2013 Chevrolet Volt problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (123) · Fuel/Propulsion System (37) · Seats (30)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Volt model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
213 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module 2023-07-27 · campaign 23V516000 · 767 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver-side air bag module, free of charge. On some 2013 Volt vehicles, the steering wheel will be replaced as well, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2023. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N232413120.
Hybrid Propulsion System 2018-06-14 · campaign 18V397000 · 4,606 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: If the voltage drops, the vehicle may lose propulsion, increasing the risk of crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the HPCM2, free of charge. The recall began July 24, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18215.
Electrical System:ignition 2015-03-13 · campaign 15V145000 · 50,236 vehicles
Defect: 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 recharge the electric battery.
Risk: If the engine runs for an extended period of time in an enclosed space, there may be a build up of carbon monoxide, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the engine management software to limit the time that the stationary vehicle can be left in the ON position, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14617.
Service bulletins (1,952)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-08 · PIP4902U · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,952 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-04-30 · Fuel/Propulsion System“fully charged. goes from electric to generator/gas propulsion and abruptly slowes about 1/2 speed. very dangerous. …”
2026-02-26 · Seats“the passenger presence sensor is failing or failed because every time someone sit in there the airbag turns on and off repeatedly every 2-3 mins and gives a service airbag warning and if no one is sitting in the passenger seat then it just stays on. could be really dangerous if a wreck happens while it’s glitching in the off mode and could cause de…”
2026-02-04 · Fuel/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 bec…”
2025-12-16 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 141,323 mi“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 …”
2025-10-25 · Air 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!…”
2025-10-23 · Fuel/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.…”
2025-09-29 · Seat 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 whe…”
2025-09-15 · Fuel/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. …”
2025-07-28 · Seats“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 seco…”
2025-03-31 · Hybrid Propulsion System · 61,000 mi“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…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.