Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Chevrolet Volt owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle during an electrical storm the power would shut off causing the vehicle to become inoperable. On one occasion the power shut off causing the vehicle to roll into the rear of a second vehicle causing damage to the bumper. No injuries were reported and no police report was taken. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure and no repairs were performed. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,000.
I was slowly maneuvering my car into my garage when the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly surged forward, despite only lightly tapping the brake and not touching the accelerator. The car had been displaying the warning, "Propulsion Power is Reduced" and was not holding an electric charge in the days before the incident. No malfunction indicator lamp ever turned on. Per the owner's manual, the vehicle did not need to be serviced because the malfunction indicator light never came on at the same time as the propulsion power reduced message. This led me to believe the vehicle was safe to drive. The unexpected surge caused the car to strike and cause considerable damage to the garage wall. Fortunately there was no one in the garage at the time and I, myself, was not injured. My car was deemed a total loss by the insurance company.
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the contact stated that while attempting to merge in the right lane, the vehicle hesitated and shut off while in the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.
I bought my car and I had no idea about a known issue that this car has. Unsuspecting and trusting, I noticed my car had a reduced propulsion and it would like lose power and just slowly jerk and then really drastically reduce speed without anyway to fix it and on the freeway I got scared as I have never in my life has this happen in any car. So it happen a couple more times and I took a picture of it and took it to the dealership where I purchased it. They told me they couldn't do l as they can't repeat the issue. Well that only usually happens when I'm driving but now it's more. The propulsion thing loses power and I as a driver going up a hill or anywhere now will lose speed and it's dangerous, I feel like I may not make it home and I took it to the dealership many times and they told me there's no issue. …
Loss of propulsion. Vehicle will not start/move. If vehicle does turn on , it will not turn off. Vehicle has been having reduced propulsion issues for multiple years (taken to dealer many times) that dealership has refused to do a HV battery capacity test while under warranty, even after leaving with them for multiple months they claimed they could not replicate error. On day of pickup error presented itself and I showed service advisor and left vehicle for additional testing. Dealer provided explanation of reduced propulsion when in mountain mode as cause even though vehicle was not in mountain mode when error occurred. Dealer performed customer satisfaction GM Program # N172130462 update 11/2021 on HV system that stopped propulsion issues (mainly battery capacity concerns) until vehicle was out of warranty. Now vehicle will not turn on/move even though HV battery completely charged. …
Vehicle stopped when changing from battery power to gasoline. Unable to drive. Not charging the Lithium battery therefore, I experienced 3 similar incidents with this vehicle. The first one on 02/15/22. The vehicle was towed to Bommin Chevrolet in Florida City, FL. This time it was under warranty. The second time 01/02/23 while on the road similar thing happened, again was towed to Tropical Chevrolet in North Miami, FL; a diagnostic was performed the error code was cleared and started charging again. This time same issue when the main battery was depleted the vehicle stalled. I had to towed to my home where is still sitting. Not operational.
The contact son owns a 2014 Chevrolet Volt. The contact's daughter stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle loss motive power without warning and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with battery failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the time frame for a free battery replacement had expired. The vehicle was towed to the residence and had not been driven since the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Early this year GM disabled the OnStar feature on all Chevrolet Volts that have 2G connectivity. GM offered Canadian owners the option to upgrade their Volt's from 2G to 4G. In September 2019 they issued Service Bulletin 15-08-44-001J that gives the GM service department instructions on how to upgrade the Volt from 2G to 4G connectivity. They should give us the same options here in the states!
Ignition shut off on massachusetts turnpike when trying to change from normal (electric) to hold (gas) mode. Mode button is too close to ignition power button. I had to stop in rush hour traffic to put car in drive and restart, could have been hit. I called OnStar emergency service in the moment, but they were not aware of a way to restart the car while it was rolling. Discovered later that there is a 3-step process to restart the car while it's still moving, but it is complicated and difficult to remember while panicking about the danger of being hit. There is no automatic way to restart in case of accidental shut off. This should be fixed or someone will get hurt or killed. This has happened to me several times on the highway and I have been very lucky not to have been hit while figuring out how to restart the vehicle. …
A used Chevy Volt.it came with a level 1 charger. Basic 110 v takes 8 hours to charge 18kvh battery. This charger was repaired from the looks of it.I used it for a few times and it burnt. Luckily it was not near any flame able material, or it May have caused fire.
NHTSA investigations
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.
Electrical complaints in other Volt years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2014 Chevrolet Volt?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the electrical system of the 2014 Chevrolet Volt, 29% of the model year's 93 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2014 Chevrolet Volt electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2014 Chevrolet Volt. 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 2014 Chevrolet Volt electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 49,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.