Chevrolet Volt Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Chevrolet Volt model year from 2011 to 2019, benchmarked against each other with 2,963 federal complaints, 8 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2017. These years top the Volt's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2011, 2014–2015, 2019 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Volt's own worst year — full methodology.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Electrical tops the Chevrolet Volt file with 714 complaints, concentrated in the 2017 model years, most often reported around 60,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Better year | 48 | 2 | Transmission & drivetrain | 5 |
| 2018 | Typical | 362 | 2 | Electrical | 29 |
| 2017 | Avoid | 1,198 | 0 | Electrical | 100 |
| 2016 | Typical | 285 | 1 | Electrical | 23 |
| 2015 | Better year | 71 | 1 | Electrical | 6 |
| 2014 | Better year | 128 | 0 | Airbags | 12 |
| 2013 | Below average | 448 | 3 | Airbags | 40 |
| 2012 | Typical | 359 | 2 | Electrical | 32 |
| 2011 | Better year | 64 | 1 | Electrical | 6 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 12,555 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Chevrolet Volt. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Chevrolet Volt TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Chevrolet Volt years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2017 as the Chevrolet Volt years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Chevrolet Volt problem?
Electrical tops the Chevrolet Volt file with 714 complaints, concentrated in the 2017 model years, most often reported around 60,000 miles.
What are the best Chevrolet Volt years to buy used?
The quietest Chevrolet Volt years in federal records are 2011, 2014–2015, 2019 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Chevrolet Volt only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.