2017 CHEVROLET VOLT Complaints

Car would not turn off. Got the message "Shift to park" on driver display, but car was in park. Had to cycle the gear shifter several times in order to get it to shut off.

While driving on the interstate at 75 mph I had to accelerate briefly to allow another vehicle to merge safely onto the road. Immediately my dashboard gave me a warning message saying “reduced propulsion acceleration may be limited” and the engine warning light came on. The temperature of my coolant began to rise over 230 F & then 240. Miles from my destination, I reduced speed & took the next exit to stop for fuel and read my owners manual. I discovered that the same message could appear if the car was not put into “mountain mode” thereby failing to reserve a certain amount of energy in the battery. I had hoped we starting the engine & resetting the computer with the car in “Mountain mode” would resolve the matter, but that was not the case. I let the engine cool down for a bit & restarted my trip as I was just 20 miles away from my destination. Later on, I got another message as my engine began frequently skipping and sputtering that told me my “engine as not available” despite having a bear full tank of gas. I pulled over to read the manual & discovered that this message indicated once my car ran out of electric energy it would just stop working! As I had been on the road for 6.5 hours prior, I knew there was no electric reserve to pull from & said a prayer that my 4-yr-old daughter and I could get safely and get a tow to the dealership. The “reduced propulsion” message is part of a recall on the gen2 Volt, tho that recall relates to a software glitch & the remedy just provides “additional warning time” for this serious issue. My car just turned 5 years with 33,000 miles on it. I have followed all maintenance recommendations. Seems like an electrical emissions issue, & with a lithium battery on board, fire from overheating scares me as much as than engine failure on the interstate. But I had a full tank of gasoline! Dealer says it is a “short in my EGR Valve” & that part needs replacing.

When I start engine it says action required shift to park and it’s already in park. Then car won’t move. This has happened several times. Sometimes it will start but says vehicle propulsion is reduced and I drove it like this once and it was dangerous. This keeps happening and I am scared!

We are having the "Shift to Park" problems described many times on various forums about this car. The car does not recognize that we have indeed shifted into Park (when we have) and remains on. Others have described power outage whiles driving and various serious issues once this problem starts. GM is aware of the problem.

Shifter is defective so that the car won't turn off, instead sticks on with "Shift to Park" warning. This makes it not possible to lock the car using the buttons, and drains the battery, resulting in stranded driver. Dealership said that they had never heard of it, but I see on the internet that is very, very, very, very, very common problem. Started after about 5,000 miles, has done is sporadically for last 4 years. Getting worse so that rarely turns off now, we just leave it on a charger all the time now.

I get the shift to park error 9/10 times I stop the engine. When I shift the gear to Park and turn off the engine, it gives me the "Shift to Park" error and will not allow the engine to turn off. I have to repeatedly jiggle the shifting gear until it finally turns off. It's a hazard that can leave me stranded. This started happening a few months ago. It used to be very rarely, but now, as I mentioned, is happening almost every time I try to stop the engine.

Rancid HVAC smell for the last 2 years. Florida dealer failed to diagnose it and did not turn on afterblow feature with simple 5 minute programming so now we hate to drive this Volt. It starts after a few seconds and gets worse for about 5 minutes unless using fan only then it never goes away. Recently took it to the HVAC specialists at the local dealer who diagnosed it as other than HVAC related smell even though it only happens when air goes through the vents. These same people make safety repairs and are ASE certified. GM customer service says it needs a second "permanent" treatment in 3 months (evaporator core foam and sealant) and then it will be better. Dealer failed to fix after 1 full day and 1 half day. Washed car each time and elongated a 3 inch windshield crack into almost the entire windshield top to bottom because they leave cars in the heat all day and then wash before the customer picks them up. The technician admitted it happens all the time (maybe wash when it first arrives or let people know it may cause a crack to get worse. Never charged the car even though that's a Volt process. Escalated in GM customer service she told me it will take 3 days to receive all info. No updates.

Parking sensors malfunction often and error "service park assist". Sometimes when someone is less than 500 feet away and turning the car slams on the brakes which points to a radar issue. Also sometimes the adaptive cruise doesn't work (Windshield is clean) so we are without cruise control. Happened twice on a cross country trip.

When turning the car off a "shift to park" message appeared. The car wouldn't automatically lock because it thought it was still in drive. When I returned I tried to turn the car on while still in park, I shifted back to Drive and then back to park and the same message appeared when I tried to turn it on as if it still hadn't turned off. No AC, steering or the startup sound so I tried to wiggle it and then took my foot off the brake and then turned off, I then opened the door to cut power. I put my foot on the brake and the car started normally but this is the 4th time in less than a week. Heat outside at this time of year is 115 degrees+ so being stranded for a neutral safety switch or transmission gear sensor is unacceptable especially when my Wife and daughter primarily use it. We had this problem over a year ago and they replaced the whole gear selector assembly but it is showing signs of failure again.

Shift to park issue. Can not turn the car off as it does not recognize it is in Park.