2018 Chevrolet Volt

No clear pattern

1.4% of complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Volt arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2018 vehicle, but with only 365 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is electrical system (87 complaints), typically at 6.2 yr or about 35,000 miles.

Complaints: 365
Median age at failure: 6.1 yr
Median mileage: 25,000 n=73
Crash / fire / tow: 2.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

18V673000 2018-09-26

Seat belts:rear/other

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Cadillac CT6, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Volt, and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. Certain second-row or third-row rear seatbelts retractor assemblies may not automatically lock when the seatbelt is fully pulled out of the retractor, possibly preventing a child seat from being properly secured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

If the child seat is not properly secured in the event of a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.

18V576000 2018-08-30

Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:caliper

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.

A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Power train 2,800 mi 1.1 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT AROUND 60 MPH, THE 'CHECK ENGINE' LIGHT CAME ON AND A MESSAGE SAYING 'SHIFT TO PARK' APPEARS ON THE DASHBOARD. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE DRIVER SHIFTED TO PARK AND WAS NOT ABLE TO PULL DOWN TO DRIVE AGAIN. VEHICLE WAS STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHILE CARS WERE APPROACHING FROM BEHIND WITH HIGH SPEED. AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO PRESS THE VEHICLE 'START' BUTTON, WE FINALLY WERE ABLE TO PULL DOWN TO NEUTRAL AND PUSHED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. VEHICLE NEEDED TO BE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS.

Power train 24,000 mi 2.3 yr in service

SHIFT TO PARK ISSUE. WHEN THE CAR IS IN PARK THE CAR STILL REPORTS SHIFT TO PARK WHEN YOU TRY TO TURN IT OFF.

Power train 15,300 mi 2.3 yr in service

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO POWER OFF VEHICLE AFTER SHIFTING TO PARK, AN ERROR MESSAGE IS DISPLAYED ON CONSOLE, "SHIFT TO PARK", AND THE VEHICLE WILL NOT POWER OFF. VEHICLE IS IN PARK WHEN THE ISSUE OCCURS, BUT REQUIRES SHIFTING OUT OF PARK, POSSIBLY MULTIPLE TIMES, TO ALLOW VEHICLE TO POWER OFF. ISSUE OCCURS DURING EACH USE OF VEHICLE.

Engine 2,800 mi 1.1 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT AROUND 60 MPH, THE 'CHECK ENGINE' LIGHT CAME ON AND A MESSAGE SAYING 'SHIFT TO PARK' APPEARS ON THE DASHBOARD. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE DRIVER SHIFTED TO PARK AND WAS NOT ABLE TO PULL DOWN TO DRIVE AGAIN. VEHICLE WAS STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHILE CARS WERE APPROACHING FROM BEHIND WITH HIGH SPEED. AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO PRESS THE VEHICLE 'START' BUTTON, WE FINALLY WERE ABLE TO PULL DOWN TO NEUTRAL AND PUSHED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. VEHICLE NEEDED TO BE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS.

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.

2018 Chevrolet Volt

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Volt model years

How to read this