2011 Chevrolet Volt problems
NHTSA has received 64 complaints about the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and 36% of them involve electrical system. Next are air bags (12%) and fuel system (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 64 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 36% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 4 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 3 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 61,000 miles 50 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 10 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 7 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 8 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 11 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 6 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 50 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 61,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 64,000 miles (19 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 4 complaints mention a crash; 3 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 9th most-complained-about out of 9 model years of the Chevrolet Volt with enough data (19 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I was stopped at a red light with my foot on the brake. When the light turned green, I released the brake and the car suddenly accelerated forward on its own, without me touching the accelerator. As soon as the car surged forward, I immediately pressed the brake pedal hard to stop it but instead of slowing down, the car continued to accelerate. It felt like pressing the brake was making it worse. The car was totally out of my control.
The rear end of this car feels as if it is slipping out when you enter a curve at 60 to 65 MPH. GM calls it sensitive steering but I call it scary and unsafe.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet volt equipped with goodyear assurance fuel max tires, size 215-55-17. The contact stated that while traveling 70 MPH, the front passenger's side tire blew. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was found that the failure occurred due to low tire pressure. The tire was replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 17,445. The VIN was not available.
'service airbag' chime and light coming on, routinely, even with or with anybody in the passenger seat. I have not taken the car to a dealer yet since I have been reading forum input about this issue and seeing huge cost to repair. Car has only 81k miles and has never been flooded or had water on the seat(passenger).