2016 Chevrolet Volt Owner Complaints

The Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) on my 2016 Chevrolet Volt has failed. The vehicle and the component are currently located at my home address and are available for inspection upon request. As of writing this now. This failure caused the vehicle to enter a "reduced power mode" and subsequently resulted in a no-start and no-charge condition. The sudden loss of propulsion power presents a severe safety and crash risk, as the vehicle can lose motive power and stall unexpectedly while in transit. Prior to the complete failure, the vehicle displayed a Check Engine Light and a "Reduced Propulsion Power" message on the dashboard. The local Chevrolet dealership has inspected the vehicle, pulled the associated diagnostic trouble codes, and officially confirmed that the BECM has failed. General Motors has already acknowledged this specific safety defect through Special Coverage Bulletin N232432680, which extends BECM warranty coverage to 15 years or 150,000 miles to prevent sudden loss of propulsion. However, GM corporate and the dealership are refusing to honor this bulletin. They are denying coverage due to an administrative database flaw because my vehicle's under-hood VECI label designates it as an original California (CARB/PZEV) vehicle, GM's system excluded my VIN from the Special Coverage bulletin automation. Furthermore, because the vehicle is currently registered in a non-CARB state (Texas), the original CARB warranty is considered void. GM is using this internal database loophole to deny repairing a documented safety defect.

NHTSA ID

11747550

Incident

Jun 22, 2026

I purchased the above-listed 2016 Chevrolet Volt through Carvana, relying on the contractual promise that the BECM was covered under Special Coverage N232432680 for up to 15yrs or 150k miles. The vehicle has suffered persistent, severe mechanical and electrical issues resulting in a prolonged loss of use: 1. Initial Breakdown and Delivery: The vehicle originally had a Reduced Propulsion Power Alert on Monday [XXX] around 8pm and nearly caused me to be rear ended on a major road due to accelration issues. It then officially broke down on Tuesday, [XXX]. It was then delivered to Vic Koenig Chevrolet (1040 E Main St, Carbondale, IL 62901) via Tow By Freedom Towing the following Friday, May 29, 2026. 2. Delayed Work Start & Shop Stay: Vic Koenig Chevrolet was able to officially begin diagnostic and repair work on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. The facility held the vehicle for several weeks to address the failures. 3. Brief Release and Immediate Re-Breakdown: I picked up the vehicle upon its supposed completion on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. Then less than 24 hours later, on Wednesday, [XXX], the vehicle suffered a recurring breakdown and had to be returned to the dealership immediately. 4. Wrongful Coverage Denials: On Thursday June 19, 2026, Silver Rock claims representatives issued explicit coverage denials to me via text message. That same day, service representatives from Vic Koenig Chevrolet phoned Silver Rock multiple times to provide diagnostic evidence, But SilverRock repeatedly issued oral denials over the phone. They stated the PCM and BECM were not included in the contract, screenshots of the vontract state the opposite. SilverRock sent this refusal via email to me on June 19. I also contacted GM by phone on Wednesday 5/27/26 and so did the dealership and they refused to cover my vehicle under the Special Warranty for the known issue. I tried to request a cost reduction and they denied it again on 6/22/26. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11745571

Incident

May 25, 2026

My 2016 Chevy Volt started experiencing the "Propulsion Power is Reduced" issues associated with a faulty BCEM unit. I brought my vehicle in for service at a Chevy dealer and they confirmed that the BCEM needed to be replaced. This is a known issue resulting in special coverage under N232432680. Chevy is not honoring the special coverage for my vehicle despite my vehicle being less that 15 years old and having fewer than 150,000 miles. According to the service manager after talking to someone higher up the food chain at Chevy, "they're no longer covering this service."

NHTSA ID

11737027

Incident

May 11, 2026

I have a 2016 Chevy volt. It had to be towed to a Chevy dealership because it will not drive. The BECM module has failed, as is apparently the case with so many volt owners. GM, as a result of lawsuits about this car, extended the warrantee to fix the issue, but my vin number is not included in the case. The gar is a brick, and there is no way to fix it now. GM doen't even replace these batteries any more, and most often just buys back the bad vehicles. I still owe 9k on this car and it is useless now. I need help. These are the codes is is throwing. B101D P1EOO P1EAC POAFA B3111 U3001 U2401 U2603 U2604 U2605 U2606 U2617 U2618 U2619 U2620 U2621 U2622 U2623 U2624 P1FD1 P1FD2 P1FD3 P1FD4

NHTSA ID

11725794

Incident

Mar 14, 2026

Vehicle displayed reduced propulsion and shift to park while driving on highway then suddenly stopped. Dealer said battery failed after a year of diagnosing issue. Issue may be BECM which has extended warranty service but dealer not addressing the issue of car stalling but instead other costly minor issues leaving the vehicle a safety concern. Replacing battery with a bad BECM would lead to exact same issue

NHTSA ID

11725573

Incident

Jun 19, 2025

After experiencing loss of power and loss of propulsion on the highway, took the car to Tropical Chevrolet in Miami Shores, FL. after diagnosing the car for $287.37 (credited to the estimate total of $3101.20), the dealership replaced the Battery Energy Control Module and bled the battery pack cooling system. We paid the bill ($2665.89). On January 4, 2026 the check engine light came on again when the propulsion was reduced again, while driving on a highway. Tropical reported that the cause of the failure was their failure to replace or do the original repair at all. They replaced the exhaust gas recirculation valve and refilled the cooling system. The parts should be covered by warranty. We filed a claim with GM 2 months ago and still have not been reimbursed.

NHTSA ID

11723689

Incident

Nov 21, 2025

The engine light came on, but the car would run and so took it to the dealer. They determined that the EGR valve had failed and would cost $2400 to repair. Apparently, this is a common failure point for Generation 2 Chevy Volts. If it might trigger a forced recall, I'd like to add this to the list.

NHTSA ID

11717029

Incident

Feb 5, 2026

In May 2025, the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve failed on my 2016 Chevy Volt with approx. 60,000 kms / 40,000 miles on it - that cost me approximately $3,000 to fix. In my opinion that should have been covered under warranty given that it is a common failure point on second generation Volts. Note that the EGR value (OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer) is a readily available part. In October 2025, my BECM (Battery Energy Control Module) failed. Luckily, due to significant Volt owner complaints, GM was forced to provide a special warranty on this item, so the work that would have cost me approximately $4,000 was covered under this special warranty. The BECM is covered for my 2016 Chevy Volt until 2030. Note again that the BECM is a readily available OEM part. In December 2025 my Chevy Volt check engine light went on again, and this time the Chevy Dealership is telling me that the main hybrid battery needs to be replaced. However, GM decided in their infinite wisdom to discontinue production of the Chevy Volt battery, and so they can't even sell me a new hybrid battery, a critical component on this vehicle. My understanding is that the 2016-2019 Chevy Volt battery is the same part #24060122. The Chevy dealership has asked me to see if I can find a battery on my own, as their parts department cannot source one (GM used "York Electronics" in Canada). As a result, I am now left with trying to find a used/refurbished hybrid battery. If my Volt was a 2019 (the last year GM made the Volt), then this battery would be covered under warranty (8 years from in service date), yet GM wouldn't even be able to fix a 2018 or a 2019 Chevy Volt because they stopped making the battery for ALL Volts. How can a manufacturer get away with not even providing parts for 10 years (in my case), or 7 years (2019 Volt)? My only option seems to be to send a perfectly maintained car to the junkyard at 60,000 kms/40,000 miles. Never again will I buy GM.

NHTSA ID

11714210

Incident

Nov 28, 2025

GM is not honoring coverage from N232432680 for CARB vehicles in non-CARB states. They have failed to tie CARB vehicle vins to the coverage in N232432680.

NHTSA ID

11713581

Incident

Nov 24, 2025

This vehicle has had multiple incidents of surging of the propulsion system both on battery power and when powered by the internal combustion engine, causing loss of propulsion and sudden acceleration almost causing collisions multiple times. We have paid for over $4,000 in repairs that are not covered under the propulsion system warranty, and these repairs have not remedied the issue.

NHTSA ID

11713506

Incident

Jan 12, 2026

While I driving in the past week, a warning that "propulsion power reduced" appeared on my dashboard several times. The last time that I had driven the car, the heater would not turn off, and the smell of burnt rubber filled the car and then dissipated soon after. The car would only run in it's gas engine mode, and not switch over to electric mode, as it usually would. The next morning, the car would not start. The dash board would light up as if the car started, but when I shifted into drive, a warning appeared on the dash, "Shift to park", as it would when the car is not running. I could not start the vehicle. After plugging the vehicle in, a warning appeared on the console stating that "Charging is not available". The car was towed to the dealership. Their diagnosis showed that the Battery Energy Control Module had failed and must be replaced. They later confirmed that an electric cable needed to be replaced that was "corroded", but they could not confirm the cause of the corrosion because the cable was disposed of already. After researching online, I found that GM issued a Special Coverage bulletin: N232432680, citing a common malfunction of the Battery Energy Control module in 2016 to 2018 Chevy Volts that "causes a reduced power mode, a no start condition, or a no charge condition." The Special Coverage was to extend the warranty to 15 years or 150,000 miles. After inquiring the dealer about the Special Coverage, they claimed that our car is not covered under the warranty. After calling customer service, they claimed the coverage comes from NHTSA, and GM only issues orders by VIN, and therefore cannot cover the issue. After calling NHTSA, I was told the special coverage is not a national recall, and is internal to GM. The GM dealership still claims that the control module on our car is not covered under the warranty, and have denied the request for a manager inspection or investigation.

NHTSA ID

11711001

Incident

Jan 9, 2026

Battery Energy Control Module Malfunction. It is a known issue with this system failing on the chevy volt. There is a service bulletin on this problem. 18-NA-261 is the service bulletin. The car will not start and when it does start it has loss of power while driving. Chevy is only fixing certain VIN numbers even thou it pulls up the same codes in their bulletin. Chevy only gave extended warranties to certain VIN numbers also. Extra warranty bulletin N232432680. This is a major component for the high voltage battery which drives the vehicle. The dealership wants $5000.00 to repair this.

NHTSA ID

11710913

Incident

Dec 29, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left turn, the vehicle stalled. The accelerator pedal was released, and the vehicle returned to normal operation. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23022 (Electrical System) and Special Coverage: N232432680 (Battery Energy Control Module Malfunction); however, the vehicle was not covered under the Special Coverage. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

NHTSA ID

11708756

Incident

Jan 4, 2026

Mileage

71,000 mi

Component/System Failed: The engine of my 2016 Chevrolet Volt experienced a sudden internal crack, leading to complete engine failure. The engine is available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: The engine failure rendered the vehicle completely inoperable, posing potential risk if it had occurred while driving. Sudden loss of engine power could have caused a crash or left me stranded in traffic, endangering myself and others. Problem Reproduction / Confirmation: The failure was confirmed by a GM dealership, which performed a full inspection and documented the engine crack. The dealership verified that the crack was sudden and not caused by negligence or improper maintenance. Inspections by Others: The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership, and all reports are available. I have also submitted the issue to GM corporate for warranty review. No police or insurance representatives have reviewed this, as this was a mechanical failure with no collision. Warning Lamps or Symptoms: No warning lights, messages, or unusual symptoms appeared prior to the failure. The engine appeared to operate normally until the sudden failure. Upon failure, low oil and low propulsion error message appeared on dash. Current no dash lights are on in the vehicle. Assessment of Cause: Based on dealership inspection and documentation, the failure appears sudden and possibly related to a defect in emissions-related engine components. No external damage or user error contributed to the failure.

NHTSA ID

11703409

Incident

Nov 20, 2025

P0401, P0B9A Loss propulsion power on highway Shift to Park issues And car uses gas before electricity is empty

NHTSA ID

11695498

Incident

Oct 15, 2025

Driving at 75 MPH on the freeway the power completely cuts off an a message appears on my dash "Propulsion Power is Reduced" - Pressing the gas barely gives any power, Imagine being in the middle of flowing traffic doing 75 mph to close to 20 mph. Research shows me this is a KNOWN issue with GM and the problem is with the BECM control module. There is also the issue of the EGR valve which apparently is tied into the BECM. I brought to the Chevy dealer and they said the BECM NEEDS to be replace ASAP because GM knows this is a dangerous situation and GM extended the warranty on this part to 150,000 miles. My vehicle is at 152,400 miles and they will not cover this. This is a serious issue that should be a recall that forces GM and Chevy to pay for this fix as it is something they have been aware of for years and it is a major accident waiting to happen. Please make them issue a recall for the BECM fix.

NHTSA ID

11676109

Incident

Jul 11, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while operating vehicle the "Propulsion Error” was displayed, and the message "Shift to Park" was displayed while driving. Additionally, the vehicle occasionally failed to immediately start. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the Manufacturer’s Extended Warranty Coverage related to the failure. The failure mileage was 98,500.

NHTSA ID

11671603

Incident

Jul 2, 2025

Mileage

98,500 mi

•Vehicle lost power while driving on the highway at speed. The vehicle would not run with gas engine power or EV charge basically died on the road in traffic. After coming to a stop safely but not without some close calls vehicle would not start even with car having fuel of two types in it. •The battery charge would not register, and the car would not start for a little while. Display showed nothing and was only making a dinging sound. Around half hour later the vehicle started, and I drove it to my home and parked it. I have not been driving it as it seems like a safety concern with the battery system and not feeling reliable. I had tried to charge it after the initial event and it did not charge. I did only a little research on cost for battery issues and the cost made me very put off even looking at the car. The car has been sitting sense August of last year. I took the car into a GM repair shop a week ago and the shop told me that the BECM module is weak. I looked this up and found that there is a lot of people having the same issue! Also, there are 19000 cars just like mine who got a recall or Special coverage. I am told I don’t meet the requirements for the coverage even though my car has the issues. They say my VIN is not on the list, clearly this special coverage did not go far enough. There appears to be some gaps in the coverage of this issue there are tons of people having this issue a full recall should be investigated and enacted there is clearly a problem that should be addressed. The fact that most cases do not happen when the car is running seem to put this on everyone’s back burner but people are being harmed financially while GM uses loop holes to not address an issue that could cost people there time, hard earned money, lost wages, even there life if this malfunction causes accidents. There was and is clearly enough to warrant action. Letting GM get away with a half Hearted attempted at fixing this is a crime.

NHTSA ID

11663558

Incident

Aug 22, 2024

While driving the car displayed “reduced propulsion power” on the dash and then I lost all drive power and could not switch the plug in hybrid from electric to gas engine mode. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealer who stated that the battery electronics control module and perhaps the battery needed to be replaced. The check engine light came on slightly before the incident.

NHTSA ID

11660951

Incident

May 1, 2025

Becm failure Car suddenly stopped driving and or starting Had to have it towed home

NHTSA ID

11641610

Incident

Nov 11, 2024

On [XXX] the check engine light turned on in my 2016 Chevy Volt (VIN: [XXX] miles 145,xxx). I was 2 hours from home in the freezing cold snow but thankfully the vehicle allowed me to drive home without any issues (no reduced propulsion power). When I returned to the vehicle to have a diagnostic check the error light disappeared and I was unable to check for error codes. Still no issues driving under EV/gasoline. Later that day, the car stopped going completely, no shifting out of park either. EV range was reporting 0 miles despite having full charge. I plugged in the charger but it would not work (first time this happened), " Not able to Charge" message displayed. After cycling power the EV range was full range and I was able to shift into drive again. These issues were intermittent over 3 weeks, frequently standing me temporarily. After cycling power, opening and closing the door, cycling power again, the car would function normally and I could drive under battery or gasoline power. I managed to capture these error codes while the MIL light was on: U2603, U2604, U2605, U2606, U2617, U2618, U2619, U2620, U2621, U2622, U2623, U2624 [XXX] my vehicle no longer drives or shifts out of park, "Not able to charge" message displayed, CEL light on. A class action lawsuit revealed a technical service bulletin 18-NA-261 released in 2018 (see attached) accusing GM of continuing support of the known faulty module. The result of the case was Special Coverage Bulletin N232432680 which acknowledges and addresses the above mentioned issues by replacing a faulty BECM common to ALL Chevy Volt models years 2016-2018. My VIN is EXCLUDED from coverage due to being a CARB compliant vehicle despite exhibiting the same behaviors, error codes, and sharing the same faulty BECM. Of the 60,000 Volts sold in 2016-2018, only 19,000 (~33%) qualify under the special coverage terms. 100% of the vehicles that qualify for coverage are NON-CARB compliant. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552

NHTSA ID

11641379

Incident

Jan 17, 2025

BECM failure leaving car stranded in traffic with no ability to move under its own power.

NHTSA ID

11639905

Incident

Jan 31, 2025

Vehicle had the Battery Energy Control Module fail at about 87,000 miles. Vehicle will not start and will leave you stranded when this happens. This is a known defect and GM issued a special coverage to extend the warranty for this specific component, but for some reason only applies to a handful of VINs. Mine was not one of them, so I got stuck with a $2500 repair bill. I love the car and am not mad that they are breaking, engineering is hard. I am mad that even after a requirement from the NHTSA, Chevy is refusing to repair a known defect with their vehicles that can leave the owner stranded and is making the owners foot the several thousand-dollar repair bill. This was my first Chevy, and due to the poor way this has been handled, probably my last.

NHTSA ID

11639391

Incident

Jan 21, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact used a scanner and retrieved DTC: U2603-U2606 and U2607-U2622. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was scheduled for an upcoming diagnostic test. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

NHTSA ID

11635902

Incident

Jan 3, 2025

Mileage

95,000 mi

CAR LOST POWER IN 02/2024, WAS TAKEN TO DEALER. ISSUE WAS NOT ADDRESSED PROPERLY. 12/2024 THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE, TOWED TO DEALER, ESTIMATE $2000 TO REPLACE BECM, KNOW ISSUE FOR THESE VEHICLES.

NHTSA ID

11631103

Incident

Dec 14, 2024