2017 Chevrolet Volt Problems
Compared with other Chevrolet Volt years
More complaints than typical for this model
100/100 4.6× a typical year · 50 = typical
- Complaint rate is 4.6× that of a typical Chevrolet Volt year, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, recalls and mileage, and allowing for the era and for how long each year has had to collect complaints.
- 78 of its 703 complaints were filed by the end of 2019.
- Most reported problem: Shift to Park warning and car won't power off (190 complaints, median 37,000 mi).
Nearby years with fewer complaints than typical and no open NHTSA investigation: 2015
Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated
- Complaints
- 703filed with NHTSA
- Median mileage
- 36,218miles, 252 complaints with mileage
- Recalls
- 0campaigns on record
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 / 5stars overall
- EPA fuel economy
- 42 mpgcombined (gas only), 1.5L 4-cyl · plug-in hybrid FWD · 43 city / 42 hwy
Sources: NHTSA records for the 2017 Chevrolet Volt (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error
What owners report
Owners of the 2017 Chevrolet Volt most often report a "Shift to Park" warning that appears after the car is already in Park, which prevents the vehicle from being powered down and locked. A smaller but consistent group of complaints describes loss of propulsion with "Propulsion Power Reduced" or "Propulsion System Failure" messages, sometimes traced to the battery energy control module, EGR valve or coolant/heating issues. Most of these reports arrive between roughly 20,000 and 60,000 miles.
- Transmission and drivetrain
Shift to Park warning and car won't power off
- 190 complaints (27%)
- median 37,000 mi at 3.8 yrs old (109 state mileage)
- 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
- owner-quoted repair $500 (median of 7 quotes)
- filed 2016–2026
Owners describe putting the shifter in Park and pressing the power button, then getting an "Action Required: Shift to Park" message even though the dash already shows Park. The car will not shut down, the doors may not lock, and warning chimes may sound. Many say they clear it by restarting and cycling through gears, wiggling or pressing the shifter harder, or repeating the start/stop sequence several times, and that the problem becomes more frequent over time. Several complaints say a dealer identified the shifter assembly or a sensor inside it as the cause, and some report the switch was replaced once and later failed again. Typically reported between roughly 15,000 and 60,000 miles, occurring intermittently at first and then more often.
What to check: With the car in Park, press the power button and confirm it shuts off and locks on the first try, repeating a few times. Ask whether the shifter assembly or its park-detection switch has ever been replaced.
2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records
“When I shift the car into park and try to turn it off, it refuses to turn off and says action required: shift to park this is annoying as the car is already clearly in park. This has started to happen every time I try to park. Apparently this is a known issue that GM refuses to offer a recall on. Well, I am just going to keep reporting the issue until they do.”
NHTSA complaint #11328033, filed 2020-06, 31,028 miles“After putting my VOLT in to park and trying to turn off the car, a message is displayed stating that the car must first be put in to park. I had to turn the car back on and shift in and out of park to clear this message. This has happened three time to this car in the past week.”
NHTSA complaint #11337348, filed 2020-07, 34,000 miles - Electrical system
Propulsion power reduced or loss of power while driving
Mentioned in 9 of 60 sampled complaints
Complaints describe a "Propulsion Power Reduced" or "Propulsion System Failure" message appearing while driving, sometimes with rough running, shuddering or a check engine light, and the car losing speed or stalling. Some owners were able to restart after cycling the ignition; others had the vehicle towed. Reported dealer diagnoses include the battery energy control module, the 12-volt battery, drivetrain fluid, the EGR valve and engine overheating related to the gasoline range extender. Reported from roughly 20,000 miles upward, including on highway trips and after long drives.
What to check: Ask for any stored diagnostic trouble codes and whether the battery energy control module, 12-volt battery or EGR components have been serviced; a scan before purchase is worthwhile.
2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records
“Purchased a 2107 VOLT premier with 40k miles in july 2020. My wife was driving the car and it lost power on the freeway with a shift to park warning and check engine light. She was able to glide over to the shoulder and I came to rescue her. After repeated on off cycles I got the car to move a couple of miles with several jerking motions while driving then it died again and I lost power braking (went to manual only). …”
NHTSA complaint #11362645, filed 2020-10, 44,000 miles“Prior to starting my 1,100 mi trip with my 2017 VOLT premier, I inflated the tires, checked fluids, & charged the car. The monthly diagnostic report I received the day before my departure indicated no problems with the car, which had approx 40,500 mi. I was driving on interstates & highways using hold (gas) mode, occasionally mountain mode. Approximately 275 mi. Into the trip I received power propulsion reduced alert. After an additional 50-75 mi I received an action required: engine overheating reduce speed alert. …”
NHTSA complaint #11383455, filed 2020-12, 41,150 miles - Engine
Stalling or rough running traced to EGR valve
Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints
Owners report the car losing motive power and stalling, sometimes repeatedly after restart, with the check engine light on. In these complaints the dealer attributed the problem to a faulty EGR valve or EGR-related part; one owner also described overheating before the loss of power. Mostly reported between about 40,000 and 90,000 miles.
What to check: Have the check engine history read for EGR-related codes and ask whether the EGR valve has been cleaned or replaced.
2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records
“The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated and lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where he recharged the battery. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a faulty EGR valve that needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11483673, filed 2022-09, 40,000 miles“The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power, after which a message displayed, Propulsion Power Reduced . There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the drivetrain fluid needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11585199, filed 2024-04, 78,000 miles
Buying note. The Shift to Park behavior is the most common complaint and is usually intermittent, so test the shutdown and locking sequence several times before buying. It is also worth having a shop scan for stored codes related to the hybrid battery controls, EGR and air bag systems.
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.
NHTSA recorded 703 consumer complaints for the 2017 Chevrolet Volt. 252 of the complaints include a mileage, and 71% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 36,218 miles. Of all complaints, 8 involved a crash, 9 a fire, 11 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 0 recall campaigns and 1,172 technical service bulletins for this model year. Compared with the other 8 Chevrolet Volt model years that have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to compare, this one scores 100 out of 100, where 50 is a typical year for the model (more complaints than typical for this model). The comparison allows for the era and for how long each year has had to collect complaints, but not for how many vehicles were sold.
Which parts are reported most
Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.
- Electrical system313 45%
- Fuel system237 34%
- Transmission and drivetrain221 31%
- Engine184 26%
- Other or unknown115 16%
- Vehicle speed control32 4.5%
- Brakes27 3.8%
- Steering16 2.3%
- Air bags12 1.7%
Also reported: Forward collision avoidance (9), Engine cooling (5), Back-over prevention (rear camera) (4), Hybrid propulsion system (4), Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) (4), Seat belts (3), Exterior lighting (2), Body and structure (2), Wheels (2), Lane departure (1), Latches, locks and linkages (1), Seats (1), Suspension (1).
Example complaints
Electrical system: “I'm getting a shift to park error on my display when I put the car in park and try to turn off the vehicle. It doesn't recognize that the car is in park, even though on the display, it shows the car is in park. I've got to wiggle the shifter for a bit for it to recognize the car is in park. Looking on the internet, this seems to be a common problem with the 2017 VOLT.”
NHTSA complaint #11340070, filed 2020-07, 35,000 milesFuel system: “Urgent urgent. This is something wrong with the 2017 VOLT. My vehicle caught on fire while driving down the interstate at higher speeds. I have found two others that this has happened too. Gm didn't even investigate before denying liability, they made a determination over photos. All 3 vehicles had over 20k miles on it. Others lives may be in danger. Please investigate.”
NHTSA complaint #11092751, filed 2018-05, 20,000 milesTransmission and drivetrain: “When I attempt to shut the car off, I get an error message telling me to shift to park however, the shift selector is already in park, the car is just failing to detect it. This is the second time this has happened with this car. The first time it was repaired under warranty. It appears the shift selector sensor is not working properly or fails over time.”
NHTSA complaint #11323893, filed 2020-05, 33,486 milesEngine: “Driving up the freeway at a normal speed, my VOLT began to accelerate without warning and after applying the brakes again began to accelerate involuntarily. After I managed to pull to the side of the road by applying the brakes hard, smoke came out of the hood. I called a tow truck and he had to jump the car to start it again.”
NHTSA complaint #11173597, filed 2019-02, 26,000 milesMileage when problems were reported
71% of the 252 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 22,778 and 52,000 miles.
Complaints by year filed
Trend: stable. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2017 Chevrolet Volt. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Side pole | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volt · hatchback FWD | ★★★★★ | 5 / 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 · 9.3% risk |
Driver aids listed by NHTSA for the 2017 model year: forward collision warning optional, lane departure warning optional, automatic emergency braking not available.
Neighbouring years: 2018: same overall rating. A redesign between years can change both the car and the test.
Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.
Fuel economy and running cost
EPA ratings for each 2017 Chevrolet Volt version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving); plug-in hybrid figures are for gasoline-only (hybrid mode) driving, so no annual cost is shown.
| Version | Engine | Transmission | City | Hwy | Comb. | Fuel / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volt FWD | 1.5L 4-cyl · plug-in hybrid | CVT | 43 | 42 | 42 gas only | — |
Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.
Recalls and investigations
NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for the 2017 Chevrolet Volt in the data used here. A recall can apply to some vehicles of a model year and not others, so check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
- PE23022Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control ModuleClosed · Nov 29, 2023
Technical service bulletins
TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 1,172 on record; the latest 10 are shown.
- 11037555Sep 26, 2026Other or unknown. This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it.
- 11037253Sep 4, 2026Other or unknown. This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
- 11035340Jul 21, 2026Other or unknown. PI to help diagnose A/C concern
- 11030974Apr 1, 2026Other or unknown. This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
- 11030092Mar 9, 2026Other or unknown. This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.
- 11030091Mar 9, 2026Other or unknown. This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
- 11027601Jan 8, 2026Other or unknown. This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
- 11025755Nov 20, 2025Other or unknown. This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit…
- 11023091Sep 9, 2025Other or unknown. New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
- 11024324Sep 4, 2025Fuel system, Electrical system. This Warranty Administration service bulletin provides Lithium-Ion battery Exchange Process and Transaction Submission information.
Other model years of the Chevrolet Volt
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | Crash ★ | MPG | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 34 | 21,750 | 2 | 5 | 42 | 37 · Typical | Stable |
| 2018 | 226 | 24,579 | 2 | 5 | 42 | 100 · More | Rising |
| 2017 | 703 | 36,218 | 0 | 5 | 42 | 100 · More | Stable |
| 2016 | 170 | 43,045 | 1 | — | 42 | 50 · Typical | Rising |
| 2015 | 44 | 38,000 | 1 | 5 | 37 | 28 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2014 | 93 | 50,900 | 0 | 5 | 37 | 38 · Typical | Falling |
| 2013 | 308 | 67,000 | 3 | 5 | 37 | 100 · More | Falling |
| 2012 | 245 | 80,000 | 2 | 5 | 37 | 92 · More | Falling |
| 2011 | 49 | 72,500 | 1 | 5 | 37 | 20 · Fewer | Falling |
All Chevrolet Volt model years · Best and worst years by complaints
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2017 Chevrolet Volt?
Owners of the 2017 Chevrolet Volt most often report a "Shift to Park" warning that appears after the car is already in Park, which prevents the vehicle from being powered down and locked. The issues reported most often: Shift to Park warning and car won't power off; Propulsion power reduced or loss of power while driving; Stalling or rough running traced to EGR valve.
How many NHTSA complaints does the 2017 Chevrolet Volt have?
NHTSA recorded 703 consumer complaints for the 2017 Chevrolet Volt as of Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
What part of the 2017 Chevrolet Volt is reported most often?
Electrical system is named most often, in 313 complaints (45% of the total), followed by fuel system with 237.
Has the 2017 Chevrolet Volt been recalled?
NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year in the data used here. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
How did the 2017 Chevrolet Volt do in NHTSA crash tests?
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings give the 2017 Chevrolet Volt 5 out of 5 stars overall. Ratings from different model years are only comparable when the vehicle was not redesigned in between.
What gas mileage does the 2017 Chevrolet Volt get?
The EPA rates the 2017 Chevrolet Volt (Volt, 1.5L 4-cyl · plug-in hybrid) at 42 mpg combined, 43 city and 42 highway when running on gasoline in hybrid mode. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.
At what mileage are problems with the 2017 Chevrolet Volt reported?
Among the 252 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 36,218 miles and the middle half falls between 22,778 and 52,000 miles; 71% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).
Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.