AutoUtility currently tracks 222 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet Volt. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 86 complaints (38.7% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 4 filings cite a crash, 1 reports one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • • Total NHTSA Complaints: 222 reports
  • • #1 Reported Problem Area: Electrical System (86 reports • 38.7% of submitted complaints)
  • • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (84), Fuel & Propulsion System (72)
  • • Crash-Citing Complaints: 4 filings
  • • Fire-Citing Complaints: 0 filings
  • • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 1 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
222
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
4
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
0
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
1
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2018 Chevrolet Volt

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 38.7% of complaints

Electrical System

86 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#2 Problem Area 37.8% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

84 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#3 Problem Area 32.4% of complaints

Fuel & Propulsion System

72 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#4 Problem Area 13.5% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

30 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#5 Problem Area 4.5% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

10 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 3 crash reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Chevrolet Volt

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Powertrain & Transmission 9.9% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

22 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Chevrolet Volt

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11760020
Filed: 08/27/2026

"The vehicle frequently fails to register that the transmission has been shifted into Park. When this happens the instrument cluster displays "Action Required / Shift to Park" and the power (STOP/START) button will not shut the vehicle off. The condition is intermittent. I can usually clear it only..."

Incident Date: 08/10/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA ODI ID: #11759887
Filed: 08/27/2026

"I was driving back from [XXX] on XXX, when I received a "propulsion power limited" message on my dash with a check engine light. I pulled off to a nearby gas station and tried to scan the code to figure out what was going on when I then received the message "Engine unavailable" and the car shut..."

Incident Date: 07/27/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA ODI ID: #11757544
Filed: 08/17/2026

"I was driving on an interstate in Seattle, and the car completely died. A check engine light went on. I had to roll into the shoulder and call for a tow to the dealership's service department. Here is what they found: ----60GCZ ENGINE REPAIR DIAG/ customer reports the ses lamp is on with reduced..."

Incident Date: 07/30/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11755386
Filed: 08/07/2026

"What component or system failed? When the BCEM failed on my car, it led directly to the transmission failing as well as the PIM. I was driving normally then had a completely inoperable car with no warning. I was told to pay over $17k for repairs by the dealership because there is no recall on the..."

Incident Date: 05/28/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA ODI ID: #11755062
Filed: 08/05/2026

"While driving on a highway the car started to hesitate, a message appeared on the console "Propulsion power is reduced" and the engine light turn on. After driving some miles, a new message appeared: "Engine unavailable, service soon" and the car only ran on electric power, no motor engine. I had..."

Incident Date: 08/02/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Chevrolet Volt

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2019)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Chevrolet Volt 44 1 1 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Chevrolet Volt 169 2 1 View 2016 Problems →
2017 Chevrolet Volt 695 8 0 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Chevrolet Volt Current Page 222 4 2 Current
2019 Chevrolet Volt 34 3 2 View 2019 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Chevrolet Volt

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 43 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 35 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 23 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 22 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 19 0 0 0 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 12 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 9 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 5 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 4 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 3 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,TIRES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 1 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (222). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (2)

2 CLOSED

Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Official Federal Inquiries: NHTSA opens a defect investigation when safety screening or consumer defect trends indicate a potential unreasonable safety risk. An open investigation is a formal inquiry and does not by itself confirm a defect or result in a mandatory recall.
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE23022
Opened: 2023-11-29 • Closed: 2025-03-03

Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module

Affected Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On November 29, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened PE23022 to investigate allegations of a loss of motive power, including a stall, reduced power state, and/or a no start condition due to the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) in model year (MY) 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt passenger car vehicles manufactured by General Motors (GM). The BECM is located within the high voltage electric vehicle (EV) battery pack and monitors the...

Closed without associated recall campaign. Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Defect Petition (DP) ODI Action #DP22005
Opened: 2023-01-27 • Closed: 2023-08-07

Pedestrian alert sounds

Affected Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM

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. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight ra...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 22V063000 Official NHTSA File →

Related Official Reports for 2018 Chevrolet Volt

Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year

Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.