2015 Chevrolet Volt: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2015 Chevrolet Volt
On the 2015 Chevrolet Volt, the failure owners report most often is other fuel system problem, with 8 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 50,000 miles. Overall it scores 73 out of 100, high risk for a 2015.
High risk for a 2015 — 113th riskiest of the 273 2015 vehicles we can rate. 71 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What breaks on the 2015 Chevrolet Volt
Owners have reported 28 named failure modes on the 2015 Chevrolet Volt, and the three most-reported carry 31% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Other fuel system problem leads with 8 reports and about 8,000 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other engine problem follows with 7 reports, median 100 miles.
Other electrical problem follows with 7 reports, median 65,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into electrical (15), fuel (8) and engine (8).
When these failures get reported
35 of the reports on the 2015 Chevrolet Volt came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 50,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 49% by 50,000 miles and 89% by 100,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 29% of the dated reports.
46% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 28. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
How bad it is when it goes
Across the named modes, 1 mentions a crash, 1 a fire and 1 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 3.44, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other fuel system problem at $300–$2,200, other engine problem at $300–$4,000, other electrical problem at $250–$2,000 and control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure at $700–$3,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
20% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 8 | 3 | — | 2k | — | 8,000.0 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 7 | 1 | — | 85 | — | 7,000.0 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 7 | 3 | — | 65k | — | 7,000.0 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 4 | 1 | — | 181 | — | 4,000.0 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 4 | 3 | — | 2k | — | 4,000.0 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Wiring harness or short circuit | electrical | 3 | 2 | — | 57k | — | 3,000.0 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Cruise control failure | adas | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3,000.0 | $200–$1,400 | High |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 3 | 1 | — | 70k | — | 3,000.0 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Infotainment screen failure | infotainment | 2 | 2 | — | 53k | — | 2,000.0 | $400–$2,600 | Low |
| Backup camera failure | infotainment | 2 | 2 | — | 69k | — | 2,000.0 | $250–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Steering rack, gear or tie rod failure | steering | 2 | 2 | — | 250 | — | 2,000.0 | $700–$2,600 | High |
| Software fault or failed update | software | 2 | 2 | — | 96k | — | 2,000.0 | $0–$600 | Moderate |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2,000.0 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Excessive oil consumption | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 103k | — | 1,000.0 | $900–$6,500 | High |
| Overheating | cooling | 1 | 1 | — | 200 | — | 1,000.0 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Thermostat failure | cooling | 1 | 1 | — | 55k | — | 1,000.0 | $250–$900 | Moderate |
| Alternator or charging system failure | electrical | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1,000.0 | $450–$1,600 | High |
| Instrument cluster or gauge failure | infotainment | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1,000.0 | $350–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Loss of braking | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 31k | — | 1,000.0 | $400–$3,000 | Critical |
| Premature brake pad or rotor wear | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 85k | — | 1,000.0 | $300–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Parking brake failure | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 18k | — | 1,000.0 | $250–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1,000.0 | $250–$1,500 | Moderate |
| Air conditioning failure | hvac | 1 | 1 | — | 23k | — | 1,000.0 | $400–$2,800 | Moderate |
| Tail light, brake light or signal failure | lighting | 1 | 1 | — | 27k | — | 1,000.0 | $100–$900 | Moderate |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1,000.0 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 18k | — | 1,000.0 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 1 | 1 | — | 2k | — | 1,000.0 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 1 | 1 | — | 100k | — | 1,000.0 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 7 | 2 | — | 81k | — | 7,000.0 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2015 Chevrolet Volt draws about 71,000 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 100th percentile of complaint rates among 2015 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 1 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2015 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other fuel system problem
Total loss of power climbing a hill at freeway speed. The behavior was like the car had shifted itself into neutral. This then manifested itself three other times over the next 20 miles of driving. *tr
Friday october 30 at 1 pm pacific coast time, my volt lost all power on the middle of the san mateo bridge. There was no shoulder and the car went from 70 miles an hour to a dead stop in about 100 ft. I had a "propulsion system failure" message on the display screen. I was nearly rear-ended by a semi, who in turn nearly turned over trying to swerve out of my lane. The semi nearly pushed another car into san francisco bay. This is a dangerous vehicle and the government should not allow it to be sold.
Other engine problem
Total loss of power climbing a hill at freeway speed. The behavior was like the car had shifted itself into neutral. This then manifested itself three other times over the next 20 miles of driving. *tr
Other electrical problem
While driving my volt on the freeway, both the navigation display and the instrument display went blank. I had no visibility of my speed, fuel status, engine status. I attempted to re display the nav system, but I had to drive the rest of my trip with no display. Played with the lights, on then off no change. I have had this happen on 3 different occasions. All three times, the display was returned on the next day.
Recalls on the 2015 model year
NHTSA has issued 1 recall campaign covering the 2015 Chevrolet Volt, affecting an estimated 1 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover steering. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
STEERING
10 vehicles 2015-07-10- Defect
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Chevrolet Cruze vehicles manufactured November 8, 2013, to March 12, 2015, and 2015 Chevrolet Volt vehicles manufactured April 11, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the inner tie rod may not be tightened to specification allowing the tie rod to separate from the steering gear.
- Consequence
- Separation of the tie rod from the steering gear could result in the loss of steering, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear assembly, free of charge. The recall began on July 28, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15386.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 2015 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Better and worse years of the same car
High risk for a 2015 — 113th riskiest of the 273 2015 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.
Across the 9 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 2011 comes out best at 67 and 2018 worst at 78, with 2015 itself at 73.
If the model year is negotiable, 2011, 2014, 2012 and 2013 score lower than 2015 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2015–2019 generation specifically, 2016 is the strongest year at 73 and 2018 the weakest at 78.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2015-2019 generation, 2016 Chevrolet Volt scores best at 73 and 2018 Chevrolet Volt worst at 78.
What this page cannot tell you
71 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 71 reports, 35 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 49% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2015 Chevrolet Volt?
The most-reported failures are other fuel system problem (8 reports, median 2,000 miles), other engine problem (7 reports, median 100 miles) and other electrical problem (7 reports, median 65,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2015 Chevrolet Volt reliable?
It scores 73 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 113th riskiest of the 273 2015 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2015 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Chevrolet Volt is best?
Within the 2015–2019 generation, 2016 scores best at 73 out of 100 and 2018 worst at 78. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
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