2018 CHEVROLET VOLT Electrical System Problems

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that the battery module became inoperable. While attempting to start the vehicle, the message "Engine Unavailable - Service Soon” was displayed. The contact was unable to use the vehicle. The contact stated that the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The contact associated the failure with Technical Service Bulletin: 18-NA-261. The contact called the local dealer and was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

On June 27, 2025, while driving, the vehicle displayed a "Propulsion Power Reduced" warning message and a Check Engine Light illuminated. I immediately experienced a loss of power. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Chevrolet dealer the same day. On July 1, 2025, the dealer diagnosed the failure as a faulty Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) and high-voltage system fault (Code P1E00), requiring a full replacement of the high-voltage battery pack (Part #24296900). The manufacturer (GM) was contacted, and the replacement battery was ordered on July 2, 2025. As of December 2025, the vehicle remains in dealer possession (over 5 months) with no repair completed. The manufacturer has stated the part is on indefinite backorder with no ETA. The failure of this component renders the vehicle inoperable and presents a safety risk due to sudden loss of propulsion power while in motion. The manufacturer has confirmed the failure but...

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine failed to turn over as intended. Additionally, the vehicle would not charge when connected to a charger. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the BECM was reset. The vehicle was repaired; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the message "Reduced Power" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer where it was diagnosed, and determined that the BECM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact related the failure to an unknown Chevrolet recall; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

Why in operation the car goes into Shift to Park and Also getting a Propulsion Power Reduce

The car can't decide if it wants to use the battery or the engine. It shows zero charge even though it is full. It lurches at stop lights as it tries to decide whether to use battery or engine. It says "propulsion power reduced". "Not able to charge". "Shift to park". Check engine light is on.

Dashboard displays “Shift to Park” message even when the shifter is in the park position for the past month. I am unable to turn off the vehicle completely until I Shift to drive then back to park multiple times.

When shift lever is moved to Park, the car often does not recognize it is in Park and can't be shut down. It takes a lot of time of moving the selector in and out of Park to finally get the car to recognize it is in Park. During an occasion when the car would not go into Park, the car ran for hours while the driver was at work. This seems to be a known issue (micro switch) with this model. This is available for inspection upon request. Safety is at risk because this condition leads to not being able to shut the car down, which leads to the potential for a dead battery and getting stranded. While I have not yet had my car's problem reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, there is a lot of evidence in online forums of the prevalence of...

On [XXX], our 2018 Chevy Volt experienced a critical BECM (Battery Energy Control Module) failure while being driven by our [XXX] daughter. The failure caused the vehicle to enter limp mode, resulting in a severe loss of power and the inability to shift properly. Most alarmingly, the brakes failed to function correctly—despite being fully engaged, the car continued to move forward at a red light, placing our daughter in immediate danger. She was only able to safely stop the vehicle by maneuvering it off the road into a parking lot. This BECM defect is a well-documented issue for Chevy Volts from 2016 to 2018. However, Chevrolet has refused to cover our VIN under the existing special service bulletin, despite our vehicle using the same faulty part number as those included in the recall, and has provided no explanation for this exclusion. As a result, we are being forced to pay...

When the vehicle is running, and the gear is moved to park, and I attempt to turn off the car by pressing the ignition button, an error shows on the dash display and the message is "Shift to Park". Even though the car is in park, the vehicle doesn't know it. I then cannot turn off my car.

On May 26, the car was running in electric mode and switched to gas because the power batteries were depleted. Shortly after switching to gas mode, lights came on the dash board saying Engine Not Available Get Service Immediately. I was on a highway at the time and fortunately had just enough left to get off and the car would not move any further. Turning the car on and off did not resolve the problem. It had to be towed to a Chevy dealer. Even after an hour, the messages would come on when trying to start the car. The next day, the dealer called and said they could find no problems with the car and it works fine. This happened once before, but that time there was enough charge in the battery to get home and then later it would start without the message.

Issue Summary: The Chevy Volt has experienced recurring electrical problems, including the "Shift to Park" message, loss of power, and dead 12V battery. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership three times due to these issues. One incident involved a power loss while driving at 65 mph, which caused a near-miss with a semi-truck, posing a significant safety risk. Warranty Status: The additional warranty was purchased, but only one of the three incidents occurred while the vehicle was under warranty. Safety Concerns: The repeated electrical failures, especially while driving at high speeds, raise serious safety concerns

EGR valve clogged and failed on a long trip, bricked the car and had to tow many miles back to home shop. now have been waiting 9 months and still no idea when the part will be available from Chevrolet. My shop and I have claims to Chevrolet for the part for service but still nothing and is getting so we are inconvenienced in travel.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and shifted to park(P), the message "Shift to Park" was displayed on the instrument panel and the vehicle was inoperative. The contact stated that the vehicle was operative while in low power mode; however, the vehicle intermittently failed to charge in low power mode. No warning light was illuminated. However, the vehicle displayed the full battery icon on the display, but 1 EV Mile. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the battery energy control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.

The BECM (Battery Electric Control Module) failed in November of 2023. Mountain Chevrolet has had my vehicle since then, claiming to be unable to find replacement battery module. The vehicle is available for inspection at Mountain Chevrolet (it has been left unlocked, unprotected, and exposed to the elements for almost 15 months now). When the BECM failed, the vehicle lost virtually all power and slowed dramatically from highway speeds to ~20 mph. There were no warnings prior to the failure.

When putting my car in park and shutting it off the dash board tells me to shift to park, and car does not fully shut off.

Driving on gas on the highway, the adaptive cruise control suddenly disabled with a "Reduced Propulsion" message on the dash and a check engine light. The car started struggling in its propulsion. We found an AutoZone and scanned the codes, and multiple were returned. A Google search pointed us to the "walk home" fuse, which indeed had been blown. Replacing that fuse and disconnecting/reconnecting the battery eliminated the errors. Less than a week later during highway driving (the next time the battery charge was used up and it switched to the ICE) I got another check engine light, but this time without the "reduced propulsion" message. Scanning at AutoZone again revealed a P0404 message referencing the EGR valve. Due to the limited availability of the part I have called into Covert Bastrop (Bastrop, TX) and am waiting to hear back on their ability to fix the car.

The issue started with a forward push while lowering my speed while coming to a stop. It then progressed to a trembling engine. Then it progressed to the car struggling to effectively switch from electric to gas and back. It then would only be usable on electric range and the engine would not start and would be greyed out. Now, it only works on engine mode, it uses fuel like a pick up truck, it loses power while driving due to trying to switch to electric mode and back, and it struggles to accelerate. It will do it while idle as well as while driving 45mph and up. It barely has any propulsion power and I have to turn my hazards on any time I am going to accelerate. If I brake hard the engine will shake violently and then shut off. I then have to switch gears from drive...

Took my 2018 chey volt to the dealer after trying to start the car and shifting into reverse a Action Required and shift to park massage appears. Towed the car to the Chevy dealership of on 11-19-2024 and on 12-17-2024 after the dealership has been talking with GM they tell me the car needs a new battery pack and there are none to be found. Car is still under GM warranty! Service adviser recommends calling GM to buy back or get a Lemon law Attorney

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Bolt. The contact stated while driving at a moderate speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the “Propulsion Power” message was displayed. The contact pulled over and upon an attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that the BECM (Battery Engine Control Module) was defective. The mechanic discovered that the vehicle was under warranty and contacted that the local dealer for assistance. The mechanic drove the vehicle to the dealer who acknowledged the failure; however, the dealer stated that the failure was not covered under warranty. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

On [XXX], while driving on [XXX] in Virginia, the check engine light came on in my Chevy Volt. A message on dash said that there was reduced propulsion, and the gas engine quit running. The car switched to battery power, which would not have lasted long enough to get us home. At this point, we were stranded on a very busy highway which seemed quite dangerous. Using battery power, we were able to get off the highway. We then made arrangements to have the car towed, approximately 150 miles to a car dealer/repair business in Frederick MD. The vehicle was checked out by the car dealer who identified the EGR valve as the problem. However, they did not know when the part would be available , and still, 4 weeks later, do not have any date for availability of the broken part. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION...

While driving our 2018 Chevy Volt, dashboard warning message “Propulsion Power Reduced” displayed. Vehicle performance was not otherwise affected. Subsequent diagnosis from our Chevy Dealer was, among other things, a faulty Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve. We were informed that our vehicle was “no longer safe to drive in this condition” and the vehicle has been sitting on the Dealer’s lot awaiting a replacement part for 2 months and counting, with no expectation of near-term resolution of our problem. We are aware that this is a widespread problem on 2017-18 Volt models, with many dissatisfied owners.

Car has shift to park error where the shifter is in park but the car not does not recognize and refuses to shut off. Chevrolet has issued multiple service bulletins in regards to fix but dealership is not adhering to bulletin. Chevrolet then provides no support to the consumer in regards to correcting and places warranty information within service bulletin which is not standard procedure as told by multiple reps

Our Volt EGR valve has gone bad and car not drivable. They claim these have been on back order (very expensive) for a year! They also say it's NOT part of emissions! WTH? Car gas 36k HELP!!

On [XXX] while driving with my son in IN on [XXX] to my niece's wedding in PA, a reduced power warning sounded on the driver's console. Was able to stop and get gas at the eastbound travel plaza near mile marker [XXX]. Getting back on the road and accelerating toward 70 mph, suddenly lost all drive power. The fuel gauge side of the console was lit in yellow and said something like "No fuel detected." Pulled over to the shoulder and found the engine would start, run, and then die. An IN State Police Officer was kind enough to offer us an escort to the next exit near mile marker [XXX]. Noticed that the engine would remain running for longer periods and finally stayed on continuously. While being escorted, was able to run the speed up to 55 mph and made it safely to the interstate exit. During this time...

Chevy Volts from 2016 - 2019 all have a manufacturing defect which can prevent the driver from powering - the error message is "Shift to Park". GM released a Volt Service Bulletin in May 2021 but offered no assistance to replace the defective part. On [XXX] I was driving home on [XXX] headed [XXX] from Santa Cruz in fair weather in the afternoon. This highway can be dangerous with limited shoulders and poor visibility, making it an unsafe place to pull over. While traveling at about 55 mph, the car made an alert sound and illuminated the check engine light and presented a message "Shift to Park". I was running out of room on the shoulder to pull off safely so I had to make the quick decision to pull off to the left-hand shoulder. I followed the instructions on the display which said to shift into park, followed by...

Lost propulsion power went from doing 75mph to 35mph on the fast lane with no warning vehicles swerving to avoid hitting me..very scary and dangerous 3rd time this happens I now try to avoid fast traffic.. please look into this someone going to get hurt if no action taken..

My 2018 Chevy Volt has experienced the GM knows BECM issue. There are several Volt Owners that have experienced this issue. I would like to bring this to the attention for GM to post a recall/mandatory service repair as my car stopped working, would not start, was displaying false information on the electrical module, etc. Issue: 1. Car would not start 2. Battery stated fully charged with solid green light but display showed only 1 electric mile available 3. Tried to shift car to Reverse press gas nothing happened 4. Tried to shift car to Drive press gas nothing happened. 5. Car engine light is on 6. Utter confusion as stress as I’m stranded with no way to get my car working 7. Chevy dealership has had my car for one week now with the only update of ordered BECM module. No ETA on when this will be fixed 8....

After recent repair of hybrid transmission, experienced a loss of power, MIL, and several trouble codes related to the battery control module (BECM). This affects safety as the loss of propulsion unexpectedly causes deviations in speed from typical traffic flow. The problem was confirmed by OnStar and a manufacturer representative was advised with a dealer appointment scheduled when they next open. There were no lamps or other symptoms prior to this MIL and loss of power. Restarts after shut down have not been attempted until able to take the vehicle to the dealership.

My 2018 Chevy Volt was at a Chevrolet dealership in Burbank and they have been running tests on my car to re-create the problem which they have not been able to do. On [XXX] my car suddenly stopped and shakes violently after I turned it on after about driving 15 feet, and my screen was telling me “engine not available, service needed soon” so I got it towed to the dealership (no prior warning signs on dash or anything). On [XXX] they told me they were not able to find the fix or recreate it and also said “This is definitely very rare. Drive it around and bring it back in if it happens again” which felt like they really didn’t care for my safety at all. On [XXX], the same exact problem happened with my car, “engine not available, service needed soon” and shook violently (my girlfriend witnessed it)...

My BECM failed pulling in to my grandpas house. I was able to park the car, but unable to start it afterwords. Prior to failure, the engine would switch between electric, then back to gas, then back to electric This is a very common issue on these vehicles. I am fortunate this did not occur on the highway, as I had just exited I 94

"Propulsion power reduced" message along with check engine light, loss of propulsion power from battery, loss of ability to charge battery. OBD2 scanner reveals P1E00, and 12 U26xx fault codes relating to Battery Energy Control Module failure.

After getting some repeated "propulsion power is reduced" display warnings, my 2018 Chevrolet Volt literally died without warning while I was driving it on New Year's Eve and could not be restarted.

Chevy Volt lost power while driving on the highway. No warning. The car has been at the dealership for 3.5 months and they have yet to tell me what the issue is, I have asked every time. Seems as though they don't want me to know. HIghly likely it is is BECM issue. Also, I scheduled the car to be looked at via their app, the day I arrived for the appointment no technician was available, and said I needed to reschedule and bring it back in a week. I just left the car there because it was incredibly unsafe.

In June of 2023 the car experienced propulsion power reduction. The car was at the dealer awaiting repair for 3 weeks. On Dec. 14,2023 the same thing happened again. The car was also unable to accelerate once mobile. The car has about 90k miles on it.

Vehicle is 2018 Chevrolet volt with approx 91000 miles, purchased new in California with both PZEV and Voltec warranties in place. Vehicle produced MIL in December, in Colorado, with exterior temperatures ~30 degrees, after attempting to remote start. The resulting OnStar Codes P1AEE, P1AEF, and P0AC4 indicating "the electric propulsion system is not performing as expected. Please service immediately." Drove the vehicle to the nearest dealership assuming there could be an unexpected loss of power. Identified PIC6285B as trouble shooting aid for the dealership. The dealership stated they contacted their GM TAC representative and the service foreman and TAC agreed the vehicle needed a transmission flush. No indication that the work would be covered by the bulletin found. Customer contacted Chevrolet EV advisor and confirmed vehicle did not qualify for any warranty as the diagnostics indicated a category 4 issue associated with the bulletin but the repairs required were a...

Car died while driving down road. Has engine codes to service high voltage system although It showed a full battery it only had 1 mile range and the gas motor wouldn't run.

The Battery Energy Control Module needs to be replaced (BECM). The car is available to be inspected at Key Chevrolet in South Burlington, VT. The car was parked when it failed. The car wouldn't start (lights on the dashboard came on) and it wouldn't turn off. I got a "shift to park" error message, regardless of which gear I was in. The car wouldn't go into Drive to go forward with either the drive battery or the gas generator. I had the car was towed to the dealership. It was inspected and diagnosed by them. When they did the diagnosis, they said the BECM had failed and there were cells in the drive battery that needed to be replaced. The BECM failure is a common problem with Chevrolet Volts and is covered by the Voltec warranty. There were no warning lights or other warnings (e.g., reduced propulsion) whatsoever. The car...

My 2018 Cheverolet Volt stopped charging via the PHEV port, the check engine light came on, and "Propulsion Power Is Reduced" read on the driver display. Car acceleration began to lag and I called the dealership service department immediately. I took it to the service dept and they said the repair is under warranty but the part is back-ordered with no ETA on when I will get my car back, but I should keep it there to prevent from getting stranded. They will provide no loaner car. It is currently at the dealership and I have no transportation. This appears to be a BECM issue.

The vehicle failed to restart after being parked in a garage all day while at work. On board diagnostics returned multiple codes concerning the EV battery and vehicle integrated control module. Specific descriptions include: The Lithium-Ion Battery is not performing as expected. An issue has been detected in the Onboard Charging System which manages your vehicles battery pack charge level; Vehicle network communication code. The network provides a communications link between systems inside the vehicle and when the network is disrupted a code can be set. If vehicle functionality is impacted please seek service soon. Dealership indicates the Battery Module needs replacing and part is back-ordered with unknown delivery time. There had been no warning or other diagnostic codes visible prior to the failure.

While Driving my 2018 Chevy Volt from Payson Utah to Provo Utah going north on the I-15 Freeway the car Lost Power and came to a stop. Luckily I was in the outside lane and was able to coast to a stop on the shoulder and wait for a tow truck to take the car to the nearest dealer in Spanish Fork Utah. My safety could have been seriously affected if I had remained stalled on the freeway. The car would no longer start or Turn off. The display only showed that the car should be shifted to park even though I had already completed that request. The car has been inspected by the Dealer for GM. No one else that I know of has inspected the car. No Previous warnings or messages appeared before the incident occured.. The Dealer is Telling me the car’s battery energy control module needs...

2018 Volt will not shut off. Shift to Park displayed on console. Problem has been diagnosed at dealer. Problem is under Service Bulletin 19-NA-206, Voltec (Electric and Hybrid Vehicle) Warranty. Dealer and GM refuses to repair. Problem has been occuring for several weeks.

A Shift to Park message displayed while the vehicle is in park. The car will not turn off and continues to run. The issue is well documented through GM/Chevrolet, as they have a service bulletin (19-NA-206) for it. That document specifically states that the Voltec Warranty covers this issue, but Chevrolet is refusing to service my car based on its VIN number, despite identifying it as the same issue. And for the last question, no lights initially came on but then the check engine light came back on. When the car was finally turned off at the dealership, it turned back on with no issue lights or messages.

Car is stopped and shifted into park. When ignition switch is hit to turn vehicle off display reads "shift to park." Car does not register that car is already in park and cannot turn car off.

When the vehicle is placed in park and I attempt to turn it off, the dash will indicate the vehicle is not in park and subsequently, the vehicle cannot be turned off. Sometimes, if you wiggle the shifter or move it through all the settings (RNDL) and back to park, it will resolve the issue. Sometimes, it can take a few minutes to resolve the issue. It's getting worse. If you can't shut off car someone can steal it, you also can't lock doors.

The vehicle frequently has an 'Action Required - Shift to Park' display on the dashboard even though the shift lever is in park. This means that the car cannot be powered off and you cannot leave the vehicle. It is a problem that GMC is aware of, but refuses to fix under warranty unless the vehicle actively shows the problem while at a GMC dealership.

To begin, I will set the scene of my experience. I was traveling east bound on 84 in northeast PA on my way to Long Island for work meetings that day. I was about one hour and a half away from my home at roughly 6am. I was traveling at apx. 70 mph when my car suddenly says "engine unavailable, reduced propulsion." and the fueld tank turned yellow in color on my dashboard. Then a sign said "service soon." My car then COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING. My speed fell from 75 mph or so to 0 in a matter of a minute, I had no idea what was happening because there were no appropriate warnings such as, "Pull over immediately" or "SAFETY CONCERN PLEASE GET OFF THE HIGHWAY" -I would have taken anything to know that this was an actual emergency and I needed to at least get to a shoulder....

When placing in park it doesn't trigger the switch and car will not shut down.

The gear shifter for the Chevy Volt has an issue where it does not register in Park. I need to contantlty move through the gears to have it be in park.

BECM failed upon startup. Pressed start and vehicle appeared to turn on. Shifted into reverse but there was no motor power and I began to roll backwards down the driveway. Started the vehicle again and then the engine came on and a reduced propulsion message appeared.

Going 80 mph on the freeway with adaptive crusie control on, the car begins to jerk, and the rpm's shoot up and down. The adaptive cruise control disengages, the stabiltrack, abs, and engine light turned on and the car goes into limp mode. As I slow down, the speedometer keeps increasing up to 90. After, I inspected the driver wheel speed sensor and discovered that the sensor tip in the hub had been damaged. The anti-click washer had broken and began cutting the sensor until it failed.