Chevrolet Volt adaptive cruise problems

Filed Oct 24, 2026 · Electrical, Fuel system · UT

While driving through a canyon to get home, my check engine light came on and I saw the message "Propulsion Power Reduced" on my dash. The speed limit on that road is 65 mph, and I lost power going up a hill and went from 65 mph on cruise control to 48 mph. There are a lot of cars on that road, and it could've caused a serious accident. My vehicle does exactly what the GM extended coverage describes and is within the parameters, but somehow my vehicle does not qualify. This could've been bad on that road is it was raining or snowing.

Filed Dec 1, 2025 · Acceleration, Electrical · CO

The engine light starts blinking and telling me propulsion power reduced, and then I cannot use the cruise control after that turns on, and it starts losing power, driving on I 70 after work all of a sudden it turned on and wet from going 76 miles an hour to 52 on highway I 70 where the speed limit was 75. This problem was a recall problem which was fixed and now is happening again on the same part and having the same problems.

Filed Dec 20, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · TX

Driving on gas on the highway, the adaptive cruise control suddenly disabled with a "Reduced Propulsion" message on the dash and a check engine light. The car started struggling in its propulsion. We found an AutoZone and scanned the codes, and multiple were returned. A Google search pointed us to the "walk home" fuse, which indeed had been blown. Replacing that fuse and disconnecting/reconnecting the battery eliminated the errors. Less than a week later during highway driving (the next time the battery charge was used up and it switched to the ICE) I got another check engine light, but this time without the "reduced propulsion" message. Scanning at AutoZone again revealed a P0404 message referencing the EGR valve. Due to the limited availability of the part I have called into Covert Bastrop (Bastrop, TX) and am waiting to hear back on their ability to fix the car.

Filed Sep 5, 2024 · Engine, Fuel system · NC

I was driving on a highway around 70 mph on cruise control, without warning a “propulsion power reduced” message came up with the check engine light turning on and the car stopped accelerating/let off of cruise control. Very dangerous when driving at speeds above 70mph. I took the Car to Chevy and they said it’s a EGR valve issue and that it would cost roughly $3,800 and the part is on massive back order. r Reading online, there’s many Volt drivers with the same issue and can’t get the part for months on (with some being offered a repurchase of the car from GM so the problem would go away) it seems like Chevy and or GM do not have sufficient parts to fix the massive amount of Volts having this specific problem and on top of that, this is the largest quote I’ve seen for this repair.

Filed Feb 7, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · MN

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.

Filed Dec 8, 2023 · Driver assistance, Engine · CA

On 2 separate time periods, "propulsion power reduced" message appears on dash: - 1st incident in November 2022, car would not move after powering off the vehicle. After sitting idle for a week, decided to retry, and car seemed to work normally. Took it in to Chevy service, they replaced the BECM. Car worked fine after this - 2nd incident in November 2023, again 'propulsion power reduced' message appeared. This time, however, car would suddenly cut off gas engine (even at highway speed), switching to 100% battery mode, and displaying 'Engine not available' on dashboard. Fuel level indicator would immediately display 'LOW' (even though gas tank was full). Reduced acceleration on battery mode. Car is now in same service center awaiting fix for the past month. Was quite an unsafe situation, especially at highway speeds, and especially given the fact that the battery also may have been at a low state of charge, risking complete vehicle breakdown. Coupled with both of these incidents, the cruise control intermittently shuts off, displaying 'Cruise control unavailable'. Car is lightly utilized, with just over 30k miles on the odometer to date. Additionally, the car is kept in a mild climate (coastal southern california) and parked in a covered spot shielded from sun and temperature extremes.

Filed Dec 1, 2023 · Engine · MO

Was driving on the highway at approximately 70mph for a couple of hours, when I suddenly received a check engine light and "Reduced Propulsion Power" message. Engine temperatures were much higher than normal (220F-240F). Was able to get the car to a Chevrolet dealership eventually where they diagnosed the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve as faulty. There are no parts available for months. Any time that I drive on gas power at highway speeds, engine temperatures are high and cruise control has disengaged. This is a safety issue as I am not always able to maintain speed during extended highway driving when using the gas engine.

Filed Apr 11, 2023 · Brakes, Driver assistance · IL

Several times since I purchased the car in Jan 2022, the left and/or right front brakes have dragged without brake pedal actuation while I was driving in surface street traffic, typically with speed limits of 25 to 35 mph. This has resulted in overheating of the brake caliper, rotor, and wheel. Typically the car can be driven again without issue after two hours of cool-off time. This phenomenon has occurred during both battery/electric and gasoline engine operation of the plug-in hybrid car. There are no instrument indications of a brake malfunction when it happens. It first becomes perceptible as a pulsation through the steering wheel and requires increased throttle pedal pressure to maintain speed. I brought the car to my local Chevrolet dealer after the first two of these incidents. Their first recommendation was a new set of tires to remove the influence of one mismatched tire. The new tires did not resolve the issue, and the dealer has not performed any other corrective action beyond a recommendation to replace calipers and rotors. Due to the intermittent nature of the failure and the fact that it affects both of the front brakes, I believe this is an ABS system issue and not a caliper/rotor issue, and I have not replaced those parts yet. The car's adaptive cruise control does not work properly. It almost always fails to set and shows "Adaptive Cruise Temporarily Unavailable" regardless of road conditions. This condition is intermittent and is not reproducible on demand. This condition is dangerous because it overheats the brake, wheel, and steering components. The heat may have damaged the wheel bearing, steering components, and CV joints. The heat also creates a risk of sudden wheel and/or tire failure while driving. The unexpected application of the brakes affects vehicle response to throttle and steering inputs, and has the potential to reduce driver control of the vehicle.

Filed Oct 31, 2022 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · UT

I was getting on the I15 freeway. After I entered, I set the cruise control and it immediately began to accelerate the vehicle to maximum speed. I was unable to turn it off and had to repeatedly push the brakes to keep the speed below 70 + mph. Smoke from the brakes began to fill the passenger compartment. I got off the freeway and when I slowed to about 20 mph, I heard a clunk under the dash and the cruise control turned off. I drove home the rest of the way without cruise control without incident. I am taking the car to a Chevy dealer today to investigate the cause.

Filed Jul 29, 2022 · Brakes, Electrical · CA

Driving 75mph with cruise control during moderate traffic on freeway about 30 minutes after starting the car, my Volt shut off. There was a jolt of the car that felt like strong breaking and my dash along with everything electrical shut off for about 2 seconds then kicked back on with "Service Theft Deterent" on dash. I could not break or steer the vehicle. I had to come to a rolling stop on shoulder of freeway. Luckily I was in toll lane #1 next to the shoulder or I might have been in a wreck with other cars. I have a check engine light on now and a scheduled appointment at Chevy dealer made prior to today for tomorrow. I have had an issue with my Volt not charging at home/work for a few weeks. No breakers pop, the vehicle just wont complete the charge. The battery was replaced a week ago, driven over 250 miles with new battery, and it is still not charging properly. I have no messages on my vehicle regarding battery, engine, etc. Just the check engine light lit up.