2016 CHEVROLET VOLT Recalls, Complaints & Safety

I have a 2016 Chevy volt. It had to be towed to a Chevy dealership because it will not drive. The BECM module has failed, as is apparently the case with so many volt owners. GM, as a result of lawsuits about this car, extended the warrantee to fix the issue, but my vin number is not included in the case. The gar is a brick, and there is no way to fix it now. GM doen't even replace these batteries any more, and most often just buys back the bad vehicles. I still owe 9k on this car and it is useless now. I need help. These are the codes is is throwing. B101D P1EOO P1EAC POAFA B3111 U3001 U2401 U2603 U2604 U2605 U2606 U2617 U2618 U2619 U2620 U2621 U2622 U2623 U2624 P1FD1 P1FD2 P1FD3 P1FD4

Vehicle displayed reduced propulsion and shift to park while driving on highway then suddenly stopped. Dealer said battery failed after a year of diagnosing issue. Issue may be BECM which has extended warranty service but dealer not addressing the issue of car stalling but instead other costly minor issues leaving the vehicle a safety concern. Replacing battery with a bad BECM would lead to exact same issue

After experiencing loss of power and loss of propulsion on the highway, took the car to Tropical Chevrolet in Miami Shores, FL. after diagnosing the car for $287.37 (credited to the estimate total of $3101.20), the dealership replaced the Battery Energy Control Module and bled the battery pack cooling system. We paid the bill ($2665.89). On January 4, 2026 the check engine light came on again when the propulsion was reduced again, while driving on a highway. Tropical reported that the cause of the failure was their failure to replace or do the original repair at all. They replaced the exhaust gas recirculation valve and refilled the cooling system. The parts should be covered by warranty. We filed a claim with GM 2 months ago and still have not been reimbursed.

The engine light came on, but the car would run and so took it to the dealer. They determined that the EGR valve had failed and would cost $2400 to repair. Apparently, this is a common failure point for Generation 2 Chevy Volts. If it might trigger a forced recall, I'd like to add this to the list.

In May 2025, the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve failed on my 2016 Chevy Volt with approx. 60,000 kms / 40,000 miles on it - that cost me approximately $3,000 to fix. In my opinion that should have been covered under warranty given that it is a common failure point on second generation Volts. Note that the EGR value (OEM - Original Equipment Manufacturer) is a readily available part. In October 2025, my BECM (Battery Energy Control Module) failed. Luckily, due to significant Volt owner complaints, GM was forced to provide a special warranty on this item, so the work that would have cost me approximately $4,000 was covered under this special warranty. The BECM is covered for my 2016 Chevy Volt until 2030. Note again that the BECM is a readily available OEM part. In December 2025 my Chevy Volt check engine light went on again, and this time the Chevy Dealership is telling me that the main hybrid battery needs to be replaced. However, GM decided in their infinite wisdom to discontinue production of the Chevy Volt battery, and so they can't even sell me a new hybrid battery, a critical component on this vehicle. My understanding is that the 2016-2019 Chevy Volt battery is the same part #24060122. The Chevy dealership has asked me to see if I can find a battery on my own, as their parts department cannot source one (GM used "York Electronics" in Canada). As a result, I am now left with trying to find a used/refurbished hybrid battery. If my Volt was a 2019 (the last year GM made the Volt), then this battery would be covered under warranty (8 years from in service date), yet GM wouldn't even be able to fix a 2018 or a 2019 Chevy Volt because they stopped making the battery for ALL Volts. How can a manufacturer get away with not even providing parts for 10 years (in my case), or 7 years (2019 Volt)? My only option seems to be to send a perfectly maintained car to the junkyard at 60,000 kms/40,000 miles. Never again will I buy GM.

GM is not honoring coverage from N232432680 for CARB vehicles in non-CARB states. They have failed to tie CARB vehicle vins to the coverage in N232432680.

This vehicle has had multiple incidents of surging of the propulsion system both on battery power and when powered by the internal combustion engine, causing loss of propulsion and sudden acceleration almost causing collisions multiple times. We have paid for over $4,000 in repairs that are not covered under the propulsion system warranty, and these repairs have not remedied the issue.

Battery Energy Control Module Malfunction. It is a known issue with this system failing on the chevy volt. There is a service bulletin on this problem. 18-NA-261 is the service bulletin. The car will not start and when it does start it has loss of power while driving. Chevy is only fixing certain VIN numbers even thou it pulls up the same codes in their bulletin. Chevy only gave extended warranties to certain VIN numbers also. Extra warranty bulletin N232432680. This is a major component for the high voltage battery which drives the vehicle. The dealership wants $5000.00 to repair this.

While I driving in the past week, a warning that "propulsion power reduced" appeared on my dashboard several times. The last time that I had driven the car, the heater would not turn off, and the smell of burnt rubber filled the car and then dissipated soon after. The car would only run in it's gas engine mode, and not switch over to electric mode, as it usually would. The next morning, the car would not start. The dash board would light up as if the car started, but when I shifted into drive, a warning appeared on the dash, "Shift to park", as it would when the car is not running. I could not start the vehicle. After plugging the vehicle in, a warning appeared on the console stating that "Charging is not available". The car was towed to the dealership. Their diagnosis showed that the Battery Energy Control Module had failed and must be replaced. They later confirmed that an electric cable needed to be replaced that was "corroded", but they could not confirm the cause of the corrosion because the cable was disposed of already. After researching online, I found that GM issued a Special Coverage bulletin: N232432680, citing a common malfunction of the Battery Energy Control module in 2016 to 2018 Chevy Volts that "causes a reduced power mode, a no start condition, or a no charge condition." The Special Coverage was to extend the warranty to 15 years or 150,000 miles. After inquiring the dealer about the Special Coverage, they claimed that our car is not covered under the warranty. After calling customer service, they claimed the coverage comes from NHTSA, and GM only issues orders by VIN, and therefore cannot cover the issue. After calling NHTSA, I was told the special coverage is not a national recall, and is internal to GM. The GM dealership still claims that the control module on our car is not covered under the warranty, and have denied the request for a manager inspection or investigation.

Battery Energy Control Module Malfunction. It is a known issue with this system failing on the chevy volt. There is a service bulletin on this problem. 18-NA-261 is the service bulletin. The car will not start and when it does start it has loss of power while driving. Chevy is only fixing certain VIN numbers even thou it pulls up the same codes in their bulletin. Chevy only gave extended warranties to certain VIN numbers also. Extra warranty bulletin N232432680. This is a major component for the high voltage battery which drives the vehicle. The dealership wants $5000.00 to repair this.

While I driving in the past week, a warning that "propulsion power reduced" appeared on my dashboard several times. The last time that I had driven the car, the heater would not turn off, and the smell of burnt rubber filled the car and then dissipated soon after. The car would only run in it's gas engine mode, and not switch over to electric mode, as it usually would. The next morning, the car would not start. The dash board would light up as if the car started, but when I shifted into drive, a warning appeared on the dash, "Shift to park", as it would when the car is not running. I could not start the vehicle. After plugging the vehicle in, a warning appeared on the console stating that "Charging is not available". The car was towed to the dealership. Their diagnosis showed that the Battery Energy Control Module had failed and must be replaced. They later confirmed that an electric cable needed to be replaced that was "corroded", but they could not confirm the cause of the corrosion because the cable was disposed of already. After researching online, I found that GM issued a Special Coverage bulletin: N232432680, citing a common malfunction of the Battery Energy Control module in 2016 to 2018 Chevy Volts that "causes a reduced power mode, a no start condition, or a no charge condition." The Special Coverage was to extend the warranty to 15 years or 150,000 miles. After inquiring the dealer about the Special Coverage, they claimed that our car is not covered under the warranty. After calling customer service, they claimed the coverage comes from NHTSA, and GM only issues orders by VIN, and therefore cannot cover the issue. After calling NHTSA, I was told the special coverage is not a national recall, and is internal to GM. The GM dealership still claims that the control module on our car is not covered under the warranty, and have denied the request for a manager inspection or investigation.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left turn, the vehicle stalled. The accelerator pedal was released, and the vehicle returned to normal operation. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23022 (Electrical System) and Special Coverage: N232432680 (Battery Energy Control Module Malfunction); however, the vehicle was not covered under the Special Coverage. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

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. No police or insurance representatives have reviewed this, as this was a mechanical failure with no collision. Warning Lamps or Symptoms: No warning lights, messages, or unusual symptoms appeared prior to the failure. The engine appeared to operate normally until the sudden failure. Upon failure, low oil and low propulsion error message appeared on dash. Current no dash lights are on in the vehicle. Assessment of Cause: Based on dealership inspection and documentation, the failure appears sudden and possibly related to a defect in emissions-related engine components. No external damage or user error contributed to the failure.

P0401, P0B9A Loss propulsion power on highway Shift to Park issues And car uses gas before electricity is empty

Driving at 75 MPH on the freeway the power completely cuts off an a message appears on my dash "Propulsion Power is Reduced" - Pressing the gas barely gives any power, Imagine being in the middle of flowing traffic doing 75 mph to close to 20 mph. Research shows me this is a KNOWN issue with GM and the problem is with the BECM control module. There is also the issue of the EGR valve which apparently is tied into the BECM. I brought to the Chevy dealer and they said the BECM NEEDS to be replace ASAP because GM knows this is a dangerous situation and GM extended the warranty on this part to 150,000 miles. My vehicle is at 152,400 miles and they will not cover this. This is a serious issue that should be a recall that forces GM and Chevy to pay for this fix as it is something they have been aware of for years and it is a major accident waiting to happen. Please make them issue a recall for the BECM fix.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while operating vehicle the "Propulsion Error” was displayed, and the message "Shift to Park" was displayed while driving. Additionally, the vehicle occasionally failed to immediately start. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the Manufacturer’s Extended Warranty Coverage related to the failure. The failure mileage was 98,500.

•Vehicle lost power while driving on the highway at speed. The vehicle would not run with gas engine power or EV charge basically died on the road in traffic. After coming to a stop safely but not without some close calls vehicle would not start even with car having fuel of two types in it. •The battery charge would not register, and the car would not start for a little while. Display showed nothing and was only making a dinging sound. Around half hour later the vehicle started, and I drove it to my home and parked it. I have not been driving it as it seems like a safety concern with the battery system and not feeling reliable. I had tried to charge it after the initial event and it did not charge. I did only a little research on cost for battery issues and the cost made me very put off even looking at the car. The car has been sitting sense August of last year. I took the car into a GM repair shop a week ago and the shop told me that the BECM module is weak. I looked this up and found that there is a lot of people having the same issue! Also, there are 19000 cars just like mine who got a recall or Special coverage. I am told I don’t meet the requirements for the coverage even though my car has the issues. They say my VIN is not on the list, clearly this special coverage did not go far enough. There appears to be some gaps in the coverage of this issue there are tons of people having this issue a full recall should be investigated and enacted there is clearly a problem that should be addressed. The fact that most cases do not happen when the car is running seem to put this on everyone’s back burner but people are being harmed financially while GM uses loop holes to not address an issue that could cost people there time, hard earned money, lost wages, even there life if this malfunction causes accidents. There was and is clearly enough to warrant action. Letting GM get away with a half Hearted attempted at fixing this is a crime.

While driving the car displayed “reduced propulsion power” on the dash and then I lost all drive power and could not switch the plug in hybrid from electric to gas engine mode. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealer who stated that the battery electronics control module and perhaps the battery needed to be replaced. The check engine light came on slightly before the incident.

Becm failure Car suddenly stopped driving and or starting Had to have it towed home

On [XXX] the check engine light turned on in my 2016 Chevy Volt (VIN: [XXX] miles 145,xxx). I was 2 hours from home in the freezing cold snow but thankfully the vehicle allowed me to drive home without any issues (no reduced propulsion power). When I returned to the vehicle to have a diagnostic check the error light disappeared and I was unable to check for error codes. Still no issues driving under EV/gasoline. Later that day, the car stopped going completely, no shifting out of park either. EV range was reporting 0 miles despite having full charge. I plugged in the charger but it would not work (first time this happened), " Not able to Charge" message displayed. After cycling power the EV range was full range and I was able to shift into drive again. These issues were intermittent over 3 weeks, frequently standing me temporarily. After cycling power, opening and closing the door, cycling power again, the car would function normally and I could drive under battery or gasoline power. I managed to capture these error codes while the MIL light was on: U2603, U2604, U2605, U2606, U2617, U2618, U2619, U2620, U2621, U2622, U2623, U2624 [XXX] my vehicle no longer drives or shifts out of park, "Not able to charge" message displayed, CEL light on. A class action lawsuit revealed a technical service bulletin 18-NA-261 released in 2018 (see attached) accusing GM of continuing support of the known faulty module. The result of the case was Special Coverage Bulletin N232432680 which acknowledges and addresses the above mentioned issues by replacing a faulty BECM common to ALL Chevy Volt models years 2016-2018. My VIN is EXCLUDED from coverage due to being a CARB compliant vehicle despite exhibiting the same behaviors, error codes, and sharing the same faulty BECM. Of the 60,000 Volts sold in 2016-2018, only 19,000 (~33%) qualify under the special coverage terms. 100% of the vehicles that qualify for coverage are NON-CARB compliant. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552

BECM failure leaving car stranded in traffic with no ability to move under its own power.

Vehicle had the Battery Energy Control Module fail at about 87,000 miles. Vehicle will not start and will leave you stranded when this happens. This is a known defect and GM issued a special coverage to extend the warranty for this specific component, but for some reason only applies to a handful of VINs. Mine was not one of them, so I got stuck with a $2500 repair bill. I love the car and am not mad that they are breaking, engineering is hard. I am mad that even after a requirement from the NHTSA, Chevy is refusing to repair a known defect with their vehicles that can leave the owner stranded and is making the owners foot the several thousand-dollar repair bill. This was my first Chevy, and due to the poor way this has been handled, probably my last.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact used a scanner and retrieved DTC: U2603-U2606 and U2607-U2622. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was scheduled for an upcoming diagnostic test. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

CAR LOST POWER IN 02/2024, WAS TAKEN TO DEALER. ISSUE WAS NOT ADDRESSED PROPERLY. 12/2024 THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE, TOWED TO DEALER, ESTIMATE $2000 TO REPLACE BECM, KNOW ISSUE FOR THESE VEHICLES.

EGR valve has failed leaving me stranded on side of the road. Problem was confirmed by a Chevrolet dealership. Engine light came on moments before it happened.

My experience is proof for the investigation on “loss of motive power, including a stall, reduced power state, and/or a no-start condition due to the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM).” My safety and the safety of others were affected because the reduced engine propulsion caused me to drive at a max speed of around 50 mph, and eventually the car left my stranded a few weeks later when it would not start at all in a parking lot. The gas engine would run at an extremely high RPM to make up for the failure of battery propulsion. The dealer covered the work under warranty. The work was performed during the pandemic chip shortage in 2022 and my car was at the dealership for two months from about August to October. The check engine light would come on sporadically before the problem started, and when the failure would occur, I would get a “Propulsion reduced” message in the driver screen and the gas engine would kick on to an extremely high RPM even when the car should have been running on battery. Accelerating from a stop to a normal speed would sound like you are flooring down the accelerator to get on a highway on-ramp. I no longer have the paperwork to confirm this, but it was performed at the Fort Collins (Colorado) Dellenbach Chevrolet dealer, it may be possible for me to get the paperwork, but I no longer live in Colorado. The process went all the way up to corporate Chevrolet before the warranty was honored, and I was compensated with company points.

With PHEV battery at 0%, it's normal for the gas engine to kick in. What's not normal is when the infamous BCEM propulsion system failure happened. First, it shut off the ICE engine and reverted to EV mode when I have 0% charges left. The system also reduced power to the car. Luckily, I wasn't on the freeway, or this could end up really badly. I was at the point where I could no longer accelerate and was coming to a stop really quick. Because I was still on local street, was able to safely pull over to the side of the road and turned off the system completely. I waited a minute or 2, turn the car back on and the engine kicked on immediately. Please have GM issue a recall for this problem TSB 18-NA-261 because if this happens to someone on the freeway when their battery is at 0% and BCEM shuts off the gas engine with loss propulsion failure, it can result in serious accidents and deaths.

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.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while starting and driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Reduced Propulsion" message was displayed. Additionally, after parking the vehicle, the "Shift To Park" message was displayed, and the vehicle failed to turn off. The contact pressed the Start/Stop button and then opened and closed the front driver's side door to turn off the vehicle. The vehicle later failed to charge and start as needed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) needed to be replaced; however, the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 83,574. The VIN was unavailable.