Total Complaints
127 filings
CHEVROLET VOLT · model year
127 NHTSA complaints, 11 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
5 / 5 ★
New Car Assessment Program
The 2014CHEVROLETVOLT carries 127 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 11 crashes, 1 fire, 2 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 2014 VOLT is air bags with 32 filings, followed by electrical system (25) and fuel/propulsion system (19). 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.
NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 2014 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.
Total Complaints
127 filings
Crashes Reported
11 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 32 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 25 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 19 |
| ENGINE | 9 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 8 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 6 |
| STEERING | 5 |
| POWER TRAIN | 4 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 4 |
| SEATS | 3 |
| HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 2 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 2 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY | 2 |
While driving 50mph on a 4 lane highway, propulsion reduced speed and engine unavailable message came on and the car immediately shut down, a car almost hit me because of it. I had to hurry up jump out and try and push it off the road out of oncoming traffic! After about 15 minutes of turning car off and then back on. It finally started again, I then drove 1/4 mile and it did it again this time as turning left across a 2 lane highway with traffic oncoming, once again had to hurry up and jump out and push it out of the road! This was such an extremely scary situation for me and I thank god my wife wasnât driving with our daughter and grand kids! This is the 2nd time because on 8/1/2025 it did the same thing while driving on a major 4 lane toll road, was able to pull off to side of the highway BUT had to be towed home!
While driving 50mph on a 4 lane highway, propulsion reduced speed and engine unavailable message came on and the car immediately shut down, a car almost hit me because of it. I had to hurry up jump out and try and push it off the road out of oncoming traffic! After about 15 minutes of turning car off and then back on. It finally started again, I then drove 1/4 mile and it did it again this time as turning left across a 2 lane highway with traffic oncoming, once again had to hurry up and jump out and push it out of the road! This was such an extremely scary situation for me and I thank god my wife wasnât driving with our daughter and grand kids! This is the 2nd time because on 8/1/2025 it did the same thing while driving on a major 4 lane toll road, was able to pull off to side of the highway BUT had to be towed home!
I was slowly maneuvering my car into my garage when the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly surged forward, despite only lightly tapping the brake and not touching the accelerator. The car had been displaying the warning, âPropulsion Power is Reducedâ and was not holding an electric charge in the days before the incident. No malfunction indicator lamp ever turned on. Per the ownerâs manual, the vehicle did not need to be serviced because the malfunction indicator light never came on at the same time as the propulsion power reduced message. This led me to believe the vehicle was safe to drive. The unexpected surge caused the car to strike and cause considerable damage to the garage wall. Fortunately there was no one in the garage at the time and I, myself, was not injured. My car was deemed a total loss by the insurance company.
I was slowly maneuvering my car into my garage when the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly surged forward, despite only lightly tapping the brake and not touching the accelerator. The car had been displaying the warning, âPropulsion Power is Reducedâ and was not holding an electric charge in the days before the incident. No malfunction indicator lamp ever turned on. Per the ownerâs manual, the vehicle did not need to be serviced because the malfunction indicator light never came on at the same time as the propulsion power reduced message. This led me to believe the vehicle was safe to drive. The unexpected surge caused the car to strike and cause considerable damage to the garage wall. Fortunately there was no one in the garage at the time and I, myself, was not injured. My car was deemed a total loss by the insurance company.
I was slowly maneuvering my car into my garage when the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly surged forward, despite only lightly tapping the brake and not touching the accelerator. The car had been displaying the warning, âPropulsion Power is Reducedâ and was not holding an electric charge in the days before the incident. No malfunction indicator lamp ever turned on. Per the ownerâs manual, the vehicle did not need to be serviced because the malfunction indicator light never came on at the same time as the propulsion power reduced message. This led me to believe the vehicle was safe to drive. The unexpected surge caused the car to strike and cause considerable damage to the garage wall. Fortunately there was no one in the garage at the time and I, myself, was not injured. My car was deemed a total loss by the insurance company.
Propulsion power is reduced
The contact son owns a 2014 Chevrolet Volt. The contact's daughter stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle loss motive power without warning and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with battery failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the time frame for a free battery replacement had expired. The vehicle was towed to the residence and had not been driven since the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Loss of propulsion. Vehicle will not start/move. If vehicle does turn on , it will not turn off. Vehicle has been having reduced propulsion issues for multiple years (taken to dealer many times) that dealership has refused to do a HV battery capacity test while under warranty, even after leaving with them for multiple months they claimed they could not replicate error. On day of pickup error presented itself and I showed service advisor and left vehicle for additional testing. Dealer provided explanation of reduced propulsion when in mountain mode as cause even though vehicle was not in mountain mode when error occurred. Dealer performed customer satisfaction GM Program # N172130462 update 11/2021 on HV system that stopped propulsion issues (mainly battery capacity concerns) until vehicle was out of warranty. Now vehicle will not turn on/move even though HV battery completely charged. Vehicle is essentially bricked at this point. Will be taking back to dealer 12/30/2024
Loss of propulsion. Vehicle will not start/move. If vehicle does turn on , it will not turn off. Vehicle has been having reduced propulsion issues for multiple years (taken to dealer many times) that dealership has refused to do a HV battery capacity test while under warranty, even after leaving with them for multiple months they claimed they could not replicate error. On day of pickup error presented itself and I showed service advisor and left vehicle for additional testing. Dealer provided explanation of reduced propulsion when in mountain mode as cause even though vehicle was not in mountain mode when error occurred. Dealer performed customer satisfaction GM Program # N172130462 update 11/2021 on HV system that stopped propulsion issues (mainly battery capacity concerns) until vehicle was out of warranty. Now vehicle will not turn on/move even though HV battery completely charged. Vehicle is essentially bricked at this point. Will be taking back to dealer 12/30/2024
Loss of propulsion. Vehicle will not start/move. If vehicle does turn on , it will not turn off. Vehicle has been having reduced propulsion issues for multiple years (taken to dealer many times) that dealership has refused to do a HV battery capacity test while under warranty, even after leaving with them for multiple months they claimed they could not replicate error. On day of pickup error presented itself and I showed service advisor and left vehicle for additional testing. Dealer provided explanation of reduced propulsion when in mountain mode as cause even though vehicle was not in mountain mode when error occurred. Dealer performed customer satisfaction GM Program # N172130462 update 11/2021 on HV system that stopped propulsion issues (mainly battery capacity concerns) until vehicle was out of warranty. Now vehicle will not turn on/move even though HV battery completely charged. Vehicle is essentially bricked at this point. Will be taking back to dealer 12/30/2024
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the contact stated that while attempting to merge in the right lane, the vehicle hesitated and shut off while in the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.
Mileage: 136,000
I'm losing power as I am driving and car is moving slower than usual.
Battery pack died with no warning while I was highway driving
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started to sound as if the engine was revving while the accelerator pedal was being depressed. The vehicle failed to respond as needed while the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle slowly decelerated. The contact stopped the vehicle and waited for the failure to cease before the contact was able to drive normally. The failure recurred over a dozen times at various speeds with the "Propulsion Power Reduced" message displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer several times, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V397000 (Hybrid Propulsion System) however, the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage is unknown.
I bought my car and I had no idea about a known issue that this car has. Unsuspecting and trusting, I noticed my car had a reduced propulsion and it would like lose power and just slowly jerk and then really drastically reduce speed without anyway to fix it and on the freeway I got scared as I have never in my life has this happen in any car. So it happen a couple more times and I took a picture of it and took it to the dealership where I purchased it. They told me they couldnât do l as they canât repeat the issue. Well that only usually happens when Iâm driving but now itâs more. The propulsion thing loses power and I as a driver going up a hill or anywhere now will lose speed and itâs dangerous, I feel like I may not make it home and I took it to the dealership many times and they told me thereâs no issue. I took it again recently now that Iâm out of warranty because it also had some high voltage issue and a sensor coolant issue that misreads. I like the car but very un
I bought my car and I had no idea about a known issue that this car has. Unsuspecting and trusting, I noticed my car had a reduced propulsion and it would like lose power and just slowly jerk and then really drastically reduce speed without anyway to fix it and on the freeway I got scared as I have never in my life has this happen in any car. So it happen a couple more times and I took a picture of it and took it to the dealership where I purchased it. They told me they couldnât do l as they canât repeat the issue. Well that only usually happens when Iâm driving but now itâs more. The propulsion thing loses power and I as a driver going up a hill or anywhere now will lose speed and itâs dangerous, I feel like I may not make it home and I took it to the dealership many times and they told me thereâs no issue. I took it again recently now that Iâm out of warranty because it also had some high voltage issue and a sensor coolant issue that misreads. I like the car but very un
I bought my car and I had no idea about a known issue that this car has. Unsuspecting and trusting, I noticed my car had a reduced propulsion and it would like lose power and just slowly jerk and then really drastically reduce speed without anyway to fix it and on the freeway I got scared as I have never in my life has this happen in any car. So it happen a couple more times and I took a picture of it and took it to the dealership where I purchased it. They told me they couldnât do l as they canât repeat the issue. Well that only usually happens when Iâm driving but now itâs more. The propulsion thing loses power and I as a driver going up a hill or anywhere now will lose speed and itâs dangerous, I feel like I may not make it home and I took it to the dealership many times and they told me thereâs no issue. I took it again recently now that Iâm out of warranty because it also had some high voltage issue and a sensor coolant issue that misreads. I like the car but very un
My 2014 Chevy Volt suffered a complete failure of the EV power system when the battery reached 0 remaining miles. Unlike normal failover to hybrid mode, the vehicle switched into reduced power mode. I was able to drive home (1/4 mile) in this mode but was unable to charge or drive the car after parking it. At this point the car become completely immobile and had to be towed to the dealer (Jerry's Chevolet in Joppa MD). It was there as of December 18. 2023. This is the same behavior as noted in the complaint about Gen 2 Volts except this is a Gen 1 Volt. In the reduced power mode, the car does not accelerate normally and is subject to power surges. The dealer inspected the car and said that a failed cell in the traction battery caused a fault in the entire traction pack. The resulting repair requires a replacement of the battery for $22,000 not including labor! The car is otherwise in excellent condition. I had the SAME issue repaired under warranty in 2021 with the exact same
My 2014 Chevy Volt suffered a complete failure of the EV power system when the battery reached 0 remaining miles. Unlike normal failover to hybrid mode, the vehicle switched into reduced power mode. I was able to drive home (1/4 mile) in this mode but was unable to charge or drive the car after parking it. At this point the car become completely immobile and had to be towed to the dealer (Jerry's Chevolet in Joppa MD). It was there as of December 18. 2023. This is the same behavior as noted in the complaint about Gen 2 Volts except this is a Gen 1 Volt. In the reduced power mode, the car does not accelerate normally and is subject to power surges. The dealer inspected the car and said that a failed cell in the traction battery caused a fault in the entire traction pack. The resulting repair requires a replacement of the battery for $22,000 not including labor! The car is otherwise in excellent condition. I had the SAME issue repaired under warranty in 2021 with the exact same
The car stopped working at a stoplight while I was driving my son to school. There was no warning other than a "Propulsion power is reduced" message seconds before it stopped working. After turning it off and back on, I got the car to limp out of traffic. By the time the tow truck arrived an hour later, we could barely get it to go into neutral to tow it. After towing it to the dealer, they replaced the engine control module. Since then, it has been working fine.
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module
Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
Fuel Line Leak
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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.