Chevrolet Volt key fob problems

Filed Dec 13, 2023 · Electrical, Fuel system · WA

The car regularly reports it is healthy and functioning correctly. It is regularly serviced and there was no advance warning of this problem. While driving the car displayed a message to the driver, something such as "reduced propulsion" and the speed of the car was reduced while the internal combustion engine intermittently raced in an uncharacteristic manner. The amber Check Engine light was displayed. A review of error codes later found a communication fault developed with the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM). As soon as it was possible, we got the car to the side of the road and shut it off. We then attempted to start the car and it displayed a warning that no key fob was present (but there was a key fob in the car). A few minutes later the car started and we were able to drive it to a service center where error codes were captured. Afterwards, the car drove as normal, and later even the amber Check Engine light was extinguished. The service center explained this could be an intermittent problem where the car will suddenly throw the error message ("low propulsion") and the car will have to be pulled to the side of the road. It will be a few weeks before the service center can do any work on the car. Since the car may start and drive, but suddenly find its speed reduced to far below the speed limit, the car can no longer be safely operated.

Filed Dec 8, 2023 · Electrical · CA

The battery control module failed and it was replaced at the dealership. The low propulsion mode went into effect twice before it failed and I could not drive it in my driveway. The warning lamp was on but it was on for a while before the failure due to low battery on the key fob. Chevy is aware of the problem and there is a class action lawsuit just for the battery control module issue. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jun 7, 2021 · Electrical, Transmission · IN

When turning off the car, after shifting to park, I get a message indicating "Shift to Park". As it is already in Park, there is nothing that can be done. I have sometimes been able to get it to go away by continually starting, shifting to drive, shifting back to park and then trying to shut the car down again. Sometimes I just don't have time to do it and have to leave the car in this state and leave the car. I doubt it could be driven as I have the key fob, but it is on and when I get back, the car is powered up. I am not sure if there are safety implications to this as I don't know the cause of this problem. I have researched on line and this is not unique to my 2017 Volt.

Filed Feb 28, 2020 · Airbags, Electrical · 91,000 miles · VA

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.

Filed Dec 11, 2019 · Electrical, Steering · 37,000 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 chevrolet volt. On several occasions, after parking the vehicle, it took several attempts to turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to pearl motor company (3100 s clark st, mexico, mo 65265, (573) 567-4254) where it was determined that the key fobs needed to be replaced. The key fobs were replaced, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000. *bf consumer stated relay was finally replaced and problem solved.

Filed Oct 18, 2017 · Electrical · 400 miles · CA

I have only had the vehicle for three weeks, but already twice, the vehicle would not recognize the key fob and would not start, lock, or unlock. This happened twice, seemingly randomly, when the vehicle was stationary in a parking lot and turned off. A dealership reprogrammed the receiver in the vehicle yesterday, so we will see if the problem is fixed. But since I saw that I was not the only one who had had this problem, I thought it should be reported.

Filed Aug 22, 2017 · 5,000 miles · UT

At times, the vehicle will not recognize the key fob and will not start, lock, or unlock. This happens seemingly randomly when the vehicle is stationary and off. I can not reproduce the problem, but it happens about 2-3 times a month. It seems that if I get the fob away from the car for about 15 minutes and return, the vehicle then recognizes the key again.

Filed Jul 28, 2017 · 5,487 miles · FL

This afternoon my wife & daughter were out shopping here near tampa--outside temp 'only' 93* today with real feel 108. They returned to the car, unlocked but did not remote start, & placed their packages in the hatch before sitting in the car & closing the doors. My wife tried to start the car & got the message others have gotten about the key fob not being recognized. They tried again to start the car & got the message again & could read enough before it disappeared to put the key fob in the center console. Then the doors locked while the windows were up & they still couldn't start the car. I headed to their location, about 15 minutes away, prepared to break the window. I was about to tell them to call 911 when they said the car was finally able to start & they drove home without further incident.

Filed May 2, 2016 · 12,250 miles · OH

It all started on december 16th 2015, I had bought the car certified pre-owned with 12k miles on it. The car has been plagued with issues since day one.. The issues range from little electrical issues, to major safety concerns, all of which taking months to repair. The first issues were issues where the key fob could not be found, the car would not recognize the keys when you got in and at times you could not turn off the car. They replaced the keys over a dozen times, and replaced the central computer twice. Shortly after this the steering column failed, this happened three times, where I could not steer the car, or the worm gear randomly would miss teeth.. They replaced the column, worm gear, and rack each time. There are also issues with the charge port door not releasing, as well as a few times where the charge port shorted out my house, and charging unit requiring both the port and the charger itself to be replaced. Next was a broken exhaust manifold, where the car would leak exhaust into the car through the heat vents, they replaced the manifold, and full exhaust eventually due to random leaks in the exhaust.. Next was mpg, once the weather got cold I am unable to get better than 12mpg, which gm indicates is normal.. The epa sticker indicated 30mpg city, I am getting between 9 and 12, gm will not remedy this issue, indicating it is normal.. Next was the catalytic converter, which gm indicated due to the new exhaust that the old cat was broken in the process.. Next was airbags, the system in the car would not pickup the passenger in the car and would at random turn off the passenger air bag.. Apparently there is a software update to fix this issue. Next was the brakes, which started sticking, which they indicate since there is no code they can't fix them, I adjusted the cable myself and resolved the issue. I have all the records and will gladly send them to the federal safety agency

Filed Aug 17, 2012 · Electrical, Engine · 13,000 miles · NC

There is an apparent design flaw in the chevy volt related to an individual exiting the vehicle without powering down the systems which could result in co poisoning or death and possible fire hazards in the right situation. The volt uses a key fob system and push button start. Key fobs are already proving to be a safety issue. With the volt, the situation is exacerbated. Since the car is virtually silent, it is very easy for a person to forget to turn off the car, and when they exit, the lack of any engine noise will often not give them the cues necessary to realize their mistake. When the individual leaves the car powered on, the battery will drain. When the battery is sufficiently drained, an engine will turn on and charge the batteries. This is significant, because this will likely happen sometime after a person has parked their car. The result will be a garage filling with co fumes. The volt will continue to run the engine, in cycles, until there is no more gas in the tank. While there have already been deaths associated with non-electric vehicles equipped with key fobs and co poisoning as the result of the driver forgetting to turn the car, this is going to be much more common in electric hybrid vehicles. In an unscientific poll conducted on gm-volt.com, of 100 respondents, 30% admitted to forgetting to turn their vehicle off. One user on the site forgot to turn the vehicle off, and entered the garage sometime later to find it filled with fumes. There needs to be passive (horn signals upon exit) or active (well engineered auto shutoff) systems put in place to prevent a tragedy.