NHTSA Complaint #11319754 — 2014 CHEVROLET VOLT

ON 2/17/2020, I WAS DRIVING ON I-5 NORTHBOUND AT ABOUT 10 PM NEAR BURLINGTON, WA. MY SPEED WAS ABOUT 60 MPH ON A RELATIVELY FLAT HIGHWAY. WEATHER WAS NORMAL FOR THE TIME. NO RAIN, NO WIND. SHORTLY AFTER MY CAR SWITCHED FROM THE ELECTRIC-POWERED OVER TO GAS-POWERED, THE CAR STARTED TO REV VERY HIGH AND QUICKLY DECELERATED EVEN THOUGH MY FOOT WAS FULLY PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. "PROPULSION POWER REDUCED" MESSAGE CAME ON, FOLLOWED BY "ENGINE NOT AVAILABLE, SERVICE SOON" MESSAGE CAME ON. THE CEL ALSO CAME ON. I HAD NEVER SEEN THESE MESSAGES BEFORE. SEMI-TRUCKS WERE BEARING DOWN ON ME FROM BEHIND. IT WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER WITHOUT ANY CAR DAMAGE OR INJURY. EASILY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN MORE SERIOUS DAMAGE AND/OR INJURY IF THERE WAS MORE TRAFFIC NEARBY OR I STALLED IN THE TRAFFIC LANES. I WAS ABLE TO RE-START CAR AT ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND SLOWLY DROVE HOME AT A VERY REDUCED SPEED. SUBSEQUENTLY, MY CAR SEEMED TO DRIVE FINE. BUT EVERY TIME THE CAR GOES FROM ELECTRIC TO GAS, I GET NERVOUS THAT THIS INCIDENT WILL REOCCUR AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. MANY TIMES, THE HIGH REV WILL START AND THE "PROPULSION POWER REDUCED" MESSAGE COMES ON AND THE CAR DECELERATES BUT THANKFULLY THE CAR HAS NOT COMPLETELY LOST POWER LIKE THE FIRST INCIDENT. ABOUT 1 MONTH LATER, I TOOK THE CAR TO A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSTICS. THE CEL WENT OUT PRIOR. THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY FAULTS AND SAID EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. NOTHING WAS STORED IN MEMORY. THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM IN THE SHOP. THE "PROPULSION POWER REDUCED" MESSAGE HAS APPEARED AGAIN AFTER SERVICING. I AM FEARFUL TO DRIVE THIS CAR.