[Splittingatoms]

Oh hopeful optimism, how you love to be a slippery slope of dispair and pending regret. I found a 2012 Volt with 18K (15k gas) on the odometer and some side impact damage isolated to the passenger side doors and B-pillar. The pillar looked like with very minor adjustments it would get to working again. It also needed both curtain air bags, passenger seat air bag, and both seat belts reset, as well as the SRS module under the center console reset.

So, I find matching doors for $700 shipped, airbags for $100 a piece, the passenger seat for $200, get the SRS and belts done for about $180 and paid $5400 for the car itself. I also needed to buy a charger (not in the trunk, nor was the inflator or tire repair kit) But all in all, I have about $7000 into the car.

Today was the moment of truth...

New doors are on, airbags installed, new seat in place, SRS and belts all hooked up. Double checked all airbag connections, connected 12V power. Finally, connected the HV plug. Moment of truth...


Nothing. Car still shows Airbag service, Service vehicle soon and Service Keyless Start System.

My Bluetooth reader gave me 8 different codes. When I get a moment I'll post them up here.

I'm thinking a better code reader might be in order to attempt to clear those codes. Anything else I might be missing? I was really hoping that's having to be SRS reset would take care of the airbag issue.

I was thinking there might be fuses I need to look at. Also, original AC Delco 12V battery needed charged before I could try to start. Think I'll be replacing that no matter what.

Any advice you can pass my way is much appreciated!

 

[Mister Dave]

You'll need a dealer service department to reset the airbags IIRC.

 

[Steverino]

If the battery disconnect was triggered, you'll need the dealer to reset that as well.

 

[saghost]

Really need the codes to know anything. As the others have said, there are some codes that are designed to only be resettable with a dealer computer, after they've done a careful inspection of the associated systems. Your codes may or may not include some of those.

 

[timoshev]

If all the hard stuff is fixed, let a Volt dealer finish the job.

 

[fishhawk]

If all the hard stuff is fixed, let a Volt dealer finish the job.

I thought the dealer needed to reset something/hook it up to their equipment anytime the HV Plug is removed. You have to have a subscription to the GM software to do this. I could be wrong...

 

[Splittingatoms]

Below is the list of codes with their meanings. I knew I was taking a chance when I purchased this car as I did the research and had read that they SRS system will shut down the car in the event of an airbag deployment. I was really REALLY hoping that it would be fixed by having the SRS reset, but alas that dream has faded. LoL

Now I'm just making sure I have as much as I can possibly have covered before I head to any Chevy dealership. I know that they can be pretty touchy when requesting work on cars that have been deemed totaled.

It looks like there are 5 codes that deal with lost communication. I'm hoping that these all triggered by whatever it is I need Chevrolet to reset for me. Two codes are battery charging interlocks, again, hoping those are triggered by whatever SRS system is keeping the car from starting. The Intermittent short or open in TPS1 circuit concerns me a little bit though. That stands out as something that could need looking at before she goes to the dealer. Thanks for everyone's input. I appreciate it. I think I'll be making an appointment at the dealership soon. Wish me luck!

Codes read are:

U0100 - Lost Comm'n with ECM/PCM on Bus A
U0073 - Control Module Comm'n Bus A Off
P0D17 - Battery Charging System High Voltage Interlock Circuit Low
P0123 - Detects a continuous or intermittent short or open in TPS1 circuit
P0A0C - High Voltage System Interlock Circuit Low
U0101 - Lost Communication with Transmission Control Module
U179A - Lost Comm'n with Hybrid Powertrain
U1818 - Lost Communicaiton with ECM on Bus B

 

[SharkVolt]

Also, there are two crash sensors mounted in the ends of the frame piece above the radiators. If they sensed enough to trip the airbag module, they have to be replaced. (they are not resetable)

There is also a seat belt tensioner for each front seat, which may need to be replaced if they tripped.

And, yes, a dealer will have to re program the car to get everything to work together.

 

[Splittingatoms]

Seat belt tensioners were rebuilt from the same place that reset my SRS module.

As far as the crash sensors go, the only airbags that were deployed were the side curtain air bags, and the passenger seat air bag. I thought that maybe the only crash sensors that would need to be replaced would be the ones in the impacted doors. I'll look into replacing the front sensors as well.

 

[saghost]

Below is the list of codes with their meanings. I knew I was taking a chance when I purchased this car as I did the research and had read that they SRS system will shut down the car in the event of an airbag deployment. I was really REALLY hoping that it would be fixed by having the SRS reset, but alas that dream has faded. LoL

Now I'm just making sure I have as much as I can possibly have covered before I head to any Chevy dealership. I know that they can be pretty touchy when requesting work on cars that have been deemed totaled.

It looks like there are 5 codes that deal with lost communication. I'm hoping that these all triggered by whatever it is I need Chevrolet to reset for me. Two codes are battery charging interlocks, again, hoping those are triggered by whatever SRS system is keeping the car from starting. The Intermittent short or open in TPS1 circuit concerns me a little bit though. That stands out as something that could need looking at before she goes to the dealer. Thanks for everyone's input. I appreciate it. I think I'll be making an appointment at the dealership soon. Wish me luck!

Codes read are:

U0100 - Lost Comm'n with ECM/PCM on Bus A
U0073 - Control Module Comm'n Bus A Off
P0D17 - Battery Charging System High Voltage Interlock Circuit Low
P0123 - Detects a continuous or intermittent short or open in TPS1 circuit
P0A0C - High Voltage System Interlock Circuit Low
U0101 - Lost Communication with Transmission Control Module
U179A - Lost Comm'n with Hybrid Powertrain
U1818 - Lost Communicaiton with ECM on Bus B

Sounds like the impact jolted some important connectors loose and/or pinched some wires.

The high voltage interlock circuit is a safety thing - it's a 12V circuit with connections that physically block the 400V circuit, and the car disables the battery contactors if that circuit is broken or shorted, as yours currently is.

This is a place where expert help with good equipment is really useful. If you must deal with it yourself, get some good insulative gloves and start looking for loose connections or damaged connectors/wiring.

 

[CCIE]

There is an emergency HV battery disconnect that is triggered when any airbag deploys. I think the contactors can be damaged if the car is pulling high current during the emergency disconnect and may need to be physically replaced. The battery would have to be dropped out of the car to do it. There are also lockout codes set during airbag deployment that can only be cleared by the dealer computer system.

You can buy Chinese interfaces on eBay that work with the GM software, and then subscribe to the GM software/service for a limited time. It's not crazy expensive.

There are some threads around here explaining the process by people who have gotten totaled Volts operational again. It's not easy and there is a very detailed reset process. Here's one good one:

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?115402-Code-P0A0C-Vehicle-Integration-Control

Good luck!

 

[Splittingatoms]

THANK YOU! This is EXACTLY the kind of information I was looking for.

 

[CCIE]

You're Welcome! But, WOT is really the one to thank since he patiently posted most of the great content in the thread I linked.


Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[jrecords]

I would also check to see if the manual service disconnect (MSD) under the center console is still in place. I think EMS is trained to pull them when they arrive on the scene of a wreck and a Volt is involved. Pulling the MSD will trip an interlock circuit code. It cost me a trip to the GM dealer and about $350 to have them correct my interlock circuit code (I'm not 100% sure if I had the exact code you have or not?). At the end of the day, I was just happy it could be reset.

 

[TSquare]

I would also check to see if the manual service disconnect (MSD) under the center console is still in place. I think EMS is trained to pull them when they arrive on the scene of a wreck and a Volt is involved. Pulling the MSD will trip an interlock circuit code. It cost me a trip to the GM dealer and about $350 to have them correct my interlock circuit code (I'm not 100% sure if I had the exact code you have or not?). At the end of the day, I was just happy it could be reset.

If EMS was involved they could have also cut the power cable in the hatch in the driver's side cubby. I think that cuts the 12 volt power and isolates the HV battery.

 

[CCIE]

If EMS was involved they could have also cut the power cable in the hatch in the driver's side cubby. I think that cuts the 12 volt power and isolates the HV battery.

If they had done that the car wouldn't even power-up in service mode to allow pulling the DTCs.

 

[Splittingatoms]

Yes! Most certainly much respect to WOT. He is certainly a wealth of knowledge. Also, based on the outcome of that situation (and the fact that the shorted wire caused all the problems) I'm feeling good about taking it to the dealer at this point. I know it can sometimes be a toss up when going to a dealership but with the Volt, there's not a whole lot of alternative options other than buying or borrowing the GM reader and software subscription.

The MSD was pulled. Done by the auto wrecking yard before I took ownership of the car. While I don't know anything about the car before I purchased it, the damage done certainly was a very minor amount. There was someone in the car when it was hit (Before the seat belt was fixed, the drivers belt was locked as though it was in use at the time of the crash.) I don't think EMS was too involved with the accident. I have a little bit of fine tuning to do on the B-Pillar before I'm happy with it. Once that's done, she'll be taking a ride down to the local Chevy dealer for an evaluation. I'll let you all know how that one goes.

 

[CCIE]

Keep in mind that if they have to change the unit that contains the HV contactors it's going to require removing the battery. That'll be a crazy charge. It doesn't hurt to have them look at it and tell you what it will cost to fix. But, if there is any way you can do it yourself, you'll probably save a ton of money.

The car in that other thread had more extensive damage to critical areas of the car. It sounds like yours only had damage on the side, which shouldn't have impacted any critical drive components. So, cross your fingers and hope they just need to reset everything!