[cmlawrence]

Hello - I've had the dreaded BECM failure on my 2017 Volt. 48,000 miles - started getting warnings about propulsion - battery range showing zero miles, despite also showing full - eventually died completely. Unable to drive even just on IC. Towed to dealer, took a week to diagnose as failed BECM. Will be covered under warranty (I assume either the 5yr/50,000mi power train, or 8yr/100,000mi battery warranty).

Part is on indefinite back-order, with no ETA. No loaner from the dealer available. No help on rental reimbursement.

Dealer gave me the part # (24296900), which appears to be available for immediate shipment on several GM parts sites, ex: 2016-2019 Chevrolet Volt Control Module 24296900 | GMPartsDirect.com

I've seen a few other posts referring to this exact same issue. My dealer is not particularly helpful. Few questions:

• anyone else currently dealing with this that has actually gotten an estimate of when the parts will be available?
• anyone successfully ordered this part online and gotten a dealer to install it under warranty?

Thanks!!

 

[Danno]

My 2017 with 42,000 miles is sitting in my garage with a failed BECM. It's currently drivable on the ICE but I'm not driving it because I don't want to get stranded and because the a/c doesn't work and the a/c is used to cool the battery in hot weather. The dealer said the part would take 3 weeks to get in but that may have just been a guess.

 

[bluehenvolt]

Same problem here except diagnosis was done on July 2 - 10 weeks and counting. Dealer says part is back ordered with no ETA available from GM. Anybody tried buying the part online and bringing it to the dealer?

 

[cmlawrence]

I suggested that to my dealer, who told me they wouldn't be able to install a part I purchased under a warranty repair. There are apparently at least 4 Volts at my dealership waiting for the exact same part.

 

[bluehenvolt]

I suggested that to my dealer, who told me they wouldn't be able to install a part I purchased under a warranty repair. There are apparently at least 4 Volts at my dealership waiting for the exact same part.

Thanks for the reply! Yes, 3 Volts at my dealership awaiting repair, the oldest since March of this year, according to the Service person that I talked to on Friday. They told me that I can still drive it, which I am doing, and just putting up with the various issues - sometimes a charging error, sometimes not; sometimes "Propulsion power reduced", mostly not. So far it hasn't left me totally stranded, but a few times it has taken several attempts to coax it into "booting up".

 

[13hockey]

my 2017 volt is in the dealer awaiting battery and module, with no delivery date available. I am in Canada, maybe i will get a new battery in January.

 

[Danno]

Thanks for the reply! Yes, 3 Volts at my dealership awaiting repair, the oldest since March of this year, according to the Service person that I talked to on Friday. They told me that I can still drive it, which I am doing, and just putting up with the various issues - sometimes a charging error, sometimes not; sometimes "Propulsion power reduced", mostly not. So far it hasn't left me totally stranded, but a few times it has taken several attempts to coax it into "booting up".

I was told that I could drive my Volt while waiting for the BECM to arrive but I didn't because my air conditioning didn't work when the BECM failed. Because the Volt sometimes uses the air conditioning system to cool the battery, I didn't want to drive it in warm temperatures. You may want to check if you a/c works before driving your Volt.

 

[FI Spyder]

my 2017 volt is in the dealer awaiting battery and module, with no delivery date available. I am in Canada, maybe i will get a new battery in January.

I don't know if this is a yearly holiday thing but two years ago before Xmas I needed a battery (read 11.9V, no problems other than a lost compass a few months before), Canadian Tire had their AGM battery on sale for $199 plus $50 gift certificate if your total bill was over $200 before taxes. I bought some rubber boots that I needed anyway so I got the battery in effect for $150 Cdn. which at the time was $112.50 USD. The case was exactly the same as the original battery, probably made for them by same people. Be on the lookout.

 

[EddieD]

I don't know if this is a yearly holiday thing but two years ago before Xmas I needed a battery (read 11.9V, no problems other than a lost compass a few months before), Canadian Tire had their AGM battery on sale for $199 plus $50 gift certificate if your total bill was over $200 before taxes. I bought some rubber boots that I needed anyway so I got the battery in effect for $150 Cdn. which at the time was $112.50 USD. The case was exactly the same as the original battery, probably made for them by same people. Be on the lookout.

 

[EddieD]

I was just informed that my 2017 Volt BECM Control Module P/N: 24296900 has failed, no spares are available, and the time to procure a spare is TBD. Was wondering how long others who have had this failure have had to wait for a replacement unit. I was told that if this hadn’t been covered under warranty that it would cost 2500.00 (not sure if that includes labor). Beginning to wonder about the long term viability of my Volt if/when GM stops making parts for it. The car only has 33k miles on it.

 

[obermd]

Recommendation to those waiting for a BECM, open a case with the NHTSA or Transport Canada. The NHTSA/Transport Canada folks can put a lot more pressure on GM to get this part prioritized for replacement.

 

[phattyduck]

Beginning to wonder about the long term viability of my Volt if/when GM stops making parts for it.

They are legally required to make replacement parts for at least 10 years, if that makes you feel any better...

-Charlie

 

[hellsop]

They are legally required to make replacement parts for at least 10 years, if that makes you feel any better...

I regret to inform you that you have a misapprehension.

Ask a Hemmings Editor: How long do carmakers have to provide...

Perhaps you've heard it from a parts counter guy. Or from your local mechanic. Or maybe from your neighbor, drinking a cold one in his driveway while you're sweating and busting your knuckles...

www.hemmings.com

 

[obermd]

They are legally required to make replacement parts for at least 10 years, if that makes you feel any better...

-Charlie

The requirement is that they can support a recall for 10 years.

 

[Steverino]

They are legally required to make replacement parts for at least 10 years, if that makes you feel any better...

-Charlie

Old wives tale and not true. They must honor warranties.There are no requirements to make or stock parts.

 

[Off Oil]

I regret to inform you that you have a misapprehension.

Ask a Hemmings Editor: How long do carmakers have to provide...

Perhaps you've heard it from a parts counter guy. Or from your local mechanic. Or maybe from your neighbor, drinking a cold one in his driveway while you're sweating and busting your knuckles...

www.hemmings.com

Yes. If one wants to ensure a parts supply and service availability over the long haul, the best way is to buy a vehicle that is popular & in high volume.

 

[Steverino]

Yes. If one wants to ensure a parts supply and service availability over the long haul, the best way is to buy a vehicle that is popular & in high volume.

Buy a Silverado or Ford F150 and you need not worry about parts if that's the main concern. Or sell the car before the warranty is up.

 

[EddieD]

Recommendation to those waiting for a BECM, open a case with the NHTSA or Transport Canada. The NHTSA/Transport Canada folks can put a lot more pressure on GM to get this part prioritized for replacement.

obermd - Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll look into this. Have you done this before, and if so do you have any tips on opening a case?

 

[phattyduck]

I regret to inform you that you have a misapprehension.

Ask a Hemmings Editor: How long do carmakers have to provide...

Perhaps you've heard it from a parts counter guy. Or from your local mechanic. Or maybe from your neighbor, drinking a cold one in his driveway while you're sweating and busting your knuckles...

www.hemmings.com

I got to learn TWO new things today.

-Charlie

 

[EddieD]

Three weeks now and still no word from the GM dealer on when the BECM replacement will be available. My service rep is not very useful but basically they have to wait on GM to send the part. I took obermd’s recommendation and filed a complaint today with the NHTSA. The form said they would forward my complaint to GM with my info so maybe that will help. I searched online and there is a lot of chatter on Reddit about this issue, apparently hundreds of failures. I searched to see if there was a class action lawsuit on it but couldn’t find anything.