Selling a junk Chevrolet Volt
Any Volt sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
Step 3 of 3 · Get your offer
Prefer an instant online offer?
Peddle quotes online in every state and arranges the pickup. You give your details to Peddle, not to us.
If you sell through this link, Junk Cars Nation may earn a referral fee. It doesn't change your offer.
What owners report about the Chevrolet Volt
NHTSA has 2,979 owner complaints on file for the Chevrolet Volt, model years 2011 to 2019, the 145th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are electrical system (709, 24%), fuel system (501, 17%), transmission and drivetrain (430, 14%). 81 complaints involved a crash, 21 a fire, and 97 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 50,000 miles. The 2017 model year has the most complaints (1,204). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is electrical system, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car that doesn't run: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Chevrolet Volt by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 64 | Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 1 | 72,500 |
| 2012 | 359 | Electrical system | 11 | 2 | 2 | 80,000 |
| 2013 | 448 | Air bags | 17 | 2 | 3 | 67,890 |
| 2014 | 128 | Air bags | 11 | 1 | 0 | 53,008 |
| 2015 | 71 | Electrical system | 1 | 1 | 1 | 55,000 |
| 2016 | 285 | Electrical system | 6 | 1 | 1 | 44,000 |
| 2017 | 1,204 | Electrical system | 18 | 14 | 0 | 36,000 |
| 2018 | 372 | Electrical system | 7 | 0 | 2 | 25,500 |
| 2019 | 48 | Transmission and drivetrain | 6 | 0 | 2 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Chevrolet Volt recalls
NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (2), electrical system (1), other (1). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2013 model year, air bags (campaign 23V516000, Jul 2023): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Camero, Sonic, and Volt vehicles. The driver-side air bag inflator may explode during deployment due to a manufacturing defect.
- 2018 model year, seat belts (campaign 18V673000, Sep 2018): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Cadillac CT6, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Volt, and GMC Yukon XL vehicles. Certain second-row or third-row rear seatbelts retractor assemblies may not automati…
- 2018 model year, brakes (campaign 18V576000, Aug 2018): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and …
- 2013 model year, hybrid system (campaign 18V397000, Jun 2018): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. An update to the Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2 (HPCM2) may have disabled the cell balancing function causing a low-voltage condition.
- 2016 model year, air bags (campaign 17V621000, Oct 2017): General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2016 GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado, and 2016 Chevrolet Volt vehicles. The driver's frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event …
What a Chevrolet Volt is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Volt on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car that doesn't run 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Chevrolet models
- Chevrolet Malibu 29,279
- Chevrolet Silverado 1500 22,548
- Chevrolet Impala 15,194
- Chevrolet Tahoe 12,433
- Chevrolet Equinox 12,060
- Chevrolet Silverado 10,454
- Chevrolet Cobalt 10,115
- Chevrolet Trailblazer 9,175
All Chevrolet models · All makes · Cash for junk cars by state
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Chevrolet Volt worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Volt gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Chevrolet Volt that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Chevrolet Volt?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Chevrolet Volt numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.