out of battery reserves where pulling over to stop would be unsafe, a dangerous situation would have resulted. The car had to be towed home. An EV specialist mechanic inspected the car and diagnosed a faulty EGR valve resulting in a short in the power to the engine control module. The car has been waiting at the mechanic for a new EGR valve for 5 months due to a nationwide parts shortage. Two months ago the request for the new EGR valve was escalated to a "STACK order" but I still have no updates on when the new part will actually be available. Online forums dedicated to the Volt have many posts about cars waiting for months for a new EGR valve. Two weeks ago, I contacted the Chevrolet parts concierge about the issue. They took down all my contact information and stated they would be in touch. Today after not hearing back from Chevrolet, I called the parts concierge again. The staff found no record of my previous call.
Check engine light came on and low propulsion warning came on. Took my vehicle to the Dealership and was told that the EGR valve needs to be replaced. The only update I received a week or so later was that the part had been ordered. Now I am being told that the part is currently not available (out of stock) with no known ETA. In reading Volt threads, it appears that this is a widespread problem. I think it is unacceptable that GM cannot provide the parts that are needed to keep this car in operating order. It only has about 40,000 miles.
Propulsion error, steering wheel locked up today, last week shut off to dead stop while idling, trouble restarting. Speed and sudden battery drop issues. 14 miles without any power steering. Unsafe.
EGR valve failed. This can cause the Volt to stall in traffic. No ETA on replacement. The situation seriously limits driving ability. Reduced propulsion and engine light came up. f3 fuse blew related to failed EGR. This is a known issue with Chevy Volts. It was checked out by dealership in Aug. They replaced fuse and basically said can only drive on electric. If turns over to gas it could cause major problems.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- San Diego, CA, USA