2013 Chevrolet Volt Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2013 Chevrolet Volt most often report a "Service Airbag" warning tied to the front passenger seat sensor, which can switch the passenger airbag off; complaints describe it appearing intermittently, often with someone in the passenger seat, and quotes for repair running several hundred to over a thousand dollars. A second recurring theme is loss of propulsion power, sometimes with high-voltage charging warnings, reported from city speeds up to highway speeds and occasionally leaving the car unable to restart until it is power-cycled.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Passenger seat sensor triggers Service Airbag warning

   • 159 complaints (52%)
   • median 76,500 mi at 6.6 yrs old (112 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 48 quotes)
   • filed 2014–2026

   Owners describe a "Service Airbag" message and a red airbag indicator that appears and disappears, most often when someone sits in or shifts weight in the front passenger seat, and sometimes with no occupant at all. Many complaints state the passenger airbag indicator switches to off while an adult is seated. According to the complaints, dealers typically diagnosed a failed passenger presence sensor or seat sensor mat and quoted repairs in the range of several hundred to about $1,300; some owners report the warning recurring after inspection. Reported across a wide mileage range, from a few thousand miles to well past 100,000, and described as intermittent whether the car is parked or moving.

   What to check: With the ignition on, sit in the passenger seat and shift weight around while watching the airbag indicator and the overhead passenger airbag light. Ask whether the passenger presence sensor has been replaced and keep the repair estimate in mind.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My car has about 76k miles on it and suddenly gives a warning about service airbag on 4/4/2021. I have not been in a wreck, sped over potholes, or have any damage to my car so I am unsure why this light has been activated (I received this warning prior to leaving my driveway that afternoon). It is the passenger airbag that is having this problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #11406628, filed 2021-04, 76,000 miles

   “The passenger airbag seatbelt sensor faulty and gives notice on display. Intermittently stops turning on passenger airbag when someone is sitting in it. I has been doing this for about 3 years and does it everytime while driving. I have seen hundreds of posts online with the same issue. This is the second time I have filed this same complaint with no response.”

   NHTSA complaint #11383019, filed 2020-12, 60,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Reduced propulsion power and stalling

   • 85 complaints (28%)
   • median 61,000 mi at 6.0 yrs old (61 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,120 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2012–2026

   Complaints describe a "Propulsion Power Reduced" or "Low Propulsion" message, loss of power and deceleration while driving, and occasionally the car refusing to restart until it is switched off and on or left to sit. Several owners say the dealer diagnosed the high-voltage propulsion battery as needing replacement; others report a software update or a charging port replacement. Some describe the event happening at highway speed, and one owner reports the car stalled during the switch from electric to gasoline operation. Mostly reported between roughly 60,000 and 100,000 miles, at speeds ranging from about 15 mph to highway speeds.

   Recall 18V397000

   What to check: Ask for the service history on the high-voltage battery and whether the hybrid powertrain control module recall work was performed. Note that the battery-related recall concerns a low-voltage condition from a software update, not a confirmed fix for these reports.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Three times the vehicle has lost propulsion power resulting in reduced acceleration and no longer starting. It is at a dealership for the third time for repairs. The recall instructions were completed in 2019; however, I continue to have the same problem. The dealer is now just charging me for replacement items (112 VOLT battery, cluster) instead of dealing with the actual problem with the voltec battery that is under warranty.”

   NHTSA complaint #11364887, filed 2020-10, 68,000 miles

   “This vehicle suddenly looses propulsion while driving and it switches from electric to gas. It has happened more than once, but this last time I was on the highway and almost caused an accident. I took it to a dealer to be repaired but the problem has persisted.”

   NHTSA complaint #11318140, filed 2020-03, 60,000 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Service high voltage charging system warning

   • 39 complaints (13%)
   • median 44,165 mi at 6.2 yrs old (23 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2013–2026

   Owners report a "Service High Voltage Charging System" message, in some cases with the car failing to charge fully or not charging at all. Complaints describe dealer diagnoses ranging from a software bug resolved with an update to a failed charging port or battery components, with some repairs quoted in the thousands. A few owners say the problem returned after the first repair attempt. Reported from under 10,000 miles to about 150,000, with several cases around 40,000 to 90,000 miles.

   6 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the car charges to a full range and whether any charging system codes have been stored. The battery exchange bulletins are warranty administration documents and do not themselves describe a repair for this symptom.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Back in june 2020 took my 2013 chevy VOLT to ferman Chevrolet for service high voltage system fault, drive battery not fully charging, reduced propulsion fault and burnt odor from under hood. The dealer fix was preform GM service bulleting. Next week still not fully charging. Was told to drive car so the battery can learn my driving habits. Still not charging. On 16 oct same problem and would not drive. Now the battery 8 year warranty has ran out. New fix is $5300 battery rebuild and I say they never fixed the original problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11366229, filed 2020-10, 8,500 miles

   “The VOLT is displaying manufacturer control error code p1 e00$07e8 and is not charging. On the dash, the message displays as service high voltage charging system . This is a software error that Chevrolet needs to correct on the 2013 Chevrolet volts at no cost to owners.”

   NHTSA complaint #11400016, filed 2021-03, 43,000 miles

Buying note. Check the airbag warning behavior with a passenger seated before buying, since the seat sensor repair can be costly and is reported repeatedly. Also ask for battery and charging system service records, and test drive through a range of speeds to listen for drive unit noise.

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.