NHTSA Complaint #11682258 — 2017 CHEVROLET VOLT

I am writing regarding my Chevrolet Volt, which suffered the very common Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) failure that your office already investigated and which resulted in GM being required to extend coverage under special warranty reference: MC-10251431-0001 . Despite this, Chevrolet is refusing to cover my repair. Their reasoning: because my Volt was originally purchased in California, they claim it falls under CARB rules—but now that I live in Arizona, they insist neither California’s coverage nor the NHTSA-ordered special coverage applies. In effect, my vehicle has been trapped in a paperwork loophole GM is exploiting to avoid responsibility. This response is not in the spirit of your findings. The defect was not caused by geography, state lines, or ownership history. The BECM is a manufacturer defect, and it failed for the same reason thousands of others have failed: poor design and inadequate durability. Whether the car was first sold in California, Colorado, or Kansas is irrelevant—the failure is GM’s, and the repair obligation should be GM’s as well. By denying coverage on a technicality, Chevrolet is undermining the very purpose of the extended coverage you required: to protect owners from footing the bill for a well-documented, widespread, and unsafe defect. Their position leaves me, and others like me, bearing the costs of GM’s engineering failure. I ask that NHTSA review GM’s handling of these claims and require them to honor the extended coverage as intended, without hiding behind jurisdictional loopholes.