Your vehicle report
2012 Chevrolet Volt
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 245
- Received Sep 2011 to Jun 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off44 complaints · 18% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Airbag warning light stays on22 complaints · 9.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines10 complaints · 4.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #15V145000General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Volt vehicles manufactured August 25, 2010, to June 26, 2013. If the driver exits the vehicle without turning off the electrical system, the battery may drain low enough that the gasoline engine will automatically start itself to recharge the electric battery.
- Recall #13V271000General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Volt vehicles manufactured March 1, 2012, through April 17, 2012. Due to a brake pressure modulator valve problem, the vehicles do not relieve brake pressure from the front brakes during an anti-lock brake system (ABS), electronic stability control (ESC), or traction control event. One or both front brakes may lock up and not release. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No. 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems"' and No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 6 crashes, 2 fires, 11 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 17 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
- Chevrolet Silverado loses power and hesitates
- Unintended acceleration despite braking
- Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed
1 more problem
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2012 | 6 |
| 2013 | 8 |
| 2014 | 15 |
| 2015 | 15 |
| 2016 | 16 |
| 2017 | 21 |
| 2018 | 31 |
| 2019 | 40 |
| 2020 | 33 |
| 2021 | 22 |
| 2022 | 14 |
| 2023 | 9 |
| 2024 | 8 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 4 |
| Total | 245 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off | 44 | 18% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 22 | 9.0% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 10 | 4.1% | – | |
| Instrument cluster or speedometer fails | 10 | 4.1% | – | |
| Chevrolet Silverado loses power and hesitates | 7 | 2.9% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 6 | 2.5% | – | |
| Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed | 5 | 2.0% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 4 | 1.6% | – | |
| Infotainment screen ghost-touches and changes on its own | 4 | 1.6% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 4 | 1.6% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 4 | 1.6% | – | |
| Dashboard melts, becomes sticky and glares | 3 | 1.2% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 3 | 1.2% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 3 | 1.2% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 3 | 1.2% | – | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 3 | 1.2% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 3 | 1.2% | – | NHTSA recall #13V271000 |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #15V145000March 13, 201550,236 vehicles affected
electrical system: ignition; engine and engine cooling: engine: gasoline
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Volt vehicles manufactured August 25, 2010, to June 26, 2013. If the driver exits the vehicle without turning off the electrical system, the battery may drain low enough that the gasoline engine will automatically start itself to recharge the electric battery.
If the engine runs for an extended period of time in an enclosed space, there may be a build up of carbon monoxide, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the engine management software to limit the time that the stationary vehicle can be left in the ON position, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 14617.
NHTSA recall #13V271000June 27, 20134 vehicles affected
electronic stability control (esc); service brakes
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 Chevrolet Volt vehicles manufactured March 1, 2012, through April 17, 2012. Due to a brake pressure modulator valve problem, the vehicles do not relieve brake pressure from the front brakes during an anti-lock brake system (ABS), electronic stability control (ESC), or traction control event. One or both front brakes may lock up and not release. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) No. 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems"' and No. 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
If the brakes lock up it could cause a loss of steering control and/or a lengthened distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will install a new brake pressure modulator valve free of charge. The recall is expected to begin July 12, 2013. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-866-694-6546. GM's recall number is 13184.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN