2014 Reverse = Neutral? Need your help please!

Erk... I hope it's a spurious code from the 12v being old, but if it's not, it's definitely time for that flatbed. P0AF8 gets set when there's too much voltage difference between the onboard charger and the battery pack for the charging connection inside the car to be made safely. This is also one of the "latched high-voltage DTCs" that require special steps to turn off, so your local mechanic may not be able to clear it for you, even if it's spurious.

Here's what the code is claiming is going on: When the car needs to connect the battery to the high voltage wiring, it first has to charge up the wiring to the high voltage before it turns on the big switches to connect for full power. (If both sides of the switch are at CLOSE to the same high voltage, you get much smaller sparks when the switch connects. Big sparks are bad because they damage the switch.) If the battery is more than 12v from the charged-up circuit, it'll set that code and won't connect the charging circuit to the battery. If the charger voltage is more than 12v from the charged-up circuit (because the pre-charging failed), it'll set the same code, and won't connect the charger to the charging circuit. Same thing with the propulsion wiring between the battery and the powertrain electronics. If the precharge fails, it won't connect either end. If it's an actual REAL DTC and not some 12v-related junk, an EV-certified technician will have to check the wiring, and determine if it's the wiring, the battery, the drivetrain power module or the charger module that's a problem and replace the bad part. That's .... potentially expensive.

I'm sorry for your loss, DogMom, but we'll try to be here for your support.

Food for thought: we both have nine-year-old cars. We know that the Gen1 was a well-designed and well-built car. We also know that the chances are that things will begin to fail as our cars continue to age. The gamble is in forecasting when one will outpace the other. What is your tolerance for aggravation and expense?

As I see things, Chevy dealers may not be interested in selling servicing on an older car whose build line was terminated nearly four years ago. Parts are becoming harder to acquire which means having a mechanic work on cars that then will sit on the lot and having customers disgruntled over not getting their cars back. Worse, the mechanic’s time spent will not be quickly covered and a profit made. Quoting high prices can make customers think about a new car. New cars have parts readily available and can quickly be repaired and out the door, freeing up a mechanic to make more of a profit for the Service Department. And the Sales Department has many new cars to chose from. They even have an electric Bolt!

With almost 174,000 miles on the odometer, I’ve been thinking for a year now of a new car before my Volt has an expensive failure and becomes almost worthless. If it weren’t for the fact that I make yearly multi-day, thousands-of-miles long road trips, I would seriously consider a Bolt as a replacement for my aging Volt. The prices are extremely reasonable for an electric car, and it qualifies for the maximum $7,500 tax credit (your state may offer additional monetary considerations). It is small, but I am single and need nothing larger. However, it is not a road car and so it is off my list of potential, new electric cars.

Consider the cost of the 12 V battery as being an insurance premium. ~$250 is not too high an outlay to find out what to do with your Volt and the time you have in which to make a decision.