2013 Chevrolet Volt Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 161 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Volt, 52% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 76,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “passenger seat” (42% of reports).
- 161air bags complaints
- 76,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- $1,250typical repair cost reported by owners
- 29%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Passenger seat: mentioned in 68 of 161 complaints (42%)
- Service airbag: mentioned in 52 of 161 complaints (32%)
- Air bag: mentioned in 41 of 161 complaints (25%)
- Presence module: mentioned in 9 of 161 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical air bags repair on the 2013 Chevrolet Volt at $1,250, and half of them between $1,050 and $1,400.
Based on 34 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2017–2022), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 113 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 161 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Chevrolet Volt air bags complaints by model year
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants, resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver-side air bag module, free of charge. On some 2013 Volt vehicles, the steering wheel will be replaced as well, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 23, 2023. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N232413120.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The passenger presence sensor is failing or failed because every time someone sit in there the airbag turns on and off repeatedly every 2-3 mins and gives a service airbag warning and if no one is sitting in the passenger seat then it just stays on. Could be really dangerous if a wreck happens…
The passenger occupancy sensor gives a false positive. The only way I can get rid of the beeping is plug in the seatbelt. I have read on Reddit forums that this is a very common problem with 2013 volts, but for some reason there isn't a recall. This is a safety issue. Thank you!
Front passenger seat sensor intermittently fails, causing the Passenger Airbag indicator to switch to OFF (even if a passenger is present) with an accompanying "Service Airbag" message on the dashboard and illumination of the service airbag light. This occurs usually driving above 25mph, but can…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2013 Chevrolet Volts have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 161 owner complaints about air bags for the 2013 Chevrolet Volt (52% of the 308 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Chevrolet Volt air bags?
Yes: 1 safety recall list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 76,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix air bags problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Volt?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,250 (half paid between $1,050 and $1,400), from 34 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Volt?
The most frequent phrase is “passenger seat”, in 68 of 161 complaints, followed by “service airbag” (52).
Other 2013 Chevrolet Volt problems
See all 2013 Chevrolet Volt problems or air bags problems across all Volt years.