2017 CHEVROLET VOLT Complaints

When the car is stationary and the gear shift is in "Park", dashboard provides constant warning that car needs to shift to park and won't shut off properly. It leads to difficulty in shutting and starting the vehicle.

When I put the car in park, and turn off the engine, I receive a “Shift to park” message, and the engine doesn’t turn off. It has been happening for about a year, and is happening more frequently now.

This vehicle has a “Shift to Park” issue which is well established all over the internet. I’m afraid to walk away from the vehicle when that message pops up. Seems to be something that could injure/kill someone if the car cannot be left in park safely. This has been an ongoing/intermittent issue for months. The date stated below only represents today’s date of report.

This is a shift to park issue. Like all the others I have read online when I put the car in park, and hit the power button the car will not power off. A message appears on the dash that says To shift into park. Obviously I’m already in Park.

Car is stuck unable to start, screen shows "Shift to Park" when trying to put into gear.

I have owned the 2017 Volt since August of 2017. Late 2018 or early 2019 I started having an intermittent problem when I turned the car off. The screen showed an error message "Action required - Shift to park". The car was in park already. I would push the start button. Shift into gear and shift again into park. In the beginning that solved the problem. But the car did not fully shut down when the error message is displayed. If the door is opened, the signal that the engine is running beeps. I took it to the dealer service department . They kept the car for a day to diagnose the problem but did not get the error message. But as the problem was intermittent, it continued. I returned the car to the dealer and they said they made an adjustment that should resolve the problem. It didn't. The problem became constant and I could not shift into park. The car did not fully shut off and I couldn't lock it. I returned the car to the dealer and it was there for several days while they waited for a new shifter. It was on their EV charger full time so as to not drain the battery. The shifter was replaced in February 2019. I thought this was a random incident but found out it is not. In July 2021 the same problem returned. I called 2 dealers for an appointment and have to wait 3 weeks for an appointment. I looked online for solutions and to see if others had the same experience. I found many postings and comments with screenshots of the same error message and cars not turning off. It seems to be a defect affecting the Volt and other GM cars of the same age. I had an appointment at lunch 8/3/21 and after several tries to engage the parking gear, the car still would not turn off. I had to leave it running in the parking lot for 30 minutes and it would not lock. The car shut off normally when I returned to the office. This is not an issue of safety on the road, but the inability to turn off the car and lock it is a safety factor, especially for women.

For a second time in 2 years I am having a "shift to park" issue. When I go to park the car and shift to park, I get an alert on my dashboard that says "Action required Shift to Park". The car will not turn off, and I have to re-start the car and try shifting back to another gear and then shift up to park - sometimes, this takes over 10 times before the car finally recognizes I've shifted to park. I had this problem fixed within a month of purchasing the car in 2019, which was the first time this issue started happening. The dealership (McCluskey Chevrolet - Cincinnati OH) replaced the motor unit. Within the past week (7/19-7/25) this issue started again. Chevrolet is aware of this issue, and has not been compelled to issue a recall. I'm requesting that NHTSA move forward with an official recall for this faulty component.

As do many other owners of Chevrolet Volts and Malibus, I have experienced the "Shift-to-Park" problem last year and again this year. The problem involves shifting to park and then shutting off the motor. The motor stops but the error message "Shift to Park to turn off engine" appears on the dashboard console. The engine has stopped, the car is in park, but the message continues. When I open the door, the beeping alert signal begins and continues. I had it repaired by the dealer last year and the 2017 Volt is back at the dealer's for the same problem again this year. There should be a recall for this widespread problem.

I frequently get an error message that says, "SHIFT TO PARK." The car is parked but it does not turn off because the car does not recognize that the the gearshift is in the park position.

The car suffers from periodic electrical issues where it does not recognize the current status of the transmission and says "Shift to Park" even though vehicle is already parked. This culminates in a complete failure of the control module/battery/wiring harness systems and eventually the entire electrical system stops connecting to the engine. Our vehicle is now in the shop and