2013 CHEVROLET VOLT Complaints

PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT CAME ON AND TURNS ON AND OFF RANDOMLY WHETHER OR NOT PASSENGER IS OCCUPYING THE PASSENGER SEAT. UNSAFE IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT AS AIRBAGS WON'T DEPLOY.

I'VE BROUGHT MY 2013 CHEVY VOLT TO THE DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES BECAUSE IT DIES SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING. IT HAS PUT MY FAMILY IN DANGER MULTIPLE TIMES. ONE OF THE "FIXES" WAS A SOFTWARE UPDATE THAT ENDED UP AS A RECALL BECAUSE IT CAUSES THE ENGINE TO DIE SUDDENLY (IT'S RECALL #N172130460, WHICH CAME OUT TWO DAYS BEFORE MY LATEST INCIDENT, BUT I DIDN'T RECEIVE THE RECALL NOTICE IN THE MAIL UNTIL 7/28/18...6 WEEKS AFTER MY LAST INCIDENT). THE MOST RECENT TIME THE CAR DIED (6/16/18), I WAS ON A MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY AND I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO NOT GET HIT AS I PULLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE. THERE WAS NO SIGNAGE THERE EXCEPT FOR THE "CAUTION BEAR XING" SIGN. AFTER TOWING MY CAR TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP (IN CARSON CITY, NV, AN 8 HOUR ORDEAL), I HAD EXPENSES FOR LODGING AND TRANSPORTATION (INCLUDING LYFT TO SOUTH LAKE TAHOE TO RENT A CAR BECAUSE NO RENTAL CAR OFFICES OPEN ON SUNDAY IN CARSON CITY, THEN FLYING TO RENO AND TAKING A LYFT TO CARSON CITY TO PICK UP THE CAR BECAUSE CHEVY REFUSED TO SHIP THE CAR TO ME EVEN THOUGH I SAID THAT I WAS AFRAID AND DIDN'T TRUST THE CAR IN THE MOUNTAINS). CHEVY CUSTOMER SERVICE AND CONCIERGE SERVICES REFUSED TO REIMBURSE ME BECAUSE I HAD THE CAR TOWED MYSELF INSTEAD OF CALLING THEIR "CONCIERGE SERVICE" TO TOW IT BECAUSE THAT'S "POLICY." HOW ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THEIR CUSTOMERS SO THAT THEY MAY LIVE TO DRIVE ANOTHER DAY? I'M NOT ASKING FOR ANYTHING MORE THAN THE EXPENSES INCURRED FROM THE LAST ADVENTURE: $1040.72, WHICH I CAN ITEMIZE. OTHER TIMES THAT MY CAR HAS DIED INCLUDE: WHILE MAKING A U-TURN IN A BUSY INTERSECTION (IN 2016), IT DIED AND STARTED BACK UP AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED 20 MINUTES LATER AND A SEPARATE TIME WAS WHEN THE CAR WOULDN'T START AT ALL BUT THEN STARTED UP AGAIN TWO HOURS LATER AS IF THERE WAS NEVER AN ISSUE.EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENED, I HAD A "POWER PROPULSION REDUCED" WARNING ON MY DASHBOARD. I SEE ONLINE THAT MANY HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE.

MY 2013 CHEV VOLT SERVICE AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON FREQUENTLY. THE DEALERSHIP QUOTED ME OVER $800 TO FIX IT. I HAVE READ ONLINE OTHERS HAVE THIS PROBLEM. I WANT MY CAR TO BE SAFE. THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL.

I WOULD LIKE TO FILE A COMPLAIN REGARDING A "SERVICE AIR BAG" LIGHT PRESENT IN MY CAR. THE LIGHT TURNS ON SUDDENLY REGARDLESS A PASSENGER IS PRESENT OR NOT. IT HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR IS IN MOTION OR PARKED. I TOOK THE CAR TO BE INSPECTED AND THE CODES GIVEN WERE: B0081 AND B0074 (PASSENGER PRESENCE MALFUNCTION) THE TECHNICIAN EXPLAINED TO ME THAT IF THE PART WAS NOT CHANGED THE PASSENGER AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. MY CAR HAS NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT; IT HAS NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO ANY LIQUIDS THAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE. THE ESTIMATE PROVIDED AND REPAIRS WERE $980 (PART ONLY: $500) PLUS TAX. SO FAR, I WAS VERY SATISFIED WITH THE QUALITY OF THIS CAR BUT IT IS VERY DISAPPOINTING THAT SOMETHING THAT IS NOT NEGLIGENCE OF THE DRIVER IS NOT COVERED IN THE MANUFACTURING WARRANTY. UPON STUMBLING WITH THIS ISSUE I REALIZED THAT IT IS A COMMON MALFUNCTION OF THIS CAR FROM OTHER OWNERS AS WELL. I WOULD KINDLY ASK YOU TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THIS ISSUE AND INVESTIGATE IT SO THAT THE COMPANY CAN ISSUE A RECALL AND CUSTOMERS NO LONGER HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN A VOLUNTARY REPAIR OR NOT HAVING A PASSENGER AIRBAG IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT IN SUCH MODERN CAR.

MY SENSOR ON THE PASSENGER SEAT IS FAULTY MY AIRBAG SERVICE LIGHT KEEPS ON TURNING ON AND OFF CONSISTENTLY. NEVER HAD AN ACCIDENT OR SPILLS ON THE SEAT.

THERE IS A CAPACITIVE FIELD DETECTOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT ALSO CALLED A PASSENGER POSITION SENSOR. INSTEAD OF A SIMPLE BUCKLE DETECTOR THIS PART HAS FAILED IN MY CAR AT 76,000 MILES AND THE AFFECT IS THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS DISABLED. THE PART IS APPARENTLY AROUND 800$ AS THE ENTIRE SEAT ASSEMBLY MUST BE REPLACED. THE INDICATOR ON THE DASH SIMPLY SAYS TO SERVICE THE AIRBAGS. IT MAY BE ANECDOTAL DUE TO THE INTERMITTENT NATURE OF THE FAILURE BUT IT SEEMED TO CLEAR WHEN I ACCELERATED AND FAIL UPON BREAKING, SLOWING DOWN OR GOING DOWN HILL. THIS SEEMS LIKE THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHEN YOU'D WANT YOUR AIRBAGS TO BECOME DISABLED.

GAS GENERATOR FAILED TO START WHEN BATTERY WAS DEPLETED WHILE ON CITY STREET SLOWING TO A STOP AT AN INTERSECTION. WARNING MESSAGE ABOUT REDUCED PROPULSION AND YELLOW ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND TURNED VEHICLE OFF. TRIED TURNING BACK ON, RECEIVED WAITING TO INITIALIZE MESSAGE, BUT POWER TO ENGINE WAS NEVER RESTORED. TOWED CAR TO DEALERSHIP.

THE VEHICLE WOULD ISSUE A WARNING DING WITH A DASHBOARD INDICATOR SAYING, "SERVICE AIRBAG." THE DASHBOARD AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT WOULD THEN ILLUMINATE. THE WARNING WOULD REMAIN ON FOR SEVERAL MINUTES, THEN THE WARNING LIGHT WOULD EXTINGUISH. INITIALLY THE WARNING LIGHT WOULD ONLY ILLUMINATE WHEN A PASSENGER WAS RIDING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, AND EVEN THEN WOULD ONLY HAPPEN INFREQUENTLY. OVER A SIX MONTH PERIOD OF TIME THE AIRBAG WARNING WOULD OCCUR MORE FREQUENTLY, AND EVENTUALLY WOULD ILLUMINATE EVEN WHEN A PASSENGER WAS NOT IN THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP BLAMED THE CONDITION ON EITHER 1) THE SEAT GETTING WET AND DAMAGING THE SENSOR (WHICH HAS NEVER HAPPENED), OR 2) THE REPEATED ACT OF PLACING MY 10-20LB LAPTOP BACKPACK ON THE PASSENGER SEAT (WOULDN'T A 200 LB PASSENGERS BE MORE LIKELY TO DAMAGE A SENSOR THAN A 20LB BACKPACK?).

PASSENGER PRESSENCE MODULE SENSOR GETS DETORIATED WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT MOVES BACK AND FORTH. BASICALLY RUINING THE TOO SHORT WIRING CONNECTING TO THE SENSORS. THIS MAKES THE AIRBAG NONDEPLOYABLE. THE COMPUTER THINKS NO ONE IS SITTING THERE, ESSENTIALLY. THIS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AND GOES ON AND OFF, BUT HAS STAYED ON CONSISTENTLY.

THE SERVICE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON, AND THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THAT IT IS THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT 'PASSENGER PRESENCE MODULE' THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, AT A COST OF OVER $800. THE CAR IS A 2013 WITH 79K MILES, SO IS OUT OF WARRANTY, BUT I JUST FIND IT REALLY DISAPPOINTING THAT THIS KIND OF MANUFACTURER ISSUE IS NOT COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER THROUGH A RECALL OR FACTORY WARRANTY. THIS ISN'T AN ISSUE OF ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, AND THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT, SO IT JUST DOES NOT SEEM LIKE SOMETHING I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY $800 FOR.