2012 Chevrolet VOLT

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2012 Chevrolet VOLT has 358 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 4.5x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is air bags problems (24% of all complaints), specifically: i was making a left hand turn and was hit by an suv who ran a red light doing about 35 or 40 miles per hour on front of my car. it hit the front of my car spinning it to the right [about 160 degree turn] when my car spun i hit the back of my head and left shoulder on the door pillar, my head hurt an. ⚠️ 2 fire reports filed.

2 fire reports 8 crash reports 11 injuries

358

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

4.5x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

AIR BAGS

87 complaints

24%

• I WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN AND WAS HIT BY AN SUV WHO RAN A RED LIGHT DOING ABOUT 35 OR 40 MILES PER HOUR ON FRONT OF MY CAR. IT HIT THE FRONT OF MY CAR SPINNING IT TO THE RIGHT [ABOUT 160 DEGREE TURN] WHEN MY CAR SPUN I HIT THE BACK OF MY HEAD AND LEFT SHOULDER ON THE DOOR PILLAR, MY HEAD HURT AN
• I WAS TRAVELING ON A STRAIGHT CITY STREET WHEN I WAS STRUCK BY A VEHICLE COMING OFF A SIDE STREET THAT HAD LOST CONTROL OF THEIR CAR. I WAS HIT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. I WAS GOING ABOUT 25 MPH. I HIT MY HEAD ON THE DOOR FRAME ABOVE THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW. THE SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. I WAS TA
• MY 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT STARTED EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE SENSOR THAT DETECTS THE WEIGHT OF A INDIVIDUAL IN THE SEAT. THE PROBLEM HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE AND BEGAN AROUND 19,000 MILES. IT HAS GOTTEN TO A POINT WHERE IF I HAVE A PASSENGER IN THE CAR, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WILL COME ON

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 3 crashes

“I WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN AND WAS HIT BY AN SUV WHO RAN A RED LIGHT DOING ABOUT 35 OR 40 MILES PER HOUR ON FRONT OF MY CAR. IT HIT THE FRONT OF MY CAR SPINNING IT TO THE RIGHT [ABOUT 160 DEGREE TURN] WHEN MY CAR SPUN I HIT THE BACK OF MY HEAD AND LEFT SHOULDER ON THE DOOR PILLAR, MY HEAD HURT AN”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

86 complaints

24%

• THERE IS AN APPARENT DESIGN FLAW IN THE CHEVY VOLT RELATED TO AN INDIVIDUAL EXITING THE VEHICLE WITHOUT POWERING DOWN THE SYSTEMS WHICH COULD RESULT IN CO POISONING OR DEATH AND POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARDS IN THE RIGHT SITUATION. THE VOLT USES A KEY FOB SYSTEM AND PUSH BUTTON START. KEY FOBS ARE ALREA
• WAS DRIVING VOLT AT LOW SPEED IN TRAFFIC. ATTEMPTED TO SWITCH MODES (NORMAL TO SPORT). THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED BY PRESSING A BUTTON ON THE DASHBOARD TWICE IN QUICK SUCCESSION. THE BUTTON IS LOCATED RIGHT NEXT TO THE START/STOP BUTTON. I ACCIDENTALLY PRESSED THE START/STOP BUTTON TWICE IN QUICK SUCC
• DRIVER HAD RETURNED HOME, STOPPED CAR, DEPRESSED GEAR SHIFTER BUTTON TO PUT GEAR IN PARK, AND WAS ELECTROCUTED FROM THE POINT OF GEAR SHIFTER. THE VEHICLE WAS ALREADY SLATED TO BE "REPURCHASED" BY GM DUE TO OTHER ONGOING MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION ISSUES. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE DRIVER FOR USE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 2 crashes

“THERE IS AN APPARENT DESIGN FLAW IN THE CHEVY VOLT RELATED TO AN INDIVIDUAL EXITING THE VEHICLE WITHOUT POWERING DOWN THE SYSTEMS WHICH COULD RESULT IN CO POISONING OR DEATH AND POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARDS IN THE RIGHT SITUATION. THE VOLT USES A KEY FOB SYSTEM AND PUSH BUTTON START. KEY FOBS ARE ALREA”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

37 complaints

10%

• NO ACCIDENT: THE DEGREE OF DISTORTION IN REAR GLASS IS UNSAFE. OPTICS MAY NOT MEET AUTO GLASS AND OR FEDERAL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS. I HAVE WORKED IN THE GLASS INDUSTRY IN QUALITY CONTROL AND THIS GLASS WOULD NOT MEET COMPANY OR FEDERAL STANDARDS. WITH DISTORTION THIS BAD THE PARTICLE SIZE COULD BE AN
• THE POWER (PROPULSION) SYSTEM HAS DISAPPEARED FROM SCREEN WHILE DRIVING SWITCHING TO FUEL ONLY. SCREEN GOES BLANK AND ALL ELECTRIC MILES DISAPPEAR. NOTE THIS HAS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS, SENDING SEVERAL ERROR CODES EACH TIME AND THE DEALER KEEPS IT FOR A WEEK OR MORE TO RESET EN
• CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT THE SPEED LIMIT, APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES FROM HOME. AS THE DRIVE BATTERY'S CHARGE ENDS,THE VEHICLE SHOULD START THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE TO TAKE OVER PROPULSION FROM THE BATTERY. DID NOT HAPPEN. WHAT DID HAPPEN WAS A MIL ILLUMINATION,AND SEVERAL

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“NO ACCIDENT: THE DEGREE OF DISTORTION IN REAR GLASS IS UNSAFE. OPTICS MAY NOT MEET AUTO GLASS AND OR FEDERAL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS. I HAVE WORKED IN THE GLASS INDUSTRY IN QUALITY CONTROL AND THIS GLASS WOULD NOT MEET COMPANY OR FEDERAL STANDARDS. WITH DISTORTION THIS BAD THE PARTICLE SIZE COULD BE AN ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

27 complaints

• I WAS SLOWING DOWN AT A MERGE POINT, WHEN VEHICLE "STALLED". I AND DEALER WORKER COULD NOT RESTART FOR 45 MINUTES, AT WHICH TIME IT FINALLY STARTED. DROVE TO DEALERSHIP, CHECKED OUT BRIEFLY, SEEMED OK. DROVE IT AGAIN LESS THAN A MILE, AND FOR 2ND TIME, AGAIN STALLED FOR APPROX. 45 MIN. CAR COULDN
• THERE IS AN APPARENT DESIGN FLAW IN THE CHEVY VOLT RELATED TO AN INDIVIDUAL EXITING THE VEHICLE WITHOUT POWERING DOWN THE SYSTEMS WHICH COULD RESULT IN CO POISONING OR DEATH AND POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARDS IN THE RIGHT SITUATION. THE VOLT USES A KEY FOB SYSTEM AND PUSH BUTTON START. KEY FOBS ARE ALREA
• WAS DRIVING VOLT AT LOW SPEED IN TRAFFIC. ATTEMPTED TO SWITCH MODES (NORMAL TO SPORT). THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED BY PRESSING A BUTTON ON THE DASHBOARD TWICE IN QUICK SUCCESSION. THE BUTTON IS LOCATED RIGHT NEXT TO THE START/STOP BUTTON. I ACCIDENTALLY PRESSED THE START/STOP BUTTON TWICE IN QUICK SUCC

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“I WAS SLOWING DOWN AT A MERGE POINT, WHEN VEHICLE "STALLED". I AND DEALER WORKER COULD NOT RESTART FOR 45 MINUTES, AT WHICH TIME IT FINALLY STARTED. DROVE TO DEALERSHIP, CHECKED OUT BRIEFLY, SEEMED OK. DROVE IT AGAIN LESS THAN A MILE, AND FOR 2ND TIME, AGAIN STALLED FOR APPROX. 45 MIN. CAR COULDN”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

23 complaints

• UPON BRAKING AND PASSIVE DECELERATION THE CAR MAKES A LOUD AUDIBLE WHINING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE DEALER STATES IT IS A REGENERATIVE BRAKE BEARING FAILURE. THIS ISSUE IS RELATED TO THE BEARING CAGE FAILING CAUSING THE BEARING TO LOSE ITS INTEGRITY. HTTP://GM-VOLT.COM/FORUM/SH
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS
• THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE BRAKES ON MY CHEVROLET VOLT NOT WORKING. THE ISSUE WAS FIRST REPORTED 2 WEEKS AGO. THE WORKED ON THE CAR AND NOW THE SAME ISSUE STARTED GAIN. THIS WAS A VERY SCARY INCIDENT. *TR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“UPON BRAKING AND PASSIVE DECELERATION THE CAR MAKES A LOUD AUDIBLE WHINING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE DEALER STATES IT IS A REGENERATIVE BRAKE BEARING FAILURE. THIS ISSUE IS RELATED TO THE BEARING CAGE FAILING CAUSING THE BEARING TO LOSE ITS INTEGRITY. HTTP://GM-VOLT.COM/FORUM/SH”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

AIR BAGS(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 358 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
AIR BAGS: I WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN AND WAS HIT BY AN SUV WHO RAN A RED LIGHT DOING ABOUT 35 OR 40 MILES PER HOUR ON FRONT OF MY CAR. IT HIT THE FRONT OF MY CAR SPINNING IT TO THE RIGHT [ABOUT 160 DEGREE TURN] WHEN MY CAR SPUN I HIT THE BACK OF MY HEAD AND LEFT SHOULDER ON THE DOOR PILLAR, MY HEAD HURT AN
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: THERE IS AN APPARENT DESIGN FLAW IN THE CHEVY VOLT RELATED TO AN INDIVIDUAL EXITING THE VEHICLE WITHOUT POWERING DOWN THE SYSTEMS WHICH COULD RESULT IN CO POISONING OR DEATH AND POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARDS IN THE RIGHT SITUATION. THE VOLT USES A KEY FOB SYSTEM AND PUSH BUTTON START. KEY FOBS ARE ALREA
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: NO ACCIDENT: THE DEGREE OF DISTORTION IN REAR GLASS IS UNSAFE. OPTICS MAY NOT MEET AUTO GLASS AND OR FEDERAL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS. I HAVE WORKED IN THE GLASS INDUSTRY IN QUALITY CONTROL AND THIS GLASS WOULD NOT MEET COMPANY OR FEDERAL STANDARDS. WITH DISTORTION THIS BAD THE PARTICLE SIZE COULD BE AN
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: I WAS SLOWING DOWN AT A MERGE POINT, WHEN VEHICLE "STALLED". I AND DEALER WORKER COULD NOT RESTART FOR 45 MINUTES, AT WHICH TIME IT FINALLY STARTED. DROVE TO DEALERSHIP, CHECKED OUT BRIEFLY, SEEMED OK. DROVE IT AGAIN LESS THAN A MILE, AND FOR 2ND TIME, AGAIN STALLED FOR APPROX. 45 MIN. CAR COULDN
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)