2017 Chevrolet Volt

Typical pattern

3.6% of complaints about the 2017 Chevrolet Volt came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2017 vehicle — around the middle of the 203 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 6.2 yr in service. The most-reported system is electrical system (311 complaints), typically at 6.0 yr or about 39,500 miles.

Complaints: 1,191
Median age at failure: 6.2 yr
Median mileage: 35,000 n=377
Crash / fire / tow: 4.3% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Electrical system

311 reports · 39,500 mi

6.0 yr

7.7%

Fuel / propulsion

232 reports · 32,800 mi

7.3 yr

1.7%

Power train

217 reports · 35,066 mi

5.0 yr

0.5%

Engine

180 reports · 27,000 mi

7.2 yr

2.8%

Other

113 reports · 34,000 mi

4.5 yr

6.2%

Speed control

32 reports · 15,000 mi

7.3 yr

6.2%

Service brakes

26 reports · 39,600 mi

4.9 yr

3.8%

Steering

16 reports · 28,000 mi

3.3 yr

In owners’ own words

Other mileage not reported 0 mo in service

HEADREST JUTS OUT TOO FAR FORWARD. THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM ON ALL NEWER CARS. MY WIFE CAN NOT SIT STRAIGHT UP IN THE SEAT WITH HER BACK AGAINST THE SEATBACK WITHOUT HAVING THE HEADREST PUSHING HER HEAD DOWNWARD. WE TRIED TO MOVE THE HEADREST UP AND DOWN WITH NO RESOLVE. SHE IS ABOUT 5 FOOT 7 INCHES WITH VERY GOOD POSTURE. THE HEADREST SEEM TO PUT HERE HEAD IN AN UNNATURAL POSITION.

Other mileage not reported 10 mo in service

THE TRAFFIC NAVIGATION SYSTEM REQUIRES THAT THE DRIVER CONSTANTLY TAKE THEIR EYES OFF THE ROAD. THERE IS NO AUDIBLE WARNING ABOUT DELAYS AND THE MAP ONLY SHOW INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS WITH RED OR GREEN ROAD MARKERS. OTHER AFFECTED STREETS ARE ON A LIST THAT ONE HAS TO READ OFF THE SCREEN AND CONSTANTLY CHECK. THIS IS A MAJOR HAZARD AND A SETUP FOR ACCIDENTS.

Other 5,000 mi 11 mo in service

AT TIMES, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT RECOGNIZE THE KEY FOB AND WILL NOT START, LOCK, OR UNLOCK. THIS HAPPENS SEEMINGLY RANDOMLY WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY AND OFF. I CAN NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM, BUT IT HAPPENS ABOUT 2-3 TIMES A MONTH. IT SEEMS THAT IF I GET THE FOB AWAY FROM THE CAR FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND RETURN, THE VEHICLE THEN RECOGNIZES THE KEY AGAIN.

Electrical system 400 mi 1.1 yr in service

I HAVE ONLY HAD THE VEHICLE FOR THREE WEEKS, BUT ALREADY TWICE, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE THE KEY FOB AND WOULD NOT START, LOCK, OR UNLOCK. THIS HAPPENED TWICE, SEEMINGLY RANDOMLY, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN A PARKING LOT AND TURNED OFF. A DEALERSHIP REPROGRAMMED THE RECEIVER IN THE VEHICLE YESTERDAY, SO WE WILL SEE IF THE PROBLEM IS FIXED. BUT SINCE I SAW THAT I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAD HAD THIS PROBLEM, I THOUGHT IT SHOULD BE REPORTED.

Other Volt model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.