2018 Chevrolet Volt Electrical Problems

While driving on a highway the car started to hesitate, a message appeared on the console "Propulsion power is reduced" and the engine light turn on. After driving some miles, a new message appeared: "Engine unavailable, service soon" and the car only ran on electric power, no motor engine. I had the same problem 3 year ago and the dealer identified the problem as a shorted EGR valve. This time I knew this shorted EGR valve burns the F3 fuse. I managed to get to a car part shop and bough several fuses (15 amp). After replacing the fuse 3 times I managed to get to the dealer. The repairs cost $3000+ (up from $1000+ 3 years ago). This problem is well documented on the GM service technical bulletin "21-NA-116" dated February, 2023. Three years ago I was in the middle of nowhere in South Texas and it took 6 hours to get a tow truck This time I was lucky enough to be close to to a town that the remain battery power was enough to get to the store where I bought the fuses. GM should recall this part and do a proper fix

NHTSA ID

11755062

Incident

Aug 2, 2026

The Vehicle had a the BECM fail at 64,000 miles. This is a known issue that GM still refuses to recall, and is refusing to warranty

NHTSA ID

11754026

Incident

Jul 27, 2026

The Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) failed. Before repair, the check-engine light appeared intermittently, the vehicle sometimes had difficulty starting, and the indicated electric range could suddenly drop from about 30 miles to zero despite a charged high-voltage battery. When this occurred, the gasoline engine started unexpectedly. The air conditioning also intermittently blew warm air until the vehicle was restarted. These symptoms created a safety concern because propulsion mode and indicated range could change without warning, and the vehicle could fail to start in traffic or another unsafe location. An authorized Chevrolet dealer confirmed the problem. The dealer retrieved DTCs U2624 and U2629, performed circuit testing, and diagnosed an internal short in the BECM causing loss of communication with high-voltage battery modules. The dealer stated this failure caused the warning light, starting issue, sudden loss of indicated battery range, and air-conditioning symptoms. The BECM was replaced and programmed after removal of the high-voltage battery assembly. The warning light first appeared about one month before repair, with the other symptoms becoming more apparent in early July 2026. The vehicle had approximately 80,918 miles when inspected. The failed component was retained by the dealership as a core and is not available to me for inspection. To my knowledge, the vehicle was not separately inspected by police, insurance, or GM engineering personnel. My vehicle was excluded from GM Special Coverage N232432680 even though it is a 2018 Chevrolet Volt with the same confirmed BECM failure addressed by that program and NHTSA investigation PE23022. I paid $3,970.56 for the repair. I am filing this complaint because this defect can cause no-start, loss of indicated battery range, warning lights, unexpected propulsion changes, and potentially reduced propulsion, while some affected 2016–2018 vehicles appear excluded from the special coverage.

NHTSA ID

11752752

Incident

Jul 13, 2026

The car suddenly lost power and produced error messages on the screen. I had to quickly change lanes to get out of traffic on the highway. My dealer diagnosed the issue as a BECM malfunction and quoted a repair cost of approximately $3500. However, due to my car originally being registered in California, this failure is not covered under GM Special Coverage Bulletin N232432680 (issued March 2024), which provides an extended warranty for BECM issues on affected 2016-2018 Volts up to 15 years or 150,000 miles. My VIN does not qualify for this coverage despite the vehicle being within the model years affected by known BECM soldering/connection failures. This appears to be part of a broader pattern of BECM defects in 2016-2019 Volts that can lead to sudden loss of propulsion, as previously investigated by NHTSA. GM should extend coverage or issue a recall for all affected vehicles, as this defect compromises vehicle safety and leaves owners with expensive out-of-pocket repairs for a known issue.

NHTSA ID

11748652

Incident

Apr 20, 2026

The vehicle (2018 Chevrolet Volt) is experiencing an intermittent failure of the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM). Diagnostic trouble code P1E5B was stored in the system. This is a well-documented defect in this vehicle population that frequently results in a sudden, unexpected loss of propulsion power while driving ("Propulsion Power Reduced" mode), posing a significant safety risk in high-speed traffic. ​Although a Chevrolet dealership confirmed the presence of the stored fault code, they refused to perform the repair under the extended warranty (Special Coverage N23243268) because the Check Engine Light was not actively illuminated at the exact time of inspection. The manufacturer requires the vehicle to be operated until the fault recurs, exposing the driver and others to the danger of stalling on highways or at busy intersections. The failed component remains in the vehicle and is available for inspection.

NHTSA ID

11734473

Incident

Apr 28, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that the battery module became inoperable. While attempting to start the vehicle, the message "Engine Unavailable - Service Soon” was displayed. The contact was unable to use the vehicle. The contact stated that the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The contact associated the failure with Technical Service Bulletin: 18-NA-261. The contact called the local dealer and was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

NHTSA ID

11705567

Incident

Dec 15, 2025

Mileage

111,000 mi

On June 27, 2025, while driving, the vehicle displayed a "Propulsion Power Reduced" warning message and a Check Engine Light illuminated. I immediately experienced a loss of power. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Chevrolet dealer the same day. On July 1, 2025, the dealer diagnosed the failure as a faulty Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) and high-voltage system fault (Code P1E00), requiring a full replacement of the high-voltage battery pack (Part #24296900). The manufacturer (GM) was contacted, and the replacement battery was ordered on July 2, 2025. As of December 2025, the vehicle remains in dealer possession (over 5 months) with no repair completed. The manufacturer has stated the part is on indefinite backorder with no ETA. The failure of this component renders the vehicle inoperable and presents a safety risk due to sudden loss of propulsion power while in motion. The manufacturer has confirmed the failure but is unable to provide a remedy within a reasonable timeframe.

NHTSA ID

11704006

Incident

Jun 27, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine failed to turn over as intended. Additionally, the vehicle would not charge when connected to a charger. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the BECM was reset. The vehicle was repaired; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the message "Reduced Power" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer where it was diagnosed, and determined that the BECM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact related the failure to an unknown Chevrolet recall; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

NHTSA ID

11702424

Incident

Nov 6, 2025

Mileage

129,000 mi

Why in operation the car goes into Shift to Park and Also getting a Propulsion Power Reduce

NHTSA ID

11699315

Incident

Jul 24, 2023

The car can't decide if it wants to use the battery or the engine. It shows zero charge even though it is full. It lurches at stop lights as it tries to decide whether to use battery or engine. It says "propulsion power reduced". "Not able to charge". "Shift to park". Check engine light is on.

NHTSA ID

11693450

Incident

Sep 26, 2025

Dashboard displays “Shift to Park” message even when the shifter is in the park position for the past month. I am unable to turn off the vehicle completely until I Shift to drive then back to park multiple times.

NHTSA ID

11691369

Incident

Sep 26, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11679207

Incident

Aug 2, 2025

On [XXX], our 2018 Chevy Volt experienced a critical BECM (Battery Energy Control Module) failure while being driven by our [XXX] daughter. The failure caused the vehicle to enter limp mode, resulting in a severe loss of power and the inability to shift properly. Most alarmingly, the brakes failed to function correctly—despite being fully engaged, the car continued to move forward at a red light, placing our daughter in immediate danger. She was only able to safely stop the vehicle by maneuvering it off the road into a parking lot. This BECM defect is a well-documented issue for Chevy Volts from 2016 to 2018. However, Chevrolet has refused to cover our VIN under the existing special service bulletin, despite our vehicle using the same faulty part number as those included in the recall, and has provided no explanation for this exclusion. As a result, we are being forced to pay $2,100 out of pocket to replace a part that GM knows is defective. This is an unacceptable financial burden for a safety-critical issue. GM should immediately issue a recall for all vehicles equipped with this faulty part number to ensure the safety of all drivers and prevent further undue costs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11678250

Incident

Aug 1, 2025

When the vehicle is running, and the gear is moved to park, and I attempt to turn off the car by pressing the ignition button, an error shows on the dash display and the message is "Shift to Park". Even though the car is in park, the vehicle doesn't know it. I then cannot turn off my car.

NHTSA ID

11664636

Incident

Jun 1, 2025

On May 26, the car was running in electric mode and switched to gas because the power batteries were depleted. Shortly after switching to gas mode, lights came on the dash board saying Engine Not Available Get Service Immediately. I was on a highway at the time and fortunately had just enough left to get off and the car would not move any further. Turning the car on and off did not resolve the problem. It had to be towed to a Chevy dealer. Even after an hour, the messages would come on when trying to start the car. The next day, the dealer called and said they could find no problems with the car and it works fine. This happened once before, but that time there was enough charge in the battery to get home and then later it would start without the message.

NHTSA ID

11663118

Incident

May 26, 2025

Issue Summary: The Chevy Volt has experienced recurring electrical problems, including the "Shift to Park" message, loss of power, and dead 12V battery. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership three times due to these issues. One incident involved a power loss while driving at 65 mph, which caused a near-miss with a semi-truck, posing a significant safety risk. Warranty Status: The additional warranty was purchased, but only one of the three incidents occurred while the vehicle was under warranty. Safety Concerns: The repeated electrical failures, especially while driving at high speeds, raise serious safety concerns

NHTSA ID

11652364

Incident

Jan 1, 2025

Reduction of power , impossible to charge the kilometre says 21 kkm drops from 21 to 0 and the mountain settings dont run, I drive on maintenance , when charging at paying station does not charge,

NHTSA ID

11647782

Incident

Mar 3, 2025

EGR valve clogged and failed on a long trip, bricked the car and had to tow many miles back to home shop. now have been waiting 9 months and still no idea when the part will be available from Chevrolet. My shop and I have claims to Chevrolet for the part for service but still nothing and is getting so we are inconvenienced in travel.

NHTSA ID

11642345

Incident

Jun 23, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and shifted to park(P), the message "Shift to Park" was displayed on the instrument panel and the vehicle was inoperative. The contact stated that the vehicle was operative while in low power mode; however, the vehicle intermittently failed to charge in low power mode. No warning light was illuminated. However, the vehicle displayed the full battery icon on the display, but 1 EV Mile. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the battery energy control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.

NHTSA ID

11640845

Incident

Jan 30, 2025

Mileage

11,000 mi

The BECM (Battery Electric Control Module) failed in November of 2023. Mountain Chevrolet has had my vehicle since then, claiming to be unable to find replacement battery module. The vehicle is available for inspection at Mountain Chevrolet (it has been left unlocked, unprotected, and exposed to the elements for almost 15 months now). When the BECM failed, the vehicle lost virtually all power and slowed dramatically from highway speeds to ~20 mph. There were no warnings prior to the failure.

NHTSA ID

11637803

Incident

Nov 1, 2023

When putting my car in park and shutting it off the dash board tells me to shift to park, and car does not fully shut off.

NHTSA ID

11635167

Incident

Dec 27, 2024

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.

NHTSA ID

11631795

Incident

Dec 14, 2024

The issue started with a forward push while lowering my speed while coming to a stop. It then progressed to a trembling engine. Then it progressed to the car struggling to effectively switch from electric to gas and back. It then would only be usable on electric range and the engine would not start and would be greyed out. Now, it only works on engine mode, it uses fuel like a pick up truck, it loses power while driving due to trying to switch to electric mode and back, and it struggles to accelerate. It will do it while idle as well as while driving 45mph and up. It barely has any propulsion power and I have to turn my hazards on any time I am going to accelerate. If I brake hard the engine will shake violently and then shut off. I then have to switch gears from drive to park or neutral to park to drive to reengage the engine. Recently it has turned on all the accessories but the ev and the gas is greyed out and there is zero propulsion power. I replaced the 12v battery thinking it might have been dying and it still has the same issue. I read about the class action lawsuit for the BCEM and have made an appointment the dealership but when I told them what was wrong with it the said we need to wait for the diagnostics.

NHTSA ID

11631693

Incident

Sep 1, 2024

Took my 2018 chey volt to the dealer after trying to start the car and shifting into reverse a Action Required and shift to park massage appears. Towed the car to the Chevy dealership of on 11-19-2024 and on 12-17-2024 after the dealership has been talking with GM they tell me the car needs a new battery pack and there are none to be found. Car is still under GM warranty! Service adviser recommends calling GM to buy back or get a Lemon law Attorney

NHTSA ID

11631385

Incident

Nov 19, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Bolt. The contact stated while driving at a moderate speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the “Propulsion Power” message was displayed. The contact pulled over and upon an attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that the BECM (Battery Engine Control Module) was defective. The mechanic discovered that the vehicle was under warranty and contacted that the local dealer for assistance. The mechanic drove the vehicle to the dealer who acknowledged the failure; however, the dealer stated that the failure was not covered under warranty. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11628391

Incident

Nov 14, 2024

Mileage

100,000 mi