Chevrolet Volt battery drain problems

Filed Dec 22, 2025 · Transmission · WA

My 2018 Chevrolet Volt frequently fails to recognize when the vehicle is shifted into Park. The dashboard displays “Shift to Park” even though the gear selector is already in Park. When this occurs, the vehicle will not power off, requiring multiple attempts to move the shifter before shutdown is possible. This creates a safety risk because the vehicle may be left powered on unintentionally and may not properly secure itself in Park. In one occasion, the vehicle moved backwards even when shifter was in Park, which created a collision risk. This is a known defect affecting many GM vehicles, including the Chevrolet Volt, and has been widely reported by owners. I am concerned about unintended vehicle movement, battery drain, and driver safety.

Filed Aug 7, 2025 · Electrical · CA

When shift lever is moved to Park, the car often does not recognize it is in Park and can't be shut down. It takes a lot of time of moving the selector in and out of Park to finally get the car to recognize it is in Park. During an occasion when the car would not go into Park, the car ran for hours while the driver was at work. This seems to be a known issue (micro switch) with this model. This is available for inspection upon request. Safety is at risk because this condition leads to not being able to shut the car down, which leads to the potential for a dead battery and getting stranded. While I have not yet had my car's problem reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, there is a lot of evidence in online forums of the prevalence of this problem. The vehicle/component has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. There weren't any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure as long as we've owned the vehicle. We purchased this vehicle less than a week ago, on August 2, 2025. The issue presented itself once on our test drive and again intermittently in the six days we've owned the vehicle.

Filed Jul 10, 2025 · Electrical, Transmission · CA

Vehicle: 2017 Chevrolet Volt Purchased: March 2017, new from Quality Chevrolet, Escondido, CA I am reporting a persistent and worsening issue with the “Shift to Park” system in my 2017 Chevy Volt. The problem began approximately three months after purchase (mid-2017) and has continued to worsen over time. Initially, the issue occurred intermittently, but it now happens every time I attempt to turn off the vehicle. The vehicle fails to recognize that it is in Park, displaying a “Shift to Park” message on the dashboard even when the gear selector is correctly positioned. This prevents the car from shutting off properly and poses a safety and battery drain risk. I brought the vehicle to Quality Chevrolet for service on the following dates: June 2017 April 2018 August 2020 Despite these visits, the dealership failed to diagnose or resolve the issue. On July 9, 2025, I returned to the same dealership, and they finally diagnosed the problem as a faulty jumper harness and switch contact, quoting $586 plus tax for the repair. I requested a goodwill repair from GM, given that the issue began within the warranty period and has been ongoing for years, but my request was denied. This is a known and widespread issue affecting many GM vehicles, and I believe it represents a design or manufacturing defect that should be subject to a recall or broader investigation. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate this issue further to ensure consumer safety and accountability.

Filed Apr 22, 2025 · Acceleration, Electrical · CA

I am submitting this complaint regarding a recurring and potentially hazardous issue in my Chevrolet Volt 2017.The vehicle frequently displays a “Shift to Park” warning message even when the gear shifter is correctly in the Park position. This malfunction prevents the car from shutting off properly, posing both safety and operational concerns. This issue is widely reported among Chevrolet Volt owners, and General Motors has acknowledged it in Technical Service Bulletin (TSB 19-NA-206). Despite this, no formal recall has been issued to ensure a permanent solution for affected drivers. My Volt currently has 138000miles, and although it is outside of the Voltec Warranty period, this is clearly a manufacturer defect—not a result of normal wear and tear. The problem affects the safe operation of the vehicle and may lead to battery drain, inability to power down the car, and driver confusion. I strongly urge the federal safety agency to investigate this issue and consider initiating a recall to protect drivers and ensure accountability. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Filed Jan 2, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · CA

My Chevy Volt has been having spotty pop-ups stating that "Propulsion Power is Reduced" for about a month, but I was not sure how reliable the pop-up was as there were plenty of days the pop-up would not come on when starting the car. On the day of my incident in October 2023, I once again received the "Propulsion Power is Reduced" pop-up when I started my car. While driving, I stopped at a stoplight, and my battery drained. When the battery is drained, I usually don't have anything to worry about, as the Volt is an EV hybrid, and I can use the gas until I can charge my vehicle again. But the Check Engine Light came on when the battery drained this time. When the light became green, I started to drive like normal, but I suddenly got a pop-up on the screen regarding the engine no longer working, and the car rapidly began to cruise while I was in the middle of the road. I was lucky enough to have space to pull over to the side, have a tow truck to get me, and not be in the middle of a busy street or highway. I scheduled an appointment with my local Chevy dealer for an inspection and figured something could be done to fix my vehicle. I was told my car was under warranty and what parts were needed to repair it. This was in October 2023, and I have been waiting for nearly 3 months for the EGR Valve required to repair my car after being told countless times that it is in backorder. I don't understand how a part can be in backorder for so long for a vehicle that is not being produced anymore. I was told I could drive my car in electric mode, but I do not want to risk the safety of others by having my battery suddenly become drained, as the EV Range the dashboard shows is never correct and rapidly drains.

Filed Dec 31, 2023 · Engine, Fuel system · TN

Initially was receiving intermittent “Recieved Propulsion Power” warning and no check engine light. Did it about every 2 weeks but became worse. Received Reduced Propulsion power warning on a road trip from East TN to Charlotte then showed a check engine light. I continued to Charlotte I had 4 miles left on battery and was running on gas engine when “Engine Not Available” warning came on leaving me with a nearly dead battery for propulsion. Fortunately, there was a very nearby GM dealership in Charlotte which I was able to drop off and flew out of town for the week. I was told by the dealership that it was an O2 sensor and they had replaced it. Picked up the car the next week. I began the 3 hour trip back to East TN and about 30 miles into the trip I received the Reduced Propulsion Power AND Engine Not Available. I had about 10 miles left on the battery so I stopped and stayed at a hotel with a car charger overnight. Resumed trip home that am, but same code was displayed and engine would not come on. Rented a uhaul w/trailer and towed it home. Dropped it off at Champion Chevrolet in Johnson City and they diagnosed it as a faulty EGR valve. I learned that the part has been back ordered and looking at web forums I see people have described the same problem and they have been waiting many months for an EGR to be available. So, nature of complaint is: I got lucky in that I did not get stranded. Fortunately I was in the right place at the right time. I could have easily totally lost propulsion were my battery were fail and don’t know if I could have gotten off the roadway.

Filed Dec 18, 2023 · Electrical · 20,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the Hybrid battery drained; however, the engine failed to activate as needed. Due to the failure, the vehicle stalled, and the contact coasted the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway. Due to the failure, the vehicle was initially towed to the residence then to the dealer. The vehicle was kept in dealer possession where repairs were made to the ECM (Electrical Control Module). Since the repair, the contact stated that the vehicle intermittently failed to start up while depressing the START/STOP button. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

Filed Jun 14, 2023 · Electrical · OR

After putting the vehicle in park and turning off the engine, the car gives a warning that the car is not in park. The main problem with the inability to shift into the park gear is that I anm unable to shut off my vehicle, which could potentially drain the battery. Consumers have been unable to exit, lock, and turn off their vehicles due to the shifting malfunction. The true issue at hand here is not that the vehicle is unable to physically shift into the park gear, but the vehicle is incapable of detecting the shift. Typically, when this malfunction occurs, the driver will receive a “Shift to Park” message on the driver information center, even if the gear selector is moved to park and the ignition is switched to the off position. The driver then must either restart the vehicle and try to repeat the shutting down process or toggle the shifter enough that the vehicle’s electrical system finally detects the shift change. While this strategy sometimes does the trick—it doesn’t always work, and drivers are stuck with a vehicle that will not shift into park.

Filed Jun 20, 2022 · Transmission · FL

When attempting to power down the car, a message, “Action required, Shift to Park” appears and car will not power down. After repeated attempts, sometimes requiring 10 or more, by re-starting the car and attempting to power down, it has eventually powered down. This problem is intermittent and the car WILL power down successfully repeated times, and then do it’s “shift to park” refusal to power down. There are hundreds of complaints on the GM Volt owners’ forum and even a Technical Service Bulletin No. 19-NA-206 dated February 2020 (maybe even more recent, but that’s the latest one I know of). The service bulletin also includes the Chevy Blazer, Malibu, Traverse and GMC Acadia (which, I understand, there is now a class action suit in that regard). If the car will not power down, it could drain the battery and leave the driver stranded, as well as making the car unable to be locked, which could also be a safety issue.

Filed Oct 11, 2021 · Transmission · CA

Car does not sent park position when lever is pushed in park position. This results in car not being turned off and drains the battery.