Airbag complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, another unknown vehicle crashed into his vehicle which went airborne and over the median. There were no warning lights to illuminate. A police report was not filed. There was no reported fire or air bag deployment. The contact sustained injuries to his neck and back and medical attention was provided. The vehicle was towed to a body shop who informed him the battery was scratched. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where the battery electronic module was damaged due to being dropped. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed, or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
The passenger presence sensor in the front passenger seat is malfunctioning and spare parts to replace it are not available from the manufacturer. The Chevrolet dealership has inspected and verified this issue, and the system is available for inspection upon request. This is the same issue that NHTSA investigated in the 2013 model described below. This sensor failure results in a check airbag signal and prevents the deployment of the passenger frontal and knee air bags, posing risk of serious injury to passengers. The PSS may develop a malfunction due to bunching of the sensor mat in the seat trench. The bunching of the sensor mat could cause the mat to repeatedly fold in the same location. Over time, the repeated folding can cause an increased resistance in the sensor mat. An increased resistance in the PSS sensor mat is detected as a fault in the air bag system diagnostic. …
When a passenger gets out of the front passenger seat a warning will flash saying to service the airbag. Problem will persists until the car is shut off and won't show up again until a passenger sits in the front passenger seat again. Seems to be a problem with the passenger occupancy sensor. The problem has persisted since beginning of ownership approx. 1 month ago, and continues until the date of this report.
Not long after purchasing my 2014 Chevrolet Volt, I got a warning light telling me to check my airbags. I immediately took my car to my local Chevrolet to be looked at. I was told "oh this happens a lot with the earlier Volts" and was quoted $1100+ to fix the issue. I took it to another shop and was quoted a similar amount, around $1000+ with parts and labor. The safety of myself and any passenger of mine is at risk indefinitely because of this issue. I cannot have any passengers sit in the front passenger seat because the airbag will toggle on/off even when there is an adult sitting in the sit and not moving around. The problem was not reproduced, but was confirmed by a mechanic at Chevrolet in Tallahassee. The only thing that mechanics tell me is that "this is a common issue" and upon looking into this issue online, there are many people having the same issue. …
Our 2014 Chevy Volt began to rarely give an audible chime with a: "Service Airbag" message on the Driver Information Center display, as well as the "Passenger Airbag" overhead panel display showing "On"-"Off"-"On", spontaneously back in 2018. Again, this was rare, but concerning. This became somewhat more common in the months that followed and is now a common annoyance on every drive. Because of personal circumstances, as well as the Coronavirus Pandemic, we have not driven this vehicle much over the past couple of years, and we have not taken the car in for service. It has not yet been inspected by any other entity other than myself. The alarms happen whether the passenger seat is occupied or not. …
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the air bag message "Service Air Bag" and the air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the passenger's side seat air bag sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they could not assist as his VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
I filed a complaint in 2019, it prompted an investigation. NHTSA Action Number: PE19013 I had not heard back from NHTSA or GM so I searched the NHTSA website and found that an agreement was made to close the investigation, in part because GM has instituted a cost reduction program for the repair/replacement of the PSS in the subject vehicles. Based on this cost reduction program as well as: 1) a comparatively low warranty rate; 2) no reported injuries, deaths or asymmetric deployments; and 3) the age of the vehicles; ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation." When I attempted to have my vehicle repaired, the dealership didn't know what I was talking about. I contacted GM headquarters to inquire about the cost reduction program and I was told that they would look into it and get back with me. They denied me, they outright lied to NHTSA to close the investigation. …
Related recalls (2)
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
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.
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.
Air bags › Frontal
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado, and 2016 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. The driver's frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2017.
NHTSA investigations
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which Chevrolet Volt years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2013 (161), 2012 (86), 2014 (32), 2017 (12) and 2011 (8) model years. Airbag complaints make up 52% of all complaints for the 2013.
Is there a recall for Chevrolet Volt airbag problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 23V-516 (inflator module, Jul 27, 2023); 17V-621 (frontal, Oct 5, 2017). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Volt airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles; 16% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the sensor › occupant classification › front passenger (2 mentions), followed by the srs malfunction warning lamp/light (1).
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.