2012 Chevrolet Volt problems
Owners have filed 359 complaints about the 2012 Chevrolet Volt with NHTSA. Electrical system accounts for 24.2% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of air bags at 24.2%.
Complaints359
Crashes11
Fires2
Injuries15
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Electrical system 24.2% · 87
Air bags 24.2% · 87
Fuel/propulsion system 10.3% · 37
Engine 7.2% · 26
Service brakes 6.4% · 23
Power train 6.1% · 22
Unknown or other 4.7% · 17
Seats 3.9% · 14
Severity
Of those complaints, 11 describe a crash, 2 describe a fire and 15 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 6 model years of the Chevrolet Volt in this data, 2012 draws comparatively few complaints; 2017 is the outlier year.
Filings have fallen off, 23 in the last three years against 61 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 76,500 miles.
In owners' own words
My "service airbag soon" light has come on for the passenger side and requires a replacement of the passenger presence sensor and module. I have been quoted by the chevy dealer at $897 before tax. This has been reported by many other people before. Due to the sensor malfunctioning and not knowing if there is or isn't a passenger in the seat the airbag may or may not be active. This is extremely dangerous. Air bags · reported at 120,000 miles
Vehicle displaying service airbag warning. Was told by dealer the passenger airbag will not deploy unless a $1000 part is ordered and installed. This is a critical safety device and should be covered as a safety recall. This warning appears upon starting the vehicle and remains on. The dealer stated the passenger sensing module shorted out internally. The vehicle currently has 124k miles on it. Air bags · reported at 125,000 miles
The service airbag light comes on for no apparent reason. It doesn't matter if someone is sitting in the seat or not. If someone is in the seat when this happen the airbag is not armed so it would not deploy in an accident. I am the original owner, it was purchased in october 2011 and has over 90,000 miles on it. This is an important safety issue since the airbag won't deploy during an accident. Air bags · reported at 80,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…