2013 CHEVROLET VOLT Complaints

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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