[driver779]

*TO CLARIFY for those who don't READ* MY SUGGESTION FOR GM POST: Manual emergency release hatches for critical systems. The charge door needs this badly. I envision something that uses the same mechanism that is similar to the hidden spot for the flip-key on the fob in-case the FOB dies in order to start the car. Something similar, for the CHARGE DOOR using the FOBs flip out key, in-case you cannot get the CHARGE DOOR open. Similar to the door handle, there is a slot for a traditional lock in case the FOB doesn't work. Why not for the chargedoor?


Also the rear hatch needs a way if the struts fail, to lock in place. <-- STILL A DESIGN FLAW, DESPITE ANY "RECALL" Its so annoying to have a tailgate slowly hit you in the head over and over and over (previous experience with various domestic vehicles). Obviously, my solution of a 2/4 is great, but is it 44K "mid level luxury" great?

Clarify: I'M ALL UP TO DATE ON ALL MY RECALLS, SAME ISSUES PERSIST<=Caps-locks means SERIOUS BUSINESS

 

[voganni]

Doesn't really do much good to be able to charge your car if the 12v battery is dead, won't start charging without the 12v. You CAN however unlock the car with the switchkey, open the hood, and jump start the car at the posts provided. This scenario is part of why Volts 2013 and newer (some late 2012's too) keep the 12v charged when plugged in. Very nice feature. Volts 2014 and newer do have a manual charge door release.

 

[Steverino]

Struts were replaced during a recall with stronger struts.

 

[accelerus]

With my Gen2 dying on the side of the road about 2 months ago, I will say they need to put an emergency release on the hatch. 12V system took a dump and to get the car in a state to be towed, I had to crawl my big ass over the folded down seats and very uncomfortably attached a jumper pack the tow truck driver brought just to be able to get the car into neutral and then apply the parking brake. (seriously the 12V system has zero juice)

I know the door handles have a sort of built in emergency release (2 pull style), but the total lack of accessibility for the hatch and the gas cap are pretty big flubs IMO. Even my 08 Z06 had a manual hatch release cord hidden away if you needed to access the 12V battery in the trunk.

That was the 2nd major failure I've had in my 2017 so far... I love the car when its working, but the way GM handeled the entire thing has pretty much made me start looking at Tesla seriously for the next car. After the dust settled and I wanted answers from the Volt advisors... I was pretty much told "sorry, we can't put you in touch with anyone higher up for your questions". Well okay then. Still love the volt, and I hope their Bolt succeeds, but there's no getting around the absolute **** show that is support on the corporate leve. Randomly related, I eliminated my holdings of GM as well yesterday in the stock market.

 

[Steverino]

I had to crawl my big ass over the folded down seats and very uncomfortably attached a jumper pack the tow truck driver brought just to be able to get the car into neutral and then apply the parking brake. (seriously the 12V system has zero juice)

What was wrong with using the jumper posts under the front hood, too easy?

 

[BAZINGA]

What was wrong with using the jumper posts under the front hood, too easy?

+1 sometime we over think some of the simplest tasks. And to the op there is a recall on the Gen I hatch struts, please visit your dealer ASAP.

 

[Joe67]

I really hope this entire thread was created as satire LOL

 

[ClarksonCote]

I'd like to see either a recall for older models, or in the newer models (I haven't seen a 2nd gen in the flesh yet, forgive my ignorance) that has the ability to open without power manually both the gas filler cap and the charge door cap. I mean completely manual. For example, a manual override release using your keyfobs flip out real key. Scenario: Left for vacation, to return with a completely dead vehicle or slow drain, drains the entire system etc etc etc Could be hidden, in the upper console like the secret ability to start the car if the fob's lithium CMOS battery dies.

I have left my Volt unplugged for over 2 weeks while on vacation before, and did not come back to a dead 12V battery. If that happened there was some strange phantom draw on it, or your 12V battery is getting old and needs to be replaced.

The vehicle can start with a dead FOB battery by placing the FOB in the center console on the dash. It is described in the users manual.

Also, have the strut recall performed! Unless you are joking about that, as others suggest. There is a recall to address this!

 

[Loboc]

Seriously? These are not even remotely valid jabs against the Volt design. Everything mentioned in this thread is either just wrong or not using the tools provided.

- The gas cap release is needed because of the vacuum-bottle nature of the gas tank. Deal with it.
- The charge port release for 2014 and newer Volts IS manual. RTFM.
- The hatch struts do have a recall. Struts wear out on every car, not just Volt. Do some dang maintenance.
- Jump start attach points are under the hood (bonnet) not the hatch (trunk). RTFM.
- There is no 'secret' on how to start a dead Volt or unlock one with a dead fob. RTFM.
- Buying a Tesla is no solution. Their recall and service records are abysmal. The Tesla fob is more complex than Volt's.

Sounds like some people need a nice old pickup vintage 1960's. All modern cars have these 'recall issues', er, features.

 

[viking79]

Three things, basically a recap:
- Volt has a 12 V battery that lasts about 4 years.
- There is a 12 V jumper (for the Volt) under the Hood, which is mechanically accessible.
- There was a recall on the liftgate struts (which by the way works like any other liftgate I have had, if the struts fail it hits you in the head).

If you want to buy a car very prone to issues like what you dislike above, buy a Tesla. Start by researching the door handles on the Model S.

My only real complaint with the Volt is it does not do a good job monitoring the end of life status of the 12 V battery. Remember, fewer mechanical parts are actually more reliable, not less reliable. Well designed electronic systems will last much longer.

 

[driver779]

What maintenance do you do on your struts?
Never once did I do maintenance the hatch struts on my 2002 Ford Focus ZTW wagon. 190,000 miles.

Oh according to my Volt Advisor allegedly my car is up-to-date with all its shots

lolololololol you people get off topic fast. Did i mention buying a Tesla?

 

[Loboc]

Sock-puppet trolls get very little slack here.

I've had to replace struts on every car equipped with them when they hit 5-year-old mark.

 

[driver779]

What maintenance does one do on their rear hatch struts? Does the ELR use something different?

I'm aware of the Customer Satisfaction Program in-house "recall" for this, but you said there is regular maintenance, what, may I ask is it?

https://www.gmpartsonline.net/oem-parts/gm-lift-cylinder-2328282/?c=Zz1ib2R5JnM9bGlmdGdhdGUmaT1DVDExNTQwNSZyPTcmYT1jaGV2cm9sZXQmbz12b2x0Jnk9MjAxMiZ0PWJhc2UmZT0xLTRsLWw0LWVsZWN0cmljLWdhcw%3D%3D

its called a lift cylinder, ohhhhh laaa laaaa GM. ANyways I ordered 2 of em
25 dollars to fix the pair, easy enough fix for me. have a project for this weekend

guess to clarify, MY VOLT HAS BEEN THE BEST VEHICLE I EVER OWNED, I love it. That's why I SUGGESTED TO GM a SUGGESTION

 

[viking79]

The Tesla comment was directed at another user.

Seriously though, any car with a liftgate or hood supported by hydraulic struts, I have had to replace them at some point. However, they usually last 10 years. I would confirm that you have had the recall done for those. They fail in the cold and the liftgate drops on your head. The originals on the Volt are crap. Don't know about the replacements since they are basically new.

Your Focus ZTW puts much less strain on the liftgate struts, it has less angle to the gate, the Volt has the very sloped and fairly heavy hatch that requires more force to keep open.

 

[driver779]

cool, thanks for the clarification! btw GMpartsonline has been great with helping me on this issue, just a shout out there. I'm really like this vehicle. Its the best one I've ever owned. I will most likely try to get Sparkie millage out of it, then buy a used Gen II in 2021, assuming I'm not dead from exposure/hypothermia and/or consumption.

 

[ClarksonCote]

I've never had to replace any struts, but I've never had any hatchbacks before the Volt. Only replacement for me has been the recall.

Do other cars with hatch struts actually have a "fail safe" where they lock open? That seems horrible for driving down the road after your strut fails.

 

[voganni]

Never seen anything with struts that had any kind of "backup" device. Old Volvo wagons were notorious for dropping the door on your head.

You should read all the battery-longevity features built into the dc-dc converter in a Volt. They really did try to extend its life! I think the best thing they did though was add the float charge feature when plugged in. I got 10 years out of the AGM battery in my Harley and it lives a much harder life than a Volt battery. I leave it on a battery tender whenever the bike is parked for for anything longer than a few days.

 

[turboguy327]

*TO CLARIFY for those who don't READ* MY SUGGESTION FOR GM POST: Manual emergency release hatches for critical systems. The charge door needs this badly. I envision something that uses the same mechanism that is similar to the hidden spot for the flip-key on the fob in-case the FOB dies in order to start the car. Something similar, for the CHARGE DOOR using the FOBs flip out key, in-case you cannot get the CHARGE DOOR open. Similar to the door handle, there is a slot for a traditional lock in case the FOB doesn't work. Why not for the chargedoor?


Also the rear hatch needs a way if the struts fail, to lock in place. <-- STILL A DESIGN FLAW, DESPITE ANY "RECALL" Its so annoying to have a tailgate slowly hit you in the head over and over and over (previous experience with various domestic vehicles). Obviously, my solution of a 2/4 is great, but is it 44K "mid level luxury" great?

Clarify: I'M ALL UP TO DATE ON ALL MY RECALLS, SAME ISSUES PERSIST<=Caps-locks means SERIOUS BUSINESS

Any car made with lift struts. When the struts fail, the hatch falls. It's not a GM only thing.

 

[turboguy327]

Also, we need less hand holding and smarter people.

 

[turboguy327]

With my Gen2 dying on the side of the road about 2 months ago, I will say they need to put an emergency release on the hatch. 12V system took a dump and to get the car in a state to be towed, I had to crawl my big ass over the folded down seats and very uncomfortably attached a jumper pack the tow truck driver brought just to be able to get the car into neutral and then apply the parking brake. (seriously the 12V system has zero juice)

I know the door handles have a sort of built in emergency release (2 pull style), but the total lack of accessibility for the hatch and the gas cap are pretty big flubs IMO. Even my 08 Z06 had a manual hatch release cord hidden away if you needed to access the 12V battery in the trunk.

That was the 2nd major failure I've had in my 2017 so far... I love the car when its working, but the way GM handeled the entire thing has pretty much made me start looking at Tesla seriously for the next car. After the dust settled and I wanted answers from the Volt advisors... I was pretty much told "sorry, we can't put you in touch with anyone higher up for your questions". Well okay then. Still love the volt, and I hope their Bolt succeeds, but there's no getting around the absolute **** show that is support on the corporate leve. Randomly related, I eliminated my holdings of GM as well yesterday in the stock market.

Jump spot under the hood.... pretty basic.