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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2012 Chevrolet Volt Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
22about this part
Share
9%of 245 total for the year
Median mileage
57,500miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 22 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2012 Chevrolet Volt, 9% of the 245 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 57,500 miles.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Came to stop at busy intersection when the car lunged forward several times until I threw it into neutral. This unintended acceleration has happened three times since I had the car's battery serviced a little over a month ago. In addition, the car will sporadically not go into regeneration mode as it is supposed to do when coming to a stop or slowing down. This also just started happening since the battery service was performed.”

NHTSA complaint #11079065, filed 2018-03, 99,700 miles

“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. I have a video of the car in 2017 when I started it up and it sounded as though it was going to blow up. …”

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

“My 2012 chevy VOLT has completely shut off at freeway speeds, and surface streets on over 15 occasions. The power steering assist goes out, the brake assist goes out and it's very difficult to steer and break the car, I have nearly avoided several accidents, there is no warning that this will occur.the power steering assist goes out, the brake assist goes out and it's very difficult to steer and break the car, I have nearly avoided several accidents, there is no warning that this will occur once I have attempted to safely pull over the car says engine not available, propulsion power reduced…”

NHTSA complaint #11298837, filed 2020-01, 130,900 miles

“Upon arriving at our vacation destination, we were in the process of checking into our hotel in tulsa, ok. It was a hot so I told my autistic adult son to stay in the passenger seat with the A/C on while my wife and I unloaded the luggage. The car had been backed up a slight grade into the parking spot. Moments later my wife screamed out that the car was backing up. She ran to the passenger door and reached in attempting to put the car in park. Instread she bumped it into drive and the car moved forward dow the grade. …”

NHTSA complaint #10734081, filed 2015-07, 35,785 miles

“While I was driving home my car would surge then lose power. I pressed the onstar button and a vehicle test was conducted. I was told the transmission needed attention. Also, the vehicle lost power while driving and I had to pull off the road. I was on a rural road so no one else was affected. Had I been on the interstate this could have affected others and myself in a negative way. I took the vehicle in and jessup auto in catherdral city, ca kept it several days and corrected the issue. The main issue is losing power while driving.”

NHTSA complaint #10576532, filed 2014-04, 12,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
20191647%
20188537%
201722131%
20165130%
2015614%
201444%
2013248%
2012229%
201136%

Other parts of the 2012 Chevrolet Volt

Air bags
86 complaints
Electrical system
86 complaints
Fuel system
37 complaints
Engine
26 complaints
Brakes
24 complaints
Other or unknown
17 complaints
Seats
14 complaints
Vehicle speed control
11 complaints
Steering
6 complaints
Body and structure
6 complaints
Exterior lighting
5 complaints
Electronic stability control
4 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology