2017 Chevrolet Volt

EGR valve failed on [XXX] southbound near Cartersville, GA. Initially, the engine showed a Check Engine light, and showed a message that "Propulsion power had been reduced". Approxmately 60 seconds later before we could reach an exit, the engine shut off while driving at 60 MPH. Had to coast/navigate over two lanes while the car was slowing to make it to the shoulder, and was stuck on the shoulder while the engine cooled down enough to leave the shoulder. Jim Ellis Chevrolet confirmed the failed EGR valve, but have so far been able to reproduce the overheating in the shop. Replacing the EGR valve is estimated at $1100, with GM providing a $250 warranty assistance. I have confirmed with other Volt owners that this is a very common issue which affects all GM Volt 2 cars manufactured between 2016 and 2019. Enough of the EGR valves have failed that the part is in short supply with possible wait times of over 6 months. The EGR Valve is part of the emissions system. However, the problem appears to be (unconfirmed) a manufacturing defect in the control board for the valve. This fails, causing the engine block F3 fuse to blow. This fuse also powers the engine coolant pump, which is what takes this from an emissions problem to a safety problem--which can cause the car to shut down suddenly. References to the issue online: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] The issue has been confirmed the issue with this service bulletin: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and was shaking. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated, and the battery charge indicator showed that the battery was empty when fully charged. The contact also stated that the shift to park light illuminated, and the vehicle was restarted. The contact drove the vehicle to the residence. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and was diagnosed, but not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,800.

My Chevy Volt has been having spotty pop-ups stating that "Propulsion Power is Reduced" for about a month, but I was not sure how reliable the pop-up was as there were plenty of days the pop-up would not come on when starting the car. On the day of my incident in October 2023, I once again received the "Propulsion Power is Reduced" pop-up when I started my car. While driving, I stopped at a stoplight, and my battery drained. When the battery is drained, I usually don't have anything to worry about, as the Volt is an EV hybrid, and I can use the gas until I can charge my vehicle again. But the Check Engine Light came on when the battery drained this time. When the light became green, I started to drive like normal, but I suddenly got a pop-up on the screen regarding the engine no longer working, and the car rapidly began to cruise while I was in the middle of the road. I was lucky enough to have space to pull over to the side, have a tow truck to get me, and not be in the middle of a busy street or highway. I scheduled an appointment with my local Chevy dealer for an inspection and figured something could be done to fix my vehicle. I was told my car was under warranty and what parts were needed to repair it. This was in October 2023, and I have been waiting for nearly 3 months for the EGR Valve required to repair my car after being told countless times that it is in backorder. I don't understand how a part can be in backorder for so long for a vehicle that is not being produced anymore. I was told I could drive my car in electric mode, but I do not want to risk the safety of others by having my battery suddenly become drained, as the EV Range the dashboard shows is never correct and rapidly drains.

My 2017 Chevrolet Volt has had issues with failing to start for years. Many times when the car did start I would receive an error message saying “propulsion power reduced,” resulting in the vehicle being less responsive to the accelerator. I have taken it to get serviced many times only for the issue to persist. Now the car has completely broken down and will no longer turn on at all. The car is currently at a Chevrolet Dealership where a service technician has diagnosed the problem as being related to a faulty BECM (battery energy control module) and that I need to spend thousands of dollars to replace this part. A simple google search showed me that this problem is incredibly common with other Volt drivers, so much so that there is even a class action lawsuit against GM now for this issue (which I received no notice of). I feel like I was sold a faulty car and I now have to pay a price for GM’s negligence.

Failure of the BECM and “Shift to park” message. The vehicle will spontaneously produce a shift to park message when starting up the vehicle and turning it off. The vehicle will also show a 0 mile EV range and use the engine where a message saying “propulsion power reduced”. This will also cause the car to shut off randomly. The vehicle has not been inspected by a shop or the dealership. There is no warning or message when this happen. Check engine will appear once the vehicle has these issues.

Loss of Motive Power due to EGR Valve. I was driving down the highway when I experienced a loss of motive power and the Volt entered a reduced power state while in moving traffic. After the EV battery ran out and the ICE turned on, the following message showed up on the instrument panel "Propulsion Power Is Reduced" and the check engine light turned on. The Volt slowed down and would not accelerate to the speed of the moving traffic. I was able to get off the highway and drive home under reduced power which was still not safe. The engine ran very rough on the way home and was not able to maintain speed high enough for the flow of traffic on the roads. The dealer diagnosed the issues as a failed EGR Valve. The part was on backorder for about a month. In that time, a GM trained technician deemed the car operable (according to GM standards) and said that I could take it back and drive it on electricity only. Unfortunately, that meant that the EV range is about 40 miles in winter after a full charge and running out of electricity would again result in a hazardous loss of power. The behavior of the car under this reduced propulsion is Identical to the one in investigation PE23022 - Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module. The Chevy Volt EGR Valve issue is a common problem reported in other NHTSA complaints and Volt forum posts and I am surprised that there has not been a recall. I hope that this issue is investigated same as the BECM issue. Some examples: NHTSA ID Number: 11558668 NHTSA ID Number: 11557845 NHTSA ID Number: 11557876 NHTSA ID Number: 11557995 NHTSA ID Number: 11483673 [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The latest episode with my 2017 Chevy Volt is a culmination of years of issues with the low clearance on the vehicle causing continual damage and unsafe driving conditions that require expensive repairs due to the design flaw (note - I had a 2014 Chevy Volt that had NONE of these problems). My son was driving the car a week ago and the Engine Control Module (GM part # 12700116) fell OUT of the car. This led to the car to stop driving instantly - if he had been anywhere other than a quiet residential street it could have been catastrophic. Upon having towed the vehicle to the dealership, I was informed that the wiring harness failed which led to the ECM falling onto the street. I drive this car strictly in city limits and on major highways, and despite this the bottom undercarriage is constantly damaged because it is simply to low to the ground. In addition to the repair bill of $3K+ (my 4th repair required due to this defect), the harness isn't even available and GM cannot provide an ETA for when it will be. I experienced a similar issue 6 months ago when a part was backordered for 3+ months and this is compounded by the fact that their dealerships no longer have loan car inventory. Note that there was no warning before this happened. I have tried escalating to GM but their response is essentially that I am SOL. Again - this is a design flaw of the vehicle that should have been addressed but never was. Note that this doesn't include the other continual issues (well documented) that continue to plague the car after other recall service (loss of propulsion, shifter issues that frequently make it impossible to actually turn the car off, etc.)

Vehicle periodically throws P0964 and P0AC4 related to TSB PIC6330. Recently, this has led to poor running of internal combustion engine and low/undrivable power, almost leaving me stranded. Took multiple restarts before I could drive the vehicle. The TSB indicates to replace part# 24285319 (internal transmission solenoid control harness) however GM indicates they have discontinued manufacture of this part. How am I supposed to get my 6 year old car fixed if GM doesn't supply the part?