Driving at highway speeds, check engine light came on with a warning of "reduced propulsion power" and sudden loss of speed in heavy traffic. Dealer diagnosed issue as failed EGR valve but is unable to source repair part due to frequency of failure causing years-long backorder.
2017 Chevrolet Volt electrical complaints
Page 4 of 12: complaints 71 to 100 of 313, newest first, as owners wrote them.
On a recent trip on a highway on our 2017 Chevy Volt, the Exhaust Gas Recirculation [EGR] failed and caused "low propulsion" errors. We ended up with a surprise bill of more than a thousand dollars to replace the EGR cooler assembly, but the problem was not resolved. The dealership then said we need to replace the EGR Valve which is estimated above $2700 plus labor. Upon checking the GM-Volt users community this is a reoccurring issue on several thousands of vehicles and the inflated price is due to the fact that GM redesigned the EGR valve to fix their original faulty design. We as consumers shouldn't be responsible for such an outrageous cost and mainly safety due to a design flow by GM. This issue should warrant a recall by GM to fix the issue once and for all.
The EGR valve had an electrical short, causing the 15A F03 fuse to blow. This causes a "reduced propulsion" message to appear and also causes the vehicle to start overheating. The faulty EGR valve is available for inspection. This failure occurred while we were on the interstate driving 70mph. We were also at least an hour from home/family. The EGR valve short is a known problem with Gen 2 Chevy Volts. Online message boards are filled with posts about this issue. The vehicle was inspected by a Chevy dealership (we had to have it towed). However, the EGR valve is on national backorder with no ETA on when they would be available again. We are currently driving the car with the valve unplugged. However, this causes the engine to run less efficiently and at higher temperatures, so we cannot run it for long periods of time. There were no warnings before the problem occurred, it just suddenly happened while we were driving on the interstate. Luckily we were near an off ramp and a hotel; since the problem occurred on Easter weekend, there weren't any dealerships open.
Driving at freeway speeds when suddenly the cars propulsion power failed and I went from 75mph to 45mph with no warning and no way to accelerate. Happened multiple times even after pulling over and turning the car on and off. I was told by the dealership that was a gas engine part and that I could drive it on the electrical engine only. When attempting to drive on the electrical engine, I received a notice of engine failure and had to coast into the driveway of a dealership. I was told the engine “could explode” if I continue to drive it
The car stalled at a high rate of speed on a freeway because of EGR failure. Engine check light is on, along with a warning about a critical problem with emissions system that requires immediate attention. The part is out of stock in all dealership within a reasonable reach. The problem is under warranty, but I have made multiple attempts to fix this issue with no success.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while her son was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the battery system became inoperable. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cells and battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact that parts were on backorder. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.
Intermittently, I can't shut off my Volt. The following message is displayed: "Shift to Park"
Driving at highway speed car would slow down on its own and go into "Reduced Propulsion Mode"
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the next morning when he attempted to start the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound. The contact shifted into reverse and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a battery malfunction. The vehicle was repaired; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact related the failure to Manufacturer Communication Number: 10251431 (Electrical System) and TSB Number: N232422680 (Special Coverage Battery Energy Control Module Malfunction). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 142,974.
My service engine light came on. After that happened, my engine started to get hot. It got up to 230degF, received a reduced propulsion message and wanted to shut down when going 70mph on the interstate (depended on the construction). Quick reaction on my side before the engine shut down I had "held" the battery (which i do for long trips to ensure options in event of emergencies). Meaning i still had energy in the battery that could be used to propel the vehicle. I was able to shut down the engine by unholding the battery before losing control of the vehicle due to no propulsion. The electric propulsion took over and I could get off the freeway. Conditions were: I was driving in a rain storm on a very busy interstate around Eau Claire wisconsin right around 5-6pm with lots of road construction. If I would have lost the engine and power, I would have crashed at a high rate of speed. I would have lost steering, windshield wipers and headlights. Investigation showed that fuse F03 (walk home fuse) was blown. Further investigation showed that the EGR Valve circuitry was causing this failure. After unplugging EGR valve and replacing the fuse, engine was able to run and not overheat. Plug the EGR valve back in and the fuse blows again This is a well known issue on these vehicles and has been around since 2019-2020. Lots of data and information available on this issue on the internet. To make the issue worse. No parts are available for replacing this faulty valve at the moment. Only 6 valves available in the whole USA with those promised to other customers (i Called the dealers). Additionally there are more vehicles waiting for these valves.. Vehicle goes to the shop on [XXX] for confirmation of issue and get on a waiting list for the EGR Valve. I can't believe this is allowed to continue with GM. THis needs to be fixed!!!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While car will turn on as normal, wheb put I to drive is says "Action Required - Shift to Park". The CEL code indicates, among other things, "EV/Hybrid Battery ppsitive contactor circuit stuck closed". I've read this has happened to may owners. Reading online seems to indicate
Shift to park warning comes and car will will not shut down I have already had this repaired in 2019
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the message "Reduce Propulsion" was suddenly displayed, and the vehicle decelerated to 30 MPH. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the ERG was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 22,000.
Had to replace EGR valve after losing power on the highway back in 2022. Lost power steering and reduced engine power while driving at highway speeds, luckily was able to get off the highway and limp the car back to my house. I almost crashed due to loosing engine power and power steering. It's appears to be a BECM issue.
We bought the car for our son when he began to drive. We liked the idea that it was gas and electric. At the time, our son was into electric vehicles. At 44, 000 miles, 7/10/20 the car was taken to the dealership. The engine light was on at this point, the message displayed "Propulsion Power is Reduced". Once the diagnostic was done it was said that the EGR valve needed replacing. Of course, this is during the of COVID. Everything was shut down. No one is working. It is now a wait game. Prior to this our Chevy Volt has been in and out of the dealership with either recall or something else. We enjoy the car because of how it operates with gas and electric. Fast forward it is 80,000 miles now, and the car is at the dealership again. It has currently been there for almost a month. After blowing fuses it has be diagnosed as the EGR valve needs replacing again. The part is not available currently. No one seems to know when it might be available. The part cannot be purchased from our local distributor. GM is the only ones who makes it is our understanding. There is no other dealership near us that has certified technicians who can work on them. We called around and asked. We want to know what the solution is. How can this be prevented? We were over an hour away from home and no dealership was open when it went out the last time. It became worse to the point that we were stopped on the road with flashers on because it was not safe to pullover. Prayer works.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the Battery Range Zero Miles message displayed, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The Propulsion Power Reduced message was then displayed, and the engine inadvertently shut off. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and shifted the transmission into park(P) when the Shift to Park message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who reprogrammed the power inverter module, and cleared the DTC codes. The failure recurred 60 days later, and the vehicle was towed to Chevrolet Van Nuys (5949 Van Nuys Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91401), where the 12V battery was replaced and the DTC codes were cleared; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed back to Chevrolet Van Nuys (5949 Van Nuys Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91401), but the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Action Number: PE23022 (Electrical System). The failure mileage was 61,956.
On 2/11/23, our 2017 Chevrolet Volt displayed a check engine light and the engine started to overheat, as determined by the driver from the dash coolant temperate display, while driving down the interstate after 1 hour of driving. The car was pulled over to the side of the road and towed home. Upon inspection of the Chevy Volt later, the F03 15 amp mini-fuse(referred to as non-walk home fuse) in the main engine fuse block had blown, which had likely caused the electronically controlled thermostat to close and the engine to quickly overheat, due to lack of coolant. The reason why the F03 15 amp mini-fuse blew is because the control board for the EGR valve catastrophically failed and overloaded the fuse of this important shared electrical circuit. The electronic thermostat is part of this shared circuit, in addition to the EGR valve and possibly other important vehicle functions. I consider this cascade of electronic and engine/cooling failures to be a safety issue for the driver, in addition to being a poor design. As GM doesn't currently have any replacement EGR valves for our 2017 Chevy Volt, which includes the EGR valve control board, we are forced to disconnect the EGR valve from the vehicle and replace the F03 15 amp mini-fuse, in order to make the car drivable. This is contributing to increased vehicle emissions and reduced vehicle efficiency. In locations with emissions inspections, this EGR valve parts shortage results in the vehicle failing inspection and being made undrivable. I think the federal safety agency should force GM to recall any 2nd generation Chevrolet Volt vehicles that have this defective EGR valve/control board, due to its cascading effect on the safe operation of the Volt.
We were driving in traffic. The battery had plenty of charge. Suddenly, there was a warning notice about propulsion power problem and the car converted to gasoline mode. We continued to destination and parked. When we went to start the car, it would not start at all. Had car towed to our local chevrolet dealership (all service done there) and that is where it is still sitting. The part needed (battery) is on back order. This occurred on july 21, 2023. Today is march 13, 2024! As of today....approaching 250 days sitting in the dealership open lot,
50 miles into a 500 mile trip, my Volt displayed a warning message, "propulsion power reduced." It operated almost normally for the first 250 miles and we were able to reach our destination, but the propulsion battery was not able to recharge from the engine power as efficiently as usual. An auto shop at the destination who does not specialize in EVs examined the car and found a fault in the engine control module, but the car was otherwise in drivable condition. On returning home, the car was required to climb a long steep hill. It gave the message "engine unavailable" on the freeway and began running on its battery reserves, which were barely enough to reach the nearest exit. If the car had run out of battery reserves where pulling over to stop would be unsafe, a dangerous situation would have resulted. The car had to be towed home. An EV specialist mechanic inspected the car and diagnosed a faulty EGR valve resulting in a short in the power to the engine control module. The car has been waiting at the mechanic for a new EGR valve for 5 months due to a nationwide parts shortage. Two months ago the request for the new EGR valve was escalated to a "STACK order" but I still have no updates on when the new part will actually be available. Online forums dedicated to the Volt have many posts about cars waiting for months for a new EGR valve. Two weeks ago, I contacted the Chevrolet parts concierge about the issue. They took down all my contact information and stated they would be in touch. Today after not hearing back from Chevrolet, I called the parts concierge again. The staff found no record of my previous call.
My car is lurching very dramatically while on battery-only. Especially over 35-40 miles an hour. I was run off the road last week and am becoming fearful for my safety in this car. I have heard that there may be something wrong with the battery or. BECM.
Propulsion error, steering wheel locked up today, last week shut off to dead stop while idling, trouble restarting. Speed and sudden battery drop issues. 14 miles without any power steering. Unsafe.
Took Vehicle into the local auto store to scan a engine alert and the error came up as P1E00 Hybrid Powertrain Control Module or the BECM (battery energy control module). After looking the error code up and researching online, found that many of the same symptoms are happening. The car wonts start intermittently and a message saying there is a power loss. last night the message came up and even though the battery showed full charge, it was running on Gas and only capable to speeds around 40-45 mph.
EGR valve failed, and car stopped driving on the highway.
I was traveling at 75 mph with the cruise control on when a message came on about reduced purpulsion. My vehicle lost all power and rapidly decreased speed, the gas pedal did nothing until my speed had dropped under 60 mph. I was on the freeway and could have caused an accident. Chevrolet says a programming update was needed to fix the problem but my BECM is now also out.
Car would not start, lose power, or show propulsion reduced message. This seemed to have been an ongoing issue related to cold weather (bought in July 2019) and would occasionally get temporary check engine lights. Dec 2022 and Jan 2023 cold weather seemed to aggravate w car no starting on occasion. Eventually by January car started propulsion reduced error. Turned out to be BECM (which had been under service bulletin in 2019). Other related repairs like shift to park issue and drained 12 volt battery also repaired at MY personal cost of nearly $4,000. The propulsion issue almost led to some accidents when it would happen pulling into road or on highway driving.
My vehicle shut down in the middle of the road. GM diagnosed it as a faulty BECM.
Vehicle lost power on highway and on local streets. “Propulsion power reduced” warning. Car brought to dealer 7/2023. EGR valve ordered at that time. The EGR valve has not been available since that time. No time frame for availability has been given.
same issue as PE23022 and TSB 18-NA-261 Called 51 parts wharehouses and Chevy dealers to locate part. They all report the same: part is not available and no idea when it will be come available. vehicle is not mobile without working part. Vehicle has lost propulsion while driving. Twice I was lucky no one was behind or on the side of me that I could pull off to the side of the road or a parking lot.
1 month ago was driving on toll and Population power is reduced came on, vehicle was reaving high and felt like power was being reduced/speed, was going 70 and had to immediately decrease speed and get off toll and found closest Chevy shop. Looked at dash and vehicle should have had at least 10 energy miles but it had immediately dropped down to 0. Before taking to Chevy, I had a quick inspection done by a Valvoline shop and they told me the battery had to be replaced. Carvana (Silverrock) warranty refused to do the repair under their coverages as “batteries were not covered under warranty” Had it towed from Valvoline to Chevy. Found out Chevy battery was under warranty so it was taken there. Vehicle was checked in and didn’t have an eta as hybrid battery was on back order with no ETA. 3 weeks later the part was received and it was a control module not a battery as the “battery was not failing at the time”. Service called and said vehicle was ready for pick up. Had vehicle for 1 week and was at work starting it up and after 9 hours sitting started it up and low population came back on and vehicle started idling higher than before then after a minute looked at back of car and a large cloud of while smoke started forming from back of vehicle. Immediately turned off car and called gmc roadside assistance to have vehicle towed to another dealership where is it sitting again for diagnosis with no eta.
Car won't start show codes U2622, U2621, U2620, U2619, P0AFA.
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