[VoltenRock]

Issue started with "battery too cold, plug in to warm" message, shortly followed by a CEL. Tried to run Onstar diagnostics FIVE times. It NEVER worked, so I couldn't get the code. OnStar investigating that also. That's another issue...

Brought it to the dealer. After talking with GM engineering, the service advisor told me that they are ordering part of the replacement packs for the battery section with the fault. Claimed it was "overheating"--which doesn't sound good. Car gone at least a week. I'm kind of used to this by now. I've read the other threads going over this issue to know this might just be the beginning of an annoying journey.

So while I LOVE the Volt, I've found myself unable to drive my own car for maybe 1/3 of the last 2 years I've owned it. It's really an embarrassment for GM that their halo car and one of its staunchest advocates has to "hide" in crappy loaner cars at work or home to avoid explaining why MY car is not in my driveway or parking space for weeks. I'm not giving up on the Volt, but the Volt is giving up on me!

So great engineering feet overall--just this particular car has had problems from day one, and they have continued ever since. I've reached out to the Volt team to ask if they can do something for me given the number of issues this car has had. I'll keep you posted.

 

[BAZINGA]

I wonder why GM just didn't replace the entire pack and then take it apart to conduct a post mortem on it? Replacing parts pieces seems counter productive and could lead to future issues with the "older" portion of the battery.

 

[Joe67]

So while I LOVE the Volt, I've found myself unable to drive my own car for maybe 1/3 of the last 2 years I've owned it. It's really an embarrassment for GM that their halo car and one of its staunchest advocates has to "hide" in crappy loaner cars at work or home to avoid explaining why MY car is not in my driveway or parking space for weeks. I'm not giving up on the Volt, but the Volt is giving up on me!

Vehicles break down. All vehicles. GM service is taking care of the issue. Yes, it is annoying to have it down/in service for 1/3 of a two year span, but this is certainly not the norm, now is it? Hide in crappy loaner cars? Outside of the Chevy Trax, this is certainly not the case. What would you like your Chevy dealer do? Wrap you in a Cadillac XTS while your Chevy Volt is in service? I understand the frustration, but put things in perspective.

 

[mpmoore1979]

Most likely there is a problem with the temp sensor in one of the 3 "cell packs" inside the battery pack. The temp sensor can not be replaced by the dealership so that cell pack has to be replaced. Replacing the complete battery pack would be very expensive and also would be like replacing a complete engine because one lifter has failed.

 

[VoltenRock]

Most likely there is a problem with the temp sensor in one of the 3 "cell packs" inside the battery pack. The temp sensor can not be replaced by the dealership so that cell pack has to be replaced. Replacing the complete battery pack would be very expensive and also would be like replacing a complete engine because one lifter has failed.

This is it. When the service advisor said "overheating"--I was a little more alarmed. I got the code today. It's P0AEB.

 

[canehdian]

Doubtful anything overheated. The cells are bathed in a common pool of coolant.
If one temp sensor is malfunctioning and says 'too cold!' but 9 others say 'too hot!', it should still be circulating coolant to the rad/ac as required.
If it wasn't, the entire pack would be damaged from overheating, not just one small portion.

 

[VoltenRock]

Doubtful anything overheated. The cells are bathed in a common pool of coolant.
If one temp sensor is malfunctioning and says 'too cold!' but 9 others say 'too hot!', it should still be circulating coolant to the rad/ac as required.
If it wasn't, the entire pack would be damaged from overheating, not just one small portion.

Thanks, yes this is likely just the sensor. The diagnostics sheet--which I have a copy of--only shows that it is a sensor fault. From the other threads, it appears that the larger question is whether there is anything within the pack that is causing the fault. It appears that some others have had this fixed, only to have the issue return a few months down the line as the "root cause" of the sensor failing is not addressed by replacing. My guess (hope) is that in 2016, GM is more aware of fixing this issue permanently than when earlier cases came up of it on this board.

 

[VoltenRock]

Just a quick update -- it's taking FOREVER to get the partial traction battery in the shop. It's coming from Michigan and has to go via ground--but there is still no ETA for it. My car is still sitting there, waiting, while I drive my ICE loaner. Anybody have the experience of long delays to get the 1/3 part of the battery? I guess this is not an "off-the-shelf" part!

 

[WopOnTour]

If you searched the forums you'll see that failing temp sensors are probably the most likely reason to replace a Volt pack or section. (seldom are there ever any issues with the cells themselves)

Unfortunately the way they were designed and wired up they are not typically serviceable in the field.

However I will state that I have had personal experience with this failure enough times that I have actually developed a method to service these sensors in the Gen1 and have successfully completed these repairs on a couple cars that were denied warranty for various reasons. If anyone ever encounters such an issue, I may be able to help.

WopOnTour

 

[VoltenRock]

Thanks, WOT. You've been a great resource on this board throughout the years. I saw your other posts on another thread with a member who had a similar failure. I realize the difficulty with "checking their work" afterwards, but should I have any concern about the way the battery is "put back together" in terms of long-term viability/safety? Or is this a simple (enough) "plug-and-play" type of job in the field with little room for error?

Fortunately, there was never a question that this was/is a warranty issue.

 

[Bill Step]

If you searched the forums you'll see that failing temp sensors are probably the most likely reason to replace a Volt pack or section. (seldom are there ever any issues with the cells themselves)

Unfortunately the way they were designed and wired up they are not typically serviceable in the field.

However I will state that I have had personal experience with this failure enough times that I have actually developed a method to service these sensors in the Gen1 and have successfully completed these repairs on a couple cars that were denied warranty for various reasons. If anyone ever encounters such an issue, I may be able to help.

WopOnTour

why was there a denial of warranty?

 

[WopOnTour]

Thanks, WOT. You've been a great resource on this board throughout the years. I saw your other posts on another thread with a member who had a similar failure. I realize the difficulty with "checking their work" afterwards, but should I have any concern about the way the battery is "put back together" in terms of long-term viability/safety? Or is this a simple (enough) "plug-and-play" type of job in the field with little room for error?

Fortunately, there was never a question that this was/is a warranty issue.

You know, while that sort of repair is certainly somewhat dangerous (given the extended exposure to such a powerful energy source) it's really pretty basic "nuts and bolts" type stuff. The most important item is things like following the service information on the sequencing of the procedure and adhering to their training processes that call for things like the use of a torque wrench for EVERY SINGLE FASTENER. But most will find the tech tasked with replacing Volt battery sections are pretty conscientious in that respect.

In short, you should be good to go!
Hopefully this ordeal hasn't severely affected your confidence in the Volt. While this type of failure is quite rare, it still can be a source of frustration and concern for an owner that had to go through such an experience.
Enjoy your Volt!
WOT

 

[VoltenRock]

Thanks, ***. Unfortunately, my poor Volt has had a poor run with a VERY extensive repair record. I've had more loaner cars with the Volt than any other vehicle I've owned--which pains me because I believe in the technology. It's had both the "usual" annoyances (notchy steering, center stack freeze/crashes, rattling exhaust, squeaky seats, squeaky steering wheel, sticky charge door, water-logged tail lights), plus the bonus of "rare" issues (bad HPCM #2 reprogram--requiring 6 weeks of wrong diagnosing until PIC6138A) and now the likely bad temp sensor. If the issue affects Gen 1, unfortunately mine has had/will have it.

I was thinking about getting a new car, but the plus side of being without my car for so much of the time is that I get the "new car feeling" every time I get it back!

 

[HiFlite]

I was thinking about getting a new car, but the plus side of being without my car for so much of the time is that I get the "new car feeling" every time I get it back!

Wow! Have you considered a career as a motivational speaker?? You'd make MILLIONS!

 

[tedbe]

Alas, the sensor problem continues. Up until a week ago, I would brag at every opportunity about how my 2012 Volt had performed flawlessly with no issues since I bought it new. All good things come to an end. First, my 12v battery failed; I got a jump from Chevy Roadside, and proceeded to the dealer. New 12v battery installed. It seemed to be working perfectly, but on the way home I got the "Battery Too Cold, Plug In to warm" Message. It was 80 degrees outside.

Back to the dealer for diagnosis. They said there was a failure of censor #3 (all others good). They said more diagnostics were needed, and would cost $895. I have 133K miles and would appear to be out of warranty -- but I'm debating this with GM, as the car was bought and licensed in Maryland, a CARB state.

My dilemma is if I don't get warranty coverage, do I declare my Volt a loss, don't put any money into it and move on? If replacing one section of the pack was sure to fix it, I might do that. But reading on here, this can be a "maybe." I also cannot drive the car, as it now is experiencing the freezing on Initializing and won't start. In addition, it says it's charging but is stuck at 4 mi. range and it doesn't increase. I'm beginning to suspect that my beloved Volt is dying.

 

[jcanoe]

If that was my 2012 Volt it would be time to say goodbye. Right now you can get a great deal on a lease return vehicle in 2017 Volt or a new 2018 Volt with incentives. The Gen 2 Volt is more Volt with greater battery range, more power, uses regular gas with slightly more interior room. You would get Apple Carplay and Android Auto, backup camera standard, more optional safety systems, optional adaptive cruise.

 

[tedbe]

Perhaps you're right, I see only losses ahead, ones I can't quantify, if I try to hold on to a relationship that's run its course My 2012 Volt was without a doubt the best, most fun car I've ever owned. I would have been happy to drive it until 300K or more; but alas, reliability apparently fades with age. Hopefully the design engineers learned that embedding the sensors in the battery was not a good idea. My Volt Tech doesn't know how to reprogram to ignore the bad sensor; he also hinted, without saying it, that my car may be at the end of its useful trouble-free life. Seven years of delightful driving isn't bad; it also helped my image.

I could upgrade to another Volt, but this experience is making me Volt-shy, reading posts about problems people had at 30K. I'm thinking of taking an EV vacation and getting a new Corolla with 00000 on the odometer. If Chevy would warranty the battery to 150K and fix the problems associated with aging, I might reconsider. The cancellation of the Volt Advisors and of the Volt were not good signs. I even read a post about a Bolt that flashed the "Battery Too Cold" message.

 

[Chema]

I have similar issues.

Well, my car sometimes show for a second or less the message “Battery too cold, plug-in to warm”. In 6 months since I have the car, only shows it 6-7 times maybe.

One day, Check Engine Light turned on and nothing more showed in the car. Car performance was the same but this light ****s me everytime I turned on my car.

I bought a OBD2 WiFi on Amazon and I’ve read the DTC codes and it shows P0C8B.

I could clear it but it comes again some days later and i cleared it again. At this moment I’ve been for almost two weeks with this issue.

Well with service manual I’ve learned that this DTC means than sensor 9 placed in Battery Cell Block two has detect -40 degrees of temp.

it was imposible because the battery temp showed in MyGreenVolt was 16 degrees.

The fix to this issue are replace the cell block but here in Spain we have some problems:

1.- We only have Two authorized dealers around country and all of them are far away and it’s hard to go there only for a check.

2.- The dealers doesn’t knows so much about this cars, yes are unbelievable but it’s all.

3.- Here they don’t replace a cell block they apply for a new battery on warranty and we need to wait until it comes (in two cases that I know they had to wait almost 5 months and the battery’s come from Japan or China I can’t remember but not from USA). I can’t be without car this ammount of time.

I’ve read that you know how to fix I’d definitely ir fails. I would love to know it.

Thanks so much!!

Best regards from Spain.


Enviado desde mi iPhone utilizando Tapatalk

 

[Guz]

I just started to have this issue at 14200 miles. What kind of help can you offer? 2013 Base

 

[sleyse]

I am having this issue too. Battery to cold. Plug in to warm flashes. Ever time this error has showed up the temperature has been around 40. Dealership did a software update but that did not take care of the issue. Also, had to replace my radiator through this ordeal due to a stone hitting it. Thankfully insurance covered that. I was hoping it would resolve the “battery to cold” error but it did not. The car still charges normally. Has anybody come up with a solution for this error. Do I really have to get a cell replaced? How much does that cost. My volt is a 2012 with 85k miles. Thinking about offloading it before I have to sync more money into it.