[Marty]

I have 2011 Volt#639 and am delighted with it. There's a minor problem that has become more annoying. While listening to the iPod through the USB port, the audio will just stop. It doesn't fade down like on an incoming phone call or using the voice prompts, it stops abruptly. The time counter continues as if everything is fine. Selecting the next song advances the display and counter, but no audio.

Unplugging and re-connecting the iPod restores operation right where it left off. I have tried different iPods and cables with no difference. Powering down the car and starting it up again also restores normal operation.

The problem seems to be occurring more frequently. It was rare at first but now happens every 10 minutes or so.

I did have the software update performed and if anything this problem has been happening more frequently since.

Am I alone? Anyone have a fix?

 

[Art Black]

Also seeing problem of audio lockup; 2011 Volt and iPhone3g

I have 2011 Volt#639 and am delighted with it. There's a minor problem that has become more annoying. While listening to the iPod through the USB port, the audio will just stop. It doesn't fade down like on an incoming phone call or using the voice prompts, it stops abruptly. The time counter continues as if everything is fine. Selecting the next song advances the display and counter, but no audio.

Unplugging and re-connecting the iPod restores operation right where it left off. I have tried different iPods and cables with no difference. Powering down the car and starting it up again also restores normal operation.

The problem seems to be occurring more frequently. It was rare at first but now happens every 10 minutes or so.

I did have the software update performed and if anything this problem has been happening more frequently since.

Am I alone? Anyone have a fix?

The brief answer, you are not alone. I drive a 2011 Volt, #1557. Dealer demo I purchased in late January 2012. I use the USB port to plug in my iPhone3G. I listen to audio books while driving. I've noticed over the last week that the iPhone stops playing on a fairly regular basis. Once this happens, the only way I have found to get it started again is to completely power down the iPhone via its on/off switch. After I power the iPhone back up, the system will start working again. I've also noted that it seems to happen within 10 minutes after I start driving the car.

When this happens, it is quite annoying. If I'm driving on the freeway, I can't recover the phone until I can exit, park the car and then safely work with the phone power switch.

 

[Roadburner440]

I have a partial answer. First have you done a hard reboot on your iPod (assuming it is one of the older ones hold down the center button and the top portion of the circle at the same time till it flashes, and shows the Apple logo). Once it does this mine usually works really well for a week or so.

Another issue is if you have been adding songs to your iPod, and "re-synching" it with the car. Check how many songs are on your iPod vs how many songs the car says are on your iPod. On my car I noticed that even though mine only had 2700 songs on it the Volt showed I had 6000+. So lots of songs were in there twice, some were missing altogether. What I did was I completely wiped my iPod on iTunes, took the empty iPod to the car and let it sync (took all of 30 seconds since it was empty). Once I did that, and verified the car showed 0 artists, 0 songs, etc.. Then I went in the house, and loaded up my iPod. Never had the issue since! It still occassionally stops playing/skips BUT the reboot of the iPod usually solves it. Personally I think this is because the Volt is forcing the iPod to play songs out of order, but that is just me. It frustrated me in the past, but now it is livable by doing the above. I will not lie though. It does take awhile. When my iPod is resyncing I just hook the car up to the charger, lock the doors, and come back in 2 hours or so. So be sure before you do it (if you do) that you block off enough time. If you have any questions post here or PM me. I do promise that it works though. I do see you have a 2011 which might be different from my 2012. I think it would be worth a shot however.

 

[Carl S]

I've never had my iPod Nano stop playing while driving, but have had my Volt not recognize it after turning the car back on after going to the store. Unplugging the USB cable and plugging it back in fixes it for awhile.

 

[Marty]

It doesn't seem to be an issue with syncing, the song count is consistent. It also happens when using the iPhone to stream Pandora.

The iPod or iPhone continues to "play", the time bar continues to move to the right, and it will even go on to the next song. you can use the skip ahead and rewind buttons and the display tracks perfectly. The audio just stops. Unplugging the iPod or iPhone "hot" flashes the USB unplugged warning screen, and lugging it back in restores normal operation - right where it left off - for a while, from a few minutes to half an hour.

 

[Art Black]

I checked the list of tracks on my Volt. In my case, the list also matches the list on my iPhone. So my issue does not seem to be out of sync list.

I have essentially no music on my iPhone. Just audio books. One handy feature about the Volt is that it starts playing at whatever point I last stopped the iPhone. So if I listen to a book at home, then get into the car, it continues from that point. Net result is that I essentially never interact with the playlist menu on the Volt.

 

[DanFowler]

I've had this exact same issue as well (audio stops, but display keeps tracking song and controls allow switching to next song, etc; ejecting ipod and then reconnecting restores sound for a time). However, the problem ONLY occurs when I use my Ipod touch (and I think only since I upgraded to ios 5). The problem has NEVER happened with either of my iPod classic 160Gb ipods.

Dan

 

[bang]

I've never had this happen either, but if unplugging doesn't work, force quitting an app rather than a full iPhone/iPod Touch reboot usually fixes things and is much faster. With the phone unlocked, and not in the music app, just double click the home button. This will bring up all recently used apps at the bottom of the screen. Touch and hold on the music app until they wiggle. Then click the red X.

I've been running iOS 5.01 and now 5.1 without any issues and have used my iPhone nearly 100% of the time while driving.

Another trick is to create on-the-go playlists or just queue up the album or podcast you want to hear on your iPhone before plugging it in. Then it will just play from there and you never have to access the iPod menu on the Volt to browse for your track (although, I will say the interface is a lot faster than I've experienced in a couple of other cars).

 

[anothervolt]

not that it helps, but i had a 2012 Cruze (Korean) that had the exact same issues.

 

[Art Black]

A number of prior post suggest that part of the issue with iPhone audio lockup or stall my be due to level of the iPhone operating system. As I mentioned in my original post, I have had problems with iPhone stall on my 2011 Volt. I recently upgraded to 5.1, the most recent level of code for my iPhone 3g. This did not correct the problem. The stall problem continues to occur after random amounts of play time. In some cases, I'm able to finish a 20 minute commute without problem. But in one recent case, it stalled after about five minutes. In another case, it stalled within 30 seconds. I'm using the absolute minimum amount of Volt audio system menu capability; plug the phone into the USB port, turn on the stereo system, switch the source to the iPhone using the steering column button and then let it play.

In a few cases, when the lock up occurs and I press the iPhone Home button, it shows the phone paused in play mode. If I tap the Home button again, the screen toggles to Music Accessory Connected.

If I unplug then replug the USB connector to the phone, then it will start playing correctly.

 

[gene1138]

I'm having the same problem with my 1st gen iPod Touch. I leave mine plugged into the usb port all the time. I will get no sound but the dash display will show it's still playing. This happens when I start the car and turn on the radio. It never seems to happen while it had been playing correctly.

Sometimes unplugging the usb cable and reconnecting will fix it. Sometimes I have to power off/power on the ipod to fix. The car has had the software update. And it's a 2011 Volt.

 

[DanFowler]

I sent a description of my problem (and a link to this thread) by email to my volt advisor and got this reply:


I received your email detailing the iPod Touch issue. We have no known information at this time concerning this issue. I would suggest having your local dealership take a look to see if they can diagnose the nature of the situation. Please contact us if we can be of any further assistance in the matter.


I may mention it to the dealer when I take the car in for the battery modifications.

 

[black88mx6]

I have had the same issue with the iPhone 4s when connected directly to the USB on my 2012 Volt. IOS 5.01. Unplug and replug will allow it to start playing again. Unlikely that no-one has ever seen this problem before at GM.

 

[Fulgerite]

Am I alone? Anyone have a fix?

No you are not alone. Replace the USB cable. Also use iTunes to backup and do a full "restore". Your problem will go away.

 

[Fulgerite]

I have had the same issue with the iPhone 4s when connected directly to the USB on my 2012 Volt. IOS 5.01. Unplug and replug will allow it to start playing again. Unlikely that no-one has ever seen this problem before at GM.

I had to too... It turned out to be a faulty USB cord.

 

[DanFowler]

I've got a couple of other apple USB cords, so I'll swap it out to see if that makes a difference. I hadn't considered the cord because I've used the two iPod classics for hundreds of hours with absolutely no problems and the iPod Touch for just a few hours with several instances of the problem. But perhaps there's enough signal difference between the devices that changing the cord will make a difference. If the change helps, I'll report back. Thanks for the suggestion, Fulgerite.

 

[Fulgerite]

But perhaps there's enough signal difference between the devices that changing the cord will make a difference. If the change helps, I'll report back. Thanks for the suggestion, Fulgerite.

Also make sure your iPod touch software is up to date. Doing a full backup and restore fixes a lot of odd bugs too.

 

[black88mx6]

I have had this happen a few more times. Twice now while backing up. Song plays fine until I go into reverse. Backup camera goes on and the song stops playing. Once going forward the song does not resume playing. I have base radio with backup camera option.

 

[bang]

One thing I have noticed is that the song/podcast is just paused. Hitting the play/pause button resumes playing. It seems to happen somewhat randomly. Something else to try before the pain of a full restore.

 

[Dithermaster]

This is my biggest complaint with my Volt so far. The iPod input will either stop working, or the system will start over at the first (alphabetic) song and with Shuffle turned off. I think it's not keeping the iPod charged or something. This happens with both iPod nano 3rd gen players that I've tried. It used to be far worse, including locking up during songs, but then I replaced an off-brand USB cord with an official Apple cord, and that improved it, but it still stops and resets a few times a week. I'd really like to see them get this fixed in a software update. In the meantime, I'm thinking about switching to a big USB flash drive full of files.