Well apparently OHM-RIDE is okay. Glad someone posted this though!
GM recalls 2013 Chevrolet Volts for battery software
In the news:
"GM said Friday that it will recall 3,233 2013 model year Chevrolet Volts to remedy a problem with battery cell balancing that could cause the car to shut down in traffic."
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1117379_gm-recalls-2013-chevrolet-volts-for-battery-software-updated
"GM said Friday that it will recall 3,233 2013 model year Chevrolet Volts to remedy a problem with battery cell balancing that could cause the car to shut down in traffic."
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1117379_gm-recalls-2013-chevrolet-volts-for-battery-software-updated
21 - 40 of 52 Posts
If I am reading the recall website correctly they have identified the recall and the cars involved but the fix is not available yet?
The recall status is:
Recall Status: INCOMPLETE. REMEDY NOT YET AVAILABLE
The recall status is:
Recall Status: INCOMPLETE. REMEDY NOT YET AVAILABLE
A new calibration now shows up on TIS2WEB-
Part Number CVN Bulletin # Description
24292110 N/A - Calibration Update to Address Cell Balancing issue - Bulletin 18215
GM recall page has also been pulled. Likely being updated to reflect the solution.
Part Number CVN Bulletin # Description
24292110 N/A - Calibration Update to Address Cell Balancing issue - Bulletin 18215
GM recall page has also been pulled. Likely being updated to reflect the solution.
I am affected greatly by this fubared past software update. Ever since I had the re-programming done, I have had dozens of reduced power propulsion events. Just on Tuesday I went out to the car and was presented with the unable to charge message and no miles on the battery available. The battery was full from the previous night and the car hadn't been used. I have to drive several miles with the engine racing before I can pull over and stop the vehicle, get out of the car and walk away about 30 feet, wait a couple of minutes and then go back and then the car will finally show about 12 miles available which I exhausted on the continued trip into town. The engine fires back up again and you have normal operation from the car with a depleted battery. Then after watching a movie, I come out to the vehicle and I will have 20 miles of range showing which gets used up normally. Then the car will recharge overnight normally and will clear the CEL in a day after a normal topup charge for non-use of any range. Rinse and repeat.
The car has been into two different dealers several times and I have always been told there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. I actually started a "lemon law" action on the vehicle at one point. I have replaced the 12V battery and also replaced the Level 2 charger. The unable to charge happens on any Level 2 charger or the car's Level 1 charger. I am disgusted with the service from GM and that no dealer can fix the vehicle.
I am finally validated by this recall that the previous reprogramming is what has caused my vehicle to have all my reduced power propulsion events. I bet I have a damaged battery now from the vehicle not being able to do proper cell rebalancing. Thanks a bunch GM
The car has been into two different dealers several times and I have always been told there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. I actually started a "lemon law" action on the vehicle at one point. I have replaced the 12V battery and also replaced the Level 2 charger. The unable to charge happens on any Level 2 charger or the car's Level 1 charger. I am disgusted with the service from GM and that no dealer can fix the vehicle.
I am finally validated by this recall that the previous reprogramming is what has caused my vehicle to have all my reduced power propulsion events. I bet I have a damaged battery now from the vehicle not being able to do proper cell rebalancing. Thanks a bunch GM
Maybe it's just me but I never voluntarily update anything unless I have a specific problem I'm trying to address. Been in the computer business too long (OK, not in it any more, long time retired).
I am affected greatly by this fubared past software update. Ever since I had the re-programming done, I have had dozens of reduced power propulsion events. Just on Tuesday I went out to the car and was presented with the unable to charge message and no miles on the battery available. The battery was full from the previous night and the car hadn't been used. I have to drive several miles with the engine racing before I can pull over and stop the vehicle, get out of the car and walk away about 30 feet, wait a couple of minutes and then go back and then the car will finally show about 12 miles available which I exhausted on the continued trip into town. The engine fires back up again and you have normal operation from the car with a depleted battery. Then after watching a movie, I come out to the vehicle and I will have 20 miles of range showing which gets used up normally. Then the car will recharge overnight normally and will clear the CEL in a day after a normal topup charge for non-use of any range. Rinse and repeat.
The car has been into two different dealers several times and I have always been told there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. I actually started a "lemon law" action on the vehicle at one point. I have replaced the 12V battery and also replaced the Level 2 charger. The unable to charge happens on any Level 2 charger or the car's Level 1 charger. I am disgusted with the service from GM and that no dealer can fix the vehicle.
I am finally validated by this recall that the previous reprogramming is what has caused my vehicle to have all my reduced power propulsion events. I bet I have a damaged battery now from the vehicle not being able to do proper cell rebalancing. Thanks a bunch GM
Your battery is covered by warranty. 2013 was still in the infancy of Lithium Ion propulsion. Tesla was using laptop batteries back then. Errr...
The re-programming was not "voluntary". It was a GM recall. I too have been in the computer business and always follow the golden rule . . . "if it ain't broke . . . don't fix it:
Unfortunately, the car has suffered from every flaw that GM has documented over the lifespan of the Volt model. From the "notch" in the steering wheel at freeway speeds and straight roads to the improperly filled radiators, my car has had them all.
Unfortunately, the car has suffered from every flaw that GM has documented over the lifespan of the Volt model. From the "notch" in the steering wheel at freeway speeds and straight roads to the improperly filled radiators, my car has had them all.
So wny has one dealer tried to charge me for a service visit absolutely involving a power train function that is supposedly covered by the 10 year warranty by claiming it was not covered under warranty. They are all crooks.
We are seeing more and more frustrated Volt customers on this site dealing with dealers who are not clear (or in some cases reviewing the details) of the Volt warranties. When they get shown them and asked for explanations they sometime change their mind. If not then it needs to be pushed to upper management at the dealer.So wny has one dealer tried to charge me for a service visit absolutely involving a power train function that is supposedly covered by the 10 year warranty by claiming it was not covered under warranty. They are all crooks.
I'm guessing the dealers make more buy doing non warranty work than doing warranty work and getting reimbursed from GM. I've not seen proof but that would stand to reason.
Also there are some customer Volt advisors here/at_GM that can interface with the dealers on some of these issues. I suspect that brings a certain amount of pressure. (Volt Advisors are now "Chevy Electric Customer Support Team" )
What is odd to me is that if a dealer is not fair to the customer then is that customer going to buy other vehicles from them or get other service from them. Perhaps there is a location monopoly in some areas (ie. not many dealers around).
I guess I'm lucky because my dealer has really treated me well with my Volts.
If you have any further questions feel free to contact the
Chevrolet Customer Care Team:
(800) 222-1020
Chevrolet Customer Care Hours:
Monday - Friday 9AM to 9PM EST.
Closed on Saturday and Sunday.
[email protected]
https://twitter.com/ChevyElectric
http://https://www.facebook.com/chevroletelectric
Cell balancing isn't about safety, or even longest lifetime. Its about maximizing the energy you can charge/discharge while safely operating every cell in the pack.To get the longest life possible balancing is always a good idea. Is it dangerous not to have it? It depends.
As long as the BMS limits charging so that no cell ever gets overcharged, and limits discharge so no cell is ever over-discharged, all cells will be operated safely and correctly. The issue is that this limits the energy that can be charged (due to the first fully charged cell) or discharged (first fully discharged cell). Overall pack capacity is reduced as the cells become more unbalanced.
Balancing simply manages the state of charge in every cell. When all cells are fully charged, they generally reach full discharge at about the same time (with the exception of a truly bad cell which the BMS knows about and manages seperately).
The charger is doing a bit more than you think. It charges until the first cell(s) reach full charge, then stops charging. A shunt across the fully charged cell(s) is turned on, slightly discharging those cell(s). After a time (say, 1% discharge), the shunts are turned off, and pack charging resumes. Rinse and repeat. Eventually, all cells will reach full charge, but this can take quite a few charge/shunt cycles in a badly balanced (or new) battery pack. If balancing is performed with each charge (following a day's use), you'll likely never notice the few charge/shunt cycles near the end of the routine charge at the end of the day.My 2013 is on the recall list too. It is an early build, a PEP/Special Event manufacturer's vehicle put in service 8/29/12. It was never registered to a private owner until I bought it. Car only has 30K miles on it, screen shows 10.4 -10.5 battery usage before the ICE comes on, so I am assuming that the battery is still healthy. I'm just waiting for the formal notification and availability of the reprogram info.
I have an ebike with a 36v, 12Ahr LiFeP04 battery pack with a built-in battery maintenance module. It will charge up, stop charging, and then in a few minutes start charging again. This cycle repeats a few times. One time I noticed the Volt doing the same - is this the balancing process?
What you experienced is what happens when the cells in a battery pack have become highly unbalanced. Before this recall, all the technicians could tell you was they couldn't find anything wrong (because they weren't aware of this issue). Understandably frustrating.
If you visit a dealer today, you'll likely get "Oh yeah, we just learned about that...." D'oh!
Your battery pack is probably fine. The BMS (Battery Management System) has been doing it's job of protecting the cells in the pack, but made no attempt to correct the increasing unbalance. Once you have this recall serviced, you should soon be seeing improved performance. However, it will take a few days to a week to fully resolve the imbalance (it wont happen in a day). Just leave the car plugged in as much as you can for a while.
If you visit a dealer today, you'll likely get "Oh yeah, we just learned about that...." D'oh!
Your battery pack is probably fine. The BMS (Battery Management System) has been doing it's job of protecting the cells in the pack, but made no attempt to correct the increasing unbalance. Once you have this recall serviced, you should soon be seeing improved performance. However, it will take a few days to a week to fully resolve the imbalance (it wont happen in a day). Just leave the car plugged in as much as you can for a while.
That dealer held my car hostage for almost the entire day because I refused to pay their service charge on what was a warranty service involving my constant power propulsion reduced problem. I spent several hours on the phone with GM support trying to get them to explain to the dealer that the service was to be billed under warranty. The dealer steadfastly refused to rewrite the service ticket for warranty billing. They finally caved when it got to be closing time and just kicked my car loose.
Unfortunately, there are only two dealers anywhere close to me. One at 30 miles away and the other at 75 miles. I don't have many options for service.
Unfortunately, there are only two dealers anywhere close to me. One at 30 miles away and the other at 75 miles. I don't have many options for service.
GM Recall page has updated from "INCOMPLETE. REMEDY NOT YET AVAILABLE" to just "INCOMPLETE", meaning you should be able to schedule an appointment with a dealer now. Though maybe we should wait for our actual recall notices to come in the mail first.
I already checked my VIN and saw it on the list for the recall. I too am going to wait until I have official GM recall paperwork in hand before I schedule an appointment. I will also have my folder of past service tickets in hand also which details the history of my problems.
I have no idea which of the two bad dealers I want to attempt the recall action with though. Neither give me any confidence.
I have no idea which of the two bad dealers I want to attempt the recall action with though. Neither give me any confidence.
From what I heard, the software is updated and recall letters will be going out soon.
Please post when you get your recall notice. I'm not sure what address they have for me and I'd like to call the dealer that loaned me a Bolt for my last service. 
I have a 2013 Volt and last month the battery would not charge. I reset everything that I could, used a different charger, but to no avail. I took it to George Moore Chevy, my regular dealer, and they did a software update which fixed the problem. But they also charged me $220. which I questioned. It should have been covered under the Voltec warranty. So I paid and the next day got in touch with GM Customer Care and complained. Within 24 hours George Moore was calling me to say they would be be crediting my account.
My car is also on the list for the battery balancing recall. I'm wondering if it's going to be another fight with George Moore. IO have had three reduced propulsion warnings which cleared up in a few minutes. Also, my battery range is less consistent. It used to average about 40-42 with the Badyears, but since I got the Pirelli P7+'s my average is now 37-39 MPC, and I've noticed several anomalies, like one day I'd get only 31 MPC, and another I'd get 46 MPC. So maybe the software update will smooth out the averages.
My car is also on the list for the battery balancing recall. I'm wondering if it's going to be another fight with George Moore. IO have had three reduced propulsion warnings which cleared up in a few minutes. Also, my battery range is less consistent. It used to average about 40-42 with the Badyears, but since I got the Pirelli P7+'s my average is now 37-39 MPC, and I've noticed several anomalies, like one day I'd get only 31 MPC, and another I'd get 46 MPC. So maybe the software update will smooth out the averages.
Anybody receive their recall notice yet?
PPR can be a normal message. It does not mean there is a problem.IO have had three reduced propulsion warnings which cleared up in a few minutes.
21 - 40 of 52 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
GM Volt Forum
A forum community dedicated to Chevy Volt electric car owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about hybrid performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, reviews, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Recommended Communities
