The Used Car Index

2013 Chevrolet Volt problems

NHTSA lists 308 complaints for the 2013 Chevrolet Volt, 8 of them mention a crash and 2 mention a fire. 7 complaints mention an injury, with 9 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as CHEVROLET VOLT.

At a glance

Complaints
308
With crash
8
With fire
2
With injury (complaints)
7
Injuries
9
Deaths
0
Recalls
3
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
50,236
Investigations
2
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
1,951

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
AIR BAGS16152.3%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM6320.5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM5317.2%
ENGINE3712.0%
SEATS3110.1%
POWER TRAIN247.8%
SERVICE BRAKES196.2%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER154.9%
STRUCTURE61.9%
TIRES61.9%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMPROPULSION SYSTEM6
STRUCTUREBODY6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM12V/24V/48V BATTERY4
AIR BAGSFRONTAL1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEMWIRING1
EQUIPMENTAPPLIANCE1
EQUIPMENTELECTRICAL1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEAUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING1
SEAT BELTSFRONT1
TIRESPRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
restraint or airbag15249.4%0.81
electrical electronic7825.3%0.86
loss of control4213.6%0.78
mechanical failure165.2%0.86
visibility or lighting61.9%0.80
fire or overheating41.3%0.74
fluid or fuel leak31.0%0.78
noise or comfort31.0%0.70
structural or corrosion31.0%0.80
unclear10.3%0.98
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate19764.0%0.79
low9430.5%0.63
high175.5%0.86

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 308 tagged complaints of 308 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

3 recalls.

23V516000

Date: 2023-07-27. Systems: AIR BAGS.

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.

Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

18V397000

Date: 2018-06-14. Systems: HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM.

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.

Consequence: If the voltage drops, the vehicle may lose propulsion, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

15V145000

Date: 2015-03-13. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.

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.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

2 investigations; 0 open.

DP22005

Opened: 2023-01-27. Closed: 2023-08-07.

Pedestrian alert sounds

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

Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Linked campaign numbers: 22V063000.

PE19013

Opened: 2019-09-17. Closed: 2021-07-02.

Passenger Sensing System

In September 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19-013 to assess the potential safety related effects of a malfunction of the Passenger Sensing System (PSS) in 2012-2013 Model Year (MY) Chevrolet Volt vehicles. Consumers reported that due to a malfunction of the PSS, the air bag system malfunction indicator light (MIL) was activated. Many of the complaints noted the malfuncti

Systems: AIR BAGS.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

Manufacturer communications

1,951 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT835
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM593
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING149
POWER TRAIN137
ENGINE116
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY105
WHEELS67
TIRES61

11037555

Date: 2026-09-26. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it.

11037253

Date: 2026-09-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

11030974

Date: 2026-04-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.

11030091

Date: 2026-03-09. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

11030092

Date: 2026-03-09. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.

11027601

Date: 2026-01-08. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

11025755

Date: 2025-11-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customera s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions without utilizing the support of General Motors Technical Assistance Center. If

11023091

Date: 2025-09-09. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH

11024324

Date: 2025-09-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.

This Warranty Administration service bulletin provides Lithium-Ion battery Exchange Process and Transaction Submission information.

11022084

Date: 2025-08-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
VOLT308

Same model, other years

All model years | All Chevrolet models

Other Chevrolet models, 2013

Sources

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