On [XXX] my 2017 Chevrolet Volt with just 24,000 miles on it suddenly jerked/lost power/revved up while on the highway while using the gas engine--frightening/dangerous -- and continued to do that until I got to my destination. The error read "reduced propulsion". I was afraid of pulling off the highway for fear the car wouldn't restart and I had my 91 yr old mother in the car so we bucked along in the slow lane, the car revving fast, then losing power. It was very frightening and i proceeded with the flashers on. Took car to dealership balise in warwick ri. Tech said it was a bad EGR valve. They told me that GM would cover the repair under warranty but the part was on backorder. I opted to leave the car at the dealership hoping for the best but they said another customer had been waiting since September. They told me to take the car home, but i didnt feel the car was safe to drive. Web search reveals this is a common problem and people are waiting all over the U.S. for this part for over a year. Subsequent phone calls revealed that the part may or may not be manufactured ever again, and the dealership suggested I buy a refurbished part on ebay and have it installed at a local repair shop at my cost --- but that would null the warranty, and seemed risky to me. I asked the dealership to buy my car and they offered me $5k less than fair market value-so I declined. Opened a case at GM and they also had no answer, and offered to give me "points" to buy another GM car. Havent had use of the car since because I'm afraid to drive it with the car revving forward and at the next moment losing power. My car has been sitting in the dealer's lot for over 3 months, while I continue to pay registration, insurance and watch the value of the vehicle decline. Dangerous and GM will not buyback or rectify!!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2017 Chevrolet Volt fuel system complaints
Page 5 of 9: complaints 101 to 130 of 241, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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.
Check engine light came on and low propulsion warning came on. Took my vehicle to the Dealership and was told that the EGR valve needs to be replaced. The only update I received a week or so later was that the part had been ordered. Now I am being told that the part is currently not available (out of stock) with no known ETA. In reading Volt threads, it appears that this is a widespread problem. I think it is unacceptable that GM cannot provide the parts that are needed to keep this car in operating order. It only has about 40,000 miles.
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.
EGR valve failed. This can cause the Volt to stall in traffic. No ETA on replacement. The situation seriously limits driving ability. Reduced propulsion and engine light came up. f3 fuse blew related to failed EGR. This is a known issue with Chevy Volts. It was checked out by dealership in Aug. They replaced fuse and basically said can only drive on electric. If turns over to gas it could cause major problems.
The EGR valve had failed, causing a check engine light, which turned into a blown fuse. The fuse blowing left the vehicle stranded until I unplugged the EGR valve and replaced the fuse. I drove it to a shop, where they replaced the valve and the car has been functional since then.
I am writing to report a series of safety concerns regarding my 2017 Chevy Volt, which have persisted despite multiple attempts to address them with the dealership. These issues pose significant risks to my safety and that of others on the road. On January 18th, 2024, I brought my vehicle to the Provo Utah Chevrolet dealer after experiencing reduced propulsion power while driving on the highway, coupled with the illumination of the check engine light. The mechanic performed a quick inspection and used a GM scan tool to diagnose the issue, revealing the code P1E00 for the Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2, which was cleared without a thorough investigation. I was advised to return if the issue reoccurred. Despite the reset, the problem persisted, and on February 9th, 2024, I scheduled another appointment due to my Chevy Volt's High Voltage battery charging only to 65% capacity despite indicating a full charge. However, upon arriving for the appointment at 4:00 PM, I was informed that the hybrid mechanic had left for the day, and I was asked to return on another day. Subsequently, on February 11th, 2024, the check engine light illuminated again, and on February 12th, 2024, while driving to work, I experienced a loss of propulsion power on the highway, placing my safety at risk. These ongoing issues with propulsion power and the high-voltage battery charging system are not only inconvenient but also potentially dangerous. Despite multiple visits to the dealership and attempts to diagnose and resolve the problem, it persists, indicating a systemic issue that requires immediate attention. I urge the federal safety agency to investigate this matter thoroughly to ensure the safety of Chevy Volt drivers and passengers. It is imperative that General Motors addresses these issues promptly and implements appropriate measures to prevent further incidents.
The EGR Valve on the vehicle went bad, causing the vehicle to display 'propulsion reduce' and 'engine not available' errors on the dashboard before the vehicle came to a stop while driving on an interstate. Searching this issue for the Chevrolet Volt online yields a significant amount of similar issues experienced by other Volt owners. Vehicle was inspected and repaired by a Chevrolet dealership, but seems to be a recurring issue with very limited parts supplied by GM, leading to potential of very long delays in repair time.
Was driving home from work and my car just stopped check engine light came one the engine came on but then went off and i was stranded my issurance came threw with a tow but from all good to a complete stop sucks
My BECM failed on my 2017 Volt. The vehicle set a check engine light and went into reduced engine power 3 times when I was driving it. I took it to a dealer in Metaire, Louisiana. That was 4 weeks ago. I have no confirmation of when the vehicle will be repaired. I have been communicating with both GM Customer Assistance and the dealership, Best Chevrolet in Metaire, Louisiana.
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.
Driving on the road with a near full electric battery and then lost most of my power and got this message on the dash along with a check engine light. "Propulsion Power is Reduced" - I was in freeway traffic on a hill and had to put hazards on to move to the slow lane. Engine came on and seemed to be revving to full power to maintain speed.
BECM failure on car confirmed at 128,000 miles. While driving the car's check engine light came on; immediately followed by a message of reduced propulsion and the EV range dropping to 0. Vehicle switched to gas and ran very rough for a short distance to an available stop. Have been informed by dealership that the vehicle is now unsafe for driving due to a potential stall.
I was in a neighborhood driving ~30 mph and slowed down to take a right turn. Once I completed the turn my car stalled out completely and would no longer accelerate. I tried putting the car in park and back into drive with no luck. I quickly turned the car off and back on and was able to resume driving. As I was just through the intersection I could have easily been hit while motionless and had my newborn baby and wife with me in the car at the time. The issue has no happened again, but I am terrified it might. As there were no warning signs or any signals of problem in the dashboard I don't have any idea when it might happen again.
While we were driving on the freeway, we saw a check engine light and “propulsion power is reduced” message. The car began driving very roughly and we had to slow down. We had this happen once before where the car engine stopped working entirely while driving at city speeds after seeing this error earlier in the summer, so we pulled over as soon as we could. We were traveling in a remote area at the time, just before the holidays, and it was fairly cold out. The car dealer inspected the car and told us it was unsafe to drive, that we could not take it back until it was fixed, and that it was an EGR valve problem. We previously had this fixed under warranty as well for similar behavior, and the car is barely five years old with very few miles on it. It’s our only car and we have been waiting on the part for weeks now, with no response on when we’ll be able to have our car back, and no rental car that we can drive in the meantime to get to our jobs and get groceries. The part is covered under our warranty. Both times this has happened to us, we were actively driving. In the city, it was very unsafe for the engine to unexpectedly stop as we were driving because of the amount of traffic and pedestrians, and because it meant we didn’t have full control of the vehicle. On the freeway, it was very unsafe because of the speed we were going on the freeway. Knowing that our engine was at high risk of unexpectedly stopping working while driving on the freeway from the past experience in the city made it difficult to safely concentrate on pulling over and also maneuver in traffic.
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.
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.
Propulsion power reduced message appears on dash board. Yes available for inspection. Unsafe to drive losing power on highway. Yes there are warning error messages appearing on dashboard.
Car won't start show codes U2622, U2621, U2620, U2619, P0AFA.
While driving in 60 degree weather, the vehicle’s check engine light lit on the dash and the vehicle abruptly stopped. I was able to push the vehicle safely in heavy traffic. I contacted Onstar who gave me the vehicle diagnosis. Onstar advised the following codes appeared POACA (Hybrid/ electric vehicle powertrain control module requested malfunction indicator lamp illumination), P1AEE ( the electric propulsion system is not performing as expected. Please service immediately), and P1AEF (the electric propulsion system is not performing as expected).
Car stopped operation while out doing errands. Car had to be parked and restarted and made it back home. Car would not start again. Had to have it towed to dealership, BECM needs replaced for $2000. Warranty should cover, but part is backordered. Not sure when it will be fixed and with the recent freezing temperatures could have been dangerous.
Vehicle stopped running, will not restart. ODB codes show failure of the BECM. Check engine light illuminated, READY indication turned off. Vehicle does not display battery or fuel status. We were left stranded by this failure.
First, the electrical system did fail suddenly in August 2023. Luckily, I was parked and so was not injured. I did report the electrical failure to the Hendrick Chevrolet dealership in Durham. But this Chevrolet Volt also does not fill up with gas. At the pump, gas just spills out of the tank. I've seen online that many people have this same problem. At the suggestion of Hendrick Chevrolet dealership in Durham (and after paying $210 for a diagnostic), I replaced the vent valve solenoid. The car filled up with gas twice. But once again, gas starts spilling out of the tank if you try and fill it up. The car only has about 25,000 miles on it and hasn't been driven extensively so it doesn't make sense that it is malfunctioning.
While driving the car in electric mode, a chime came on and flashed 'propulsion power is reduced', then it went into engine mode and the car decelerated quickly from posted 70mph speed to less than 40mph even though I pushed the accelerator pedal and reved the engine high. While in this low power driving mode, a warning came on saying the collision detection system was disabled. The concern is the person behind me had no warning since my brake lights did not come on. He sped around me with a bit of road rage. The problem temporarily goes away when you turn the ignition off and back on. I took it to the dealer and the said it needed a new EGR Cooler 4 hours labor $1500. Chevy Dealer pulled two codes P0401 Exhaust Gas Recirculation "A" Flow Insufficient Detected P1E00 Hybrid/EV Powertrain Control Module 2 I paid them the $165 diagnosis fee and got my car back and just plan to restart when it occurs. In another instance, I was pulling out from a parking lot into a busy road in electric mode and the car lost ALL power leaving me exposed in the line of traffic. Error messages on the dash said to 'service BECM' and 'shift to park'. The car was not drivable and had to be towed. Call me if you need any more information. Thank you, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
We were driving on the highway (my wife and younger son were passengers, and my 17 year old son was driver). He was in electric mode and then the engine propulsion reduced message came on and the check engine light came on. Car was still running, albeit slower. We stopped and filled up the gas, and got an engine unavailable message. Vehicle switched back to battery mode on its own and because there was no charge, the vehicle stopped ON THE HIGHWAY. The car lost all control and power abilities and it was very dangerous. They were able to pull over into the break down lane and they called a tow. Took the car to Mike Reichenbach Chevrolet in SC and they removed and replaced the EGR valve. However, within the last couple of weeks, my son has received the loss of propulsion message again and the car is violently shaking. This is a safety issue!
The Volts BECM has failed. There are warning lights constantly warning about Engine and low Propulsion. There are multiple symptoms. Most serious is that car has stalled while driving 3 times. If I pull over, put in park, then turn off; I can restart the engine using battery mode. It does not drive well in gas mode where gas fuels generator to charge battery for propulsion. It is now very loud and often won't allow you to drive faster than 30 MPH. The mileage diagnostics (MPG) are just over 50% of what they were before problem started. It often randomly switches from battery mode to gas. This is undesired. My problem is that the only certified tech is on other side of Island Volcano. I have no confidence that I can drive it to dealer, given the distance and power required to climb mountain. So, I am stuck with no way to fix. There are widespread reported issues, similar to mine, caused by defective BECM (Battery Energy Control Module). Problem started September 2023 and have issues every day I dare drive it.
Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) on 2017 Chevrolet Volt failed. Resulting in reduced propulsion power, no charging. Check engine light comes on. Dealer has confirmed this is a BECM issue.
EGR valve failed on [XXX] southbound near Cartersville, GA. Initially, the engine showed a Check Engine light, and showed a message that "Propulsion power had been reduced". Approxmately 60 seconds later before we could reach an exit, the engine shut off while driving at 60 MPH. Had to coast/navigate over two lanes while the car was slowing to make it to the shoulder, and was stuck on the shoulder while the engine cooled down enough to leave the shoulder. Jim Ellis Chevrolet confirmed the failed EGR valve, but have so far been able to reproduce the overheating in the shop. Replacing the EGR valve is estimated at $1100, with GM providing a $250 warranty assistance. I have confirmed with other Volt owners that this is a very common issue which affects all GM Volt 2 cars manufactured between 2016 and 2019. Enough of the EGR valves have failed that the part is in short supply with possible wait times of over 6 months. The EGR Valve is part of the emissions system. However, the problem appears to be (unconfirmed) a manufacturing defect in the control board for the valve. This fails, causing the engine block F3 fuse to blow. This fuse also powers the engine coolant pump, which is what takes this from an emissions problem to a safety problem--which can cause the car to shut down suddenly. References to the issue online: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] The issue has been confirmed the issue with this service bulletin: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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