Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Chevrolet Volt owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
2012 Chevy Volt, has been stalling out on the highway since it was brand new, every 6 months. It has been to the Chevrolet dealer many times and they just reset it and move on. In every case the car works for a short time, 6 to 8 months max and dies out again. They have updated the software many times, but nothing has changed it. It keeps stalling out on the interstate with high speed traffic, a severe hazard. Chevy dealerships have never been able to get to the core of the issue. The last time it died, the dealer said they did not know what else to do and told me to call GM. I have every receipt of this happening. The last time this happened is today, 9/29/2021 and has happened 3 times in the last month now. My wife and kids life was at risk several times with this car. It is an extreme safety hazard.
7/6/2024 Was driving 45 mph on a busy road (running only on the gas engine of this plug-in hybrid). Propulsion Power Reduced message showed near the speedometer. My speed was immediately decreased. The check engine light also came on. Despite pressing the gas pedal, the speed could not be maintained and I had to pull off quickly before causing an accident. Luckily, no accident occurred but I fear would could have happened if I wasn't in the right place to pull over quickly. After getting the car towed to a Chevy dealership, they diagnosed the problem as being with the hybrid battery - it needs to be replaced. I don't understand why I had a full tank of gas, was running on gas, and that a bad EV battery would cause ALL propulsion to stop so quickly.
I'm constantly receiving a "Propulsion Power Loss" notification on my car. I have brought the car in to a Chevrolet dealer and they refuse to fix it unless I start paying out of pocket costs because the ticket is "closed". This has been going on for about a year since I purchased the car last November and I'm terrified to drive this car since it literally looses power.
Message on dash "Service High Voltage charging system" . Code cleared by inexperienced mechanic. Stalled on the side of the road with "Engine not available" , "Low propulsion" . My local Chevy dealership confirmed a high volt battery leak its now at risk for catching on fire
While traveling slowly (about 25mph) on an uphill grade, my Volt suddenly, with no warning messages or other alerts to me, lost propulsion, power brakes and power steering. This car is extremely hard to steer and to brake without the power assists, so I really had to wrestle with the wheel to avoid losing control of the car, and I really had to jam on the brake pedal to get it to a stop, even though I was moving slowly and had a gravity assist from the uphill slope. It seems to me an event such as I experienced could be catastrophic if it occurred at high speed, and / or on a steep downhill slope or a street with a lot of traffic. …
GM sent me the following letter dated sept. 2016: "this letter is intended to make you aware that some 2012 model year Chevrolet Volt vehicles May have a condition where the accelerator pedal can break at the stalk just below the housing due to the driver entering or exiting the vehicle with their foot resting on the accelerator pedal. If the pedal breaks, it would not be possible to operate the accelerator once the stalk has broken off. The vehicle would return to idle regardless of transmission gear position. Do not take your vehicle to your Chevrolet dealer as a result of this letter unless you believe that your vehicle has the condition described above...if this condition occurs on your 2012 Volt within 10 years of the date your vehicle originally placed in service or 120K miles, whichever occurs first, the condition will be repaired for you at no charge." in other words, GM will …
The car will shut itself off with very little time to get to the side of the road if that is even a possibility. When switching from battery power to the gas motor. Randomly. The car will die at any speed. First message is low propulsion power. Next message engine not available, service soon. Less than 4 minutes from 1st message to total shut down. Least amount of time between messages and shut down is 15 seconds. Car will decelerate (on highway where vehicles behind have no warning... No brake lights that car is rapidly losing speed). Never know when it will happen. Usually car will restart and run terrible.. After 20 minutes or so. After restart car runs bad low power. Check engine light is on. After 10 more minutes of driving. It straightens out. Usually. Dealership unable to find problem. Assorted codes in computer. Very dangerous when driving. …
My 2012 Chevy Volt has completely shut off at freeway speeds, and surface streets on over 15 occasions. The power steering assist goes out, the brake assist goes out and it's very difficult to steer and break the car, I have nearly avoided several accidents, there is no warning that this will occur.the power steering assist goes out, the brake assist goes out and it's very difficult to steer and break the car, I have nearly avoided several accidents, there is no warning that this will occur once I have attempted to safely pull over the car says engine not available, propulsion power reduced, the car will not turn off and it says waiting to initialize on the screen. …
Takata recall: this has happened several times over the last 2-3 years. I believe it happens mostly after the car has been sitting for an hour and after the engine is on gas only. I will drive a few minutes and the warning light comes on the "propulsion power is reduced." I have to stop and pull over. The car will not accelerate. It has happened in all temps and all times of day. The engine runs rough and my gas mileage plummets. The last 2 times the battery has recharged while I drove it with additional battery only time of up to 5 miles. It has happened at least 6 times over the last 3 years and the last time I was almost run over by a large dump truck. It has happened 3 times merging onto a busy highway. I have brought it to the dealer 4 times for this problem and they cannot reproduce it so they say they can't fix it. …
Evse charging cable stopped working. GM flip flopped over the last year on warranty coverage. I have technical service bulletins with the warranty coverage status changed from v (voltec), to bumper-to-bumper, in the middle of the warranty period as of dec 1st, 2017 (not what I agreed to when I purchased the car). Unable to charge vehicle at home without it. GM replaced a significant number of these units under a recall campaign between 2012-2013, only for a portion of the VIN #'s from the 2011-2012 model year. Mine was not included. They are many others with this problem, and GM has refused to replace the rest of the 2012 model year units. I have exhausted all avenues of trying to have GM stand behind their product, including involving the ceo of GM, mary barra, via the attached emails. …
Fuel System complaints in other Volt years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2012 Chevrolet Volt?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2012 Chevrolet Volt, 15% of the model year's 245 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2012 Chevrolet Volt fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2012 Chevrolet Volt fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.