[venk25]

Available battery capacity went down to 10.2 kWh after a "cell section" was replaced

2016 Gen 2 Volt with about 19.6K miles

- After the 2nd free oil change & tire rotation, car threw a code when dealer put car on charger (I noticed car wasn't charging but plugged in via my app and asked dealer to check)
- Dealership replaced battery "Cell Section 1" with the "Section 1 Battery Pack. R+R High Voltage battery" that "TAc" sent them.
- My car now only has ~10.1 kWh available to use; it switches to gas generator after that.
- Before battery cell was replaced, car would use 14.2-14.4 kWh before switching to gas generator. I know 2016 has 18.4 kWh total, with ~77% usable = 14.2 kWh.
- Dealership said it takes some time for car to relearn - waited for 1 month and went through few charge cycles - still only 10.1 kWh available for use
- Took it back to dealership; they returned the car saying its within normal limits (dealership said they spoke to GM techs)

Car now charges from empty to full in just over 3 hours. Earlier, it used to take just over 4 hours.

Battery range is reduced relatively ~42-44 miles (same driving pattern) from consistent 55-60 miles. EV Range meter (Guess-o-meter) also reports lower miles than what it typically does. I noticed both this right after battery cell replacement.

Basically, I lost 30% battery capacity.

Its like I have a 2011-12 Gen 1 Volt now. I guess car doesn't recognize the the replaced "cell section" and thinks its gone.

Prev thread on SOC: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?292297-Volt-Traction-Battery-Reserve-vs.-Range

I called GM Customer Service and opened a case.

Anything else you can suggest/recommend?

 

[venk25]

From service record on what the dealership did when they replaced battery cell section:

18580 Verified Concern. Found HISTORY DTC Hybrid/EV Powertrain Control Module 2 Requested MIL Illumination and DTC P1E7C 00 Hybrid/EV Battery 81 Circuit. Performed diag and found all battery cells at 3.73 volts (Good) Cleared DTC and Charged High Voltage Battery. Code Returned after attempting to charge. Contacted TAC. Case Number xxxxxxxxxxxxx. Sent session data to engineering for review. TAC sent Section 1 Battery pack. R+R High Voltage battery. Replaced Cell Section 1. Performed Battery balancing procedure. Warranty Claim: xxxxxx. Performed Battery smoke test. Reinstalled battery and bleed battery pack cooling system. Cleared DTC and performed Battery Learn procedure.

 

[JoeReal]

Clearly this isn't battery degradation. Battery degradation of up to 40% is covered in the 100,000 mile warranty, at least for the Chevy Bolt. Haven't checked the Volt yet. The dealer or GM is trying to pull a battery degradation coverage when in fact they haven't solved the problem of losing a cell section. They may have replaced it, but then during the repair, they may have just wired it wrongly to bypass the installed cell section replacement. An arbitration complaint might be resorted to and mention that there are tens of thousands of Chevy Volt with still 14.1 kWH capacity after charging and they're a lot older than your car. The recharging data can be pulled from OnStar.

 

[telveer]

Looks like they screwed up something. Escalate to GM, and if you have access to a different (and hopefully more competent) dealer, try them. Getting 10.1 kWh on a Gen 2 Volt is clearly not within "normal" limits.

 

[VoltenRock]

This reaction from the dealer is absurd. Did they specify to GM that it was a Gen 2 Volt? Maybe not -- don't underestimate incompetence.

I had a battery section replaced in my Gen 1 and actually got a mild bump in EV range. And EV miles + kWh used never went LOWER, only higher--and eventually settled to a reasonable range.

There is a specific tool--can't remember the name of it--that will do a full capacity check of your battery. It's "special order" (actually more "special loan") as most dealerships don't have it. I had mine borrow it and they showed me the results. Of course, they also were great to deal with and weren't pulling any of this insanity.

Agree with getting it to another dealer ASAP. Keep us posted.

 

[Cord]

how much power goes into the battery on a FULL charge
Kill-a-watt meter and the 120 Volt charger cord

Other Gen 2 people will know the % charging loss.

 

[fotomoto1]

Often an analogy helps explain things so maybe try stating the issue in terms everybody knows: gasoline. You brought the car in because there was an issue with your 14 gallon gas tank but you picked up a "repaired" car with a now ten gallon tank. Is that a proper fix?

 

[VoltenRock]

Often an analogy helps explain things so maybe try stating the issue in terms everybody knows: gasoline. You brought the car in because there was an issue with your 14 gallon gas tank but you picked up a "repaired" car with a now ten gallon tank. Is that a proper fix?

Great analogy!

 

[venk25]

Thanks for the replies.

I got an update from Chevy Customer Assistance on the case I opened. Basically, crap.

---
Range is within normal limits for season. (approx 45 miles on this
charge) and suspect battery pack section fault caused incorrect data
for kwh calculations. With new battery pack installed, calculations are
now correct. No DTC's bulletins or PI's for concern. The vehicle is displaying normal calculations within expectations.
---

 

[venk25]

I will try Kill-a-watt meter on the 120 Volt charger cord and report back.

The Gas Tank analogy - perfect. Like minds think alike? ;-) I did bring it up with the dealer. And, also with the Chevy Customer Assistance on the case. Its like it fell on deaf ears in both cases :-(.

I also insisted to both the dealer service advisor (and also to a tech; advisor had me talk to the tech) and the Customer Assistance person that this is a Gen 2 Volt. Again, they both came back and said "range" is within normal limits (as you can see from the response above).

 

[Arcanox]

Keep persisting, this isn't right. Mine went back up to the 14.5 kWh range within a couple full charges of getting my third section replaced. If you keep getting up their ass about it, they have to do something eventually.

 

[roborob]

I have a 2018 volt 19000 kilometers Engine light came on dealer found 2 cells in the rear section battery. The change was done and the battery only charged 10.9 kilo watt hours Previous depleted to full was 15. 9 KW. was told it needs to learn so gave it some time but did not increase back. Dealer then set the car to fast learn. Had 3 full charges and a couple partial charges still no improvement. I am not happy with the results so far. The car had a range of 90 kilometers befor the replacement and

 

[roborob]

now only 50 kilometers.

 

[shellEy]

I know this is an older thread, but it seems might be similar to a problem I've been seeing in my 2016 Premier.

I've noticed that if I use the full EV range, the center-console display shows only ~12.2-12.4 kWh used, rather than the 14.4 it should be. I called up the dealer, and they said, "if there's no check-engine light, then there's no problem." They said if I brought it in, they would charge me around an hour of diagnostic time.

Is the dealer full of ****? Should I escalate?

Background: Car is 6.5 years old, I have 95,000 miles on it. If this is covered under warranty, then I don't want to wait until it's out of warranty!