2013 Chevrolet Volt

Passenger presence does not detect people in it and makes it unsafe for passenger without airbags. This got closed and was state that there was a Chevy program to fix this as cited in the closing . I have called all over Chevy and there is no one who knows anything about this at all. If you know it or if they just started it to make it go away, please tell with with whom I can contact within Chevy to start the process

Incident Jan 1, 2025

This is a reoccurring problem that is worsening. It is difficult to replicate (but becoming easier to replicate as the problem worsens). The problem conditions are as follows: -The car is fully charged The following drive conditions are required: - The beginning of a drive, with the car in the fully charged state, is driven in the “L” mode (aggressive regenerative braking), AND the beginning (first mile or two) of the trip includes some conditions that would NORMALLY engage regenerative breaking and redirect energy flow back to the high voltage battery. (E.g.: Beginning a drive by going up a small incline; then proceeding to drive down a decline.) OR - The beginning of a drive, with the car in the fully charged state, is driven in the “D” mode, AND the beginning (first mile or two) of the trip includes almost exclusively conditions that would NORMALLY trigger regenerative breaking and redirect flow back to the high voltage battery. IN BOTH cases: the instrument cluster, during conditions that would reflect regenerative breaking and energy flow back into the high voltage battery, instead reflects suddenly INCREASED electrical OUTPUT despite there being no increased demand for output from the driver. Expected behavior in these conditions would reflect a negative power output while the car is driven in regenerative conditions (e.g.: going down hill). In either of these cases, the final condition is that you fully stop the vehicle (via brake) during the regenerative conditions. DESPITE full depression of the brake, the car jerks forward violently and erratically, attempting to accelerate. Engaging the emergency brake does not cure the condition while the car is still in L or D driving mode, and it will continue to attempt to accelerate while held in place. Shifting in to neutral does stop the behavior. Shifting back to L or D from neutral will cause the vehicle to continue to attempt to accelerate. There are no error codes/lamps and sensors appear normal.

Incident Dec 23, 2024

Vehicle went into reduced propulsion mode and then shut-off while driving down the highway. Same issue as recall 18V397000 that was not applied to my VIN number as part of that recall. Please apply recall 18V39000 to my vehicle VIN. Chevy Volt owners also need the NHTSA to issue an edict to GM/ that the reset codes for the ECM/HPCM2 being given to the OBD2 bi-directional scanner companies so owners don't have to pay a ransom to the dealerships and GM to get there cars back up and running.

Incident Sep 14, 2024

Engine shuts off randomly...message "Engine not available". Car shut off on freeway at 60 mph. Got to shoulder, cycled start button...Engine started then resumed driving. Has now happened a few times since. Also code related to reduced propulsion... Used OBDII to clear codes but makes no difference. Sometimes the car starts and drives without problem. Other times, Engine rpm very erratic.

Incident Jul 19, 2024

Repeats constantly..."service airbag". Appears to stop for somewhat variable lengths of time with passenger in front seat. Seems to be related to presence sensor.

Incident Oct 20, 2019

While driving, the car developed a brake malfunction. when the brake pedal is depressed you can feel the pedal pulsating and was not slowing down until you pressed harder then the brakes apply abruptly causing risk of rear ending. Upon pulling over to the hard shoulder the pedal pulsating/drumming continued to happen even though the car is completely stopped and is in parking gear. The symptom is similar to the service bulletin PIC5734A. [XXX] The car was driven to the nearest dealership 'Dublin Chevorlet' in Dublin CA and the car has been there for 4 weeks since GM is unable to help resolve the problem. I have reached out to GM and opened a support case. Case number [XXX] ]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident Jun 13, 2024

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light and low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where a diagnostic test result was undisclosed; however, the contact was informed that the vehicle needed an ASC high-voltage battery to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired after the ASC battery was replaced. The contact stated that the propulsion system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Incident Mar 6, 2023

This report is in general for EV batteries and low propulsion, BMW also. When system moves to low propulsion the break lights do not eliminate so the vehicle slows very fast as if it is breaking but no break lights turn on, this creates a risk for other drivers, this occurs on steep mountain climbs when mountain mode was not engaged. What I want to happen is when low propulsion mode engages the break lights come on so that other drives can keep safe distance as I pull to the side for battery to recharge. This does not happen that often but when it does occur it creates a scary situation. A electric BMW also did this today. Please request a break light adaption for future EV batteries/Gas Powered vehicles. Keep in mind this is generally for electric cars that have a backup gas engine that powers after battery is depleted, they most often have issues on steep mountain climbs at freeway speeds and or in some cases as I witnessed today when behind a BMW cars slowing very quickly without alarms to other drivers. If the system can generate a low propulsion error warning drivers it can turn the break lights on also in if software is coded correctly. System should turn on break lights when this occurs for BMW and or other electric cars

Incident May 3, 2024

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted, and the propulsion system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed and determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 186,000.

Incident Apr 26, 2024

When starting the vehicle, which had some charge on the batteries, the engine immediately started and a message appeared on the speedometer screen which stated, "Propulsion Power Reduced,” and another message said, “speed limited to 25mph.” I was in a very busy part of Hollywood running errands for my job when this happened. I felt very unsafe driving under these circumstances as I often need to drive above 25mph to keep up with traffic and cross busy streets to avoid other cars. The vehicle is available for inspection. It has not been taken to a dealership or anywhere else to have the issue looked at. The problem has occurred a few other times. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. There were no warnings or other symptoms whatsoever prior to this issue occurring.

Incident Feb 7, 2022

Sudden loss of power. Driving on freeway. Speed decreased by 25 mph. Just about avoided a rear end accident. Have seen that 2016 onwards Volts have experienced this malfunction. Request that it be noted that this is a 2013 model with less than 60,000 miles. Have already had the latest programming done by Chevy.

Incident Mar 6, 2024

I have a 2013 Volt. Passenger Presence pad in the passenger front seat caused the "Airbag Service" warning light. It is very common. So many people have suffered from it. It cost over $1000. But it is not a recall.

Incident Jan 15, 2024

1)A diagnostic inspection performed by Terry Labonte Chevrolet in Greensboro, N.C., during the week of Feb. 5-9 found that the car’s propulsion system suffered “catastrophic failure” and was a “total loss.” 2)My wife and I were in convoy when we drove off the used-car lot in Pittsboro, N.C., on [XXX], heading for my sister’s home in Greensboro. By the time we reached [XXX], the Volt would not reach highway speeds as heavy traffic sped past. As NHTSA has reported in another Volt investigation, “the problem could pose a safety risk if vehicles can’t move with the flow of surrounding traffic and is more serious if a stalled vehicle is unable to restart.” 3) On Tuesday, [XXX], a Terry Labonte Chevrolet service representative in Greensboro reported that the main battery had experienced “catastrophic” failure and the “major malfunction” represented a “total loss." 4) Factory dealer Terry Labonte Chevrolet in Greensboro performed the diagnostics. 5) An instrument-panel message appeared about 15 minutes after I drove the Volt off the used-car lot in Pittsboro. The message read “propulsion power is reduced.” The owner manual (Page 5-48) read: “The vehicle may be driven at a reduced speed while this message is on, but maximum acceleration and speed may be reduced.” INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident Feb 3, 2024

The passenger side seat airbag sensor is malfunctioning. A message displaying “Service Airbag” comes up and the airbag light comes on. This happens numerous times during a typical drive (around 20 minutes) The airbag is turned off while the message and light is displayed. This issue has been occurring for about a year or two now. Starting around 90k miles, currently has 111k miles. I’ve done my research on this issue and many other Volt owners have this issue. Which is caused by a defect in the passenger side sensor mat in the seat that can fold over itself with normal use, causing the issue.

Incident Jan 1, 2022

My 2013 Volt will not charge or start. This happened suddenly. It has been working fine.

Incident Dec 25, 2023

I was driving my plugin hybrid Volt on a highway when the engine stalled and the engine light turned on. I tap the throttle a few times to get it to stay on. It worked, but I had to continue to tap the throttle to keep it going. It also revved up sharply when it was in low gear. The vehicle was out of battery, so it was as running on engine.

Incident Dec 24, 2023

Airbag Sensor Service light keeps going off. Passenger side.

Incident Jun 14, 2023

I received a notification on the dashboard that the engine is not in service and propulsion has been reduced. The car is available for inspection upon request. The safety and myself has been deeply compromised because the issues cause the car to suddenly not accelerate without warning. The issue happened to me on a freeway and could have caused an accident due to the engine and propulsion systems stop functioning without warning. The vehicle has been inspected. There were no warnings on why the car was doing what it was doing. The only warning I received was that the engine and propulsion system has now stopped functioning.

Incident Dec 1, 2023

We purchased this car used in January 2023. Several times throughout 2023 we have gotten a Propoulsion Power Reduced warning. When this happens the car’s ability to accelerate drops and we have also had problems getting it to charge. Following one incident, we let the car sit for 4 days. While the car still would not charge using our at home level 2 charger, the warning went away and I was able to drive it to a dealership. They ran a software update which they said should resolve the issue. Three times since then, when turning the car on from parked it in parking lots away from home, it has given the warning. While driving the car to get it home, the warning has spontaneously resolved.

Incident Aug 18, 2023

Intermittent warning for front passenger airbag. Module saying service airbag comes on and off when front passenger is occupying seat. Just a quick anecdote just had car inspected warning does not appear while someone is occupying front seat, nor does it appear if someone is occupying rear seats.

Incident Jun 19, 2022

The airbag for the passenger seat is faulty and turns off and on, took it to the dealership and they said it was a $1000 to fix it. Said it was a bad wiring harness

Incident Aug 5, 2020

High voltage charging system.. changed out the coolant sensor and the bypass coolant value and still getting high charging error.. machanics can’t figure out the issue and now we can use it as an electric car.. light returns after sitting for an hour and a half in the off position.. something is clearly wrong with the design of the electric side of the car

Incident Aug 4, 2023

Passenger airbag sensor intermittent error. Says service airbag. Goes off after someone has been sitting in vehicle and exits vehicle. Not reliably reproducible but seems to be happening with greater frequency.

Incident Jan 4, 2023

Vehicle does not allow driver to driven uphill when packed uphill but keeps rolling down the hill even upon being throttled. Also emergency brake goes not catch but locks the wheel. Chevy diagnosed the issues agreed is manufacture defect, parties contracted agreement singed for repairs at no cost. Upon arrival of parts Roseville Chevrolet wanted $4,500 be paid said it was out of warrantee contrarily with the written agreement. Presently I have minors cannot ride in the car. The car may also cause accident and injury to owner and other road users if not fixed.

Incident Jul 18, 2023

I arrived at the charging station and plugged the charging handle into the charge port. At this time an audible shorting sound was heard coming from inside the handle followed by a burst of flames and white smoke. This flame immediately went out and the smoke subsided slightly before building back up and darkening. By the time that the fire department arrived, the car's engine had caught fire resulting in a total loss. Additionally, the charging handle of the station had melted, alongside the side mirror of a neighboring vehicle. It appears that there was a failure to detect the initial fault or at least a lack of protections for shorts. The parts are no longer available upon inspection, unless you have contact with the EVSE manufacturer, ChargePoint. My safety was put directly at risk. The charging handle shorted in my hand. In the unlucky case that the short made contact with me, I likely would've died on the spot or been at risk of burns from the subsequent fire. Additionally, should I have been in the car, I noticed when trying to get pictures of the inside, that the doors had remained locked. The problem cannot be reproduced because the car is burnt. The car has been inspected by insurance representatives alongside the look over by firefighters and police officers on site during the fire. There were no issues inside the vehicle hinting to any problem. I had used the charging station next to this one consistently each day going into work with no problems. When I arrived, the car which is usually parked at this problem charger was in the spot I usually used, which caused me to use this problem charger. While the exact cause is somewhat unknown, the initial perception by fire fighters, police, and myself were that the fire was due to the EVSE handle shorting out. The evidence for this is the location of the fire damage external to the vehicle and the melted handle. Chargepoint disagrees but does not state an alternative possible cause.

Incident Apr 26, 2023

Passenger Airbags failed to engage when occupied during accident, drivers side activated. Results in injured passenger

Incident Jan 6, 2023

According to NHTSA's own filing - Action PE19013 - GM's response to the action was to "establish a cost reduction program". I have now had this exact problem diagnosed, and repaired at a cost of $1,133. Neither GM, nor the Chevrolet dealership where I had the repair done had any information or provided and discounts or cost reduction. Either NHTSA has lied in its report, or GM has lied to NHTSA in order to close this incident. I should have the cost of this repair "reduced".

Incident Mar 10, 2023

Passenger airbag sensor mat is malfunctioning Leaking water from passenger side AC, drain line or structure

Incident Mar 11, 2023

The passenger presence sensor module has developed a fault. The service airbag soon warning pops up when a front seat passenger gets out of the seat. I can manually recreate the problem by pressing down on the seat bottom cushion and then when I release pressure the warning reappears and then goes away after 10 seconds. I will now need to replace the module and get the vehicle reprogrammed, or find a junkyard seat and hope it doesn't have the same problem. You really should have required GM to do more on this issue when you investigated it! From what I understand, there is not a 'cost reduction program' for having the dealer replace this defective part. This seems to be a very common problem that has perhaps gone underreported, but is obviously going to happen given the design of the sensor pad where it develops a fatigue failure.

Incident Sep 5, 2022

1. Propulsion Power Reduced -AGAIN. We have had this repaired recently & it’s back. Apparently it’s “not a problem” as long as check engine light is not on. Unfortunately, the engine light is on AGAIN - despite being reset. The car is not accelerating when needed. 2. “Brake Assist” light is on AGAIN- and I do not have power brakes. It is hard to stop. Could we at minimum get accurate warning systems & repairs that work? 2.

Incident Dec 11, 2022

I have the failure from PE19013. I read in the closing that "GM has instituted a cost reduction program for the repair/replacement of the PSS in the subject vehicles. Based on this cost reduction program...; ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation." I contacted two dealerships who are unaware of this program. I then contacted the Chevy Support Center, who said to contact the dealership when I asked for an alternative contact. I then asked to speak to a supervisor with a promised call back, that did not occur. Attached is the transcript of the chat with Chevy Support Center. The two issues: 1. The safety issue still exists and disables the air bags when occupied by a person of proper size for the airbags. 2. The reduced cost program is something that both dealerships and the Chevy Support System is unaware of itself. The investigation was closed on the premise of a support system that is impossible to find information on.

Incident Dec 5, 2022

There are two issues with the seat belt on the driver’s seat. 1) The buckle (female portion, the part with the button) is stuck and won’t release the tongue (male portion) without intervention with a screwdriver. 2) The plastic portion of the tongue (male portion) of the seatbelt caught on my clothes and snapped, and the whole tongue assembly fell off the webbing. Definitely a safety concern if there’s no longer a way to buckle the seat belt because the male end fell off.

Incident Nov 20, 2022

Car suddenly lost ability to accelerate normally while driving. It could only accelerate extremely slowly, seemingly with great effort. It displayed “PROPULSION POWER REDUCED SERVICE ENGINE SOON” and ENGINE NOT AVAILABLE” messages on the dashboard, and a check engine light came on. It sounds like it may be related to current GM recall 18215/ NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V397000, but nothing comes up when I search for this VIN.

Incident Nov 22, 2022

Passenger Sensor fails to turn on when an occupant of normal size is in the passenger seat, precluding air bag deployment. This is a very common issue with 2013 models.

Incident Nov 23, 2019

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that the electric battery would not charge and the vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the 12v battery was faulty and needed to be replaced. The 12v battery was replaced and the failure was remedied. The contact stated that later while driving the central battery pack located under the center console had overheated causing a loud noise within the cabin of the vehicle. The contact had sustained a burn to the right shoulder which did not require medical treatment. After parking in the garage and shutting the vehicle off the vehicle rolled backward making contact to the with the garage door. No damage to the garage door was reported. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number 18V397000(HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was unknown.

Incident Feb 3, 2021

PASSENGER AIRBAG ERROR INDICATOR. I took my 2013 Volt to the dealer who indicated it was a sensor error in the seat and requires a 1000.$ seat and sensor replacement. My Volt has 80K miles and no collisions or accidents. There is no justifiable reason for me to replace the front seat for 1000.00 due to a poorly designed wire harness or sensor. I won't risk having a front seat passenger due to this malfunction. Furthermore I can't sell the vehicle. Why has the NHTSA closed this complaint?

Incident Sep 21, 2022

The High Voltage charging system error message has chronically been triggered despite numerous mechanic visits, sensor and coolant replacement. I am now told this is a software issue and hope to have it resolved. This issue has cost hundreds of dollars in inspection and troubleshooting and hundreds of gas miles that should have been EV driven. The error prevents EV charges and I must rely on the gas back up.

Incident Oct 21, 2022

passenger occupancy sensor malfunction. Passenger airbag turns off intermitently even while occupied by an adult. I have not been to dealership, but understand it is a $1000 repair. This is also happening in a 2012 volt that I own.

Incident Oct 1, 2019

The car’s hybrid battery shut down the car in the middle of the road. I was unable to turn it back on safely.

Incident Sep 27, 2022

Stacia was driving the vehicle on September 20th on a residential street. She was driving at 25 MPH. All of the sudden the brakes slammed on by themselves and the car slammed to a stop. Luckily there were not any cars around, or there would have certainly been an accident. If this had happened on the Interstate or on a busy street there likely would have been a serious accident. The vehicle was taken for service and it was determined that the Brake Pedal Position Sensor failed. This was replaced by Eric Von Schledorn Chevrolet. Our concern is that the failure of one sensor could cause a potential catastrophic accident. We wanted to bring this to your attention in case others have had a similar issue, and a recall may be necessary.

Incident Sep 20, 2022