Other fuel system problem on the 2012 Chevrolet Volt
When other fuel system problem gets reported
Owners of the 2012 Chevrolet Volt report other fuel system problem at a median of 85,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 70,000 miles and a quarter after 105,000 miles, from 20 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 90,000 miles. It is the 2nd most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 20,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 135,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 117,256 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
When the reports scatter this far, the mileage is telling you about how these cars were driven more than about the part itself.
15% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17,603 miles | 68,550 miles | 83,000 miles | 107,000 miles | 134,859 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $300–$2,200 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 7 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2015, at a median of 2,000 miles, and latest on the 2012 at 85,000 miles.
By volume the 2017 carries the most reports, with 92; the 2012 has 27. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
No accident: the degree of distortion in rear glass is unsafe. Optics may not meet auto glass and or federal safety requirements. I have worked in the glass industry in quality control and this glass would not meet company or federal standards. With distortion this bad the particle size could be an issue as well. This could be a serious problem. Gm has agreed to replace my glass, however I would be concerned about other rear windows in that same run time. *tr
The power (propulsion) system has disappeared from screen while driving switching to fuel only. Screen goes blank and all electric miles disappear. Note this has happened four times in the last few months, sending several error codes each time and the dealer keeps it for a week or more to reset engine and battery icon. Corporate office tech's having problems with answers, took my controls and battery back for testing and replaced with new ones. Still having the same problem. *tr
When I turned on the vehicle the touchpad showed no A/C. I started to drive the vehicle and approximately 5 miles the heater came on and blew hot air, then after awhile the A/C came on. After accelerating from a stop when I reached approximately 45 MPH the vehicle lost power and the steering wheel locked up. I could not control the vehicle. Then the vehicle jolted and the power returned. This has happened prior and was taken into chevy dealership for repair. Loosing power and steering capability is not safe. *tr
Also reported on the 2012 Chevrolet Volt
Other electrical problem
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault
Other engine problem
Other body or interior problem
Other powertrain problem
Other brake problem
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 27 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does other fuel system problem happen on the 2012 Chevrolet Volt?
Across 20 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 85,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 70,000 miles and a quarter after 105,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is other fuel system problem on the 2012 Chevrolet Volt?
27 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 3.2 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed