[Entry45]

i have a MY2016 Volt Premier

on Monday while driving towards the freeway the DIC and MyLink displays flickered between bright and dark then the DIC blanked out and when it returned it showed the background GFX (Classic Enhanced) but none of the info parts were updating(speed, Electric Charge, Fuel) and the Power Loss/Gain on the right side froze and gave at least 10 different "Service..." messages

tried restarting the car once at a light and it wouldn't do so but since everything else worked fine i decided to drive it to the Dealer and have them look at it

when i got out at the dealer it wouldn't turn off completely and the headlights stayed on

when the scheduler went out to look at it it had finally turned off and now wouldn't turn on

later that day after getting a loaner and going to work the informed me the had needed to reprogram the HVAC and that fixed it

on Tuesday all was fine
on Tuesday night we got almost a foot of snow(rare for us Portlanders to get any snow) and on Wednesday morning it wouldn't start again with almost the same symptoms

i cannot get it to start by using the start button
i have to use the Remote Start sequence on the fob
this time there is a little icon of a wrench(Service Electric Parking Brake Light) that cycles with what looks like a headlight and an arrow that points left and right

due to all the snow tow trucks are hard to find and im trying to see if there is some way i can get this at least temporarily fixed so i might drive it to the dealer myself

 

[Qinsp]

Trying jump starting the 12v battery.

If the 12v battery is having issues, all kinds of strange behavior happens.

 

[DonC]

Sorry to hear about this. Yeah, looking at the 12v would be a good idea. You can get all kinds of odd behaviors when the 12v goes south. Might also explain the fix -- warm environment when getting serviced allows the 12v to function but when it gets cold it fails. Also might be a loose connection or something similar as well.

 

[ClarksonCote]

Sorry to hear about this. Yeah, looking at the 12v would be a good idea. You can get all kinds of odd behaviors when the 12v goes south. Might also explain the fix -- warm environment when getting serviced allows the 12v to function but when it gets cold it fails. Also might be a loose connection or something similar as well.

This. Lots of messages about errors is usually 12V battery related.

 

[Steverino]

Yup, wacky display behavior etc. often accompanies 12V battery issues (bad battery, loose connections, etc.). A bad battery seems unusual on a new car, so my inclination would be loose or poor connections.

 

[Entry45]

here is an update for you guys

when i got home after work yesterday i noticed the charging light was on(it hadn't before i left in the morning) so i tried to start it up
lo and behold it worked fine(Initializing gfx might have been 1-2 seconds longer than normal) so i took it to the chevy dealership to have them look at it
since it seems Cold related i had them leave it outside overnight to see if the error occurred

i havent talked to them they but i am able to get a read from the Onstar app and got the sms stating it was done charging

if the 12v battery was bad would the above happen?

Also, at home i use the portable EVSE that came with it(120v) using a 50ft 12ga extension cable to a rubbermaid container modified to be weathertight

at the dealership they use a 240v

might the charger be the issue?

 

[Henry_FL]

The fact that it was charging "when you got home", which also charges the 12V seem to confirm you have an issue with the 12V battery.

If you leave the car outside not on the charger in the cold, that could push a marginal 12V battery to fail.

If it was my car, I would ask to have the 12V battery replaced

 

[Entry45]

i have had it on the charger since Tuesday night, does that make a difference?

 

[Qinsp]

We always leave our G2 cars plugged in when parked. It is suggested since it allows battery conditioning. If the GFI tripped though, it's not charging.

The G1 is parked at a dorm, so it doesn't get plugged in. No problems yet, but I should replace the battery next time she's home.

 

[Entry45]

another update

the dealer left it outside and was able to find "an issue" but they wouldn't be able to fix it that day and since their service department is not open on weekends they couldn't work on it till yesterday(Monday)
At 4pm Monday the informed me that the tech, working with GM, was able to reproduce the issue and they are working on it
Today he called me and informed me that they "aren't sure how they will proceed with the repairs with my volt yet; we haven't heard back from GM and they haven't decided what they want to do for the repairs"

i have to say, that the lack of info has me a bit Concerned

Update: just talked to the dealer again and he said it is looking like the Body Control Module or a related part that needs to be replaced

 

[Steverino]

i have to say, that the lack of info has me a bit Concerned

Whatever it is (did they give you error codes, details?) sounds like it's not a "normal" issue, but something rare. I'd prefer they think it through than just rush into something half cocked. That they have GM involved seems like a good thing, versus being a cowboy.

 

[Entry45]

no details or error codes were mentioned and i do agree, having GM involved could be a good thing

i am a bit annoyed though since i will probably have to stay in the loaner for the rest of this week (base model '16 Cruze) and is going to cost me money since i will now have to get gas for it

great time to have the worst snow/ice storm Portland has seen since '08

 

[Entry45]

Update:

the dealer called me to day to tell me that GM has them looking for some sort of loose connector

 

[quirkySquirt]

Heh, you might want to search for the threads for loose battery connector. I recall reading quite a few people having an issue with a terminal block involving the 12V battery. I forget if it's located in the engine compartment or near the 12V battery itself in the rear of the Volt. This connector being loose led to many weird issues. Amusing that GM is suggesting looking for it. Maybe they should issue an advisory or something to check for this first when strange symptoms arise.

 

[acarney]

no details or error codes were mentioned and i do agree, having GM involved could be a good thing

i am a bit annoyed though since i will probably have to stay in the loaner for the rest of this week (base model '16 Cruze) and is going to cost me money since i will now have to get gas for it

great time to have the worst snow/ice storm Portland has seen since '08

Chevy and their damn Cruze loaners! When I got my recall update applied either they did something wrong, or randomly a 15A fuse for the 12v charging system blew and it was RIGHT before we up here in Eastern WA were going to get hit with like 6 or 7 inches of snow and ice. I flat out refused the Cruze but the service department would have none of it. Thankfully I know one of the sales guys and he was able to speak to a manager and get me into a Colorado as a loaner... the Cruze without winter tires (all seasons wouldn't cut it) would NOT have made it through the snow my street had on it. My Volt with dedicated winter tires would have had a tough time but I think it would have made it. In winter they really should put the loaners onto snow/winter tires or make their loaners AWD small SUVs or something. Less chance a customer gets involved in an accident because of poor tires for snow/ice, and ANYONE that has a truck or SUV and gets pushed into a small FWD loaner must go ballistic, especially if they do get stuck somewhere!

I had to pay for the gas too, about $34 worth... more then I've spent on my Volt since I got it in August. I just returned it full and am writing a letter to GM asking for a refund for all or at least the difference between the Volt's cost and the Colorado. I don't mind paying for what I would have used, as the dealership so directly put it, but I had to remind them with electricity at $0.0644/kW up here, I would have used like $3.75 total that week, not $34.

If Chevy actually plans to sell a lot of these Volts and Bolts they need to adjust their loaner agreements. We're paying a large amount for these cars (compared to a Cruze buyer) and are doing it to save on gas and the environment. It's bad enough we have to get "dirty" with a pure combustion engine powered car let alone have to pay gas for it. Maybe when it's a scheduled visit or something, but any recalls, warranty repairs, or "mistakes" that result in keeping the car overnight should result in them going out of their way, not us having too...

 

[ChiVolt]

Heh, you might want to search for the threads for loose battery connector. I recall reading quite a few people having an issue with a terminal block involving the 12V battery. I forget if it's located in the engine compartment or near the 12V battery itself in the rear of the Volt. This connector being loose led to many weird issues. Amusing that GM is suggesting looking for it. Maybe they should issue an advisory or something to check for this first when strange symptoms arise.

Good point:
http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread...-16017-Cable-misaligned&p=3625409#post3625409

 

[Entry45]

i remember seeing that thread and thought of saying something to them but i don't want to step on their toes
plus i'm hoping that would be the first place checked

biggest issue with the Cruze atm is there is a semi sticky film on all the windows that causes water(Rain) to stay and spread instead of beading up
sometimes its so clear its better to not use wipers at all

 

[quirkySquirt]

Chivolt, thank you for the solid link. I'm too lazy at times.

Entry45, it's judgement call. I too hate it when a customer chimes in with suggestions. I then counter with a series of more in-depth questions for troubleshooting. If they proceed to answer honestly (including "I don't know", nothing wrong with that, it switches me to a different lines of questioning) and concisely, I find that input to be valuable in root-causing an issue. Everyone wins since you get your car back sooner and it's record turnaround time for the tech.

Since they mentioned that GM instructed to look for a loose connector, it's perfectly reasonable as a consumer to research "chevy volt loose connectors" and find links mentioning the underhood terminal block. You were just doing your due diligence. Sure beats the customer that complains, "it drives funny" when they left the parking brake on.

 

[Entry45]

on Friday i went back to the dealer to talk in person and possibly check that connector
When i got there they informed me that it would be at least another week

I talked to the Service Manager
Seems that GM engineering still hadn't gotten back to them so they ordered the 2 parts they think are needed, however, not only would the parts take 3-4 days to arrive but also their "Volt guy" will be in California this week for some more Volt Training so...


Edit: forgot to mention, asked about that connector and they had checked it

 

[quirkySquirt]

Dang it. Sucks to be the guinea pig we learn from for new bugs. Hopefully, it's actually not a new bug and just another old one with different symptoms. Scary that your Volt person has to go into training. Maybe he/she will make some new connections to reach out to after returning from training.