RoadVitals

2011 Chevrolet Volt Airbags Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Airbags reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest Aug 23, 2021
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
16%
of 49 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
1
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
1

What this page shows

Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2011 Chevrolet Volt submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming airbag

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

AirbagsInterior & seats
Filed Aug 23, 2021

FOR UNKNOWN REASON CHECK AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON. NO ONE SITS IN PASSENGER SEAT AND THE SEAT HAS NOT BEEN WET.

NHTSA ID
11430167
Incident
Aug 20, 2021
AirbagsElectricalInterior & seats
Filed Nov 6, 2020

SINCE THE SPRING OF 2020, "SERVICE AIR BAG" WARNING COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY, RELATED TO PASSENGER SEAT AIRBAG. WARNING GENERALLY COMES ON AT STARTUP, IF IT APPEARS. NO FLUIDS HAVE BEEN SPILLED ON THE SEAT, AND NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE SEAT. I AM THE SECOND OWNER, PURCHASED FROM FRIEND, CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN GARAGED AND SERVICED REGULARLY. ONLINE SEARCH SUGGESTS THAT OTHER OWNERS HAVE SAME ISSUE, AND THAT DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR CAN BE $500 TO $1000. I HAVE NOT HAD A CHEVROLET DEALER DIAGNOSE THIS ISSUE SINCE IT IS INTERMITTENT. CURRENT MARKET VALUE OF VEHICLE (55K MILES, OTHERWISE EXCELLENT CONDITION, A GREAT CAR TO DRIVE) MAKES COST OF REPAIR DIFFICULT TO JUSTIFY, ESPECIALLY IF IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN WITHOUT WARNING.

NHTSA ID
11373533
Incident
May 2, 2020
Mileage
53,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Sep 24, 2020

THE AIRBAG LIGHT HAS TURNED AND AIRBAG SENSOR IS BAD. PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT ILLUMINATE AND WORK FOR SOMEONE SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ID
11360869
Incident
Sep 24, 2020
Mileage
10 mi
Airbags
Filed Nov 21, 2019

'SERVICE AIRBAG' CHIME AND LIGHT COMING ON, ROUTINELY, EVEN WITH OR WITH ANYBODY IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. I HAVE NOT TAKEN THE CAR TO A DEALER YET SINCE I HAVE BEEN READING FORUM INPUT ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND SEEING HUGE COST TO REPAIR. CAR HAS ONLY 81K MILES AND HAS NEVER BEEN FLOODED OR HAD WATER ON THE SEAT(PASSENGER).

NHTSA ID
11281492
Incident
Nov 6, 2019
Mileage
81,000 mi
Airbags
Filed Sep 24, 2019

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED DUE TO A FAILED SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. HAD TO REPLACE WITH A USED SEAT.

NHTSA ID
11257702
Incident
Aug 21, 2019
Mileage
134,458 mi
Airbags
Filed Sep 24, 2019

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED DUE TO A FAILED SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. HAD TO REPLACE WITH A USED SEAT.

NHTSA ID
11257693
Incident
Sep 24, 2019
Mileage
96,667 mi
Airbags
Filed Mar 23, 2019

SERVICE AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON AT STARTUP. ITS THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR IN SEAT, SOUNDS LIKE ITS THE PRESSURE PLATE TO ACTIVATE AIR BAG IS BAD. SOUNDS LIKE A COMMON THING WITH THE VOLT?

NHTSA ID
11191100
Incident
Feb 10, 2019
Mileage
80,000 mi
AirbagsBrakesElectrical
Filed Mar 19, 2014
Crash reported1 injury reported

THE CAR HAS PROCEEDED TO HAVE MULTIPLE ISSUES, WITH THE MOST PREDOMINANT AND LIFE THREATENING ISSUE BEING AN AIRBAG FAILURE...TWICE. OTHER ISSUES: RADIO, DOOR LOCKS, AND PARK ASSIST ENGAGE/DISENGAGE ON THEIR OWN. BRAKES NOT CATCHING CAUSING CAR TO ROLL. POWER FAILURE AND WON'T START. APRIL 2013, THE VEHICLE WAS T-BONED AT A RATE OF SPEED OVER 45MPH. THE AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY; CAUSED PERSONAL INJURY. GM SENT OUT AN INSPECTOR, AND PULLED THE DATA. RESPONSE BACK WAS ?NO EVENT RECORDED? AND WAS DISMISSED. OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING HAPPENED, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE CAR WAS IN THE BODY SHOP FOR 6 MONTHS BEING REPAIRED. JANUARY 2014 WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY THE CAR LOSES POWER, AND WON'T ACCELERATE OVER 19MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ENGAGED AND ?REDUCED PROPULSION? MESSAGE FLASHING. ONSTAR DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE INSTANTLY, AND SAID THE VEHICLE MAY BE UNSAFE TO DRIVE DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION AND ENGINE FAULT. WE REACHED OUT TO CLASSIC CHEVROLET GRAPEVINE, AND THEY WOULD NOT ASSIST US, EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE IS UNDER WARRANTY. JANUARY 2014, A SECOND COLLISION, A TRUCK CLIPPED THE FRONT OF THE CAR SPEED WAS OVER 35MPH, THE TIRE BLEW, AND SUDDEN DECELERATION, RESULTING IN $14,000+ IN DAMAGES AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY, AND CAUSING RE-INJURY. GM SENT OUT IT'S THIRD PARTY COMPANY TO INSPECT, AND AN EVENT WAS RECORDED THIS TIME, HOWEVER WAS A ?NON-EVENT? EVENT. GM STATES A EVENT WAS RECORDED, BUT COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. IN FEBRUARY 2014 WE REACHED OUT TO GM DIRECTLY, ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION, AND ASSISTANCE REGARDING OUR FLAWED 2011 CHEVROLET VOLT, AND WERE TOLD THEY ?RESEARCHED AND EVALUATED OUR CONCERN, AND FULFILLED ITS OBLIGATION? TO US. HOWEVER, THEY DID NOTHING. ANSWERED NO QUESTIONS, OFFERED NO RESOLUTION OR FIX. GM HAS A HISTORY OF NOT INVESTIGATING FATAL FLAWS, AND COVERING UP ITS NEGLIGENCE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10573309
Incident
Apr 13, 2013
Mileage
28,606 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Electrical23

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .