Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Volt, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags161
- Electrical system63
- Fuel/propulsion system53
- Engine37
- Seats31
- Power train24
- Service brakes19
- Unknown or other15
- Tires6
- Structure6
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 9 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 10 2013 Volt vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 5 people died inside them, and 1 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2013 Chevrolet Volt failed the safety check 3.51% of the time — 47% more often than the average 2013 passenger car (2.38%). Median odometer at inspection: 106,918 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2013
856 new Chevrolet Volt cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2013; the largest markets were the Netherlands (740), the United Kingdom (63), France (15).
- Average mass
- 1,728 kg
- Average power
- 109 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Petrol/electric 92% · Petrol 7.8%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
In the Netherlands
303 first registered in 2013 are on Dutch roads; 2% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €46,295.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde196
- Band onvoldoende profiel131
- Stofhoes aandrijfas beschadigd en dicht niet af116
- Remschijf ernstig gecorrodeerd89
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld75
- Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt68
- Band beschadigd60
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm43
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
49 cars built in 2013 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 5 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
In Finland
72 of these cars first registered in 2013 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 205,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
1 2013 cars are on the New Zealand register; 100% arrived as used imports, 0% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 1 variant; 1 of 1 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 Chevrolet Volt 4 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | 9.3 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane departure warning
- Optional
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Recalls in Canada
5 Transport Canada recalls for the 2013 Chevrolet Volt.
| 2023412 27 Jul 2023 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, the driver-front airbag inflator could rupture when the airbag deploys in a crash. If this happens, the airbag may not properly in… |
| 2018320 14 Jun 2018 | Powertrain On certain vehicles, an error in a software update may prevent the batteries from properly balancing the voltage among individual cells. This may cause the vehi… |
| 2015104 12 Mar 2015 | Engine On certain vehicles, if a driver exits the vehicle and were to inadvertently leave the vehicle "ON", after a period of time the vehicle's battery would drain an… |
| 2014016 21 Jan 2014 | Seats And Restraints Certain vehicles may not comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 202 - Head Restraints. If subjected to load in the highest adjustm… |
| 2013460 20 Dec 2013 | Accessories On certain vehicles, material used in the construction of the windshield sunshade, sold as an optional accessory, may not meet the requirements of the Canada Mo… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Camero, Sonic, and Volt vehicles. The driver-side air bag inflator may explode during deployment due to a manufacturing defect.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. An update to the Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2 (HPCM2) may have disabled the cell balancing function causing a low-voltage condition.
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.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Chevrolet told its dealers about the 2013 Chevrolet Volt: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11011896 | This Warranty Administration service bulletin provides Lithium-Ion battery Exchange Process and Transaction Submission information. |
| 11011805 | This Preliminary information communicates a GM part number forreflective high temperature heat or insulating tape when repairing wiring harnesses. |
| 11011782 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the use of J-35616-64B terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads. The J-35616-64B is the latest test probe released for checking tension or probing the .64 series terminals. The test probe terminal has been released in the terminal repair kit (J-38125-620H) located in Lear Tray 7 part number 963716-2. There are 5 terminated leads in a package part number is 13505346, which can be ordered through your normal General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales parts channel. |
| 11011709 | This bulletin advises the dealers to maintain the vehicle stock on hand by doing a full inspection on the vehicles before being sold (prepping) to the customer. |
| 11011467 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about the replacement Accessory Power Module does not have an orange wire harness like the original. Technician will need to order a jumper harness General Motors part number 24268507. |
| 11011444 | This Preliminary information communicates to the dealer a process for accessing the procedure to add attachments to a GM technical assistance case using the dealer case management tool. |
| 11010545 | This service bulletin provides information on key code security rules and information on GM keycode look-up applications (U.S). |
| 11010491 | This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information for GM courtesy transportation and roadside assistance programs. |
| 11010421 | This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information on the requirements for 12V battery testing and warranty replacements. |
| 11009764 | This service bulletin provides information on Concerns or Questions Regarding Installation of Dealer Installed Accessories. |
| 11009170 | This Preliminary information communicates additional information on how a LIN bus operates and diagnostic tips when working on a LIN bus. |
| 11009156 | This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8 starting/charging tester and Vehicle Data Recorder tools, giving website address and step by step instructions to complete the update. |
| 11009088 | This service bulletin provides information on some vehicles that may rock or move slightly forward or rearward while in Park at start up after cold soak. This condition may be accompanied by a clunk noise. This is a slight movement that is more often seen visually, rather than felt, when viewed from the outside and using the auto-start feature, if equipped. |
| 11009039 | This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information, proper labor operation selection and causal part identification for warranty transactions (U.S. Only). |
| 11008986 | This Preliminary information communicatesdirection and examples when diagnosing multiple DTCs, one of which includes U**** Byte 71 DTC. |
| 11008956 | This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on When and How to Submit a Field Product Report (FPR) (U.S. and Canada Dealers Only). |
| 11008898 | The bulletin provides direction on how to locate the Temporary Service Part (TSP) form in GlobalConnect. |
| 11008893 | This Warranty Administration service bulletin provides Lithium-Ion battery Exchange Process and Transaction Submission information. |
| 11007936 | This service bulletin provides information to dealership personnel on diagnosis and replacement of shock absorber and strut due to fluid leak. |
| 11007935 | This service bulletin provides information to dealership personnel on diagnosis and replacement of shock absorber and strut due to fluid leak. |
| 11007744 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician will need to have high and low pressures, outside temperature, humidity, and vent temperature. |
| 11007743 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician will need to have high and low pressures, outside temperature, humidity, and vent temperature. |
| 11007721 | This service bulletin provides information on AGM batteries that require less frequent charging in storage. |
| 11007208 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. General Motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized, tested and designed for the vehicle in question and its applications. Technician should not use the information that is provided by the antilock braking system tire size selection. |
| 11007196 | This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an intermittent no crank, no start, or start stall concern with the security light coming on. Technician may find Diagnostic Trouble Codes B3055, B3060, and/or B3935. Technician should not replace any parts for this concern. If unable to duplicate the concern ask if the customer uses any Radio Frequency Identification Devices when the concern is present. Dealer should also direct their customers to the appropriate section in the Owner manuals that references that the device complies. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
Passenger Sensing System
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation