[Sheldon]

The bolt connecting the power to my 12v battery was loose, and the 12v battery died. We managed to "jump-start" the car with the help of my wife's AAA call by using the 12v connections under the hood, and then we could unlock the hatch, and do a jump to the battery so the car would start. I probably need a new 12v battery, since at some point, it was down to 5 volts or so. There was a battery service engine check light. The local Chevy dealer was too busy to look at it today. I hope it is safe to drive for a day and a half until I can get it into service.
- Sheldon

 

[Sheldon]

The bolt connecting the power to my 12v battery was loose, and the 12v battery died. We managed to "jump-start" the car with the help of my wife's AAA call by using the 12v connections under the hood, and then we could unlock the hatch, and do a jump to the battery so the car would start. I probably need a new 12v battery, since at some point, it was down to 5 volts or so. There was a battery service engine check light. The local Chevy dealer was too busy to look at it today. I hope it is safe to drive for a day and a half until I can get it into service.
- Sheldon

I would like to know how to find out what error codes the car sent Onstar...

 

[Jim Fallston Md.]

It may have only been due to the battery draining down from the loose connection. I would tighten it myself and drive it for an hour or so to see if it charges back up and holds unless you have a large battery charger that tells you the amps and volt levels.

 

[emartin00]

It should be safe to drive, but the battery may not work for much longer.
You can pickup a replacement battery from a parts store, and if you have a couple of wrenches, it's pretty straight forward to swap in a new one. Some stores will even do it for you.

 

[AZ EV Driver]

Don't discard the 12v. I had a dead 12v in our 2011 Volt at 18 months (Oct 2012) - cause unknown, but something ran it down to dead. Vehicle was unresponsive, so I put a good quality charger on it to bring it back, it took roughly 6 hours to complete the charge. It has been running without issue ever since (6.5 years total).

Just tighten the loose connection, put a good external AGM capable charger on it and you should be fine.

VIN # B0985

 

[Upper5Percent]

https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/support/charging/resuscitate-deeply-discharged-battery

 

[Sheldon]

Should I buy a battery at batteries plus? Or is this something that GM would cover under warranty? Batteries aren't very expensive ....
- Sheldon

 

[edk-austin]

This is a 2017? Dealer will fix the loose clamp, test the battery, and send you on your way (assuming it tests ok). Shouldn't be any cost to you.

 

[2VoltFamily]

Should be covered under bumper to bumper since it is a 2017.

 

[Steverino]

Agreed. Do NOT buy a battery. This is a warranty issue.