2013 Chevrolet VOLT: complaints, problems and recalls

WHEN I WAS PURCHASING THE CAR, THE SALESMAN WAS DEMONSTRATING THE EMERGENCY TRUNK SAFETY RELEASE. WHEN HE PULLED ON IT, THE RELEASE DEVICE BROKE OFF. HE TOLD ME TO RETURN AFTER A FEW WEEKS TO GET A REPLACEMENT. I JUST SAW THE STORY ABOUT LEXUS HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES. IT'S EASY TO GET INTO THE MAIN CABIN FROM THE TRUNK IN THE VOLT, SO IT ISN'T A REAL SAFETY ISSUE, BUT IT SHOULD BE TRACKED SINCE I'M SURE CHEVROLET USES SIMILAR DEVICES IN THEIR OTHER CARS. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 32 miles reported. Look up ODI 10479956 at NHTSA ↗

I WAS ON MY WAY HOME, IT WAS VERY DARK OUTSIDE ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY GOING 60-60MPH AND WANTED TO SWITCH OVER TO ELECTRIC "HOLD" MODE SO I COULD SAVE THE ELECTRIC BATTERY FOR CITY DRIVING. I GLANCED OVER AND HIT THE "DRIVE MODE" BUTTON THREE TIMES THINKING I WAS GOING TO SEND THE DRIVE MODE DOWN TO "HOLD". INSTEAD WHAT I DID WAS POWERED OFF THE CAR BY HITTING THE POWER BUTTON. (THE TWO BUTTONS ARE RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER AND BOTH REQUIRE MULTIPLE PRESSES TO WORK). SO THERE I WAS, THE CAR WENT BLACK INSIDE AND THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF OU…

Owner-reported narrative. 800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10487534 at NHTSA ↗

GOODYEAR ASSURANCE TIRES. 2ND FLAT AT LOW SPEEDS IN TWO MONTHS. CAR TIRE JUST BLOWS OUT IMMEDIATELY GOING FLAT. NO KNOWN OBJECT WAS DRIVEN OVER, FLATTENS OUT INSTANTLY. SECOND TIME IN TWO MONTHS THIS SCENARIO PLAYS OUT. SHOULD THIS HAVE BEEN AT A GREATER SPEED, THE SCENARIO WOULD HAVE BEEN FAR WORST. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 2,176 miles reported. Look up ODI 10497858 at NHTSA ↗

AT ANY SPEED OVER 57MPH, IF YOU LEAVE THE STEERING WHEEL CENTERED (SUCH AS ON A LONG STRAIGHTAWAY) THE STEERING WHEEL WILL LOCK IN THAT CENTER POSITION. IT TAKES SIGNIFICANT FORCE TO PULL THE CAR OUT OF THAT CENTER LOCKED POSITION. CHEVROLET IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE, BUT HAS SO FAR BEEN UN-WILLING TO FIX IT IN MY VEHICLE (THEY WILL NOT SEND THE PART TO THE DEALERSHIP). *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10498372 at NHTSA ↗

ANTILOCK FEATURE OF BRAKES WILL NOT ENGAGE ON ICE/SNOW UNLESS BRAKES ARE SLAMMED HARD. AT LEAST THREE TIMES, I HAVE SLID SLOWLY THROUGH AN ATTEMPTED STOP. IT HAS ALSO OCCURRED TWICE WHILE GENTLY BREAKING WHILE TRAVELING DOWNHILL. THE WHEELS LOCK UP AND VEHICLE GOES INTO A SLIDE. IT CONTINUES TO HAPPEN, BUT NOW I KNOW TO SLAM THE BRAKE PEDAL, AND THE ANTILOCK FEATURE WILL THEN OPERATE AND TERMINATE THE SKID AND STOP THE VEHICLE. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 1,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10501971 at NHTSA ↗

I BOUGHT A 2013 VOLT 2 WEEKS AGO. WHILE AT THE CVS DRIVE THROUGH TODAY THE CAR STARTED TO BEEP WARNING LIGHTS WHEN OFF, BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR STARTED MOVING FORWARD. THE BRAKES COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING, NO PUMPING OR ANYTHING. I MADE IT INTO A PARKING SPACE TO AWAIT FOR A TOW TRUCK AND TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. WHEN I TURNED THE VEHICLE ON THE ERROR MESSAGES WERE GONE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL FELT SOLID AGAIN. I STARTED TO MOVE THE CAR AND THE ERRORS CAME BACK AND BRAKES FAILED AGAIN. THE EXPERIENCE WAS OVERALL KINDA SCARY. I …

Owner-reported narrative. 749 miles reported. Look up ODI 10519717 at NHTSA ↗

I LEASED A NEW 2013 VOLT ON FRIDAY AND DROVE IT TO WORK AND HOME ON MONDAY. THE BATTERY DISPLAY SHOWED IT WAS AT MINIMUM, ZERO MILES REMAINING. THE VOLT WAS RUNNING WITH THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. AS I PULLED OUT OF A PARKING LOT, "'PROPULSION POWER IS REDUCED"', "'ENGINE NOT AVAILABLE"', AND "SERVICE STABILITRAC" DISPLAYED ON THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER. AFTER GOING ABOUT 500 FEET, I STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION TO MAKE A LEFT TURN AND THE VOLT STALLED. I TURNED ON THE FLASHERS AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTORE POWER BY PRESSING THE BRAKE …

Owner-reported narrative. 196 miles reported. Look up ODI 10520732 at NHTSA ↗

THIS IS THE SECOND VOLT I OWNED IN A YEAR THAT EXHIBITED THIS ISSUE. UPON BRAKING AND PASSIVE DECELERATION THE CAR MAKES A LOUD AUDIBLE WHINING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE DEALER STATES IT IS A REGENERATIVE BRAKE BEARING FAILURE. THIS ISSUE IS RELATED TO THE BEARING CAGE FAILING CAUSING THE BEARING TO LOSE ITS INTEGRITY. HTTP://GM-VOLT.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?17877-LOUD-WHINING-DURING-REGEN. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 1,400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10520910 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2015-03-13 (March 13, 2015)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Volt vehicles manufactured August 25, 2010, to June 26, 2013. If the driver exits the vehicle without turning off the electrical system, the battery may drain low enough that the gasoline engine will automatically start itself to recharge the electric battery.

Consequence: If the engine runs for an extended period of time in an enclosed space, there may be a build up of carbon monoxide, increasing the risk of personal injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the engine management software to limit the time that the stationary vehicle can be left in the ON position, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14617.

Reported: 2018-06-14 (June 14, 2018)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. An update to the Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2 (HPCM2) may have disabled the cell balancing function causing a low-voltage condition.

Consequence: If the voltage drops, the vehicle may lose propulsion, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the HPCM2, free of charge. The recall began July 24, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18215.

Reported: 2023-07-27 (July 27, 2023)

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Camero, Sonic, and Volt vehicles. The driver-side air bag inflator may explode during deployment due to a manufacturing defect.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver-side air bag module, free of charge. On some 2013 Volt vehicles, the steering wheel will be replaced as well, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2023. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N232413120.