A recent ruling in Jason Miller et al. v. General Motors, LLC, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, has scrapped the possibility of a nationwide class action lawsuit against GM for an electrical system failure in the second-generation Chevy Volt, according to Car Complaints.
The lawsuit argued that affected units of the 2016-2019 Chevy Volt may stop moving at highway speeds and may fail to start. The problem allegedly stems from a failure in the Chevy Volt hybrid system, specifically the battery energy control module (BECM), which is designed to keep the battery charged and regulate battery temperature to ensure it does not overheat or freeze.
The class action lawsuit asserted that the Chevy Volt would cease to function if the battery energy control module malfunctioned. Plaintiff and 2017 Chevy Volt owner Jason Miller alleges that the fault may be a failure of the module’s internal soldering connections.
Judge Jonathan J.C. Grey concurred with GM’s argument that the plaintiffs lack standing to assert claims under laws in states where they don’t reside and haven’t suffered supposed injury. The plaintiffs also accused GM of knowingly misrepresenting the all-electric range of the Chevy Volt, but they were unable to prove fraud. “Plaintiffs cannot maintain an affirmative fraud claim for the alleged unqualified promises because plaintiffs have not established that GM knew the statements were fraudulent before it sold the Class Vehicles,” Judge Grey said.
The National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into the BECM in the second-gen Chevy Volt in 2023. GM sent out a communication in March 2024 (Special Coverage N232432680) giving owners of 2016-2018 Chevy Volt models extended warranty coverage on the BECM from an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty to a 15-year/150,000-mile warranty. The replacement component is sourced from a supplier different from the original BECM, so it isn’t susceptible to the same failure.
Given GM’s extended warranty on the defective module, a low number of safety-related occurrences, and the absence of any injuries or deaths related to the problem, the NHTSA’s ODI closed the investigation in March of 2025.
Comments
GM should have kept the VOLT / Voltec technology while making the typical, incremental advancements. With the range-extended EV system, we have recorded a lifetime 175 MPG and 69.6 MPGe over the 47,110 miles since new in 2018. The car handles great, drives great and is fun. Charge at home and it’s ready to go. EV in town and Hybrid on the highway. Our VOLT just scored a first in the Stock Hybrid Class in the 2025 TOYOTA GREEN GRAND PRIX at Watkins Glen International.
The Voltec system would have matured by now to a higher degree if they didnt abandon it. The only thing that was wrong with Voltec was its battery design. Voltec and Ultium with skateboard platform designs for maximizing interior space would be great right now.