2012 CHEVROLET VOLT Complaints

GM SENT ME THE FOLLOWING LETTER DATED SEPT. 2016: "THIS LETTER IS INTENDED TO MAKE YOU AWARE THAT SOME 2012 MODEL YEAR CHEVROLET VOLT VEHICLES MAY HAVE A CONDITION WHERE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN BREAK AT THE STALK JUST BELOW THE HOUSING DUE TO THE DRIVER ENTERING OR EXITING THE VEHICLE WITH THEIR FOOT RESTING ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. IF THE PEDAL BREAKS, IT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE TO OPERATE THE ACCELERATOR ONCE THE STALK HAS BROKEN OFF. THE VEHICLE WOULD RETURN TO IDLE REGARDLESS OF TRANSMISSION GEAR POSITION. DO NOT TAKE YOUR VEHICLE TO YOUR CHEVROLET DEALER AS A RESULT OF THIS LETTER UNLESS YOU BELIEVE THAT YOUR VEHICLE HAS THE CONDITION DESCRIBED ABOVE...IF THIS CONDITION OCCURS ON YOUR 2012 VOLT WITHIN 10 YEARS OF THE DATE YOUR VEHICLE ORIGINALLY PLACED IN SERVICE OR 120K MILES, WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST, THE CONDITION WILL BE REPAIRED FOR YOU AT NO CHARGE." IN OTHER WORDS, GM WILL NOT RECALL THE VEHICLE AND REPAIR THE PEDAL IN ADVANCE. IF IT BREAKS, THEY'LL FIX IT, BUT THE CAR WILL BE INOPERABLE SO IT WILL HAVE TO BE TOWED TO A DEALER. THIS IS NOT ONLY DANGEROUS, IT COULD HAPPEN IN A REMOTE LOCATION. I SPOKE WITH A VOLT REPRESENTATIVE TODAY WHO CONFIRMED THAT GM WILL NOT RECALL THE CAR AND WILL ONLY MAKE THE REPAIR IF NEEDED, AND ONLY WITHIN 10 YEARS OR 120K MILES. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND GM SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO ISSUE A MANDATORY RECALL AND MAKE THE REPAIR QUICKLY AND FREE OF CHARGE. THE LETTER IS SIGNED BY TERRY INCH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GM GLOBAL CONNECTED CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. THE LETTER PROVIDED A CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER OF 1-800-222-1020.

THE DISPLAY THAT SHOWS GAS GAUGE, MPH, ETC. HAS GONE BLANK. IT IS A HAZARD. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THIS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BECAME INOPERABLE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE RESULTS WERE UNKNOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE.

I CHARGE MY 2012 CHEVY VOLT WITH THE 120V CHARGING UNIT SUPPLIED BY THE MANUFACTURER. I USE THE CHARGER IN A DEDICATED CIRCUIT OF 20 AMPS. HOWEVER I HAVE NOTICED THAT THERE MAY BE A DEFICIENCY IN THE GAUGE OF THE WIRE USED. THE WIRE FROM THE CHARGING UNIT TO THE CAR BECOMES QUITE WARM. HOWEVER, THE SHORT CORD FROM THE CHARGING UNIT TO THE WALL PLUG BECOMES DANGEROUSLY HOT. SO HOT THAT PART OF THE PLUG HAS MELTED AND LEFT BURN MARKS ON THE WALL SOCKET. EVEN THE WALL IS VERY WARM INDICATING THAT THE WIRING IN THE WALL IS HOT AS WELL. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT A POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD AT THIS POINT. WOULD YOU PLEASE INVESTIGATE? I HAVE ATTACHED A PHOTO OF THE CHARGING UNIT PLUGGED INTO THE WALL SHOWING THE SCORCH MARKS FROM OVERHEATING. DURING THIS TIME, THE CAR IS STATIONARY IN THE GARAGE.

THIS CAR RELIES ON REGENERATIVE BRAKING WHEN THE BRAKES ARE FIRST APPLIED. REGENERATIVE BRAKING IS ONLY APPLIED TO THE FRONT WHEELS. WHEN A WHEEL LOSES TRACTION, REGEN BRAKING SWITCHES OFF COMPLETELY AND IMMEDIATELY, AND FRICTION BRAKES TAKE OVER. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE IS A DELAY FROM REGEN BRAKING SWITCHING OFF TO THE FRICTION BRAKES ACTIVATING. THIS DELAY CAUSES THE CAR'S BRAKING DISTANCE TO INCREASE BY A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT, 5-10FT IN MY PERCEPTION. THIS USUALLY HAPPENS ON WET OR SNOWY ROADS. THE CAR SHOULD REALLY ATTEMPT TO KEEP THE PERCEIVED BRAKING FORCE CONSTANT BY APPLYING THE FRICTION BRAKES TO COMPENSATE FOR THE REGEN SWITCHING OFF AND THEN ACTIVATE THE FRICTION BRAKES AND ABS, AS NEEDED, TO LIMIT WHEEL LOCK. THIS WOULD MAKE THE EXPERIENCE A NORMAL ABS ACTIVATION EVENT, WHICH DRIVERS OF ANY MODERN CAR SHOULD BE USED TO.

AFTER SHIFTING INTO "D" DRIVE, ON A FLAT AREA, AND WHILE STANDING STILL, THEN PRESSING ON THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR WENT BACKWARDS AS IF IN R. REPEATEDLY SHIFTING BACK INTO P OR R AND THEN TO BACK INTO D, DID NOT CHANGE THE BEHAVIOR. KEPT GOING IN REVERSE AS IF IN "R". ONLY TURNING THE CAR ON AND OFF A FEW TIMES BROUGHT IT BACK TO NORMAL.

I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE FOR 4.5 YEARS. IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS THE ERROR MESSAGE "PROPULSION POWER REDUCED" HAS HAPPENED AND THE VEHICLE HAS GONE INTO LIP MODE. ALL THREE TIMES THE MESSAGE OCCURRED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, BATTERY DEPLETED, AND GAS ENGINE RUNNING. DRIVABILTY WAS AN ISSUE AS THE CAR WAS IN LIMP MODE AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. MY CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, TWICE. I WAS TOLD BY JAY TOWNSEND, DISTRICT MANAGER AFTERSALES CHEVROLET, THAT THIS IS NORMAL OPERATION AND HE POINTED TO A BULLETIN. HE SAID THERE IS NO FIX, BUT THAT GOING INTO LIMP MODE SPONTANEOUSLY WAS A " VEHICLE CHARACTERISTIC ". IT IS ILLOGICAL THAT AN ERROR MESSAGE POPPING UP IS NORMAL "VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS" AND THAT GOING INTO LIMP MODE IS NORMAL. THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM THAT GM SEEMS WILLING TO ACCEPT. OBVIOUSLY SOME PARAMETERS BEING BROKEN IS SETTING OFF THE WARNING MESSAGE, BUT GM DOESN'T WANT TO ADDRESS THIS. INSTEAD THEY ARE STATING IT IS NORMAL OPERATION. SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE HURT BECAUSE OF SUDDEN REDUCTION OF POWER AND GM'S DELIBERATE DENIAL TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I DON'T WANT THIS TO BE ME OR MY FAMILY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BECAME INOPERABLE WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF FUEL THAT WAS INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND THE SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,000.

THE VOLT WAS PURCHASED IN NOVEMBER OF 2012: IN / AROUND JUNE OF 2013 A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND IT WAS TAKEN INTO THE LOCAL DEALER (WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED) IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE A LEAKING COOLANT SYSTEM FOR THE PRIMARY ELECTRIC BATTERY (LITHIUM ION BATTERY). THEY COULD NOT FIND THE LEAK SO THEY REFILED THE SYSTEM AND INCLUDED A FLUORESCENT DYE AND RETURNED IT TO ME (THE AMOUNT OF COOLANT WAS ~7 LITERS). 12 MONTHS LATER (PLUS OR MINUS A FEW WEEKS) IN 2014, THE SAME LIGHT CAME ON, IT WAS AGAIN SERVICED (THEY CLAIMED TO HAVE FIXED THE LEAK) AND IT WAS RETURNED TO ME (~7 LITERS COOLANT). 12 MONTHS LATER (PLUS OR MINUS A FEW WEEKS) IN 2015 AGAIN THE LIGHT CAME ON, THIS TIME A SUBSTANTIAL PART OF THE COOLANT SYSTEM WAS REPLACED AROUND THE LITHIUM ION BATTERIES (CLAIMED TO HAVE FOUND A FEW LEAKY CONNECTIONS). THE VEHICLE WAS AGAIN RETURNED TO ME (~ALL KNEW COOLANT). 12 MONTHS LATER (PLUS OR MINUS A FEW WEEKS) IN NOW 2016 THE SAME LIGHT HAS COME ON YET AGAIN AND IT WILL BE RETURNED TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR YET AGAIN. LEADING TO THE WARNING LIGHT THE CAR'S FAN RUNS LONGER AND LONGER WHILE CHARGING (ITS TRYING TO COOL DURING CHARGING) AND THE AC STOPS WORKING / BLOWING COLD. THE LIGHT USUALLY COME ON SHORTLY AFTER STARTING. ATTEMPTS ARE CURRENTLY BEING MADE TO CONTACT A CHEVROLET VOLT / ELECTRIC CAR ADVISOR TO WORK WITH THE CHEVROLET ZONE MANAGER ON FIXING / REPAIR THIS VEHICLE. THIS IS NOT ONLY AN OBVIOUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT, WHICH THE DEALER CLEARLY CAN NOT REPAIR. BUT ALSO, A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN, IF THEY WARNING LIGHT FAILED AND THE BATTERY OF THIS CAR OVERHEATED IT WOULD LIKELY CAUSE AN INTENSE FIRE (ITS A LARGE LITHIUM ION BATTERY). FURTHERMORE, THEY COOLANT BEING RELEASED BY THIS VEHICLE IS A SUBSTANCE MONITORED BY THE EPA. THIS IS AGAIN A GENUINE MANUFACTURING SAFETY DEFECT AND NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED OR THE VEHICLE DECLARED A LEMON.

I WAS TRAVELING ON A STRAIGHT CITY STREET WHEN I WAS STRUCK BY A VEHICLE COMING OFF A SIDE STREET THAT HAD LOST CONTROL OF THEIR CAR. I WAS HIT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. I WAS GOING ABOUT 25 MPH. I HIT MY HEAD ON THE DOOR FRAME ABOVE THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW. THE SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. I WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE I HAD A CT SCAN OF MY HEAD AND NECK PERFORMED. I HAD A SLIGHT CONCUSSION (MEMORY LOSS). HAD HEAD AND NECK PAIN AFTER THE ACCIDENT. MY CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS.