CHEVROLET VOLT · model year

2013 CHEVROLET VOLT

442 NHTSA complaints, 17 crash reports, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2013CHEVROLETVOLT carries 442 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 17 crashes, 2 fires, 18 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 5/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2013 VOLT is air bags with 159 filings, followed by fuel/propulsion system (52) and electrical system (50). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 2013 VOLT, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

442
Complaints
17
Crashes
2
Fires
18
Injuries
0
Deaths
2013 CHEVROLET VOLT — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2013 CHEVROLET VOLT. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 4.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 5.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

442 filings

Crashes Reported

17 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 — Top NCAP rating · Front: 4/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 5/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
AIR BAGS159
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM52
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM50
ENGINE36
SEATS30
POWER TRAIN24
SERVICE BRAKES19
UNKNOWN OR OTHER15
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL6
STEERING5
STRUCTURE:BODY5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM5
TIRES4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY4
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM4

Recalls (3)

23V51600027/07/2023

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Camero, Sonic, and Volt vehicles. The driver-side air bag inflator may explode during deployment due to a manufacturing defect.

18V39700014/06/2018

HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. An update to the Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2 (HPCM2) may have disabled the cell balancing function causing a low-voltage condition.

15V14500013/03/2015

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Volt vehicles manufactured August 25, 2010, to June 26, 2013. If the driver exits the vehicle without turning off the electrical system, the battery may drain low enough that the gasoline engine will automatically start itself to rec

Recent Complaints

20260204FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I received the "Propulsion Power is Reduced" Alert engine light while driving in "Normal" mode on the freeway at around 60mph with 8-9 miles of Battery capacity, it showed 0 miles of Battery forcing the Gas Engine on and the vehicle hesitated upon applying the accelerator for the remainder of the drive. My safety and that was others was at risk because the acceleration dropped quickly and I was on a busy freeway at the time when the Alert happened causing further hesitation. Upon stopping I could not get the vehicle to take a charge nor would it start up until a mechanic arrived and was able to confirm the problem.

20260204ENGINE

I received the "Propulsion Power is Reduced" Alert engine light while driving in "Normal" mode on the freeway at around 60mph with 8-9 miles of Battery capacity, it showed 0 miles of Battery forcing the Gas Engine on and the vehicle hesitated upon applying the accelerator for the remainder of the drive. My safety and that was others was at risk because the acceleration dropped quickly and I was on a busy freeway at the time when the Alert happened causing further hesitation. Upon stopping I could not get the vehicle to take a charge nor would it start up until a mechanic arrived and was able to confirm the problem.

20260204ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I received the "Propulsion Power is Reduced" Alert engine light while driving in "Normal" mode on the freeway at around 60mph with 8-9 miles of Battery capacity, it showed 0 miles of Battery forcing the Gas Engine on and the vehicle hesitated upon applying the accelerator for the remainder of the drive. My safety and that was others was at risk because the acceleration dropped quickly and I was on a busy freeway at the time when the Alert happened causing further hesitation. Upon stopping I could not get the vehicle to take a charge nor would it start up until a mechanic arrived and was able to confirm the problem.

20251216ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The Check Engine warning light was flashing, and the messages "No Propulsion Power" and "No Power To Engine" were displayed. The contact stated that two individuals pulled over and assisted the contact in pushing the vehicle to the side of the road to prevent a crash. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who made the contact aware of an unknown NHTSA Campaign Number; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact requested vehicle rental assistance, but the dealer was unable to provide assistance. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance in initiating a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 141,323.

Mileage: 141,323

20251216ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The Check Engine warning light was flashing, and the messages "No Propulsion Power" and "No Power To Engine" were displayed. The contact stated that two individuals pulled over and assisted the contact in pushing the vehicle to the side of the road to prevent a crash. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who made the contact aware of an unknown NHTSA Campaign Number; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact requested vehicle rental assistance, but the dealer was unable to provide assistance. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance in initiating a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 141,323.

Mileage: 141,323

20251025AIR BAGS

The passenger occupancy sensor gives a false positive. The only way I can get rid of the beeping is plug in the seatbelt. I have read on Reddit forums that this is a very common problem with 2013 volts, but for some reason there isn't a recall. This is a safety issue. Thank you!

20251023FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Propulsion power reduced error has happened many times but the recall lookup shows that there are no active recalls on our car. There was a recall on this problem in 2018 so I think it may have been done my the last owner but it is still having this problem.

20250929SEAT BELTS

The drivers side front seatbelt pretensioner assembly contains a braided steel cable. The cable, through normal use, has become damaged to the point that individual wires have broken free from the crimped connector. The damaged wires of the cable have penetrated through the plastic sheath covering the cable causing a needle sharp poking hazard when reaching one’s hand toward the seat back adjustment lever. My wife had a minor laceration to her finger and I was also poked when trying to identify the cause. Upon further inspection I found that approximately 80 percent of the diameter of the pretensioner cable had broken free from the crimped connector. In the event of a collision, the cable would likely break free from the seatbelt, possibly causing serious injury to the driver. I tried to obtain a replacement part through the GM dealer parts network, but the part is listed as discontinued and unavailable. This leaves the vehicle unsafe in the event of an accident. The damaged compone

20250915FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Fuel leaking from fuel tank at filler inlet. Defect in fuel tank assembly. Large puddle of gasoline formed under car after refueling causing buildup of fumes in closed garage. Vehicle has not been inspected by anyone other than owner. There were no warning lamps prior to failure.

20250728SEATS

Front passenger seat sensor intermittently fails, causing the Passenger Airbag indicator to switch to OFF (even if a passenger is present) with an accompanying "Service Airbag" message on the dashboard and illumination of the service airbag light. This occurs usually driving above 25mph, but can happen stationary, and lasts for anywhere from 5 seconds to a minute (more commonly shorter). The issue appears some weeks more than others, usually activating most days a week but sometimes have a week or two where it does not happen.

20250728AIR BAGS

Front passenger seat sensor intermittently fails, causing the Passenger Airbag indicator to switch to OFF (even if a passenger is present) with an accompanying "Service Airbag" message on the dashboard and illumination of the service airbag light. This occurs usually driving above 25mph, but can happen stationary, and lasts for anywhere from 5 seconds to a minute (more commonly shorter). The issue appears some weeks more than others, usually activating most days a week but sometimes have a week or two where it does not happen.

20250331ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving approximately 76-77 MPH, the vehicle experienced reduced power. The message "Low Propulsion" was displayed, and the engine revved significantly. The contact moved over to the far-right lane to pull over to the side of the road as needed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring temporarily. The contact had researched the failure online and became aware that the release of the accelerator pedal while the failure was occurring could temporarily correct the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

Mileage: 61,000

20250331HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving approximately 76-77 MPH, the vehicle experienced reduced power. The message "Low Propulsion" was displayed, and the engine revved significantly. The contact moved over to the far-right lane to pull over to the side of the road as needed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring temporarily. The contact had researched the failure online and became aware that the release of the accelerator pedal while the failure was occurring could temporarily correct the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

Mileage: 61,000

20250117AIR BAGS

Passenger presence does not detect people in it and makes it unsafe for passenger without airbags. This got closed and was state that there was a Chevy program to fix this as cited in the closing . I have called all over Chevy and there is no one who knows anything about this at all. If you know it or if they just started it to make it go away, please tell with with whom I can contact within Chevy to start the process

20241224FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

This is a reoccurring problem that is worsening. It is difficult to replicate (but becoming easier to replicate as the problem worsens). The problem conditions are as follows: -The car is fully charged The following drive conditions are required: - The beginning of a drive, with the car in the fully charged state, is driven in the “L” mode (aggressive regenerative braking), AND the beginning (first mile or two) of the trip includes some conditions that would NORMALLY engage regenerative breaking and redirect energy flow back to the high voltage battery. (E.g.: Beginning a drive by going up a small incline; then proceeding to drive down a decline.) OR - The beginning of a drive, with the car in the fully charged state, is driven in the “D” mode, AND the beginning (first mile or two) of the trip includes almost exclusively conditions that would NORMALLY trigger regenerative breaking and redirect flow back to the high voltage battery. IN BOTH cases: the instrument cluster,

20241001FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Vehicle went into reduced propulsion mode and then shut-off while driving down the highway. Same issue as recall 18V397000 that was not applied to my VIN number as part of that recall. Please apply recall 18V39000 to my vehicle VIN. Chevy Volt owners also need the NHTSA to issue an edict to GM/ that the reset codes for the ECM/HPCM2 being given to the OBD2 bi-directional scanner companies so owners don't have to pay a ransom to the dealerships and GM to get there cars back up and running.

20240719FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Engine shuts off randomly...message "Engine not available". Car shut off on freeway at 60 mph. Got to shoulder, cycled start button...Engine started then resumed driving. Has now happened a few times since. Also code related to reduced propulsion... Used OBDII to clear codes but makes no difference. Sometimes the car starts and drives without problem. Other times, Engine rpm very erratic.

20240719AIR BAGS

Repeats constantly..."service airbag". Appears to stop for somewhat variable lengths of time with passenger in front seat. Seems to be related to presence sensor.

20240713SERVICE BRAKES

While driving, the car developed a brake malfunction. when the brake pedal is depressed you can feel the pedal pulsating and was not slowing down until you pressed harder then the brakes apply abruptly causing risk of rear ending. Upon pulling over to the hard shoulder the pedal pulsating/drumming continued to happen even though the car is completely stopped and is in parking gear. The symptom is similar to the service bulletin PIC5734A. [XXX] The car was driven to the nearest dealership 'Dublin Chevorlet' in Dublin CA and the car has been there for 4 weeks since GM is unable to help resolve the problem. I have reached out to GM and opened a support case. Case number [XXX] ]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

20240610ENGINE

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light and low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where a diagnostic test result was undisclosed; however, the contact was informed that the vehicle needed an ASC high-voltage battery to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired after the ASC battery was replaced. The contact stated that the propulsion system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Mileage: 100,000

Compare 2013CHEVROLETVOLT to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2013 CHEVROLET VOLT have?
The 2013 CHEVROLET VOLT has 442 NHTSA complaints, 17 crashes, 2 fires, 18 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2013 CHEVROLET VOLT?
The 2013 CHEVROLET VOLT received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 4/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 5/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2013 CHEVROLET VOLT?
Yes, the 2013 CHEVROLET VOLT has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2013 CHEVROLET VOLT?
The most-complained component for the 2013 CHEVROLET VOLT is AIR BAGS with 159 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Is the 2013 CHEVROLET VOLT safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2013 CHEVROLET VOLT has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.