Air Bags. Review the 86 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 86 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

6 crash reports2 fire reports8 injury reports

What owners actually said

245 reports

35,000 miles · Dec 12, 2015

Electrical SystemPower Train

THE VEHICLE CONTINUOUSLY STALLS OUT AT ANY SPEED THE ONLY WAY TO GET POWER BACK IS BY PUTTING THE CAR IN LOW GEAR AND THEN BACK INTO DRIVE.

NHTSA ODI #10809820

62,000 miles · Dec 7, 2015

Fuel/propulsion System

WHEN FILLING THE GAS TANK: BACK PRESSURE IS SENSED BY GAS STATION PUMP AND STOPS THE FLOW OF GAS AFTER A QUICK MOMENT. CONTINUING THESE SHORT BURSTS CAN TAKE A LONG WHILE. IF TRYING TO FUEL SLOWLY BELOW THE THRESHOLD OF THE BACK PRESSURE BEING SENSED BY THE PUMP, IT COULD RESULT IN GASOLINE FLOWING AND SQUIRTING OUT OF THE GAS T…

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NHTSA ODI #10808675

30,000 miles · Nov 15, 2015

Unknown Or Other

2012 CHECY VOLT - EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH SHIFTER. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS I WILL SHIFT MY VOLT INTO PARK BUT SYSTEM DOESN'T RECOGNIZE IT. I TRY AND TURN OFF VEHICLE AND SYSTEM SHOWS "SHIFT INTO PARK" ON SCREEN AND VEHICLE CAN NOT BE TURNED OFF CAUSING VEHICLE TO RUN CONTINUOUSLY AND KILL BOTH 12 VOLT BATTERY AND DRIVE BATTERY.

NHTSA ODI #10790436

55,000 miles · Oct 7, 2015

Air BagsUnknown Or OtherCrashInjury

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I WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN AND WAS HIT BY AN SUV WHO RAN A RED LIGHT DOING ABOUT 35 OR 40 MILES PER HOUR ON FRONT OF MY CAR. IT HIT THE FRONT OF MY CAR SPINNING IT TO THE RIGHT [ABOUT 160 DEGREE TURN] WHEN MY CAR SPUN I HIT THE BACK OF MY HEAD AND LEFT SHOULDER ON THE DOOR PILLAR, MY HEAD HURT AND I WAS DAZED. THE AIRBAGS HAD NOT GONE OFF I HIT THE ONSTAR BUTTON NOTHING HAPPENED I SMELLED BURNING SO I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND GOT OUT. I NOW HAVE A MINOR CONCUSSION DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY.

NHTSA ODI #10780684

Mileage unknown · Aug 31, 2015

Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion System

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WE HAVE BEEN HAVING MULTIPLE ONGING ISSUES WITH THE HIGH VOLTAGE CHARGING SYSTEM IN MY VOLT. IT HAS BEEN IN 7 TIMES FOR THIS ISSUE SINCE 10/1/13. WHEN I CALL CHEVY THEY CLAIM THEY ARE UNAWARE OF ANY ISSUES WITH MY CAR AS THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN PAID UNDER A WARRANTY CLAIM. YET THE DEALER HAS NEVER CHARGED ME AS THEY CLAIM THAT CHEVY IS PAYING FOR THE REPAIRS AS PART OF AN ONGOING WARRANTY EXTENSION. WHAT IS HAPPENING IS THIS ALLOWS CHEVY TO CLAIM THAT THEY HAVE ZERO KNOWLEDGE OF CHARGING SYSTEM ISSUES AND CREATES NO PAPERWORK TRAIL TO FOLLOW. MY NEIGHBOR WHO ALSO OWNS A VOLT IS GOING THROUGH THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THE SAME PAPERWORK ISSUE. I THINK CHEVY IS COVERING UP THE ISSUE OF PROBLEMS WITH THE HIGH VOLTAGE CHARGING SYSTEM BY DOING THIS. FOR EXAMPLE 10/1/13 IS LISTED AS MISCELLANEOUS SES LAMP ON, BODY ELECTRICAL 10/22/13 SES LAMP ON 9/2/14 I/P WARNING LAMP 9/8/14 BODY ELECTRICAL 2/21/15 IS LISTED AS A DRIVABILITY PROBLEM. CAR WAS DEAD HIGH VOLTAGE CHARGING SYSTEM ISSUE 5/18/15 SES LAMP ON 7/22/15 SES LAMP ON 8/19/15 BODY ELECTRICAL EACH ONE WAS PAID FOR UNDER WARRANTY CLAIMS BY CHEVY/THE DEALER YET THEY CLAIM TO HAVE ZERO RECORD OF MOST OF THESE SERVICE VISITS. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH THREE PEOPLE FROM CHEVY WHO SAY THESE EXCESSIVE PROBLEMS WITH MY HIGH VOLTAGE CHARGING SYSTEM IS NOT A PROBLEM AS THEY SEE IT

NHTSA ODI #10760385

Mileage unknown · Aug 5, 2015

Equipment

CPSC:I1570454A. VOLTEC CAR CHARGER. CONSUMER STATED THE ELECTRICAL OUTLET WHERE THE CHARGER WAS PLUGGED IN WAS SMOKING, CHARRED AND MELTED. *LN

NHTSA ODI #10747364

16,384 miles · Jul 24, 2015

Tires

2012 CHEVROLET VOLT WAS PURCHASED NEW. TIRES HAVE ABOUT 16,000 MILES. SIDEWALKS ARE CRACKING, CONSISTENT WITH "DRY ROT". ONE TIRE THE SIDEWALL BLEW OUT WHILE DRIVING. ANOTHER TIRE HAS DANGEROUS LOOKING CRACKING. TIRES ARE NOT THAT OLD AND THIS LEVEL OF DETERIORATION IS ABNORMAL. DOT NUMBER 43BR JANR 3311 GOODYEAR ASSURAN…

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NHTSA ODI #10743426

1,300 miles · Jul 16, 2015

Service Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND FAILED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,300.

NHTSA ODI #10734563

35,785 miles · Jul 14, 2015

Power TrainInjury

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UPON ARRIVING AT OUR VACATION DESTINATION, WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF CHECKING INTO OUR HOTEL IN TULSA, OK. IT WAS A HOT SO I TOLD MY AUTISTIC ADULT SON TO STAY IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WITH THE A/C ON WHILE MY WIFE AND I UNLOADED THE LUGGAGE. THE CAR HAD BEEN BACKED UP A SLIGHT GRADE INTO THE PARKING SPOT. MOMENTS LATER MY WIFE SCREAMED OUT THAT THE CAR WAS BACKING UP. SHE RAN TO THE PASSENGER DOOR AND REACHED IN ATTEMPTING TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK. INSTREAD SHE BUMPED IT INTO DRIVE AND THE CAR MOVED FORWARD DOW THE GRADE. SHE RAN ALONG SIDE IT TRYING TO PROTECT OUR SON WHO BY THIS TIME HAD ATTEMPTED TO EXIT THE CAR. SHE BRUISED UP HER SHINS QUITE BADLY. AT THIS POINT I HAD REACHED THE DRIVERS DOOR AND APPLIED THE BRAKE. I BELIEVE THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW PRESENT IN MANY GM VEHICLES WITH CONSOLE AUTOMATIC SHIFTERS. HERES WHY: THE CONSOLE MAKES PROVISION FOR STORAGE IN THE AREA AHEAD OF THE SHIFTER. (THIS IS TRUE OF THE SONIC LOANER CAR I AM PRESENTLY DRIVING) UNFORTUNATELY ITEMS STOWED IN THIS MANNER CAN INTERFER WITH THE SHIFTER GOING INTO PARK. IN MY CASE, MY BLUETOOTH HEADSET WAS IN THE COMPARTMENT AHEAD OF THE SHIFTER. WHEN YOU MOVE THE SHIFTER TOWARD PART, ELECTRONIC CONTROLS ACTIVATE THE TRANSMISSION TO GO INTO PARK, THE DOORS UNLOCK, AND THE SHIFT INDICATOR LIGHT REPORTS PARK. BUT,,,,, THE SHIFTER IS ACTUALLY IN THE MECHANICAL PARK DETENT. THE SHIFTER NEEDS TO TRAVEL NEARLY AN ADDITIONAL 2 INCHES TO REACH THE LOCK IN DETENT. IF IT IS BLOCKED BY AN ITEM IN THE STORAGE AREA, IT WILL NOT LOCK. IN THIS EVENT, THE SHIFTER CAN BE PULLED BACK INTO REVERSE WITHOUT THE DRIVER PRESENT. I TOOK THE CAR TO JIM GLOVER CHEV IN TULSA. THE SERVICE WRITER DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM AND WAS PREPARED TO DOCUMENT IT BUT RENEGED AFTER TALKIG TO MANAGEMENT. KELSEY CHEV IN LAWRENCEBURN, IND. HAS IT NOW, CANT FIX IT. THE ELECTRONIC PORTION OF THE PARK PROCESS NEEDS TO BE SINKED W

NHTSA ODI #10734081

42,000 miles · Jul 13, 2015

Engine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS A CYLINDER MISFIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000.

NHTSA ODI #10733666

Official recalls

15V145000 · Electrical System:ignition; Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline

Mar 13, 2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Volt vehicles manufactured August 25, 2010, to June 26, 2013. If the driver exits the vehicle without turning off the electrical system, the battery may drain low enough that the gasoline engine will automatically start itself to recharge the electric battery.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the engine runs for an extended period of time in an enclosed space, there may be a build up of carbon monoxide, increasing the risk of personal injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the engine management software to limit the time that the stationary vehicle can be left in the ON position, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14617.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electrical System:ignition

Consequence: If the engine runs for an extended period of time in an enclosed space, there may be a build up of carbon monoxide, increasing the risk of personal injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the engine management software to limit the time that the stationary vehicle can be left in the ON position, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14617.

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline

Consequence: If the engine runs for an extended period of time in an enclosed space, there may be a build up of carbon monoxide, increasing the risk of personal injury.

13V271000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc); Service Brakes

Jun 27, 2013

General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Volt vehicles manufactured March 1, 2012, through April 17, 2012. Due to a brake pressure modulator valve problem, the vehicles do not relieve brake pressure from the front brakes during an anti-lock brake system (ABS), electronic stability control (ESC), or traction control event. One or both front brakes may lock up and not release. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No. 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems"' and No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the brakes lock up it could cause a loss of steering control and/or a lengthened distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will install a new brake pressure modulator valve free of charge. The recall is expected to begin July 12, 2013. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-866-694-6546. GM's recall number is 13184.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Service Brakes

Consequence: If the brakes lock up it could cause a loss of steering control and/or a lengthened distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will install a new brake pressure modulator valve free of charge. The recall is expected to begin July 12, 2013. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-866-694-6546. GM's recall number is 13184.

Electronic Stability Control (esc)

Consequence: If the brakes lock up it could cause a loss of steering control and/or a lengthened distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

PE19013 · Passenger Sensing System

Opened Sep 17, 2019 · Closed Jul 2, 2021

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger

In September 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19-013 to assess the potential safety related effects of a malfunction of the Passenger Sensing System (PSS) in 2012-2013 Model Year (MY) Chevrolet Volt vehicles. Consumers reported that due to a malfunction of the PSS, the air bag system malfunction indicator light (MIL) was activated. Many of the complaints noted the malfunction occurred after the warranty period expired and mentioned high repair costs as a major deterrent to the repair of the vehicle.The PSS sensor mat is embedded in the front passenger seat cushion and is intended to detect child seats and small statured occupants who could be harmed by deployment of the frontal passenger air bag. The PSS may develop a malfunction due to bunching of the sensor mat in the seat trench. The bunching of the sensor mat could cause the mat to repeatedly fold in the same location. Over time, the repeated folding can cause an increased resistance in the sensor mat. An increased resistance in the PSS sensor mat is detected as a fault in the air bag system diagnostic. If this fault is detected, a diagnostic trouble code will be stored in the air bag control unit and the air bag MIL will illuminate.Further, if the fault is detected, the passenger frontal and knee air bags will be suppressed in a crash of sufficient severity to warrant a commanded deployment regardless of the nature of size of the occupant of the front passenger seat.The report counts shown above include only those reports that specifically address the issue covered by this investigation, failure of the PSS sensor mat. Reports alleging only that the air bag light is on with no cause stated, or where a different cause was otherwise identified, were excluded as the air bag light could be illuminated for system faults other than a PSS malfunction.The subject vehicles have been in service for approximately ten (10) years. An analysis of General Motors (GM) warranty data for the subject vehicles, including a comparison with other agency and manufacturer data pertaining to similar occupant detection system failure investigations, indicates the subject vehicles experience a comparatively low complaint rate for this issue given the number of years the vehicles have been in service.GM has instituted a cost reduction program for the repair/replacement of the PSS in the subject vehicles. Based on this cost reduction program as well as:1) a comparatively low warranty rate; 2) no reported injuries, deaths or asymmetric deployments; and 3) the age of the vehicles; ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.nhtsa.gov under the following ODI identification numbers in a separate attachment.

PE11037 · Post-Crash Ev Fire Hazard

Opened Nov 25, 2011 · Closed Jan 20, 2012

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V Battery

The subject vehicles, which employ emerging technology, are range-extended electric vehicles that utilize a high voltage (HV) battery to provide energy for propulsion. The HV battery is lithium-ion based technology that has a nominal full charge of 390 VDC, a 16 kWh capacity, and a control system that incorporates liquid (antifreeze) cooling and various electronic devices (control modules, sensors, wiring, etc) to monitor and manage the HV battery. The HV battery, portions of the cooling system, and the control system are contained within a common enclosure.During an NCAP oblique side pole impact test conducted by NHTSA in May 2011, the pole struck and deformed the sill plate under the driver's door at a location where there is a structural member. The lateral member displaced inward, pierced the HV battery enclosure and battery, and caused a battery coolant leak. Thereafter, the Agency conducted a rollover test (the rollover test consists of four 90-degree rotate-and-hold movements about the vehicle's longitudinal axis). In that test, the HV battery and electronics were exposed to coolant that leaked as a result of the crash. The vehicle fire that occurred three weeks later and the additional testing NHTSA conducted are discussed in a report titled 2011 Chevrolet Volt Battery Fire Incident Report a copy of which is available in the public file. The report indicates that intrusion induced coolant leakage, and subsequent rollover that saturates electronic components, were the only test conditions which resulted in a subject vehicle HV battery fire.GM announced its intention to conduct a free-of-charge customer satisfaction campaign (CSP) on the subject vehicles on January 5, 2012. The action affects 14,735 vehicles produced prior to December 21, 2011. The CSP addresses three areas related to the issue under investigation. The first involves a modification/strengthening of the structure of the vehicle in the area where battery intrusion occurred in the May 2011 test. The second involves adding a sensor that detects excessive HV battery coolant loss, and control system software that then alerts the driver and prevents recharging of the HV battery. When the battery cannot be recharged, it will be depleted to a lower energy state as the vehicle continues to operate on the internal combustion engine. Lastly, a tamper-proofing device will be added to the system to prevent consumers from adding coolant. GM discusses these revisions in its response to an Information Request (IR) issued by NHTSA, noting that vehicles produced in calendar year 2012 and later will be manufactured to this condition.In December 2011, and at the same test facility, NHTSA repeated the May 2011 side impact test using a model year 2012 Volt modified to the structural condition described in the CSP. The test did not produce intrusion of the HV battery, a coolant leakage, or a fire (see test 7611, available at www.nhtsa.gov/Research/Databases+and+Software). In its IR response, GM describes four (4) additional side impact tests of modified subject vehicles it recently conducted using various build configurations and impact speeds (including higher speeds). GM reports that none produced HV battery intrusion, coolant leakage, or a fire.As noted in the complaint counts above, ODI has not identified a crash occurring in consumer's use of the vehicle that has resulted in a vehicle fire, or produced coolant leakage. ODI notes that side impact crashes with pole-like structures, such as would strike the sill plate, occur fairly infrequently, and such crashes with rollovers are even less frequent. A defect trend has not been identified at this time, and further investi