2016 Chevrolet Volt complaints

Fuse #3 shorts out every time the engine changes from electric power to gas. We have been told this can be dangerous because this fuse controls several important systems in the car.

The BECM has failed and causes a reduction in engine power. There is a Special Coverage N232432680 for this issue. Dealership Service Center is saying my car doesn’t qualify based on the VIN, even though it matches the year, make, and model on the Special Coverage. GM is failing to cover the issue despite it matching everything on the Special Coverage.

2016 Chevrolet Volt with 126,500 miles had a sudden loss of power while driving. Towed to Chevy dealership for diagnostics and was told it needed a Battery Energy Control Module. Doing my own research, I see that NHTSA issued a notification regarding GM coverage for this issue (see below). However, my VIN is not covered. Very conveniently, GM covering only one third of the Volts made in this time frame and this is unacceptable. There should have been a recall but at least they should cover the cost to replace under this special coverage. Losing all power on the road while driving is really scary and very dangerous. Please advise if there is any course of action that NHTSA can take on this matter before I go and spend $3000 to have this repaired. GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS DCS6812 URGENT - DISTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELY Date: March 6, 2024 Subject: N232432680 - Special Coverage Battery Energy Control Module Malfunction Models: 2016-2018 Chevrolet Volt To: All General Motors Dealers General Motors is releasing Special Coverage N232432680 today. The total number of U.S. vehicles involved is approximately 19,000. Please see the attached bulletin for details.

I was driving in clear weather (with my ICE engine as propulsion) when an Engine Warning Fault light appeared on my dash and the vehicle slowed to 5mph with no response from the throttle pedal. I pulled into a parking lot, had the vehicle towed to an independent service shop, and had them check the codes. There were a dozen faults stored, but they found the 'Non Walk Home' fuse had blown, and faults pointed to the EGR Valve as having faulty electronics. They could not find an EGR valve for sale so they unplugged the EGR Valve and replaced the fuse, which allowed the engine to drive normally again, but with the Check Engine Light on at all times. I called my local Chevy dealer and they told me the EGR I needed was Part Number 12691147 for $243, but they were backordered and there were dozens of people in front of me for their dealer alone. Now, 11 months later, I'm still waiting on the part, I have found hundreds of other Volt owners online with the same issue, and the Part Number has been changed by GM to 19436113, with a price increase of 1100% to $2642. And the part is still not available because of "high demand" on a car that was discontinued five years ago.

There is a propulsion warning due to faulty EGR valves. Many customers are experiencing backorders lasting for up to 6 months or more, just from what I can quickly find online. I am now on my 5-month mark. I have not been able to drive the car at all. Driving it could damage the engine and put drivers at risk. Because many of these vehicles no longer qualify for lemon laws, the manufacturer seems to not take our delay seriously or even care about our limited resources in time and money. (I purchased this used car that was in great condition and passed the inspection for about $13,000 in-full. I am not wealthy so this was an expense I was carefully saving for. I was only driving it for weeks before this happened. I am now hunting for my legal options.) Not only is their response completely unethical and inconsiderate, but some desperate drivers are suggesting to unplug the EGR then replace the fuse. This can damage engines further, disallow us to pass emission tests, and cause possible danger to the driver and others on the road. Chevy and GM need to be held accountable!

Started vehicle with > 50mi on the EV-range. Pulled out onto road, stopped at red light. Now showed 0mi and refused to move when pressing the gas (did not fail over to gas on series PHEV) Garbage truck coming up behind me had to swerve to avoid rear-ending me as I was frantically trying to start the car. Kept saying 'shift to park' (condition required to start the vehicle) Took several minutes and 20+ tries before I got it to start (GAS engine) and was able to proceed. Car keeps randomly dropping to 0mi EV range. Has refused ot start on occasion. All symptoms align with the N232432680 bulletin but GM saying my car isn't covered???

2016 Chevy volt started to not shut off with the message that car needed to shift to park. Car is just over 100,000 miles (104,000) spent a few weeks jiggling shifter to get car turned off then made an appointment at Platinum Chevy of Santa Rosa. While waiting we researched the issue to find that the Shift To Park is a known issue and the Volt has in fact been named in a class action suit. Am currently at crossroad as I cannot get GM to stand behind their product. It’s taken four calls and an escalation to management to find out that they may offer a percentage to fix the problem but because we’re out of warranty it is a customer problem. So, to cap it off, GM has sold us a vehicle with a known safety issue with no recall and will not fix their problem.

I was driving at normal speed full tank of gas and electricity, when I got an error message "propulsion power is reduced". I was in the middle of the highway and the car would no longer let me accelerate. I was able to pull of on a small street. Car's check engine light turned on, my steering wheel became hard, and everytime I try putting it on reverse or drive, I get a message to put the car on park. It no longer works. I had this happened once about 3 years ago, and after an hour, it started working normally (this time the engine light stayed on though and car no longer works). I have had the message "propulsion power is reduced" pop up on my screen multiple times, car reduces power, but continues to work. This time it no longer wants to run and I lost all speed in the middle of the road.

I bought the car new in 2015 and after about only 40,000 miles I began getting a Propulsion Reduced error and the car would have very slow acceleration. I took it to the dealer and they replaced the accelerator for $500. It drove fine for a month, but then the acceleration was reduced again. I took it back to the dealer and they were stumped. They wanted to charge me $1300 just to replace some wires, but they weren't confident that would fix the problem. I declined. As it stands now I can toggle the F08 fuse and that temporarily fixes it for about an hour or so, but the error always comes back and the car has a hard time accelerating. Not safe. I called GM and they suggest I take it to another Chevrolet dealer, so I'm going to do that. I'm also going to reference NHSTA Special Coverage N232432680 Battery Energy Control Module Malfunction to see if they can replace the BECM. This is a common problem with 2016 Chevy Volts. If they can't fix it, I'll look into the California Lemon Law to see if I can get my money back on the car. I appreciate your support on this.

My 2016 Chevy Volt experienced a loss of propulsion power multiple times due to the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve failing. The malfunctioning EGR valve caused the F3 fuse to break, disabling the cooling system and forcing me to pull over immediately, which posed a safety risk, especially in high-traffic areas or on highways. The problem was reproduced when the replacement EGR valve also failed. It is not specified if the vehicle or components have been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others. Both the original and replacement EGR valves should be available for inspection upon request.

On [XXX], this Volt was towed to the Dealer because the Volt would not start, would not charge, and the engine light was on. The Dealer claimed that the problem was the Chevrolet Volt Battery Energy Control Module (BECM), GM Part # 24296900, which was covered under the GM hybrid VOLTEC warranty (8 years, 100,000 miles). On [XXX], 2024, this Volt (VIN [XXX] ) was towed to the Dealer again because the Volt would not start, would not charge, and the engine light was on. The Dealer claimed that the hybrid battery connectors were corroded, the disconnect relay should be replaced, and the BECM should be replaced again at a total cost of $5,005.58. On [XXX], GM issued special coverage warranty N232432680 (15 year, 150,000 miles) to cover BECM replacements for a malfunction involving the BECM. Plaintiff checked the VIN at the GM Recall and Warranty Center website. The Volt at issue is covered under special coverage warranty N232432680, according to the GM website. Plaintiff asked the Dealer and GM again after [XXX] about warranty coverage for the BECM at issue. GM responded that the bumper-to-bumper warranty expired and that they would provide no assistance. On [XXX], Plaintiff filed a complaint with the local Better Business Bureau (BBB) regarding the BECM at issue. GM responded in writing that the bumper-to-bumper warranty expired and that they would provide no assistance. Plaintiff sought arbitration, but both the local BBB and the BBB Auto Line found that Plaintiff was not eligib

The car states the battery will not charge and cannot move the car. I connected it to a code reader with the following codes showing: P1E00 U2618 U2606 U2605 U2617 U2604

No propulsion with U2603 through U2618 DTC in HPCM2 with "shift to park" message. BECM was replaced by dealership.

GM issued a special coverage warranty for 2016-2018 Chevrolet Volts that had a BECM failure. However, they did not include all of the Volts. We have a 2016 that has a catastrophic BECM failure. The car won't start and the only indicator was the day before it said the vehicle didn't charge. This appears to be the same issue, but Chevrolet did not include our model. We have about 87k miles and are only 3 weeks past the original warranty.

The EGR valve failed part way through a long drive between cities while at interstate speeds. This caused the vehicle to produce a warning about reduced propulsion power (as well turn on the check engine light), and it became difficult to maintain speed with the surrounding traffic. I could maintain speed, but only in electric-mode, and my battery didn’t have enough energy to get me to my destination on that power alone. While in ICE mode (internal combustion engine mode) it would also quickly overheat. I reached my destination by repeatedly swapping between ICE and battery modes, to both extend my vehicle’s range as well as mitigate overheating. Upon arrival at a dealership, I was informed there’s a nation-wide shortage of EGR valves for my model of car. Despite escalating the issue with GM/Chevy’s support staff, they cannot locate an available EGR valve. This shortage has lasted for more than 4 months now and my car remains stuck in a distant city. This part is necessary to operate the vehicle safely, but they have not been producing enough of the part.

This vehicle has been intermittently displaying shift to park, reduced propulsion and loss of power. Chevrolet will not address its problems utilizing the March 6, 2024 service bulletin that covers this model year despite it exhibiting these dangerous warnings and reduced power and stoppage. Please help!

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the battery was fully charged; however, the mileage range went to 0. The contact stated that the fuel system engaged, and he drove to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the electronic control module (ECM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to GM Campaign Number: N232432680; however, the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the vehicle had a Salvage Title. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

EGR valve failure. No replacement parts being made to replace failure. Engine doesn’t run smoothly and check engine light is on. Items been back ordered since August last year. No longer California compliant, cannot pass smog. Danger hazard.

Chevy has put out a "special coverage" (number XXX) on 2016 to 2018 volts on the BECM issue that is currently being investigated. I need to make the note that upon trying to fulfill this warranty/ special coverage on my 2016 volt, they are finding loopholes to not cover a huge handful of 2016 to 2018 volts that have the exact same BECM issue and components as the volts that are covered. Although I'm not positive, it seems to me that they are not granting special coverage to all volts that have a PZEV warranty in place as it's redundant. However, 75% of us with PZEV warranties are in non CARB states and cannot utilize the warranty. So they are leaving us within this category who have the exact same BECM issues as every other 2016 to 2018 volt out of being eligible for the new coverage, while making it look like they are fixing the entire issue. They are secretly leaving a handful of us dry and without this coverage. Not only that, they are refusing/ unable to give me accurate information as to what vehicles qualify for this warranty if not all 2016 volts which is against the Magnuson-Moss warranty act and illegal on their part. They forced me to pay $2500 for this repair after telling me I would be covered by warranty and obviously would have held my car had I not paid. After telling me it was free. Somebody needs to probe deeper into this and make sure that Chevy is honoring what they claim because it appears to me they are secretly trying to [XXX] a percentage of 16 to 18 vo

I got the “propulsion power is reduced” warning at ~83.5k miles on the odometer, while visiting friends 4 hours from home. Pulled over and called 3 local dealerships and all servicing departments are closed on Sunday so knew there was nothing I could do except try to limp back to my friends house safely and reevaluate. On the 20 minute drive back, the engine cut out on the freeway and the car immediately started slowing down. I coasted to the next freeway exit safely with my hazards on. The scary part was that I had no power after the ”engine unavailable” warning popped up since the battery was completely drained already. I was able to get it towed to the closest chevy dealership and leave the keys for them. I am waiting to hear the official diagnosis from the dealership once they take a look. The cause is still unknown but this sounds like a similar series of events for BECM failure.

The contact's son owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer due to an oil leak caused by a puncture in the oil filter. The vehicle was repaired. The contact's son had informed the dealer that he had been smelling a fuel odor inside the vehicle; however, the dealer informed the contact's son that the odor was probably a burning oil odor. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the fuel rail was leaking and needed to be replaced. The mechanic contacted the dealer who informed him that the part was on a national backorder. The mechanic replaced the part with a used part; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered a coupon towards the purchase of a new vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The contact stated the Volt engine starts periodically even if it has battery power available. The engine forces itself on and can not be turned off manually.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle suddenly shut off and would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the high voltage battery was faulty and needed to be replaced. An engineer was sent by the manufacturer to examine the vehicle and confirmed that the high voltage battery was faulty. The contact was later informed that the manufacturer had authorized the high voltage battery replacement. The failure mileage was 91,000. The VIN was not available.

Vehicle suddenly lost power and displayed shift to park on display. Vehicle will not respond or display any status other than shift to park. Vehicle towed to dealership. Diagnosis of their mechanic is failed BECM module. Vehicle was brought to dealership 3yrs ago with infotainment center problems. Infotainment Software was updated but problem persisted. 2 years ago it was brought to dealership with complaint of intermittent inability to charge propulsion battery. Sunshine Chevrolet stated their mechanic could not diagnose issue so it was not covered under warranty. I demonstrated intermittent charging issue by plugging vehicle into dealership charger in front of showroom. I was at that time allowed to leave without paying diagnostic charge. 1½ years ago while car was still under warranty car failed to start. Called dealership. They stated it could be 12volt battery. I purchased and replaced battery at dealership. Car started but intermittent charging issue and intermittent infotainment issue continued. GM is refusing to cover BECM replacement saying Car is now out of 8yr warranty time frame.

Check engine light on. Took to dealership and they have a bulletin that states they need to replace the Battery energy control module. The car can come to a complete stop without notice. I don't feel safe driving the car. Was told my voltec warranty ran out last July. This is going to cost me over $2000! And they knew about it. It's a defect in the car. Needs to be recalled!

My car will lose all power as I'm driving, switch between gas/ elec and almost stall, it will accelerate when I take my foot OFF the gas , it will lose power on a turn.. it's random. form what I understand it's the BECM and it happened just after 100k miles. I have 105k.

I picked up my vehicle from Wasler Polar Chevrolet on 7/26/2023 after they claimed to have "repaired" my vehicle. After receiving my vehicle, about 5 miles away from the dealership, my vehicle suddenly quit keeping up with traffic, and lost *all* power equipment. Brakes, steering and acceleration were all unresponsive. The vehicle almost sent me under a semi-trailer, but I quickly forced the steering wheel to the left and engaged the emergency brake, which successfully stopped the car. The vehicle bricked itself, and had to be towed back to the dealership.

Front passenger airbag sensor is off even when there is no person sitting in the front passenger seat. It is off also when adult passenger is seating in the seat. It looks by pages of manual folded that previous owner had similar problem. That could possibly impact non-deployment of air-bag in a case of collision. My google search shows there was a recall of Volt 2013 models for that problem.

While driving suddenly the battery power died (1/3 battery life left) and the ICE came on reving very high and check engine lights came on and vehicle slowed. Pulled over at first spot I could find and tired to restart the car. Car would not power down or restart the ice motor and the electric drive motors stopped working and vehicle would roll backwards once put into drive. Vehicle had to be towed back to dealership. Car would not power down or reset.

Check engine light came on reduced propulsion warning. Took to Chevrolet dealer and they diagnosed EGR value failure while on road trip. Got home Took it to my local dealership and same diagnosed no part available and emissions warranty is good and it is covered but 2 year nationwide backorder by GM. The car only shows 47000 miles without parts I will not be able to use the vehicle after it fails the emissions test for Maryland.

Twice now my vehicle has been affected by an alert that the propulsion system has an issue. Each time the car lost power and I had to immediately get off of the highway or park the vehicle at my home. Currently my car is at a dealership waiting for replacement parts with no ETA. It has been there for 3 months already.

*BECM, Main Battery issue. It is available for inspection at the dealership *Car would not start or move *At dealer, told they need to replace the main battery and BECM *Noticed the Engine warning light and Reduced Propulsion Power message Dealer updated the BECM, said it was ok to drive, With in the same day the same problem happened, back to dealer, now they say the entire main battery needs replacing. on 2 months left on Voltec warranty. $8,000 cost

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle initially failed to shift into drive. After the vehicle was shifted into drive, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost significant motive power with the “Low Propulsion Power” message displayed. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the battery energy control module. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 160,000.

I have a engine code P0401

I had just left my house about to enter the on-ramp to Interstate 95 south when my 2016 Volt abruptly and without warning stopped. I was unable to coast or pull the car to the side of the road. I was in the middle of the lane in a dangerous place to stop a car and a dangerous place to get out of the car due to the steady traffic entering the interstate. My car would not restart and I had it towed to the Portsmouth NH Chevy dealer. As it was the beginning of the GM strike I had to wait several days for the replacement battery control sensor then I had to wait for another 4 weeks or so for a replacement transmission to be installed. The day after I got my car back, about 2 weeks ago, the transmission fluid was leaking onto the garage floor. The Chevy dealer has ordered new transmission hoses but only one has come in and I was told not to drive my car until these were replaced. The sensor pad and transmission were covered under warranty, I was told the hoses to the transmission and labor to install them are not part of the transmission and not covered. The incident has been extremely inconvenient but the way my car just abruptly stopped and wouldn’t restart was very unnerving and could have been very dangerous. I do not have paperwork at the moment but can provide a dealer invoice of the covered work so far. Please contact me with any questions.

I had BECM failure and the car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. They need to make this a safety recall.

Driving 72mph down I5 interstate the display notified me with a check engine light with two errors, enigne propulsion reduced and engine overheating. I pulled over to the side of the road and called a tow. This was a very traumatic event. I had my partner and my 2 year old daughter in the car.I just purchased this used vehicle from a Toyota dealer the same day. It has 63k miles on it and still under powertrain warranty. I literally drove the car 45 miles. TOTAL. I have spent more time towing and fixing this car than actually driving it. This is a total lemon. I need a refund from GM and all the pain and suffering that this caused my family.

On 2023/09/09, my Check Engine Light came on, and my car showed a "Reduced Propulsion" warning. As I continued to drive home, the car later began overheating, requiring me to reduce speed & stop frequently to let the car cool down. The local Chevrolet dealership diagnosed it as a failed EGR valve that caused the "non walk home" fuse to blow, which also disables the car's Engine Coolant Thermostat Heater (hence the overheating). Also three months later, this part is still on backorder with no estimated time of delivery.

I was driving on a highway and all of a sudden I have a Check engine light and “propulsion power reduced” on my display. I took my car to the dealer and found out it was my EGR valve that had an internal failure and it was needed to be replaced. This should be a recall because I was under warranty and they stated that my warranty only covers in California or an emission state. It’s been about 2 months it’s been on back order and I cant even drive my car. This is not a rare problem every volt with a EGR valve has failed.

Shift to park issue where suddenly I can't start car . Doesn't register park. Have to fiddle with shifter. Then find on reduced propulsion.

Component: Dealer said its the BECM. Lots of them failing, check any Chevy Volt forum. What happened: Driving on road, battery drive turns off and it switches to gas engine, "reduced propulsion" message pops up, then gas engine quits and 'shift to park' message pops up. No electric motor, no gas engine, coasting, then stuck in road, traffic piling up behind me. After half-hour or so of blocking traffic and me trying to restart the car, electric eventually 'reset' and it worked fine again, so I drove it the several miles home, and the charging system connected fine. Next morning, charging system said it was broken, and car would not start. Towed to dealer. Safety risk: Both battery drive and gas engine turned fully off while traveling on road - no power, and steering/brakes hard to use. Luckily was in slow lane on local road near corner with traffic light, so others were 'prepared' to slow down, avoided my stopped car, and were able to get around. Prior Symptoms: Within the prior week, battery drive switched to gas engine with 'reduced propulsion' popup, but then it switched back to battery drive after stopping and restarting. Several times noticed the 'battery charge' indicator would change color and the estimated mileage remaining would bounce between 0 and 47.

Our 2016 Volt was cruising at 65 mph on a major interstate highway (HOLD mode) when out of nowhere the check engine light came on followed by a warning message "Propulsion power reduced." We managed to pull off the highway, but a few minutes later navigating on local roads, we received another message that the engine had overheated and was shutting off. Fortunately, there was a chevy dealer only several miles away, and we made it there slowly under EV mode. They later traced the problem to a failed exhaust gas recirculation (ERG) valve. It was replaced under warranty. The whole experience was terrifying. We also own a 2017 Volt, and now we are afraid that it could also experience the same problem without warning.

My forward proximity sensors would randomly trigger. One day my ambient air temperature went haywire, checked for codes and had high voltage reading ambient air, brake booster trouble. after further investigation found that the X100(female) connector had water intrusion causing shorts across the pins showing voltage to drop across other pins further sending false or incorrect signals to the computer. the connector was thoroughly cleaned and aired out. now wrapped intensively with a lot of electrical tape in hopes to prevent water from getting in and causing voltage that range from 5v-14v from shorting across terminals and causing false activation.

Vehicle suddenly stopped while driving , engine light came on and on board charging system maintenance showed on dash display , I was able to restart it and take to the dealer for diagnosis they said that the BECM needs replacement at the cost of $2500.00 and that it is common on this vehicle ,this issue is a safety problem GM has issued a TBS for this defect recognizing it as an existing defect, this would cause a tragedy if it occurs while driving a on the highway ,since the car would loose power and could cause a catastrophic accident . the cost of the repair for a known defective part is unfair to the consumer and should be the manufacturer responsibility to bear the cost for safety .

While on a road trip, we were traveling on a rural highway at roughly 55 mph. We received a warning message on the dashboard stating that "Propulsion power was reduced" and the engine began running rough, with surging noticeable based on throttle position. We also noted that engine temperature was rising above what was typical for the vehicle. The vehicle was able to maintain highway speed, and we were able to limp the vehicle to a safe location. Based on a web search, we were able to diagnose the issue (a failed EGR valve) as well as a way to limp the vehicle to a local dealership. They made a change that allowed us to limp home safely (unplug the EGR valve's electrical connector and replace the blown fuse under the hood). The vehicle was taken to a Chevy dealership when we made it home. The failure we had diagnosed was confirmed, and the component was replaced. The repair was not covered under warranty, and cost a significant sum to repair (1139.91). Additionally, this appears to be a very, very common failure for this make and model of vehicle- to the point where there is so much demand for this repair to be performed that these components (the EGR valve specifically) are difficult to obtain from Chevy. Additionally, the failure mode is such that when the EGR valve fails, it pulls excessive currents, and blows a fuse that also controls a number of important engine cooling components, leaving engine cooling significantly compromised. If we had been going faster, or if the w

Got a Check Engine light on Aug 26 2022 driving about 5 minutes out of my house. With that light turned on, the EV showed zero miles range (it was fully charged when I left the house), the ICE engine kicked in but it was running very harsh and when I stepped on the gas peddle, it would not accelerate and can only go about 30 mph. I immediately made a U-turn and returned home for the car is not drivable. Took the Volt to my dealership on Aug 29, 2022 and service manager diagnosed as a BECM failed and now waiting for a replacement, which they said they are not able to find one. This is going on week #7.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the battery level indicator was fluctuating up and down and then the instrument panel went blank. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. A case was filed. The failure mileage was 160,800.

Vehicle suddenly experienced "reduced propulsion mode" on the highway. Multiple codes were triggered in the ECM. Root cause of the problem was the EGR valve which is on a shared circuit with multiple other components including a water pump which causes the car to overheat.

Received a Reduce Power warning with a check engine light on. OnStar e-mail notification saying there is an issue with Lithium-ion battery and to service the vehicle within 7 days. When this happened I was driving on the street not far from my house and sure enough I was not able to keep up with the speed of the traffic so I turned around and returned home. My battery was fully charged when I left home and when this happened, it showed my battery was depleted and switched to my gas engine but was not able to drive over 40 mph for the gas engine was making a weird sound as if it is not able to run smoothly.

My car, without warning, lost power while driving and then flashed an engine light. This happened on a street and I was able to coast to safety, but if it had happened in an intersection I would not have been so lucky. The problem was confirmed by a dealer as a failure of the Battery Energy Control Module, which has been happening to this car with numerous other owners, according to the Volt owner website.

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.