2013 Chevrolet Volt: engine stalls while driving

Filed Dec 16, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · 141,323 miles · NE

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The Check Engine warning light was flashing, and the messages "No Propulsion Power" and "No Power To Engine" were displayed. The contact stated that two individuals pulled over and assisted the contact in pushing the vehicle to the side of the road to prevent a crash. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who made the contact aware of an unknown the federal safety agency Campaign Number; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact requested vehicle rental assistance, but the dealer was unable to provide assistance. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance in initiating a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 141,323.

Filed Apr 26, 2024 · Electrical · 186,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted, and the propulsion system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed and determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 186,000.

Filed Feb 20, 2024 · Fuel system · PA

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 the federal safety agency 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)

Filed Dec 25, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · IL

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.

Filed Oct 1, 2021 · Fuel system · MO

My 2013 Volt has turned off while driving on multiple occasions, usually while on the highway. I have taken it to the Chevy dealer on several occasions and they are unable to find the problem. The vehicle "Propulsion System" warning has come on when the car suddenly decelerated while on the highway and eventually turned off. The vehicle is at the Chevy dealer who tells me they cells were not balanced and is no longer functioning. They are unable to replace the battery because Chevy is not releasing them so now the car is a paperweight in their parkinglot. Stopping on the highway is a serious problem.

Filed Feb 13, 2021 · Airbags · 60,000 miles · HI

Service passenger airbag warning indicator periodically goes on and off in a seemingly random manner. Car ussually starts with service passenger airbag warning / error on and often turns off while driving to later beep and come back on.

Filed Apr 15, 2020 · Fuel system, Transmission · 107,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 chevrolet volt. The contact stated while driving at 75 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently. The contact pulled over to the side of roadway. Propulsion power reduced was displayed on the instrument panel before the vehicle stalled. After waiting for ten minutes, the vehicle started and operated as intended however, the message remained displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to paradise chevrolet cadillac (27360 ynez rd, temecula, ca 92591) however, no assistance was offered. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case number was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000. *ln*jb*dt the consumer has stated that the issue occured once more on july 11 and july 12 of 2020.

Filed Mar 24, 2016 · Engine, Fuel system · 32,800 miles · IN

While driving down a road in indianapolis at 35 miles per hour, my car suddenly slowed down and a message reading " engine not available - service soon" appeared on my hud. My car only has 32,800 miles on it and a clean title. Nothing about my driving changed to cause this issue, it was sudden and without apparent cause. I had the car taken to the mechanic, and gm just reset the codes. It is driving ok for now, but a reset of codes is a temporary fix to the issue, and I've read extensively about many, many other volt owners with the same issue. It is extremely dangerous to have your engine shut off while driving, especially if I had been on the high way during rush hour. This is something that needs looked into, and I feel that gm is trying to bury it with resets which aren't working for most people.

Filed Sep 18, 2015 · Engine, Fuel system · MI · crash · 2 injuries

While entering in the highway the car started to decelerate regardless the fact the gas pedal was pushed several times. The car decelerated and then stalled. The car has been rear ended by the car behind. This could have been a much more serious accident and it was a vehicle failure.

Filed Jul 30, 2014 · Brakes, Electrical · 6,500 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 chevrolet volt. While pulling out the driveway at 10 MPH, the parking brake automatically applied and the vehicle stalled. The check engine indicator illuminated. The dealer stated that water leaked into the battery charging receptacle causing the resistance of the interlock to drop over a period of time, which contributed to the parking brake becoming engaged. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 6,500. Updated 12/2/14*cn the consumer stated the incident caused the transmission to go into park.

Filed May 8, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 11,669 miles · NY

The vehicle has repeatedly shut down while driving/failed to start since june 2013. The vehicle has been in service due to repairs = 42 days in the last 10 months. Gm continues to replace/recall parts on the hybrid battery as well as other parts concerning secondary problems. I am afraid this vehicle will shut down again while I am driving causing an accident hurting me or others on the road. Clearly, it is a potential death trap.

Filed Jun 19, 2013 · Engine, Fuel system · 196 miles · OH

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 and the power button. The displays lit up but the instrument cluster continued to display "'initializing-wait to shift"'. I turned the volt off by pressing the power button again and attempted to restore power several times with the same result. Cars behind me were attempting to pull around on the left side but were blocked by cars turning onto the two-lane street. I pushed the on-star button and requested assistance. Soon, a volt specialist came on the line and said she suspected the security system or the 12v battery. She had me turn everything off and walk 200 feet from the car. When I returned and tried to start the volt, it started briefly but shut down. She said the 12v battery might be low and they would have the tow truck driver bring booster cables to charge the battery. I had managed to push the volt to the curb and got some cables to boost it. The volt initialized and the displays looked normal. I drove to the next intersection and stopped for the light. When the light changed, it stalled again. I was able to continue to my house on battery power but it would not go up the slope of the driveway. I tried to charge it but the charge cycle would not start. The next morning, it had "'plug in to charge" light on. I started the charge cycle. It goes to the dealer tonight.