2018 Chevrolet Volt electrical problems
88 of the 225 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2018 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: 216 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 database0 of the 88 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2020: 11 · 2021: 13 · 2022: 10 · 2023: 11 · 2024: 19 · 2025: 17 · 2026: 7
Half of the 18 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the electrical problem between 24,000 and 100,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
225 complaints in all about the 2018 Chevrolet Volt, 7 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.
Vehicle will not turn off on a regular basis.. Receive a message that reads: 'action required. Shift to park.' when this occurs, the vehicle can not be turned off or locked. Researched this problem on the internet and discovered that it is a very common problem that affects nearly all 2016, 2017 and 2018 Chevrolet volts.
Vehicle will not shut down properly. When trying to turn off push button ignition the vehicle says " action required: shift to park". The vehicle is already stopped and in park however it is not registering somehow
The vehicle has more consistently failed to turn off the display keep seeing shift to park and it's happening with more frequency
I leased a chevy Volt 2018, about 3 months after the first few charge, using the cable that came with the vehicle the car do not charge anymore, air conditioning not was working, I reposted the issues to the sales agent. He responded that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle, that I need to learn how to use it.
While attempting to turn the car off- a message appears saying "action required- shift into park". The car is in park and the dash registers that it is in park, the gear shift is locked in park but the system doesn't sense that it is in park and won't let the car shut off. Has progressively gotten worse and more frequent
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…
216 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
B3055 B3060 B3935 P1AEF P1AEE P1E00 P0442 P0AC4
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2018 Chevrolet Volt names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2018 Chevrolet Volt
Source: the same files- transmission and drivetrain problems 85 complaints
- engine problems 52 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre electrical problems common on the 2018 Chevrolet Volt?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 88 owner complaints naming the electrical system on this model year (39% of everything owners filed about it), and 216 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 2018 Chevrolet Volt?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 2 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do electrical problems show up on the 2018 Chevrolet Volt?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 33,300 miles; half of them between 24,000 and 100,000. 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.