2012 Chevrolet Volt Electrical Problems

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and occupied, the contact attempted to start the vehicle; however, the instrument panel displayed a blank screen. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 132,000.

NHTSA ID

11746435

Incident

May 25, 2026

Mileage

132,000 mi

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start, and the lights inside and outside of the vehicle failed to illuminate. The vehicle was jump-started. The failure reoccurred while attempting to restart the vehicle, and the contact was unable to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11712016

Incident

Jan 18, 2026

THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT. WHILE DRIVING AT THE SPEED OF 70MPH THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BECAME INOPERABLE WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE, ALONG WITH THE AMOUNT OF FUEL THAT WAS INSIDE THE VEHICLE OR ANY WARNING LAMPS. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED WITH THE VEHICLE HAVING 99,835 MILES.

NHTSA ID

11607202

Incident

Jul 1, 2024

Grandson was driving and went to brake to make a turn and the engine not available light came on and he had no brakes. He was unable to slow and take the turn and hit a truck in the front driver quarter panel which resulted in the car being a total loss.

NHTSA ID

11560993

Incident

Dec 11, 2023

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving approximately 50-60 MPH, the Engine Failure, Mountain Mode Not Available, Battery at Zero Percent, Propulsion Power Reduced, and High Voltage messages were displayed. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle then inadvertently decelerated to 30-40 MPH. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and turned off the vehicle. After several attempts, the vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the high-voltage battery pack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to pass the yearly vehicle inspection. The dealer loaded sample data into the computer and then drove the vehicle for 50 miles before the vehicle passed inspection. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23022 (Electrical System). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11560075

Incident

Dec 13, 2023

Mileage

100,000 mi

2012 CHEVROLET VOLT, THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN LOSING POWER FOR PROPULSION ON THE HIGHWAY/ROADS AT ALL SPEEDS. SHUTTING OFF. ELECTRIC CHARGE IS SUPPOSED TO SWITCH TO THE GASOLINE MOTOR WHEN IT IS LOW, BUT IT DOES NOT, AND VICE VERSA. IT SHOWS HYBRID BATTERY MANAGEMENT HAS A LOSS OF PROPULSION WITH A MESSAGE OF LOW PROPULSION POWER. THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM WAS NOT FIXED WITH A RECALL A FEW YEARS BACK BECAUSE THE SAME PROBLEM IS SHOWING UP. NOW, CHEVY DOES NOT HAVE THIS VIN BEING RECALLED. BUT WORSE, THE CONDITIONS IN THE SOFTWARE ARE CAUSING A POWERTRAIN FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. PLEASE HELP. I AM PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11498960

Incident

Oct 1, 2022

Blank (dark) main screen display for speedometer, fuel, etc. Fuse not blown. the vehicle is unsafe to drive. One can run out of electrical power and or gas and not know, stop on the highway and be in harms way. no turn signals, no speed indication at all, nothing. this is recall worthy! and needs to be addressed by chevy.

NHTSA ID

11485756

Incident

Jul 28, 2022

CAR SUDDENLY ENTERSINTO A NO START AND STALL.THIS IS BEING REPAIRED BY H&H CHEVROLET IN OMAHA AT OWNERS EXPENSE.THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE IN A FAULTY BATTERYCHARGE SENSOR. THE PART IS BEING ORDERED BY H&H SERVICE DEPARTMENT ANDIS NOTYET INSTALLED.AS OF 2/9/2022.

NHTSA ID

11451197

Incident

Feb 7, 2022

LCD Driver panel, fuel,odometer, speedometer, screen is completely black. Started flickering then went out. No warnings given. I have no idea how fast I am going nor how much gas/ battery power I have.

NHTSA ID

11436687

Incident

Oct 1, 2021

My instruments cluster that displays speedometer/fuel/battery charge indicator went absolutely blank while vehicle was in motion on busy highway. Only remedy recommend by Chevy dealer was to replace the entire assembly and reprogramming. I feel failure of essential display of basic functions to the driver is definitely a hazard to the vehicle operator and to the general public.

NHTSA ID

11433206

Incident

Sep 13, 2021

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that after entering and starting the vehicle, she became aware that the center console screen was showing a blank screen. The contact restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. After waiting for a few minutes, the contact drove the vehicle to her son’s home to charge the vehicle and the display screen started working. The contact was concerned that the failure would recur. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 87,000.

NHTSA ID

11431602

Incident

Sep 3, 2021

Mileage

87,000 mi

The display screen which shows my gas, battery amount as well as my speed has stopped working. I have changed the fuses, disconnected the battery and it still will not come on. This is dangerous, as I cannot see how fast I am going and can potentially run out of gas and battery power on the highway with no way to get anywhere. This is the only thing that has gone out, everything else in the car is working. It has been reproduced and I cannot drive anywhere safely because of this. I am in fear of what may happen, as well as the legal ramifications of not knowing my speed. No warning, just flickering of the screen and then it went blank and has not come back on.

NHTSA ID

11428933

Incident

Aug 12, 2021

THE VEHICLE HAS ILLUMINATED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WITH A WARNING THAT THE BATTERY IS TOO COLD. THIS OCCURRED WHILE IN MOTION ON A HIGHWAY UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS IN SUMMER TEMPERATURES. AN INTERNET SEARCH HAS INDICATED THAT A TEMPERATURE SENSOR MAY BE TO BLAME, AND THAT THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MAY TRY TO HEAT THE BATTERY TO AN UNSAFE LEVEL.

NHTSA ID

11408084

Incident

Apr 2, 2021

Mileage

101,000 mi

TEMPERATURE SENSORS RESPONSIBLE FOR MONITORING THE BATTERY PACK FAIL UNEXPECTEDLY. SOMETIMES DISPLAYING A "BATTERY TOO COLD PLUG INTO WARM" MESSAGE OR A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. PERSONALLY, THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I'VE HAD A SENSOR FAIL. THE ENTIRE MODULE CONTAINING THE FAILED SENSOR MUST BE REPLACED. THE BATTERY IS MADE UP OF THREE DIFFERENT SECTIONS CALLED MODULES. WHEN A SENSOR FAILS, THE CAR WILL SIMPLY REFUSE TO START DESPITE BEING WITHIN A NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURE RANGE. I'VE HAD THE MESSAGE DISPLAY WHEN IN MOTION. THIS TIME HOWEVER, THE MESSAGE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND A BURNING ODOR THAT RESEMBLES BURNING PLASTIC WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING. I HAVE YET TO EXPERIENCE REDUCED PROPULSION OF ANY KIND WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

11396561

Incident

Jan 20, 2021

Mileage

75,000 mi

PURCHASED CAR 5-31-12-RECEIVED GM'S '19 RECALL TO REPROGRAM HPCM TO ELIMINATE PPR SOME VEHICLES HAD. PRIOR TO SERVICE NO ISSUES. COOLANTS REPLACED SAME TIME. SERVICE DONE 11-19-19 BY OURISMAN ROCKMONT @ 141,301~85% EV, WITH NEGATIVE IMPACT. RANGE NOW TO 28~32 MILES/CHG, 8.1-8.3 KWH CONSUMED, PRIOR 36-38 MILES/CHG 9.7-9.9 KWH@60-75F. ENG NOW RUNS RANDOMLY @ TEMPS BTW 40-65F. CALLED GM,COMPLAINED ASSIGNED CASE#9-56696768626&TAYLOR@866-790-5600X5916129. MULTI MSGS B4 CALL RETURNED. ADVICE-RETURN TO DEALER, DID ON 12-5-19 TOLD CAR FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. CALLED GM VOICED DISCONTENT W/CAR SINCE RECALL SERVICE. TOLD GM RELIES ON DEALER TECHS TO DETERMINE IF CAR IS FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. PER ADVISOR'S REC, TOOK 3RD TRIP TO DEALER. DEALER REP STATED CAR WAS WORKING CORRECTLY, SAID HE HAD COMPLAINTS FROM OTHERS AFTER RECALL WORK, ENGINE RUNNING DUE TO LOW TEMP, BATTERIES & RANGE DETERIORATE OVER TIME. REQUESTED CAR BE RETURNED PRE-RECALL STATE, TOLD NOT AN OPTION. EXPECTED BATTERY DETERIORATION FROM START, DIDN'T EXPECT GM/DEALER TO BREAK CAR, CAUSING 2 HAPPEN IN 1 DAY. PREVIOUSLY ENG RAN AT 24F W/SCREEN SHOWING RUNNING DUE TO TEMP. NO SCREEN NOW. CAR SPEED DROPS WHEN ENGINE ENGAGES, SAFETY ISSUE ON BUSY ROADS. WROTE GM 5/20 & DEALER 11/2020,NO REPLY. CAR DRIVEN <6K MI IN '20 DUE TO THESE ISSUES. DON'T TRUST GM/DEALER TO FIX CAR. GM SENDS ME TO DEALER SAYS CAR PERFORMING CORRECTLY. CAR NO LONGER CHRGS, INDICATES CHG SYSTEM SERVICE REQUIRED. AFTER 2 TRIPS TO GM DEALER, STILL NOT WORKING, TOLD BATTERY MAY NEED REPLACING. IF SO DAMAGE DONE BY GM DEALER & GM HPCM2 UPDATE. TOLD IN '19 BY OURISMAN REP UPDATE FIXED BATTERY CELL REBALANCING ISSUE. SINCE HPCM2 REPROGRAMMING MY CARS PERFORMANCE FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED & SAFETY ISSUE WHEN ENGINE ENGAGES. GM SHOULD RECALL VEHICLES, FIX THEM MAKING OWNERS WHOLE SINCE IT IS THEIR SOFTWARE & DEALER SERVICE TECHNICIANS WHO CREATED SAFETY ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11390095

Incident

Nov 19, 2019

Mileage

141,301 mi

THE DASHBOARD INSTRUMENT PANEL GOES BLANK IN COLD WEATHER. NOT ABLE TO SEE SPEED OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION.

NHTSA ID

11387966

Incident

Jan 1, 2021

Mileage

72,000 mi

THE DRIVER'S INFO SCREEN (SPEED, ODOMETER, REMAINING FUEL, WARNING LIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS, SAFETY MESSAGES, ETC.) WENT BLANK WHILE I WAS DRIVING. IT INTERMITTENTLY COMES BACK ON, BUT GOES BLANK AGAIN.

NHTSA ID

11385023

Incident

Dec 25, 2020

Mileage

160,000 mi

PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG SENSOR IN SEAT FAILING ON AND OFF FOR A COUPLE MONTHS, STEADILY GETTING WORSE AND LIGHT/WARNING COMING ON MORE OFTEN UNTIL IT'S CONTINUOUSLY FAILING. SEAT DID NOT GET WET OR DAMAGED.

NHTSA ID

11372422

Incident

Mar 2, 2020

Mileage

115,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER HAVING TO BASICALLY DEPRESS GAS PEDAL TO MAINTAIN SPEED WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY RECEIVING "REDUCED PROPULSION ERROR". DEALER CLEARED ERROR AND DID A REPROGRAM. AFTER PICKING UP VEHICLE RANGE WAS REDUCED APPROXIMATELY 1/3RD BUT CAR RAN. SHAME ON ME FOR NOT BEING MORE FORCEFUL ABOUT RANGE REDUCTION BECAUSE THIS BATTERY WAS DEFECTIVE. THIS SUMMER JUNE 2020 COMPLAINED ABOUT REDUCED RANGE AND DEALER DID MORE PROGRAMING. NOW IN OCTOBER 2020 REDUCED PROPULSION ERROR CAME BACK AND HYBRID BATTERY IS BAD. WARRANTY RAN OUT IN MAY 2020 AND GM REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE 2018 DATE OF DEFECTIVE BATTERY.

NHTSA ID

11365989

Incident

Jan 12, 2018

Mileage

51,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER'S BOYFRIEND OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HIS WIFE WAS DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY INDEPENDENTLY SLOWED DOWN WITH AN UNKNOWN MESSAGE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT'S WIFE CONTINUED DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT A SLOW SPEED. UPON REACHING HER DESTINATION, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. DUE TO THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT'S WIFE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO HER RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRICAL VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE RECHARGED, AND REMAINED INOPERABLE. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE HOWEVER, OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. A DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 149,627.

NHTSA ID

11361851

Incident

Aug 19, 2020

Mileage

149,627 mi

THE ISSUE IS CAUSED BY A PREVIOUS SOFTWARE UPDATE TO THE VEHICLE INTERFACE CONTROL MODULE (VICM) WHICH WAS INSTALLED TO IMPROVE THE CAR, BUT WHICH MAY HAVE DISABLED THE CELL BALANCING FUNCTION, CAUSING THE VOLT TO ENTER A LOW-VOLTAGE CONDITION. THIS PUTS THE AFFECTED VOLTS INTO A SITUATION WHERE IT WOULD ENTER WHAT IS CALLED A LOW-POWER "LIMP-HOME" MODE, BEFORE SHUTTING DOWN COMPLETELY CAUSE THE VOLT TO SHUT DOWN IN TRAFFIC. DEALER STATES THAT NEEDS TO REPLACE BATTERY WHICH IT COST ABOUT 6000. CHEVROLET IS NOT RESPONDING FOR THE DEFECTIVE PROBLEM THAT CAUSED THE RECALL. LOW-VOLTAGE BATTERY CELL ISSUE OR PROPULSION REDUCE

NHTSA ID

11343126

Incident

Jul 24, 2020

Mileage

112,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, THE REDUCED PROPULSION ERROR MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE ENGINE REVVED UP AND THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO BEATY CHEVROLET (9615 PARKSIDE DR, KNOXVILLE, TN 37922) WHERE HE WAS INFORMED THAT THE VOLTAGE ON THE BATTERY WAS LOW AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT SPOKE TO SERRA CHEVROLET CADILLAC BUICK GMC KIA (189 STONEBRIDGE BLVD, JACKSON, TN 38305) WHERE THE DEALER DISCUSSED TRADING IN THE VEHICLE, BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 162,000.

NHTSA ID

11329577

Incident

May 27, 2020

Mileage

162,000 mi

DRIVER SCREEN GOES COMPLETELY BLANK, LEAVING THE DRIVER WITH NO IDEA HOW MANY MILES UNTIL EMPTY, NO SPEEDOMETER, NO WARNING LIGHTS, OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION. *TR

NHTSA ID

11326532

Incident

May 29, 2020

Mileage

95,607 mi

WHILE THE VEHICLE IS PARKED AND THE KEY FOB IS CARRIED INSIDE THE OWNERS PANTS POCKET, THE OWNER'S KEYS WILL INADVERTENTLY PRESS AGAINST THE UNLOCK BUTTON ON THE FOB FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME (5 SECS ?). THE REMOTE WILL IN TURN SIGNAL THE VOLT TO POWER ALL FOUR WINDOWS IN THE CAR TO THE "EXPRESS WINDOW DOWN" FEATURE. DURING THIS TIME FRAME THE OWNER OF THE CAR IS UNAWARE OF THE WINDOWS IN THE LOWERED POSITION AND IF RAIN ENTERS THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR THE INTERIOR & SEATS BECOME SATURATED. THIS IN TURN MAY CAUSE THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OCCUPANCY SENSOR TO MALFUNCTION AND DISPLAY THE "SERVICE AIRBAG" WARNING LIGHT ON THE DRIVER INSTRUMENTATION SCREEN. THERE ARE REPORTS FROM GM SERVICE DEPARTMENTS TELLING CUSTOMERS THE AIRBAG OCCUPANCY SENSOR IS DEFECTIVE BECAUSE THE OWNER GOT THE SEAT WET AND OFFER VERY LITTLE ASSISTANCE. THE EXPRESS WINDOW DOWN FEATURE CAN NOT BE SWITCHED OFF FROM ANY MENU SETTINGS OF THE CAR. THIS IS A CLEAR RECALL THAT CAN ADVERSELY EFFECT THE DRIVER / PASSENGER AIRBAG SAFELY DEPLOYING.

NHTSA ID

11312124

Incident

Feb 28, 2020

Mileage

91,000 mi

BREAKS FAILED WHILE DRIVING 25-30 MPH ON WINDY MOUNTAIN ROAD . THERE WAS NO WARNING , CAR STARTED TO ACCELERATE DOWNHILL GRADUALLY . AFTER ABOUT 0.3 MILES I WAS ABLE TO FINALLY PUSH EMERGENCY BREAKS (IT'S A BUTTON AND DIDN'T WORK AT FIRST ) GET TO MORE FLAT ROAD AND STOPED THE CAR BY DRIVING ON GRAVEL AND DRY BRUSH . VEHICLE COMPLETELY LOST ITS POWER ABOUT 2-3 MINUTES LATER . EMERGENCY LIGHTS DIDN'T WORK . CHP ASSISTED US AS CAR WAS ABANDONED IN THE MIDDLE OF MOUNTAIN ROAD , BLOCKING THE WHOLE LINE . GM HAS NOT OFFERED ANY EXPLANATION YET .

NHTSA ID

11280174

Incident

Nov 12, 2019

Mileage

124,000 mi