[Quiller]

Recently, my 2014 Volt began making a clicking or knocking noise whenever the wheel is sharply turned to the right, such as when turning into a driveway. A shallow right or normal driving inputs are fine. It's just slow, sharp right turns. The sound appears to be coming from the front suspension or wheel ... from the left front tire, I think.

I thought it might be due to low or leaking power steering fluid, but then I saw the Volt has an all-electronic system. Does anyone happen to know what might be culprit? Would be great to at least have a sense before taking it for service, also in terms of possible cost.

Can't find anything on line, but apologies if this is a common question. Thx.

 

[TSquare]

Maybe a wheel bearing.

 

[Bill Step]

Maybe a wheel bearing.

or a constant velocity joint.

 

[turboguy327]

Not a wheel bearing. Most likely the nut on the axle has come loose as that's a common problem with gen 1s or the axle itself. Either way it should be covered under the power train warranty.

 

[DonC]

It's not common so we're talking guesses. All the suggestions/guesses seem good to me. Based on my experience with the ELR I'd tend to the joint/bearing failure. My ELR had a bad wheel nut and the symptoms were different. It would click when starting and stopping at low speeds. Turning didn't affect it. However, since the front suspension in the ELR is quite different than in the Volt, symptoms with the ELR may not be directly applicable.

The good thing is that if you can reproduce it then your dealer will be able to fix it. Let us know what your dealer says. That will be helpful to some down the road.

 

[Quiller]

Thanks very much for the help. I'll call the dealer this morning with this info in mind. Will let you know.

 

[garyg]

CV joint, especially if under load when turning. Most likely due to exposed joint from an open boot.

 

[Quiller]

Thanks for this. I just looked up a few YT videos where people demonstrate the sound made by a failing CV joint, and the clicking noise is exactly what we hear in our Volt whenever we make a slow or sharp right turn. I also spoke to Chevrolet, and they confirmed CV joints, or any joint/bearing/axle problem, should be covered under the 5 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. Have service appt. on Wed. so will let you know how it goes, just in case anyone has the same problem in the future. Thanks again.

 

[DonC]

Good luck getting this fixed and thanks for posting.

 

[maxRU]

I feel like this is becoming a common issue in our cars. Three threads within couple of weeks of each other, and me specifically having both of them replaced in less than a year (55xxx and 59xxx miles). Wondering what would be causing the failure rate? Sport mode with L? Just weak part in general, or is it a normal wear and tear item?

 

[Quiller]

Hi again. So, we took our Volt to the dealer for service, and they reported the noise in front is being caused by the "shaft", which they will replace under the powertrain warranty. When I asked if they meant "driveshaft" or could be more specific with the part, they repeated it was simply called the "shaft" -- which I eventually chose to stop questioning with them.

They also claim to have detected a noise at the rear which requires the back axle to be replaced -- again, under warranty. We never heard a noise back there, but I guess they did on the road test.

I'm very glad the dealer is honoring the warranty, but find it amazing that two major powertrain parts failed on a Volt with under 45,000 miles on it. The car is used -- we bought it off the dealer lot 14 months ago -- so maybe it was just uncared for by the first owner. But I've driven the hell out of cars and never did this kind of damage. Anyway, I wanted to let everyone know the result, and am seriously wondering if anyone else has run into the same trouble. Thx.

 

[Prohidium]

My guess is that they are replacing the shaft and outer CV joint as an assembly and not just the shaft. Once it is done, be mindful of any steering alignment issues. I would consider a full 4 wheel alignment seeing that both front and rear suspension work is being done. I believe the front suspension has to be taken apart at the bottom to be able to pull the wheel away a bit to drop the shaft.

FYI, there is an outer CV joint and an inner CV joint and usually it is the outer that fails and causes the clicking noise. A CV joint is similar to a U-joint on a traditional rear wheel drive shaft but because it has to move up and down as well as pivot (outer) and move in and out (inner) while spinning, so it is much more sophisticated in design.

They are somewhat a wear and tear item, usually due to a boot failure and lubrication grease being thrown out due to the centrifical forces from rotation.

 

[Quiller]

Thanks very much for the insight. I'll talk to the dealer about ensuring a 4-wheel alignment. Given you informed knowledge, would you say it's unusual for a 2014 car with 45,000 miles to need repairs such as these? I'm just wondering if it's a factory issue vs. random chance, or if the car might have been abused by its first owner. Any advice would be appreciated. Thx.

 

[goaterguy]

This is a fairly common issue, it sounds like a bad CV joint clicking when turning (I have it on my 2014). Based on my research, the problem is usually the axle nut and the repair consist of replacing it with the revised version and a new washer while torquing it properly. The new version is larger and it is torqued at around 180 lbs ft.

See: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread...om-front-on-Accel-or-Decel&highlight=11547142

I took mine to the dealer and all they did was torque the wheel lug nuts to the point they twisted them...

After I return from a business trip, I will contact a Volt Adviser to mediate with the dealer and explain the correct process. I will also mention the creaking rear axle.