2012 Chevrolet Volt Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this model year cluster around two things: a passenger-seat occupancy sensor that sets off a "Service Airbag" warning, and stalls or sudden loss of propulsion when the car hands off between the battery and the gasoline engine. Airbag complaints arrive mostly in the 80,000-150,000 mile range, while propulsion and instrument-cluster problems show up from very low mileage onward, often as intermittent faults that dealers could not reproduce. Owners frequently report paying several hundred dollars for sensor or software work, and a few note that replacement parts were discontinued.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Passenger airbag warning light / seat occupancy sensor

   • 84 complaints (34%)
   • median 97,161 mi at 8.0 yrs old (56 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $900 (median of 27 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2025

   Owners describe a "Service Airbag" warning that comes and goes, sometimes appearing when an adult is seated in the front passenger seat and sometimes with the seat empty. Several say the system defaults the passenger airbag to off, and complaints state dealers diagnosed a faulty passenger presence sensor or module, with quotes commonly ranging from several hundred to over a thousand dollars. A few owners report the sensor part was discontinued or that a body control module replacement was proposed instead. Some reference an earlier NHTSA investigation into the warning-light pattern. Most sampled complaints fall between about 50,000 and 150,000 miles, often starting in the 80,000-100,000 mile range and becoming continuous over time; rain or a wet seat is mentioned in a few cases.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Turn the key on with no one in the passenger seat and confirm the airbag warning light stays off; then sit in the seat and check it again. Ask whether the passenger presence sensor has already been replaced and keep a written quote, since owners report wide price differences.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “An air bag error message appears on the dash. We discovered if a person sits in the front passenger seat the error clears. We just bought the car, and the dealer states that this safety feature would fall on us to repair. When we test drove the car there as someone in the front passenger seat so we were not aware of the issue till after it was purchased.”

   NHTSA complaint #11301651, filed 2020-01, 83,608 miles

   “Airbag problem warning light. Dealer said there is likely a problem with the passenger sensor in the seat and I would have to pay $1200 but that might not fix the problem. We declined the service. I have since read about many more VOLT owners with this problem. Ours started around 80,000 miles. We are currently around $120000 miles.”

   NHTSA complaint #11416379, filed 2021-05, 80,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Loss of propulsion / stall with reduced propulsion message

   • 57 complaints (23%)
   • median 72,000 mi at 6.5 yrs old (45 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2011–2026

   Complaints describe the car cutting power or shutting down while driving, sometimes at highway speed, usually accompanied by "Reduced Propulsion Power" or "Engine Not Available" messages. In several accounts the car restarts after a pause and runs normally, and dealers could not duplicate the fault or cleared codes and reprogrammed modules. Others report diagnoses pointing to low or unbalanced high-voltage battery cells, temperature sensors, or engine software needing an update, with battery replacement quoted in some cases. Reported from single-digit thousands of miles up to around 160,000, with many between 50,000 and 120,000; several owners link it to the moment the car switches from battery to gasoline engine.

   Recall 15V1450008 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for a full battery and hybrid-system scan rather than just stored codes, and ask whether any recent software updates were applied and when. Note whether the car has set a reduced-propulsion message at any point, since owners describe the fault as intermittent.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My car has had ongoing problems with power propulsion, electrical system, and start-up since new and several items were replaced in 2017. I purchased 6 year / 100,000 extended warranty when new. Several items have been replaced. But updates are needed to keep the car running properly. Now the warranty has expired but the vehicle still needs updates to run properly and the dealer wants paid to install updates. This is a scam if the car wont run with out being updated yearly. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11351778, filed 2020-08, 80,000 miles

   “I was driving the car normally in electric mode, and parked it with one mile remaining of electricity. Upon restarting the car a few minutes later, the gasoline engine came on and was revving at a very high rate. In addition, a pop-up message on the dashboard read 'propulsion power is reduced.' the engine continued to rev high and I was only able to achieve a speed of about 30 MPH during my two-mile ride home. Upon parking the car in garage and charging it, the problem disappeared. It was 90 degrees outside when this happened.”

   NHTSA complaint #11343525, filed 2020-08, 57,000 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Blank or intermittent instrument cluster and center display

   • 20 complaints (8%)
   • median 83,000 mi at 6.7 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • filed 2013–2026

   Owners report the driver information screen or center display going completely blank, either at startup or while driving, leaving no speedometer, warning lights, or range information. Some say it comes back after a restart or a few minutes and others describe it as random across cold and warm conditions. In one case an independent shop diagnosed the instrument cluster as needing replacement. Appears in the sample from about 80,000 to 160,000 miles, with no consistent weather pattern mentioned.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Start the car cold and watch the instrument panel come up fully; ask whether any module reprogramming has been done and whether the cluster has ever blanked out before.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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 complaint #11385023, filed 2020-12, 160,000 miles

   “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.”

   NHTSA complaint #11326532, filed 2020-05, 95,607 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake pedal firm or slow to respond

   • 18 complaints (7%)
   • median 56,000 mi at 4.3 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2013–2023

   Complaints describe the brake pedal needing unusual pressure, going to the floor, or the car failing to slow on first application, sometimes over bumps or during a panic stop, with ABS or Service Brakes warnings. Dealers and independent shops diagnosed the brake pressure modulator valve, and owners tie the symptom to a brake-related recall covering a limited production window. Reported from around 13,000 miles up to about 120,000, with several cases near 85,000-115,000.

   Recall 13V271000

   What to check: Ask whether the brake pressure modulator recall work was completed for this vehicle by VIN, and test the pedal on a quiet road, including braking over uneven pavement.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On 5-21-14 I was driving 25 MPH when I had to do an panic stop to avoid another car. At this point the car lost all power and my brakes went to floor. I missed hitting the other car by inches. Once I restarted the VOLT it came up with a dash warning to service brakes . I drove about 20 MPH for 1 mile to find a safe place to pull over and park. All the while testing my brakes and they were very mushy. Once I pulled over and stopped another warning message came up on dash saying ABS failure . I called aaa and had car taken to dealership. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10597865, filed 2014-06, 13,552 miles

   “Anytime the vehicle goes over bump, pothole, or particularly rough road surface at the same time that the brake pedal is depressed, the brakes do not engage and the vehicle fails to slow down. You must release the pedal and apply pressure a second time in order to stop. This occurs when the vehicle is in motion at any speed.”

   NHTSA complaint #11408087, filed 2021-04, 100,000 miles

Buying note. Have the car scanned for stored airbag and hybrid-system codes before purchase, since several of these faults are intermittent and may not show up on a short drive. Ask for records of software updates, battery module work, and completion of the brake modulator recall by VIN.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.