Buyer Research

2014 Chevrolet Volt — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $6,000–$11,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 9 Chevrolet Volt years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

A first-generation Volt is a genuinely clever car — 35-ish miles of electric commuting with a gas generator so you are never stranded by a dead charger — and 93 complaints with no recall campaigns on the record is a modest pile for a twelve-year-old car. But read where the pile sits: a third of it is the passenger airbag sensor, and nearly half is the propulsion system losing power, sometimes at highway speed. Every 2014 is now years past the 8-year/100,000-mile battery warranty, so a failed pack is your bill, not GM's. Buy one only after a dealer runs a battery capacity test and you have watched the full-charge range estimate yourself. At these prices a healthy one is a bargain and a sick one is scrap.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 93 owner complaints for the 2014 Chevrolet Volt, and no recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 34% of them are about one thing — airbags. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2014 Chevrolet Volt

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

High-voltage battery losing capacity, dying without warning, or shutting the car downHigh — wallet impact

Owners describe the pack simply dying on the highway, the car refusing to hold a charge, and the dash going dark at startup. Four of these filings involved a crash and one a fire. The 8-year/100,000-mile battery coverage has expired on every 2014, so replacement is out of pocket — and a much cheaper cause, a weak 12-volt accessory battery, throws similar nonsense warnings, so have that tested first. Before buying, charge the car fully and look at the estimated electric range: a healthy 2014 still shows roughly 30 to 38 miles, and anything in the low twenties is a pack that has lost real capacity.

Repair cost (estimate): $3,500–$8,000 for a replacement high-voltage pack; $200–$400 for the 12-volt battery — around 94% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (27).

"Propulsion Power Is Reduced" warning, then the car slows and stops while drivingHigh — wallet impact

This is the single most alarming pattern in the record: the message appears, speed falls away, the gas engine reports itself unavailable, and the car coasts to a halt — one owner at 50 mph on a four-lane road, another decelerating from 65 mph to 35 mph before the battery died. Three of these filings involved a crash. The cause varies between the battery energy control module, a failing cell group and the generator side, so no two repair quotes match. On the test drive, drive it until the battery depletes and the gas engine takes over; that handover is exactly where this fault shows itself.

Repair cost: Not yet priced — a safety matter first, a repair bill second

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (19).

Passenger presence sensor in the front seat sets off the airbag light and a cycling chimeMedium

The most-filed complaint on this car by a wide margin. The sensor mat in the passenger seat misreads, so the airbag light stays on or the passenger-airbag status flickers on and off with a chime, and one owner posted the diagnostic code B0074 with the module part number. Shops replace impact sensors first and get nowhere; the fix is usually the seat module itself. Sit a passenger in the seat before you buy and watch the airbag status light on the console go from off to on and stay there.

Repair cost (estimate): $500–$1,200

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (32).

The range-extender gas engine goes stale from never being usedMedium

A Volt driven only on electricity may go months without running its 1.4-litre engine, and fuel sitting in the sealed tank ages. The car has a maintenance mode that forces the engine to run periodically, but owners who ignore it report rough running, misfires and reduced power when the engine finally is needed. On the test drive, use the Hold or Mountain mode setting to force the engine on and listen for a smooth, steady idle rather than shaking or a check-engine light.

Repair cost (estimate): $200–$1,800

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (11).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Any "Propulsion Power Is Reduced" message during the test drive
✗Full-charge range estimate in the low twenties of miles or below
✗Airbag light lit, or a chime that cycles with a passenger in the seat
✗Instrument display that goes dark or comes up blank at startup

Good Signs

✓A dealer battery capacity test on paper, dated within the last year
✓Estimated range of 30-plus miles showing on a full charge
✓Passenger presence module replaced, with the invoice
✓Gas engine that fires up and idles smoothly in Hold or Mountain mode
✓Charging cord and a 12-volt battery with a legible replacement date