[gdog]

My 12 Volt battery keeps dying, making it so I can't start my car. Has happened like 7 times this fall/winter. This always happens at night. I'm in Southern California so it's not like I'm dealing with extreme cold here. Sometimes if I leave it alone for some time, I'd get a lucky start but not always. Even after I charge it all the way, it happened again.

Just a week ago, I took it into my dealer recently for fixing. They determined it was a "loose battery cable circut 40 at x50b aux fuse box underhood" "found bulletin #16-na-193 for intermittent no start and multiple codes. Found circuit 40 battery cable not secure at underhood furse box as stated in bulletin. Secured cable and tested battery with gr8 and passed cleared codes and verified operation"

And tonight, I experienced a dead 12 volt battery again!

Anybody else experiencing a recurring dead 12 volt battery?
http://imgur.com/a/XPvng

 

[Arcanox]

That "Service Charging System" error could be indicative of a problem with the HV-LV charging system which keeps the 12V battery charged. Some Gen 2 Volts were having problems with it. If your dealer can't find a problem with that, it could just be a lemon battery. You should be able to get the 12V replaced under warranty, but if not, they're only about $80-100 for an AGM the size that the Volt uses.

 

[DonC]

Sounds terminally frustrating. It seems so wrong for a battery electric to be stopped by a simple 12v but that's how it works for BEVs. I'm sure there is someone but this is not a recurring issue.

When they replaced the first battery did they test the existing one to see if it was dead? The second? Third? Obviously there is a problem that the dealer will have to sort out.

 

[Raymondjram]

You may have a power leakage from an active 12 VDC circuit or component that drains the battery slowly, even if you power down the Volt at night. If you don't have the knowhow of tracing such "phantom circuits" (which is a normal occurance in ICE vehicles, BTW), take the Volt back to the dealer and let them trace it for you. It will cost you but if it was found and fixed, you will not only save from purchasing more 12 VDC batteries in the future, the dealer will report the discovered problem and fix back to GM headquarters and engineering. GM will later analyze the problem, develop a fix and a procedure, and distribute that to all GM dealers that sell and service the volt.

By now it is obvious that GM must have done that, so maybe your dealer does have the fix for that and apply it to your Volt.

 

[SBoulder]

My 12 Volt battery keeps dying, making it so I can't start my car. Has happened like 7 times this fall/winter. This always happens at night. I'm in Southern California so it's not like I'm dealing with extreme cold here. Sometimes if I leave it alone for some time, I'd get a lucky start but not always. Even after I charge it all the way, it happened again.

Just a week ago, I took it into my dealer recently for fixing. They determined it was a "loose battery cable circut 40 at x50b aux fuse box underhood" "found bulletin #16-na-193 for intermittent no start and multiple codes. Found circuit 40 battery cable not secure at underhood furse box as stated in bulletin. Secured cable and tested battery with gr8 and passed cleared codes and verified operation"

And tonight, I experienced a dead 12 volt battery again!

Anybody else experiencing a recurring dead 12 volt battery?

http://imgur.com/a/XPvng

I've had a similar problem with our 2017 Chevy Volt. The car started fine when the big battery was fully charged. But if we took it on a trip where the big battery was completely drained, then spent the night and tried to start it the next day, sometimes the 12 volt would be dead. This happened intermittently. One time we had it towed to the GM dealer in the town we near. They charged the 12 volt battery and said it was fine. But a month later it happened again, and a few weeks later, it happened again! Both times we were able to jump start it.

I took the car to the GMC dealer in Boulder where we live. They tested the 12 volt on their machine that measures the battery over an 80 minute period. The battery read "Failed." They had us get a new battery.

Was that the right call? Has anybody had a similar experience?

 

[obermd]

Once a 12v battery gets seriously depleted for any reason it needs to be replaced once the cause of the battery drain is resolved.

 

[hellsop]

It's the right call if there is no other problem with the electrical system drawing from the 12v battery. I doubt that it has anything to do with the main battery and the charging of that only has influence because Gen 2 volts maintain 12v batteries while plugged in. Got anything electrical installed that isn't factory? If not, the car should be checked to see what the standby draw is while the car is shut down to determin if there's a short somewhere or something not turning off that should be off.

 

[obermd]

I've had a similar problem with our 2017 Chevy Volt. The car started fine when the big battery was fully charged. But if we took it on a trip where the big battery was completely drained, then spent the night and tried to start it the next day, sometimes the 12 volt would be dead. This happened intermittently. One time we had it towed to the GM dealer in the town we near. They charged the 12 volt battery and said it was fine. But a month later it happened again, and a few weeks later, it happened again! Both times we were able to jump start it.

I took the car to the GMC dealer in Boulder where we live. They tested the 12 volt on their machine that measures the battery over an 80 minute period. The battery read "Failed." They had us get a new battery.

Was that the right call? Has anybody had a similar experience?

Yes. An 80 minute test outside the car eliminates all possible problems with the car's electrical system from the question of battery health.

 

[wasabigfan]

Did you solve the problem. My 2017 Volt continues to die.. Sometimes while driving... I then boost it and it will work again.. Before it dies the lights flicker and then it is a giant brick that won't do anything..

My 12 Volt battery keeps dying, making it so I can't start my car. Has happened like 7 times this fall/winter. This always happens at night. I'm in Southern California so it's not like I'm dealing with extreme cold here. Sometimes if I leave it alone for some time, I'd get a lucky start but not always. Even after I charge it all the way, it happened again.

Just a week ago, I took it into my dealer recently for fixing. They determined it was a "loose battery cable circut 40 at x50b aux fuse box underhood" "found bulletin #16-na-193 for intermittent no start and multiple codes. Found circuit 40 battery cable not secure at underhood furse box as stated in bulletin. Secured cable and tested battery with gr8 and passed cleared codes and verified operation"

And tonight, I experienced a dead 12 volt battery again!

Anybody else experiencing a recurring dead 12 volt battery?

http://imgur.com/a/XPvng