2017 Chevrolet Volt electrical problems
314 of the 698 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2017 Chevrolet Volt name the electrical system (NHTSA’s “Electrical System” heading — wiring, modules, batteries, charging, infotainment and driver displays — NHTSA's broadest heading). Filed under the same heading: 335 manufacturer bulletins, 2 NHTSA investigations. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the electrical system
Source: NHTSA complaint database4 of the 314 reports a crash · 7 a fire · 5 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2016: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2018: 9 · 2019: 11 · 2020: 48 · 2021: 46 · 2022: 33 · 2023: 50 · 2024: 66 · 2025: 28 · 2026: 16
Half of the 106 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the electrical problem between 27,000 and 60,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
698 complaints in all about the 2017 Chevrolet Volt, 16 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Electrical System” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Chevrolet Volt electrical problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the electrical system. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Urgent urgent. This is something wrong with the 2017 Volt. My vehicle caught on fire while driving down the interstate at higher speeds. I have found two others that this has happened too. GM didn't even investigate before denying liability, they made a determination over photos. All 3 vehicles had over 20k miles on it.
My car has had electrical problems since almost the first day of ownership. My car has had constant electrical problems. I contacted GM and even showed them a video that showed what my car was doing as far as not turning off when I pressed the button to shut the vehicle off. I would appear to shut off only to turn back on repeatedly.
While driving in my son to school my check engine light turned on. Fearing my car would die with no warning (like had previously occurred) I went back to my house. I used onstar to pull the engine code of U18A2 which after researching online could result in 'loss of propulsion' like previously occurred.
While driving to the dealership to get my car serviced for nearly stalling at a stop light my car engine kept turning on and off and revving up and down randomly. I was in electric mode and the engine should not have been coming on. The car's speed randomly fluctuated as the engine randomly revved up and down.
I have only had the vehicle for three weeks, but already twice, the vehicle would not recognize the key fob and would not start, lock, or unlock. This happened twice, seemingly randomly, when the vehicle was stationary in a parking lot and turned off.
What is on file about the electrical system
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsNHTSA investigations
- PE23022 Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Moduleopened Nov 29, 2023 · closed Mar 3, 2025
- On November 29, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE23022 to investigate allegations of a loss of motive power, including a stall, reduced power state, and/or a no start condition due to the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) in model year (MY) 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt passenger car vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The BECM is located within the high voltage el…
- DP22005 Pedestrian alert soundsopened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023
- NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and ele…
335 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
P050D P1E00 B3055 B3060 B3935 P0300 P1AEF P1AEE
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2017 Chevrolet Volt names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2017 Chevrolet Volt
Source: the same files- transmission and drivetrain problems 219 complaints
- engine problems 187 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre electrical problems common on the 2017 Chevrolet Volt?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 314 owner complaints naming the electrical system on this model year (45% of everything owners filed about it), and 335 manufacturer bulletins, 2 NHTSA investigations are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the electrical system on the 2017 Chevrolet Volt?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year. A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do electrical problems show up on the 2017 Chevrolet Volt?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 39,000 miles; half of them between 27,000 and 60,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Electrical System" heading cover?
Wiring, modules, batteries, charging, infotainment and driver displays — NHTSA's broadest heading. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.