I've owned my 2015 Volt for a little less than three weeks and have 400 miles on the odometer. I've been reading with interest about other peoples issues with the Propulsion Power Reduced warning, but I'm not sure what I've experienced is the same thing.
During the first few days of owning my Volt, I was driving down a flat road in town doing about 45 mph when the accelerator suddenly didn't respond. The car began to slow down despite me pressing down on the accelerator. There was thankfully a red light a block ahead and I more or less coasted to the light. While stopped, I frantically checked everything, thinking I had accidentally hit a button or switch. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, and I don't remember seeing the Propulsion Power Reduced light at the time. I also don't remember how much range I had left (if any) in electric mode. When the light turned green, I stepped on the gas and the car resumed its normal functionality and was fine. I assumed I had mistakenly pushed something I shouldn't have and quickly forgot the incident.
Several days later, I was driving the car on the freeway. I had about 30 miles of range on the charge and my destination was about 26 miles away, meaning that my return trip would be made mostly using gas. Fine - that is why I purchased this car instead of an all-electric. On my return trip, I made it most of the way home in stop and go traffic when the traffic started to lighten up. I stepped on the accelerator to maintain the speed of traffic and nothing happened. I floored it, and there was little to no response. I was losing speed in the fast lane and there was nothing I could do about it. I looked at the dash and saw a light that stated Propulsion Power Reduced (no kidding - I couldn't drive the car). The car was losing speed and didn't respond to anything my foot was doing on the accelerator pedal. I put the hazard lights on and came to a stop (again - this was in the fast lane of the 405 freeway in Los Angeles). I turned the car off while all around me cars honked and people flipped me off. When I turned the car back on after a moment or two, the warning was gone and the car reacted as it should. I had my wife call the dealership and I immediately drove there.
The service department rep told me that the Propulsion Power Reduced warning can come on when climbing steep hills. I told him that I was on flat roads both times the car failed to accelerate and he seemed surprised by this. It was late on a Thursday, and I was leaving for a week long trip the following evening. The serviceman told me he'd try to get it to me before I left the following day, but was not able to. I didn't hear back until this past Friday (the car had been in the shop just over a week), and the message I got was that there was nothing wrong with my car and to come pick it up. I am now back in town and just got off the phone with the service department. They assured me that while my car twice refused to accelerate on flat roads (one a residential street, one a busy freeway) that nothing was wrong with it. I've only had the car in my possession for eight days (it has been in the shop for longer) and what has happened isn't safe. If I'd had any idea this was a possibility, I never would have purchased this car.
I would be very interested to hear if anyone else has experienced anything like this and if so what the outcome was. I've been told that the car has performed as it should, yet I've never owned a car that didn't go forward when you stepped on the gas. Again, the car is a brand new 2015 Volt with only 400 miles driven in 8 days of being at my house. I'm concerned and want to know if this is a problem specific to only my car, or if this is something that has happened to others, and if so, was there a solution. Thank you in advance for any help or assistance.
Brooks
During the first few days of owning my Volt, I was driving down a flat road in town doing about 45 mph when the accelerator suddenly didn't respond. The car began to slow down despite me pressing down on the accelerator. There was thankfully a red light a block ahead and I more or less coasted to the light. While stopped, I frantically checked everything, thinking I had accidentally hit a button or switch. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, and I don't remember seeing the Propulsion Power Reduced light at the time. I also don't remember how much range I had left (if any) in electric mode. When the light turned green, I stepped on the gas and the car resumed its normal functionality and was fine. I assumed I had mistakenly pushed something I shouldn't have and quickly forgot the incident.
Several days later, I was driving the car on the freeway. I had about 30 miles of range on the charge and my destination was about 26 miles away, meaning that my return trip would be made mostly using gas. Fine - that is why I purchased this car instead of an all-electric. On my return trip, I made it most of the way home in stop and go traffic when the traffic started to lighten up. I stepped on the accelerator to maintain the speed of traffic and nothing happened. I floored it, and there was little to no response. I was losing speed in the fast lane and there was nothing I could do about it. I looked at the dash and saw a light that stated Propulsion Power Reduced (no kidding - I couldn't drive the car). The car was losing speed and didn't respond to anything my foot was doing on the accelerator pedal. I put the hazard lights on and came to a stop (again - this was in the fast lane of the 405 freeway in Los Angeles). I turned the car off while all around me cars honked and people flipped me off. When I turned the car back on after a moment or two, the warning was gone and the car reacted as it should. I had my wife call the dealership and I immediately drove there.
The service department rep told me that the Propulsion Power Reduced warning can come on when climbing steep hills. I told him that I was on flat roads both times the car failed to accelerate and he seemed surprised by this. It was late on a Thursday, and I was leaving for a week long trip the following evening. The serviceman told me he'd try to get it to me before I left the following day, but was not able to. I didn't hear back until this past Friday (the car had been in the shop just over a week), and the message I got was that there was nothing wrong with my car and to come pick it up. I am now back in town and just got off the phone with the service department. They assured me that while my car twice refused to accelerate on flat roads (one a residential street, one a busy freeway) that nothing was wrong with it. I've only had the car in my possession for eight days (it has been in the shop for longer) and what has happened isn't safe. If I'd had any idea this was a possibility, I never would have purchased this car.
I would be very interested to hear if anyone else has experienced anything like this and if so what the outcome was. I've been told that the car has performed as it should, yet I've never owned a car that didn't go forward when you stepped on the gas. Again, the car is a brand new 2015 Volt with only 400 miles driven in 8 days of being at my house. I'm concerned and want to know if this is a problem specific to only my car, or if this is something that has happened to others, and if so, was there a solution. Thank you in advance for any help or assistance.
Brooks
