Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Chevrolet Volt owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The car has experienced a 'BECM' failure, which is very common on the Chevy volt. When it fails the car becomes undrivable and will slow down into reduced propulsion mode. It will not start and required us to have it towed to the dealer. The 2016-2019 Chevy volt BECM issue has been investigated by the nhtsa and gm. It is a common enough issue that gm has voluntarily issued 'special coverage N232432680'. This covers the becm failure on 2016-2019 volts for free for up to 150k miles 10 years. We have a 2016 volt with 144k miles so we assumed it would be covered. The dealer said it wasn't covered based on my vin but they didn't know why our vin was left out of the coverage. Obviously if they thought our car didn't have a suspect becm, they were wrong because it failed during the special coverage time. The repair is $2600 and gm will not assist us with this repair. …
The contact's son owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer due to an oil leak caused by a puncture in the oil filter. The vehicle was repaired. The contact's son had informed the dealer that he had been smelling a fuel odor inside the vehicle; however, the dealer informed the contact's son that the odor was probably a burning oil odor. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the fuel rail was leaking and needed to be replaced. The mechanic contacted the dealer who informed him that the part was on a national backorder. The mechanic replaced the part with a used part; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Engine Propulsion Reduced" message was displayed, and the vehicle was driven to an Auto Parts store. The contact called the local dealer and was advised to replace the propulsion fuse in the vehicle. The contact purchased a replacement fuse and replaced the faulty fuse. The vehicle was driven to the dealer two days later to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the EGR valve had malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Shift to park message & audible alarm. Display while in motion pulling into home driveway. Vehicle stalled midway while in motion. Halfway in the street & half driveway. Displaying propulsion power reduced & Engine not available service soon. After 30 minutes of starting & restarting was able to move out of the street. However vehicle will NOT move. Transmission will shift, however will not move. Shift to park keeps popping up.
Component: Dealer said its the BECM. Lots of them failing, check any Chevy Volt forum. What happened: Driving on road, battery drive turns off and it switches to gas engine, "reduced propulsion" message pops up, then gas engine quits and 'shift to park' message pops up. No electric motor, no gas engine, coasting, then stuck in road, traffic piling up behind me. After half-hour or so of blocking traffic and me trying to restart the car, electric eventually 'reset' and it worked fine again, so I drove it the several miles home, and the charging system connected fine. Next morning, charging system said it was broken, and car would not start. Towed to dealer. Safety risk: Both battery drive and gas engine turned fully off while traveling on road - no power, and steering/brakes hard to use. …
I had just left my house about to enter the on-ramp to Interstate 95 south when my 2016 Volt abruptly and without warning stopped. I was unable to coast or pull the car to the side of the road. I was in the middle of the lane in a dangerous place to stop a car and a dangerous place to get out of the car due to the steady traffic entering the interstate. My car would not restart and I had it towed to the Portsmouth NH Chevy dealer. As it was the beginning of the GM strike I had to wait several days for the replacement battery control sensor then I had to wait for another 4 weeks or so for a replacement transmission to be installed. The day after I got my car back, about 2 weeks ago, the transmission fluid was leaking onto the garage floor. The Chevy dealer has ordered new transmission hoses but only one has come in and I was told not to drive my car until these were replaced. …
The EGR valve in the 2016 Chevy volt will fail blowing fuse 3 which will also take out the engine oil pressure control solenoid, the evap emission purge solenoid valve, the engine coolant thermostat heater, and the oxygen sensor 1 as they all share the same fuse. The car will tell you that the engine is unavailable and, if you are out of hybrid battery power, will leave you unable to move the vehicle. In my particular situation it left me stranded blocking one lane on a two lane s-bend road on a 5-9% grade mountainside with no cellphone reception. Thankfully the car stopped far enough away from the previous bend that people had time to see me and I didn't get rear-ended. If I had stopped 20 feet sooner that likely would not have been the case. …
Component/System Failed: The engine of my 2016 Chevrolet Volt experienced a sudden internal crack, leading to complete engine failure. The engine is available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: The engine failure rendered the vehicle completely inoperable, posing potential risk if it had occurred while driving. Sudden loss of engine power could have caused a crash or left me stranded in traffic, endangering myself and others. Problem Reproduction / Confirmation: The failure was confirmed by a GM dealership, which performed a full inspection and documented the engine crack. The dealership verified that the crack was sudden and not caused by negligence or improper maintenance. Inspections by Others: The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership, and all reports are available. I have also submitted the issue to GM corporate for warranty review. …
I was driving in clear weather (with my ICE engine as propulsion) when an Engine Warning Fault light appeared on my dash and the vehicle slowed to 5mph with no response from the throttle pedal. I pulled into a parking lot, had the vehicle towed to an independent service shop, and had them check the codes. There were a dozen faults stored, but they found the 'Non Walk Home' fuse had blown, and faults pointed to the EGR Valve as having faulty electronics. They could not find an EGR valve for sale so they unplugged the EGR Valve and replaced the fuse, which allowed the engine to drive normally again, but with the Check Engine Light on at all times. I called my local Chevy dealer and they told me the EGR I needed was Part Number 12691147 for $243, but they were backordered and there were dozens of people in front of me for their dealer alone. …
There is a propulsion warning due to faulty EGR valves. Many customers are experiencing backorders lasting for up to 6 months or more, just from what I can quickly find online. I am now on my 5-month mark. I have not been able to drive the car at all. Driving it could damage the engine and put drivers at risk. Because many of these vehicles no longer qualify for lemon laws, the manufacturer seems to not take our delay seriously or even care about our limited resources in time and money. (I purchased this used car that was in great condition and passed the inspection for about $13,000 in-full. I am not wealthy so this was an expense I was carefully saving for. I was only driving it for weeks before this happened. …
Engine complaints in other Volt years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2016 Chevrolet Volt?
NHTSA has 49 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2016 Chevrolet Volt, 29% of the model year's 170 complaints. The component named most often is exhaust system › emission control › gas recirculation valve (egr valve) (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Chevrolet Volt engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2016 Chevrolet Volt, though it has 1 recall 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 2016 Chevrolet Volt engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 46,000 miles, and 30% 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.