Chevrolet›Volt›2011›Overview/chevrolet/volt/2011/base/

2011 Chevrolet Volt

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2011 Volt.

Body PASSENGER CARTransmission Automatic (variable gear ratios)

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt is a passenger car that carries a 3.7-quart fill of 5W-30 engine oil and routes power through an automatic transmission with variable gear ratios. Within the model’s 2011–2019 run, this inaugural year generated just 49 owner complaints, a figure dwarfed by the 690 complaints filed for the 2017 model year and sitting well above only the 34 logged for the final 2019 edition. That volume places the 2011 Volt toward the lower-complaint end of its generation’s reliability spectrum, even as a single recall and electrical system grievances constitute its primary durability concerns.

Model year2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity3.7 qtOEM · verified

Engine oil type5W-30OEM · verified

Lug nut torque100 ft-lbsOEM · verified

EPA efficiency35/40/37 MPGeEPA · verified

EPA electric range380 miEPA · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI N/A · 0 CCA battery, OE oil filter 55352643. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI N/A · 0 CCAOEM · verified

Tail / brake / turnLAMPOEM · verified

Tire sizeP215/55R17OEM · verified

Wheel / rim7 inOEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter	55352643
Engine air filter	20871244
Spark plug	12681655
Battery	88866188
Front wiper blades	22742323 alt 22742324
Thermostat	55561627 alt 25200456
Cabin air filter	13271190

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Engine & drivetrain NHTSA vPIC

Transmission

Automatic (variable gear ratios)

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length	177.2 in
Overall width	70.5 in
Overall height	56.3 in
Wheelbase	105.9 in
Curb weight	3757 lb
Track (front / rear)	61 / 61.8 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)	61/39

Ratings & economy EPA / vPIC

EPA city / highway / combined	35 / 40 / 37 MPGe
Electric range	380 mi
Charge time (240V)	4.0 hr
Electric motor	111 kW
Energy use	36.0 kWh/100mi
Drivetrain	Front-Wheel Drive
Recommended fuel	Premium Gasoline

Performance & power Independent road tests

0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.

Independent road tests for the Volt of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.

8.7–9.2 sec0–60 mph (tested)quickest 8.70 sec — 2011 Hatchback

Year	Trim / engine	0–60	¼ mile	HP	Drivetrain
2011	Hatchback 1.4L I-4 + Elec 16-kWh	8.70 sec	16.70 sec	149 hp	FWD
2011	Hatchback 1.4L I-4 + Elec 16-kWh	8.80 sec	16.70 sec	149 hp	FWD
2011	Hatchback 1.4L I-4 + Elec 16-kWh	8.80 sec	16.80 sec	149 hp	FWD
2011	Hatchback 1.4L I-4 + Elec 16-kWh	9.00 sec	16.90 sec	149 hp	FWD
2011	Hatchback 1.4L I-4 + Elec 16-kWh	9.20 sec	17.00 sec	149 hp	FWD
2012	Hatchback 1.4L I-4 + Elec 16-kWh	8.50 sec	16.50 sec	149 hp	FWD
2012	Hatchback 1.4L I-4 + Elec 16-kWh	9.10 sec	17.00 sec	149 hp	FWD

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 3.7 qt of 5W-30 engine oil. Torque lug nuts to 100 ft-lbs, the oil drain plug to 10.3 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-3-4-2.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission Fluid	ATF
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity	7.0-7.5
Engine Oil	5W-30
Engine Oil Capacity	3.7 qt

Engine torques

Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts	15 ft-lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts	16 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug	10.3 ft-lbs
Engine Valve Cover Bolts	6.0 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Lug Nuts

100 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order

1-3-4-2

Battery & A/C

Refrigerant	R134a
Refrigerant Capacity	2.10 lbs
Oil Type	POE oil GM part No 88862657, or equivalent.
Oil Capacity	6.10 oz
Standard BCI Cranking Performance	0 cca

Service checks

Thermostat Opening Temperature	188-206 °F
Key ON Engine OFF (KOEO)	55-62
RPM	43-45 @ Idle rpm
Injector Primary Resistance	11-14 @ 50-90 degreesF ohms
Engine Compression	174
Engine Oil Pressure	55-94 psi
Engine Oil Pressure RPM	3000-3500 rpm
Intake Valve Lash	Hydraulic in

Brakes

Brake Application	WITH FN3 (16 inch) CALIPER PR NOS. 1LH/1ZG
Torque Caliper to Bracket	21 ft-lbs
Torque to Knuckle	181 ft-lbs / 103 ft-lbs
Minimum Pad Thickness	Front: 0.030; Rear: 0.030 specification
Brake Application	WITH FN3 (16 inch) CALIPER PR NOS. 1LH/1ZG
Rotor Max Parallel Variation	0.001 in
Rotor Runout Limit	0.002 in
Rotor Nominal Thickness From	1.023 in / 0.472 in

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the spark plugs every 100,000 mi; coolant at 150,000 mi. The big-interval services (at 150,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 7,500 mi	Tire & Wheel Assembly (rotate)
Every 15,000 mi	Accelerator Pedal (inspect) · Body Latches, Locks & Hinges (lubricate) · Brake Shift Interlock Solenoid (inspect) · Brake System (inspect) · Engine Coolant System Hoses (inspect) · Exhaust System (Complete) (inspect)
Every 50,000 mi	Engine Air Filter Element (replace) · Fuel Evaporative Emission Control System (inspect)
Every 100,000 mi	Spark Plugs (replace)
At 150,000 mi	Drive Belt (replace) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt marks the debut of this generation, showing a relatively low federal complaint volume of 49 cases, which were heavily concentrated in the Electrical System with 18 reports. In the broader generational context, complaint totals escalate significantly in subsequent years—jumping to 245 in 2012 and peaking at 690 in 2017—before tapering off to just 34 by 2019, placing the target year at the quiet beginning of this arc. However, the 2011 model carries an exceptionally high count of 1,714 Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs), indicating that the manufacturer identified and issued a massive number of fixes for this inaugural production run. While the data does not specify root causes for the electrical or other complaints, the elevated TSB count alongside 2 crash complaints suggests early production growing pains that were systematically addressed in later years. As a takeaway, the 2011 Volt is a reasonable purchase if you can verify that all outstanding TSBs and the single recall have been completed by a previous owner, as its baseline complaint volume is far lower than the generation's mid-cycle peak.

Open recalls

NHTSA campaigns

1714

Service bulletins

Manufacturer communications

ODI investigations

Office of Defects Investigation

Owner complaints

2 involved a crash · 0 a fire

NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars

Overall★★★★★

Frontal★★★★★

Side★★★★★

Rollover★★★★★

Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

’11’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 ’19

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 49 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Electrical System18

Air Bags5

Fuel/Propulsion System3

Service Brakes2

Power Train2

Exterior Lighting1

Steering,Engine,Fuel/Propulsion System1

Engine1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 1 of 1 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

15V145000Electrical System:IgnitionReported 13/03/2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Volt vehicles manufactured August 25, 2010, to June 26, 2013. If the driver exits the vehicle without turning off the electrical system, the battery may… Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the engine management software to limit the time that the stationary vehicle can be left in the ON position, free of charge. The…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 1714 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

Bulletin	Date	Component	Summary
PIT3271Q	2026-04-01	Unknown Or Other	This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel…
PIP6104	2026-03-09	Unknown Or Other	This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and…
PIP4902V	2026-03-09	Unknown Or Other	This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIP4902U	2026-01-08	Unknown Or Other	This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIT5214G	2025-11-20	Unknown Or Other	This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420

Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1

P0300

Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected

P0171

System too lean — Bank 1

P0455

Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak

P0128

Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature

P0442

Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN

Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Volt. OEM

Build data

Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.

Recalls

Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Group N battery Vehicles taking 3.7 qt Engine oil filter 55352643 Engine air filter 20871244 Spark plug 12681655 Battery 88866188

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Vehicle recalls & TSBs OBD-II trouble codes Maintenance schedules Fluid capacities & specs

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2011 Volt take?

3.7 qt of 5W-30 MEETING GM DEXOS 1 SPECIFICATION, per the factory manual.

Does the 2011 Volt have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.

What is the EPA range and efficiency of the Volt?

EPA figures are 35 city / 40 highway / 37 combined MPGe. EPA electric range is 380 miles.