[Arcanox]

Okay, so update...

The dealer called back after talking to the GM people. Apparently somehow the transmission and the electric motors are having a problem and causing things to overcharge. They are replacing the whole transmission unit! Not sure if that includes the electric motors too or what as I'm not that familiar with how all the Voltec pieces fit together. They said it was good I didn't keep driving it... kind of sounded like something bad could happen in that condition.

So... brand new car, 2600 miles on odometer. Transmission replacement. Making me rethink my change of heart with domestic cars that brought me over to the Volt in the first place.

Jeez! I wish the dealers would give owners more information on what's wrong with their car. That sounds like a pretty severe issue.

I had to replace Battery Segment 3 on mine at 5k miles...I'm having the same second thoughts as you about buying a domestic car hopefully both our cars are fine from now on!

 

[VoltFish]

Jeez! I wish the dealers would give owners more information on what's wrong with their car. That sounds like a pretty severe issue.

I had to replace Battery Segment 3 on mine at 5k miles...I'm having the same second thoughts as you about buying a domestic car hopefully both our cars are fine from now on!

Right... I'll see if I can find out more information in the next few days. I asked what the replacement entailed but the service advisor said he honestly didn't know much about the Volt and wasn't sure exactly what they would be doing yet.

 

[Arcanox]

Right... I'll see if I can find out more information in the next few days. I asked what the replacement entailed but the service advisor said he honestly didn't know much about the Volt and wasn't sure exactly what they would be doing yet.

I'd be interested to hear the Volt technician explain the issue.

I wish more GM employees knew about the Volt in detail. When I had my HV battery issue, my MIL illuminated and then the car wouldn't restart after that. GM offered to send somebody to jump start the 12V battery. I'm like "no, I guarantee that would be a complete waste of time...I need a tow truck."

 

[Just_Jon]

... I'll actually be looking into a Model3 a year or two after release. ...

So about 2020, if you are lucky.

 

[VoltFish]

I wonder if the Bolt will have issues like this or if it's something that is just inherent with the whole gas/electric setup. If the Bolt was out and available a few months ago I would have gotten it instead as I don't need more than 200 miles of range on any single trip but my last car lease was up so I opted for the Volt instead.

 

[jehrler]

I wonder if the Bolt will have issues like this or if it's something that is just inherent with the whole gas/electric setup. If the Bolt was out and available a few months ago I would have gotten it instead as I don't need more than 200 miles of range on any single trip but my last car lease was up so I opted for the Volt instead.

Most of us have had really good luck with the Volts and sorry you didn't. Just to note, the amount of electrics/computers means that these cars are more like computers than Model Ts...you get failures, if any, early and then you are good to go. I've had apple products fail in the first month, get fixed, and then last 6 years of daily use with no issue (like the computer I'm tying on).

So just because you have a failure early does not necessarily mean there is a systemic issue in engineering or assembly...it can just be an unfortunate case of early electronic failure.

 

[VoltFish]

I hope you are right. I just talked to the dealer again and he went over what they knew. Basically the car said there were codes for both motors and some kind of control module overcharging. They emailed GM and a few hours later the GM engineer replied and said the fix was to replace the transmission. The local dealer doesn't really have any direct experience with the car so it sounds like they are just doing what GM says. They got the transmission overnight which is good. Stay tuned for updates.

 

[rand49er]

... Just to note, the amount of electrics/computers means that these cars are more like computers than Model Ts...you get failures, if any, early and then you are good to go. ...

Last fall, my wife's '12 SRX suddenly wouldn't start, but the windshield wipers were going by themselves along with the turn indicators and the radio. Thought it was possessed. Turns out it was the battery. Tech explained that if the voltage gets below about 10 volts, the computer starts going haywire. Put a new battery in, and all is well again. I'm sure the Volt's electronics/logic can get befuddled under unusual situations, too.

 

[konimail]

I turned the car off and back on several times and this same condition persisted. I called OnStar and they ran diagnostics and said they saw "Problem with electric propulsion system - Service vehicle immediately". OnStar suggested that I turn the car off, get out, and walk a good distance away (taking the key with me) for a few minutes to allow it to reboot. I did this and returned to the car.

HA ... this reminds me the good old :

--------------------------
IF MICROSOFT BUILT CARS…..

Every time they repainted the lines on the road you would have to buy a new car.
Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason, and you would just accept this, restart and drive on.
Occasionally, executing a maneuver would cause your car to stop and fail and you would have to re-install the engine. For some strange reason, you would accept this too.
You could only have one person in the car at a time, unless you bought “Car95” or “CarNT”. But, then you would have to buy more seats.
New seats would force everyone to have the same size butt.
Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast, twice as easy to drive – but would only run on 5 percent of the roads.
The Macintosh car owners would get expensive Microsoft upgrades to their cars, which would make their cars run much slower.
The oil, gas and alternator warning lights would be replaced by a single “general car default” warning light.
The airbag system would say “are you sure?” before going off.
If you were involved in a crash, you would have no idea what happened.
--------------

Sounds awfully like our Volts - doesn't it ?

 

[quirkySquirt]

Well, that is good to know. I've had that happen a few times.

I too couldn't use the OnStar app for FOB or info purposes after 3 days of not starting the Volt. Come first time starting the car, everything worked like a charm from the OnStar app. Next 3-day holiday weekend, I tested for this again and the OnStar app worked just fine after 3 days of no ignition. Ever since then, I've tried as long as 5 days without using my Volt or using the OnStar app (thinking maybe a remote info request would reset the 48-hr sleep timer). Even after 5 days, the OnStar app immediately worked and I got updated vehicle stats (my tires were super low due to cold).

 

[VoltFish]

Just wanted to update everybody. I got the car back today. Dealer had it for six days total (two were over the weekend). Transmission was replaced and they also did the RCDLR replacement TSB while it was there. No long term test results yet but at least it drove home from the dealer without any problems.