[rcuz]

My check engine light came on in normal mild weather, no severe ice or snow conditions here in Silicon Valley. Took the car in to my dealer. Turned out to be P059F-00 Active Grille Shutter performance. They also checked the AGS wire harness as per Bulletin 16-NA-203 but that turned out to be okay. I got my car back after a week and a half, they determined that the AGS needed to be replaced. They said it would not close 100%. I never had any issues with the car except a few times last year intermittently it refused to switch to Electric mode from Hold. Dealer said that problem may have been related. But I never got any codes or lights from that issue. Any ways I'm just glad to have my Volt back again!

They held your car in the shop for a week and a half to diagnose and replace the active grill shutter? For me they cleared the code, ordered the part, called me when it came in and I was in and out in about 2 hours or so.

Best,
Rick

 

[Bill Step]

how long is the warranty for this shutter,is it tied to the volt drive train?
makes me appreciate the gen1 that much more.

 

[TSquare]

I got my car back after a week and a half, they determined that the AGS needed to be replaced. They said it would not close 100%.

Could be another reason to get a VoltScreen. Maybe a small rock got wedged under the shutter and kept them from closing. I recently examined my VoltScreen, it has been installed sense birth, and found a couple of knicks (small rock hits) in the screen, but the radiators are still in pristine condition, not a single bent fin in over a year on the road.

 

[dgchaps]

Check Engine: P059F (Active Grill Shutter).

Got my Bluetooth ODB2 adapter and checked with Torque Pro, got the same code, saved the code and cleared it myself.

What adapter did you get ? I'm looking at the Scantool LX or MX. One review says the more expensive MX is required for modern GM, another says neither works with the Volt. Thanks.

 

[EVscout]

They held your car in the shop for a week and a half to diagnose and replace the active grill shutter? For me they cleared the code, ordered the part, called me when it came in and I was in and out in about 2 hours or so.

Best,
Rick

Yes, a week and a half. Apparently they were not familiar with this problem. Sounds like your dealer had their act together a lot better than mine. Besides being slammed with appointments, my service writer said they had to consult GM. He also said I was the first one they've seen having this problem. They found the fault as they were testing the Active Grille Shutters so I'm pretty sure there was no rock stuck in it or they could have simply removed it or at least noted the cause. Of course they paid for my Malibu rental (non-hybrid) the whole time. I am just glad to have my car back and back to the quiet power and smoothness!

 

[Victis]

Add one more to this club. Just had the CEL last week, it didn't clear itself in a few days so I cleared it with torque pro. Came back the next day.

This is certainly odd as we had two months of crazy snow and cold weather here and I had no issues, now that it's above freezing and all the snow is gone it's triggered a CEL.

Have a dealer appointment on Friday so will see what they say.

 

[Victis]

Update, they had the car in last Friday and said they took the bumper off to check the wiring harness as per the posted bulletin and found nothing wrong.

They said they took it for a long drive and monitored the shutters on the scan tool and they were functioning properly and would respond to commands to open or close. They ended up clearing the CEL and basically said they couldn't find anything wrong. Also did a few unrelated outstanding software uodates while it was in.

Fast forward to the next day and after about a 10 minute drive the CEL triggered again. But went away 2 days later during a drive to work. Dealer said they are going to replace the shutters anyway and are ordering parts.

The only reason I am somewhat concerned is that WOT explained anytime a CEl triggers they are supposed to default to open, however mine were always closed when the CEL was lit.

Should have the work done next week but no new CEL trigger in the meantime so far.

 

[firehawk618]

Add me to the list. Car's got just over 300 miles and it's 45 degrees here with no freezing in weeks.

I'm going to inspect the harness myself and try to avoid going to the Stealer.

I cringe at the thought of them removing the bumper.........

Here's the tsb if anyone's interested.

 

[SparkyII]

Hello folks,

Another cold Gen-II Volt is having the same issue. Just wanted to add my name/situation to this growing list.
This is now the FIFTH time that my Gen-II Volt has been in the shop, for this reason: "The DTC P059F will be set during a key cycle when the commanded louver position cannot be achieved after 5 attempts are made to move the louver. The DTC will be stored as current for this key cycle but the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) will not be illuminated. The malfunction indicator lamp will illuminate in the second key cycle after a failed movement attempt is made in each of two back to back key cycles."

First Time: Called OnStar, booked an appointment at the dealership, dropped the car off, shuttled to work, picked up the car with the result: "Could not duplicate" error code went away (or they reset it).
Second Time: Called OnStar, confirmed same problem, took back to dealership, result: "We just let it thaw out in the shop, you're fine now"
Third Time: Called OnStar, tagged in my Volt Advisor, took car to shop and they thawed it out and said they would need to order an entire replacement grill assembly and wiring harness".
Fourth Time: Take car back to the shop, they replaced everything, took most of the day, thought that I was permanently fixed. (That was last spring)
Fifth Time: (last Saturday) Check engine light came on again, called OnStar, same problem--reached out to Volt Advisor, asking for a more permanent solution.

In March, the car will be two years old. When the check engine light is on, the car will not remote start. The car parks in an unheated garage overnight. Anyone heard of a new design for this part? One that is more suited to life in Canada? (or the northern US)? Extremely frustrating to say the least--Kudos to my Volt Advisor for keeping my sanity in check.

 

[kevinbmcnamara]

Well you can add me to the CEL club OnStar-diagnosed P059F code recipient list as of this evening. I will wait a few days before I contact the local Chevrolet dealership, as there is a warmer weather forecast for the next few days, and similar reports from so many of you on this Forum lead me to believe that the issue may resolve itself in the next few days.

Once again, I must state how much I enjoy my Volt and I cannot imagine ever being satisfied by a solely ICE propelled vehicle in my future.

I'll keep you posted on my experience.

Blue Skies

Kmac

 

[DarrenHD]

Add me to the list. 2018 LT, 5300 km, 4 months old. It's been a brutal winter, but we had a warm up just overnight and it went from near freezing to 15C today. So no snow or ice on the car. It's parked always overnight in my garage which, last night, was 9C. Today tempurature rose to 15C. Very wet and lots of rain, but no snow or ice.

I was driving home from the grocery store after work, about 40km per hour, lots of EV range left, obviously no ERDTT, so full electric mode. Check engine light came on. I didn't notice any change in how the car drove. Just the check engine light came on, no other message.

Got home, called OnStar. They said this:
---------------
Through your recent On-Demand Diagnostic, OnStar detected an issue with your 2018 Chevrolet Volt.


The code(s) and explanation(s) associated with this issue is/are:

P059F The Engine and Transmission System is not performing as expected. An issue has been detected in the Engine Cooling System which monitors and controls engine temperature to maintain optimal operating temperatures and avoid overheating conditions. If you are driving under normal operating conditions, please check the temperature gauge on the instrument panel. If the needle is in the red warning area, the engine is too hot. Pull off the road, stop the vehicle, and turn off the engine as soon as possible.

Based on the results, you should service your Chevrolet at your convenience.
-------------------

Engine coolant temp was 21C. So not terribly warm or cold. Active shutters are partially open - I can see the RAD fins behind them.

Question: I DO have a Voltscreen on the front of the car - it's about 2-3 inches in front of the actual shutters and should not interfere with operation. OnStar did ask if I had any 3rd party accessories or modifications....but is the dealer going to freak out if I have the Voltscreen on there? Perhaps I should just remove it before taking the car in for service?

PS - also disappointed this happened as I've had no other issues with the vehicle. Seems GM hasn't fixed the problem all the way back to 2016 models....my car was manufactured in September 2017!

Sorry for the rotated photos, they are not rotated on my computer - this website for some reason is doing it!

 

[rcuz]

Question: I DO have a Voltscreen on the front of the car - it's about 2-3 inches in front of the actual shutters and should not interfere with operation. OnStar did ask if I had any 3rd party accessories or modifications....but is the dealer going to freak out if I have the Voltscreen on there? Perhaps I should just remove it before taking the car in for service?

PS - also disappointed this happened as I've had no other issues with the vehicle. Seems GM hasn't fixed the problem all the way back to 2016 models....my car was manufactured in September 2017!!

I have a Voltscreen as well and had the same issue twice. The second time they replaced the mechanism. They didn't bring up my Voltscreen. There is a TSB on this issue. Be insistent.

"

 

[DarrenHD]

I have a Voltscreen as well and had the same issue twice. The second time they replaced the mechanism. They didn't bring up my Voltscreen. There is a TSB on this issue. Be insistent.

"

I took it off anyway as a precaution. It is easy to put back on. My car is at the dealership now - check engine light was still on. So we will see what happens...they haven't called me yet.

 

[DarrenHD]

I took it off anyway as a precaution. It is easy to put back on. My car is at the dealership now - check engine light was still on. So we will see what happens...they haven't called me yet.

Dealership called back. They will replace the active shuttle grill. Have to order the part, but they said the car is safe to drive. It's stuck half way open. Not sure how long it will take to get the parts...but at least I will have my car in the meantime.

 

[Sdeck]

I know, older thread, but here is the home mechanic fix:
Confirm that the wire is chafed or broken at the AGS motor connection. Mine was confirmed at the dealer, who charged me $350 to splice the broken wire because they could not get a new harness. It lasted a couple months. To do this at home, you need to remove the front bumper cover. Not as daunting as it seems, once you find the 2 hidden screws, but there is nothing online for doing this on a Gen2 Volt, so here it is:
1. take out all the screws on top and bottom of cover. Make a note/take pics of which go where. The screws in the bottom of mine were varying lengths soi I just kept them in order of removal.
2. take out 3 screws and 1 push plug from the front of each wheel well.
3. remove the "hidden" screw that connects the top rear corner of each side of the cover to the body panel above it. This is the one everyone misses. It is a 7 mm and not easy to get to with a ratchet. You can access them from the wheel well.
4. pull the cover outward on each side/. I used a large flat blade screw drive inside the driver's side wheel well to help pop the clipped area free. Passenger side pulled right out.
-Be aware there is a large wiring harness connector on the drivers side that needs to be unplugged so don't let the cover just fall.
5. Remove the AGS. You will not see the harness until you remove the 4 screws that hold the AGS in place and remove it. Then it's pretty apparent, but there is not much slack in the wiring so don't let it fall.
5. Install a new Active Grille Shutter Harness. Mine was $43 from (a different) dealer and of course, it was the wrong one. It looks like there are 2 versions of this harness. The ONLY one the dealer says exists is 84433963. This one has 5 wires going to 2 separate connectors (3 to the AGS motor, 2 to something else(?)). Probably a sensor on the Premier version as mine is an LT, even though I gave them the VIN and they confirmed its an LT. The problem is the upstream connector doesn't plug into my car's wiring harness. it only has 3 wires. My OEM AGS harness part# is 047984-002 but the dealer says that is not a GM part#. Whatever. I ended up splicing my old harness upstream connector onto the new harness (in the vertical section of the harness with heat shrink butt end connectors, tubing, and electrical tape), ignoring the extra 2-wire plug (wrapped it up in plastic). I also packed the trouble area where the 3 wires go into the AGS motor plug with marine-grade silicone. Hopefully it will keep the wires from chafing again.

location of "hidden" screw in the upper rear corner. One on each side. access from wheel well.

Bumper cover removed.

Found the problem. The wire splice the dealership did sucked and did not last

"Wrong" part# on invoice. OEM label on original wire harness with an invalid part#

cover removed

Original upstream harness plug

upstream plug on new/wrong harness

my Frankenharness

 

[[email protected]]

I know, older thread, but here is the home mechanic fix:

Hello,
I bought totaled Volt 2G with absent grille shooter harness. I'm trying to restore the harness without finding original parts, because they don't exist
I checked your photos, but was not able to find a correlation between pins and wires. If you can share pins/wires diagram of the harness - that will be great. Thanks in advance!

Update: NWM I found the info.

 

[Sdeck]

I used a multimeter to check continuity from the AGS plug to the upstream end of the wires after cutting the upstream plug off. IIRC, the colors matched. Also, been a few weeks and the CEL has not come back. Car definitely retains heat longer after running engine in the cold.