2016 CHEVROLET VOLT Complaints

The BECM has failed and causes a reduction in engine power. There is a Special Coverage N232432680 for this issue. Dealership Service Center is saying my car doesn’t qualify based on the VIN, even though it matches the year, make, and model on the Special Coverage. GM is failing to cover the issue despite it matching everything on the Special Coverage.

2016 Chevrolet Volt with 126,500 miles had a sudden loss of power while driving. Towed to Chevy dealership for diagnostics and was told it needed a Battery Energy Control Module. Doing my own research, I see that NHTSA issued a notification regarding GM coverage for this issue (see below). However, my VIN is not covered. Very conveniently, GM covering only one third of the Volts made in this time frame and this is unacceptable. There should have been a recall but at least they should cover the cost to replace under this special coverage. Losing all power on the road while driving is really scary and very dangerous. Please advise if there is any course of action that NHTSA can take on this matter before I go and spend $3000 to have this repaired. GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS DCS6812 URGENT - DISTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELY Date: March 6, 2024 Subject: N232432680 - Special Coverage Battery Energy Control Module Malfunction Models: 2016-2018 Chevrolet Volt To: All General Motors Dealers General Motors is releasing Special Coverage N232432680 today. The total number of U.S. vehicles involved is approximately 19,000. Please see the attached bulletin for details.

I was driving in clear weather (with my ICE engine as propulsion) when an Engine Warning Fault light appeared on my dash and the vehicle slowed to 5mph with no response from the throttle pedal. I pulled into a parking lot, had the vehicle towed to an independent service shop, and had them check the codes. There were a dozen faults stored, but they found the 'Non Walk Home' fuse had blown, and faults pointed to the EGR Valve as having faulty electronics. They could not find an EGR valve for sale so they unplugged the EGR Valve and replaced the fuse, which allowed the engine to drive normally again, but with the Check Engine Light on at all times. I called my local Chevy dealer and they told me the EGR I needed was Part Number 12691147 for $243, but they were backordered and there were dozens of people in front of me for their dealer alone. Now, 11 months later, I'm still waiting on the part, I have found hundreds of other Volt owners online with the same issue, and the Part Number has been changed by GM to 19436113, with a price increase of 1100% to $2642. And the part is still not available because of "high demand" on a car that was discontinued five years ago.

There is a propulsion warning due to faulty EGR valves. Many customers are experiencing backorders lasting for up to 6 months or more, just from what I can quickly find online. I am now on my 5-month mark. I have not been able to drive the car at all. Driving it could damage the engine and put drivers at risk. Because many of these vehicles no longer qualify for lemon laws, the manufacturer seems to not take our delay seriously or even care about our limited resources in time and money. (I purchased this used car that was in great condition and passed the inspection for about $13,000 in-full. I am not wealthy so this was an expense I was carefully saving for. I was only driving it for weeks before this happened. I am now hunting for my legal options.) Not only is their response completely unethical and inconsiderate, but some desperate drivers are suggesting to unplug the EGR then replace the fuse. This can damage engines further, disallow us to pass emission tests, and cause possible danger to the driver and others on the road. Chevy and GM need to be held accountable!

2016 Chevy volt started to not shut off with the message that car needed to shift to park. Car is just over 100,000 miles (104,000) spent a few weeks jiggling shifter to get car turned off then made an appointment at Platinum Chevy of Santa Rosa. While waiting we researched the issue to find that the Shift To Park is a known issue and the Volt has in fact been named in a class action suit. Am currently at crossroad as I cannot get GM to stand behind their product. It’s taken four calls and an escalation to management to find out that they may offer a percentage to fix the problem but because we’re out of warranty it is a customer problem. So, to cap it off, GM has sold us a vehicle with a known safety issue with no recall and will not fix their problem.

Started vehicle with > 50mi on the EV-range. Pulled out onto road, stopped at red light. Now showed 0mi and refused to move when pressing the gas (did not fail over to gas on series PHEV) Garbage truck coming up behind me had to swerve to avoid rear-ending me as I was frantically trying to start the car. Kept saying 'shift to park' (condition required to start the vehicle) Took several minutes and 20+ tries before I got it to start (GAS engine) and was able to proceed. Car keeps randomly dropping to 0mi EV range. Has refused ot start on occasion. All symptoms align with the N232432680 bulletin but GM saying my car isn't covered???

I was driving at normal speed full tank of gas and electricity, when I got an error message "propulsion power is reduced". I was in the middle of the highway and the car would no longer let me accelerate. I was able to pull of on a small street. Car's check engine light turned on, my steering wheel became hard, and everytime I try putting it on reverse or drive, I get a message to put the car on park. It no longer works. I had this happened once about 3 years ago, and after an hour, it started working normally (this time the engine light stayed on though and car no longer works). I have had the message "propulsion power is reduced" pop up on my screen multiple times, car reduces power, but continues to work. This time it no longer wants to run and I lost all speed in the middle of the road.

I bought the car new in 2015 and after about only 40,000 miles I began getting a Propulsion Reduced error and the car would have very slow acceleration. I took it to the dealer and they replaced the accelerator for $500. It drove fine for a month, but then the acceleration was reduced again. I took it back to the dealer and they were stumped. They wanted to charge me $1300 just to replace some wires, but they weren't confident that would fix the problem. I declined. As it stands now I can toggle the F08 fuse and that temporarily fixes it for about an hour or so, but the error always comes back and the car has a hard time accelerating. Not safe. I called GM and they suggest I take it to another Chevrolet dealer, so I'm going to do that. I'm also going to reference NHSTA Special Coverage N232432680 Battery Energy Control Module Malfunction to see if they can replace the BECM. This is a common problem with 2016 Chevy Volts. If they can't fix it, I'll look into the California Lemon Law to see if I can get my money back on the car. I appreciate your support on this.

My 2016 Chevy Volt experienced a loss of propulsion power multiple times due to the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve failing. The malfunctioning EGR valve caused the F3 fuse to break, disabling the cooling system and forcing me to pull over immediately, which posed a safety risk, especially in high-traffic areas or on highways. The problem was reproduced when the replacement EGR valve also failed. It is not specified if the vehicle or components have been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others. Both the original and replacement EGR valves should be available for inspection upon request.

On [XXX], this Volt was towed to the Dealer because the Volt would not start, would not charge, and the engine light was on. The Dealer claimed that the problem was the Chevrolet Volt Battery Energy Control Module (BECM), GM Part # 24296900, which was covered under the GM hybrid VOLTEC warranty (8 years, 100,000 miles). On [XXX], 2024, this Volt (VIN [XXX] ) was towed to the Dealer again because the Volt would not start, would not charge, and the engine light was on. The Dealer claimed that the hybrid battery connectors were corroded, the disconnect relay should be replaced, and the BECM should be replaced again at a total cost of $5,005.58. On [XXX], GM issued special coverage warranty N232432680 (15 year, 150,000 miles) to cover BECM replacements for a malfunction involving the BECM. Plaintiff checked the VIN at the GM Recall and Warranty Center website. The Volt at issue is covered under special coverage warranty N232432680, according to the GM website. Plaintiff asked the Dealer and GM again after [XXX] about warranty coverage for the BECM at issue. GM responded that the bumper-to-bumper warranty expired and that they would provide no assistance. On [XXX], Plaintiff filed a complaint with the local Better Business Bureau (BBB) regarding the BECM at issue. GM responded in writing that the bumper-to-bumper warranty expired and that they would provide no assistance. Plaintiff sought arbitration, but both the local BBB and the BBB Auto Line found that Plaintiff was not eligible to arbitrate with GM due to GM’s program summary guidelines with the BBB. GM breached multiple warranties and failed to provide sufficient repairs, and this Volt has been out of service for more than 80 days. Based on GM’s warranty breaches, insufficient repairs and inconsistent statements, this Volt poses serious safety concerns. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)