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Chevrolet Volt

Every model year 2016–2019: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

4 Model years 2016–2019
5 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years
1,132 Complaints owner reports, all years
B Newest grade 2019 Safety Signal
2017 Best on record cleanest filed year
Chevrolet Volt — photograph via Wikimedia Commons
Chevrolet Volt · Photo: Kevauto · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Every Chevrolet Volt model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year
YearPowertrainsSafetyRecallsComplaintsCrashBest efficiency
2019Plug-in hybridB234★★★★★42 mpg
2018Plug-in hybridB2225★★★★★42 mpg
2017Plug-in hybridA0703★★★★★42 mpg
2016Plug-in hybridA1170—42 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road
Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2017

On the filed record so far, the 2017 is the cleanest Volt year we hold, and the 2019 the one to check hardest.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

YearSafety SignalRecalls /yrComplaints /yr
2017A078
2016A0.117
2018B0.228
2019B0.35

Which Chevrolet Volt years reported which system early

Source: NHTSA complaints, odometer at report

Earliest on the record: 2018 power train complaints at 0.69× the mileage of same-age vehicles (median 24,000 miles). Latest: 2018 electrical system at 1.55× (35,000 miles).

YearElectrical SystemPower Train
20181.55×0.69×
20171.13×0.88×
20161.01×0.77×

Each cell is that model year’s median odometer when owners reported the system, divided by the median for the same system across every make’s complaints on the same model year. under 0.67× reported early; 1.5× or more late; a dash means too few readings. When problems get reported, not how often — complaint counts are in the table above. Across the whole fleet: which systems go first.

What owners filed about the Chevrolet Volt, by system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →

The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.

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Common questions about the Chevrolet Volt

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Chevrolet Volt year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2017 Volt comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (100/100), 0 recalls and 703 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Chevrolet Volt years should I avoid?

No Volt model year carries a D or F Safety Signal or a standing advisory. The ranking page orders every year on recalls and complaints per year on the road, and says why.

How many recalls does the Chevrolet Volt have?

Across model years 2016–2019, NHTSA has posted 5 recall campaigns for the Chevrolet Volt. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.