[wildgoose]

I was browsing through CR's latest auto issue, and noticed they mentioned the gen2's reliability as being worst than the first generation Volt.

Anyone know what are some of the issues gen2 owers had with the Volt?

My 2013 Volt has been very reliable. I would imagine the gen2 to be similar in reliability, but won't be surprised if the gen2 is designed to a particular price print more so than the gen1, and whether that has resulted in any reduction in reliability because cheaper components were used.

 

[Qinsp]

I was browsing through CR's latest auto issue, and noticed they mentioned the gen2's reliability as being worst than the first generation Volt.

Anyone know what are some of the issues gen2 owers had with the Volt?

My 2013 Volt has been very reliable. I would imagine the gen2 to be similar in reliability, but won't be surprised if the gen2 is designed to a particular price print more so than the gen1, and whether that has resulted in any reduction in reliability because cheaper components were used.

If their reliability number include Infotainment issues, most cars that support Carplay and Android Auto are experiencing higher service rates.

If you had a 2016 Volt, you needed to visit the dealer for a free reflash to get upgraded to Android Auto.

 

[wildgoose]

If their reliability number include Infotainment issues, most cars that support Carplay and Android Auto are experiencing higher service rates.

Ok that's not even an issue in my book. I am more worried about traditional hardware auto issues like engine/transmission/suspension/breaks/leaks/etc... Hardware failure related to these software is an issue for me (ie if the volume knob stops working), but in general I am not worried about software updates to fix minor issues.

So does the gen2 have any hardware related issues compare to gen1?

 

[DonC]

I think it was the "chuggle" issue for the first cars.

I think you're right that the first gen is more tank like, though not necessarily more reliable (remember the heating issues after the first year or two). This happens a lot with new products. Without knowing the most likely failure points, the first generation has some belt and suspenders construction. Then the engineers figure they know where they can cut costs. Happens a lot and not just with cars.

 

[srs5694]

The detailed CR reliability data for the 2016 Volt shows the worst problems with:

• Engine Minor
• Body Integrity
• Audio System

Thus, as Qinsp suggests, at least part of it may be the infotainment system. It's unclear from what I see on the CR Web site precisely what types of engine and body integrity issues might exist. There are lesser problems in some other areas, too, such as the fuel and electrical systems, paint, and power equipment. Note that it's hard to spot problems in specific areas in new cars; they're so reliable overall that the number of problems in specific areas is tiny, making that determination harder than spotting issues with models as a whole.

Note also that most cars suffer from reliability problems after a major redesign, and they usually get better with time. We don't yet know how (or even if) the 2017s and later years will fare. With any luck, the 2016 will have simply had more "teething problems" than most newly-redesigned cars.

FWIW, when I fill out my own CR survey for my 2017 Volt, I'll have to give it an infotainment system "ding"; my car arrived with a dead USB port, which took two trips to the dealer to fix. (One for diagnosis; but they lacked a part, so I had to bring it back again a few days later for the actual repair.)

 

[TheBlueFlash]

1 issue with our gen 1 (happened at 40k miles, currently at 47k), driver turn signal burned out. $90 to replace at dealer. Didn't feel comfortable partially removing bumper to get at the turn signal.

0 issues with the gen 2 at 17k miles.

Never been a GM fan, but very surprised and happy with the build quality of both cars.

 

[imanjunk1963]

thats why i waited to buy gen1 as a 2014 which has been a very good year and will not upgrade until 2018.

 

[Steverino]

My 2011 has been essentially problem free and extremely reliable. Out of pocket maintenace has totalled $36. That will go up when I get the battery coolant replaced per maintenance schedule.

 

[paul2pilot]

I have been reading the posts here for about 12 months (since I bought my 2017) and I was disappointed for many months to see so many folks having a litany of issues. These have included the infamous "shift to park" with a dead or near dead car. Some dealers don't know these cars well and it was sad to see many of these cars get checked and sent right back out only to run into the problem again and come back to the dealer. Some cases involved bad fuses, there was an issue where one of the 12 volt battery leads were not attached properly (became a service campaign), thus allowing that battery to die and causing the car to become a giant brick (even though the LiIon battery was fully charged). Generally rare, but enough to cause a hit to confidence.

I can personally report that I have had to take the car in twice for service bulletins (software updates that can strand you if not done), I had a squeaky brake pedal (service campaign to replace the bushing - dealer had no clue, had to look it up myself), leaking oil pan (more common and many may have this issue and not know it) requiring remove/ reseal, and various squeaks and rattles (I gave up on some of those).

Then, I saw Consumer Reports remove their recommended status after all this and I was not surprised at all. You may recall that about a year ago, the Tesla model S was removed from the recommended list too. Now it's back on the list again. I hope GM can get their act together and the Volt can get back on the recommended list. If it never gets back on this list, it's just more of a hit to resale value. I love the little Volt, but GM got it to the goal line and forgot to kick the ball into the net.

 

[Qinsp]

We have 2 Gen2 cars and a Gen1 car. The G1 had the heater issue, and low EV coolant, both painless and under warranty. The 2 G2's have been fine.

As far as know, there has never been a Recall on the G2's. There have been bulletins, but no recalls. Go to https://my.chevrolet.com

 

[paul2pilot]

You are right Qinsp. I should be careful with my terms. I changed "recall" to service bulletin in my original post.
One of those times, the dealer actually called me and said I should come in immediately to take care of the bulletin or I run the risk of being stranded. I think "recall" is used only for obvious wide spread safety concerns. Being stranded is not a safety concern per se, so they can avoid this term fortunately.

My main point is that given all the reading and personal experience, I was not surprised by the Consumer Union deciding not to endorse the g2 Volt with the coveted "recommended" status. I hope the Volt wins back their vote of confidence soon.

 

[Bacardi]

There are over 20 stickies in the problem section...

 

[DonC]

Consumer Reports data on car reliability is demonstrably useless. No idea why anyone bothers with its junk surveys. A few years ago Toyota had serious issues with its cars. So many serious issues that insurance companies were contacting NHTSA and telling it that it needed to investigate. What did CR show? Absolutely nothing. No idea how they collect data or whom they collect it from, but when every insurance company in America sees huge issues and CR sees nothing, you can be confident its surveys aren't measuring anything real.

I greatly prefer TrueDelta. You get the raw numbers and, if you like, you can drill down and find out exactly what was fixed. On TrueDelat the only MY Volt that gets low grades is the 2016 MY, and that is not available to the public because of a small small sample size. Other years are good to great. This includes the 2017 MY, which has a reported 8 problems per 100 vehicles.

I have been reading the posts here for about 12 months (since I bought my 2017) and I was disappointed for many months to see so many folks having a litany of issues.

This is really what happens when you have a biased sample size. As noted above, TureDelta shows the 2017 MY as having 8 problems per 100 vehicles. That is about as good as it gets. (The 1026 MY Corolla has more). However, when you have thousands of members, and members who have problems post about those problems, you end up with "a litany of issues". I don't see any serious systematic issues with the second generation Volt after GM fixed the engine issues and software with the 2016 MY. That's not to say owners won't have serious problems, but I don't think the numbers suggest a major problem.

As an example of how sample bias works, with the first generation there was a problem with a small number of ball cages. The car would sound like a table saw when you hit the brakes. Based on postings, and ignoring background numbers, some forum members were convinced the failure rate was in excess of 10% or 15% (the fact that the repair wasn't always properly done -- necessitating a second repair -- didn't help). Turned out the rate was something .01%.

 

[Toolworker]

The detailed CR reliability data for the 2016 Volt shows the worst problems with:

• Engine Minor
• Body Integrity
• Audio System

Guess they were surveilling me.

• Rough engine in EMM
• Rear hatch closure adjustment
• Infotainment going wacky

All fixed now. If that's the worst that happens, I'm a happy Volt owner.

 

[bjrosen]

The more telling number in their ratings is the Owner Satisfaction, the Volt rate #1 with a 90% of owners saying the would buy it again, the Prius comes in at #2 with 89, the Prius V is at 76% and the Prius C is at 75%.

 

[Marc401]

I love my Gen 2 but it's seeing a lot of shop time. It took 5 appointments to resolve an issue with the parking brake. Today is day 9 in a row for a CEL/Sabilitrak/ABS light combo which appeared out of nowhere while driving down a highway. I'm told it's not a specific to Volt issue but I am wondering why it's taking so long to rectify.