The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that after entering and starting the vehicle, she became aware that the center console screen was showing a blank screen. The contact restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. After waiting for a few minutes, the contact drove the vehicle to her son’s home to charge the vehicle and the display screen started working. The contact was concerned that the failure would recur. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 87,000.
2012 Chevrolet Volt electrical complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 86, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The display screen which shows my gas, battery amount as well as my speed has stopped working. I have changed the fuses, disconnected the battery and it still will not come on. This is dangerous, as I cannot see how fast I am going and can potentially run out of gas and battery power on the highway with no way to get anywhere. This is the only thing that has gone out, everything else in the car is working. It has been reproduced and I cannot drive anywhere safely because of this. I am in fear of what may happen, as well as the legal ramifications of not knowing my speed. No warning, just flickering of the screen and then it went blank and has not come back on.
The vehicle has illuminated the check engine light with a warning that the battery is too cold. This occurred while in motion on a highway under normal conditions in summer temperatures. An internet search has indicated that a temperature sensor may be to blame, and that the electrical system may try to heat the battery to an unsafe level.
Temperature sensors responsible for monitoring the battery pack fail unexpectedly. Sometimes displaying a "battery too cold plug into warm" message or a check engine light. Personally, this is the second time I've had a sensor fail. The entire module containing the failed sensor must be replaced. The battery is made up of three different sections called modules. When a sensor fails, the car will simply refuse to start despite being within a normal operating temperature range. I've had the message display when in motion. This time however, the message was accompanied by a check engine light, and a burning odor that resembles burning plastic while the engine is running. I have yet to experience reduced propulsion of any kind while driving.
Purchased car 5-31-12-received gm's '19 recall to reprogram hpcm to eliminate ppr some vehicles had. Prior to service no issues. Coolants replaced same time. Service done 11-19-19 by ourisman rockmont @ 141,301~85% EV, with negative impact. Range now to 28~32 miles/chg, 8.1-8.3 kwh consumed, prior 36-38 miles/chg 9.7-9.9 kwh@60-75f. Eng now runs randomly @ temps btw 40-65f. Called gm,complained assigned case#9-56696768626&taylor@866-790-5600x5916129. Multi msgs b4 call returned. Advice-return to dealer, did on 12-5-19 told car functioning correctly. Called gm voiced discontent w/car since recall service. Told gm relies on dealer techs to determine if car is functioning correctly. Per advisor's rec, took 3rd trip to dealer. Dealer rep stated car was working correctly, said he had complaints from others after recall work, engine running due to low temp, batteries & range deteriorate over time. Requested car be returned pre-recall state, told not an option. Expected battery deterioration from start, didn't expect gm/dealer to break car, causing 2 happen in 1 day. Previously eng ran at 24f w/screen showing running due to temp. No screen now. Car speed drops when engine engages, safety issue on busy roads. Wrote gm 5/20 & dealer 11/2020,no reply. Car driven <6k mi in '20 due to these issues. Don't trust gm/dealer to fix car. Gm sends me to dealer says car performing correctly. Car no longer chrgs, indicates chg system service required. After 2 trips to gm dealer, still not working, told battery may need replacing. If so damage done by gm dealer & gm hpcm2 update. Told in '19 by ourisman rep update fixed battery cell rebalancing issue. Since hpcm2 reprogramming my cars performance fundamentally changed & safety issue when engine engages. Gm should recall vehicles, fix them making owners whole since it is their software & dealer service technicians who created safety issue.
The dashboard instrument panel goes blank in cold weather. Not able to see speed or any other information.
The driver's info screen (speed, odometer, remaining fuel, warning lights, turn signals, safety messages, etc.) went blank while I was driving. It intermittently comes back on, but goes blank again.
Passenger side airbag sensor in seat failing on and off for a couple months, steadily getting worse and light/warning coming on more often until it's continuously failing. Seat did not get wet or damaged.
While driving sudden loss of power having to basically depress gas pedal to maintain speed while simultaneously receiving "reduced propulsion error". Dealer cleared error and did a reprogram. After picking up vehicle range was reduced approximately 1/3rd but car ran. Shame on me for not being more forceful about range reduction because this battery was defective. This summer june 2020 complained about reduced range and dealer did more programing. Now in october 2020 reduced propulsion error came back and hybrid battery is bad. Warranty ran out in may 2020 and gm refusing to acknowledge 2018 date of defective battery.
Tl* the contact's daughter's boyfriend owns a 2012 chevrolet volt. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle abruptly independently slowed down with an unknown message on the instrument panel. The contact's wife continued driving the vehicle at a slow speed. Upon reaching her destination, the contact attempted to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to start. Due to the failure, the contact's wife had the vehicle towed to her residence. The contact stated that the electrical vehicle was unable to be recharged, and remained inoperable. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure however, offered no further assistance. A dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 149,627.
The issue is caused by a previous software update to the vehicle interface control module (vicm) which was installed to improve the car, but which may have disabled the cell balancing function, causing the volt to enter a low-voltage condition. This puts the affected volts into a situation where it would enter what is called a low-power "limp-home" mode, before shutting down completely cause the volt to shut down in traffic. Dealer states that needs to replace battery which it cost about 6000. Chevrolet is not responding for the defective problem that caused the recall. Low-voltage battery cell issue or propulsion reduce
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet volt. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the reduced propulsion error message was displayed on the instrument panel. The engine revved up and the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was towed to beaty chevrolet (9615 parkside dr, knoxville, tn 37922) where he was informed that the voltage on the battery was low and needed to be replaced. The contact spoke to serra chevrolet cadillac buick gmc kia (189 stonebridge blvd, jackson, tn 38305) where the dealer discussed trading in the vehicle, but offered no assistance for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 162,000.
Driver screen goes completely blank, leaving the driver with no idea how many miles until empty, no speedometer, no warning lights, or any other information.
While the vehicle is parked and the key fob is carried inside the owners pants pocket, the owner's keys will inadvertently press against the unlock button on the fob for an extended period of time (5 secs ?). The remote will in turn signal the volt to power all four windows in the car to the "express window down" feature. During this time frame the owner of the car is unaware of the windows in the lowered position and if rain enters the interior of the car the interior & seats become saturated. This in turn may cause the passenger airbag occupancy sensor to malfunction and display the "service airbag" warning light on the driver instrumentation screen. There are reports from gm service departments telling customers the airbag occupancy sensor is defective because the owner got the seat wet and offer very little assistance. The express window down feature can not be switched off from any menu settings of the car. This is a clear recall that can adversely effect the driver / passenger airbag safely deploying.
Breaks failed while driving 25-30 MPH on windy mountain road . There was no warning , car started to accelerate downhill gradually . After about 0.3 miles I was able to finally push emergency breaks (it's a button and didn't work at first ) get to more flat road and stoped the car by driving on gravel and dry brush . Vehicle completely lost its power about 2-3 minutes later . Emergency lights didn't work . Chp assisted us as car was abandoned in the middle of mountain road , blocking the whole line . Gm has not offered any explanation yet .
Volt loses power when switching from electric to gas motor. Has no occurred two times, both resulting in a tow bill. Te volt depletes the onboard battery charge and is then supposed to switch ove to the niternal combustion engine. Instead, at the time of transition the vehicle loses all propulsion power, power steering, etc. The car comes to a complete stop and will not move. This has happened on a multiple-lane freeway and is very dangerous trying to maneuver a vehicle that has no power to drivetrain or steering.
Airbag light coming on intermittently took car to chevrolet dealer and was told it was a bad sensor in the passenger seat and the cost would be 900 dollars for part and labor.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet volt. While the contact's daughter was driving 35 MPH, the instrument cluster went black and became inoperable. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and dealer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 140,000. The VIN was unknown.
The check airbag sensor comes on sporadically, and the car does not seem to recognize when someone is in the passenger seat. The estimated cost of the sensor repair is ~$900 even though the warning is not consistent. This happens while driving. As far as I can tell, there is no known cause.
The car will shut itself off with very little time to get to the side of the road if that is even a possibility. When switching from battery power to the gas motor. Randomly. The car will die at any speed. First message is low propulsion power. Next message engine not available, service soon. Less than 4 minutes from 1st message to total shut down. Least amount of time between messages and shut down is 15 seconds. Car will decelerate (on highway where vehicles behind have no warning... No brake lights that car is rapidly losing speed). Never know when it will happen. Usually car will restart and run terrible.. After 20 minutes or so. After restart car runs bad low power. Check engine light is on. After 10 more minutes of driving. It straightens out. Usually. Dealership unable to find problem. Assorted codes in computer. Very dangerous when driving. Especially when it happens and it is 15 seconds to complete shut down. I have opened a case with chevrolet. No response as of yet. They were supposed to call within 2 days. I will upload an attempt at restart as it is the only one I have where I was safely in a parking lot when it happened. Usually I am not. And many roads in my area do not have a shoulder.
Driver's information screen failure. Upon starting, screen would not illuminate. Cannot see speed traveling, fuel available, turn signals, hazard lights, etc. Unsafe and seemingly common problem that we are now experiencing ourselves.
I was driving in 50 MPH traffic it lost all propulsion. The problem I have sounds exactly like the problem gm has issued a recall for with 2013-2015 volts. I believe gm did or should have anticipated the problem and did nothing. Gm program n172130462 has owners of 2013-2015 volts bringing their cars in to dealerships for a software update. Gm has recognized that these cars "may have a condition where it could gradually lose the ability to maintain voltage. If battery concerns are not addressed, over time the vehicle could enter a reduced propulsion mode while driving, or lose propulsion, or it may not start." I brought my volt in to the dealership on january 31, 2019, because it was not consistently holding the charge that it normally did and the car would often start in "low propulsion mode" when starting it after turning it off with the battery low or depleted. Despite being under warranty the dealership, bob steele chevrolet in cocoa, fl, claimed the could not figure out what was causing the problem, refused to try further, and sent me on my way with a bill for their failed efforts. On july 19, 2019, I was driving in on my way to work in my 2012 volt with 101,400 miles. The car switched from battery to gas as it had many times before. About one mile later it switched back to battery, gave a message that it was going into "low propulsion mode", and stopped providing any propulsion. This occurred while I was on us1 and it was dangerous for me to rapidly change lanes while losing speed to get off the road. I got to a parking lot without enough speed to get up the mild incline at the entrance and was stuck blocking the entrance while I awaited a tow truck. This loss of propulsion could have happened at any speed and things would have been worse had I been on the interstate.
The instrumentation panel has went blank. Started blinking when driving, went fully blank by the time I reached home. No way to see the seep or remaining fuel. Contacted dealership the wants to replace the panel but the part to fix this is unavailable. I have been waiting for it for 4 months now,
Volt loses power when switching from battery to gas. Has now occurred four times. Each time volt is traveling on highway 65+MPH. Volt depletes battery charge and immediately upon transition to gas will lose all power. Cannot accelerate. Steering wheel loses power steering. Volt will decelerate until 0 MPH. Very dangerous. In each instance driver is forced to get to shoulder or off freeway in volt which is rapidly losing speed. Occurred on highway without shoulder last time. Almost caused a serious accident.
The information display has gone black. The information display shows speed, mileage, fuel level, turn blinker status, and other critical information. The screen brightness adjustment does not affect the display and is not the problem. The issue continues whether the vehicle is in motion or stationary, on city streets or highway, turning, or braking. I do not know the root cause of the issue but it appears to involve onboard computer components. The vehicle has not been in an accident nor damaged in any way.
Passenger side air bag / seat sensor malfunctioned shortly after purchasing the vehicle. Seen many other complainants exactly the same issue. Got in a car accident and my passenger was almost killed as the air bag did not deploy. The manufactures really needs to recall and fix these seat sensors. This has been going on way to long. Also the conditioning unit failed due to faulty manufacturing.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet volt. While driving 35 MPH, the tachometer gauges became inoperable. The contact was unable to determine the speed, fuel level, temperature, or other functions with the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure persisted for approximately three days. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000. The VIN was not available. *bf update: neither dealer nor manufacturer have found part to repair vehicle.
2012 chevy volt airbag passenger side. Light car has been tampered with by the dealerships. Have been dealing with this since I bought the car. Refusal to fix. Issue allows for third party access to my vehicle. Using sub language menus. For spanish and french. This is a major problem and no one is doing anything about it. This calls for a major investigation into chevy dealerships, fraud. My car had this right after my first in warranty service at roseville chevy dealership. Please help. My vehicle is being illiegaly monitored . And exstorted for money to fix a problem that is related to tailight switching bulbs and antilockout issues with the car.
Vehicle dies suddenly while moving, although under full electric charge. Could not restart. Chevy said was software problem and made fix dec 2018. Just happened again yesterday 2/17. Others reported on volt blog site. Said wait 5-10 minutes and then restart, which I did and that worked. Concern that loss of power is sudden and without warning. Died in middle of intersection this time but fortunately no cross traffic. This is serious problem -- apparently others have had same issue. Reporting to local chevy dealer at this time.
The main display on the dashboard is blank. I cannot see my speed or remaining charge or gas.
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