2013 CHEVROLET VOLT Complaints

MY VOLT WAS PURCHASED NEW WITH THE GOODYEAR ASSURANCE FUEL MAX TIRES. AT ONLY 17,000 MILES, I EXPERIENCED A BLOW-OUT AND COMPLETE FLATTENING OF A REAR TIRE WHILE GENTLY SLOWING TO ONLY 25 MPH IN A STRAIGHT LINE ON A LOCAL SUBURBAN STREET . THERE WAS NO DEBRIS IN THE ROAD. THE BLOW-OUT LEFT THE TIRE WITH A HOLE THE SIZE OF A PENCIL. CONSEQUENTLY, IT WAS NOT REPARABLE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE. THIS TIRE WAS DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER BUT OF COURSE, WAS NOT. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THESE TIRES.

WHILE ENTERING IN THE HIGHWAY THE CAR STARTED TO DECELERATE REGARDLESS THE FACT THE GAS PEDAL WAS PUSHED SEVERAL TIMES. THE CAR DECELERATED AND THEN STALLED. THE CAR HAS BEEN REAR ENDED BY THE CAR BEHIND. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH MORE SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND IT WAS A VEHICLE FAILURE.

MY VOLT REAR TAIL LIGHT IS FULL OF WATER. DEALER TOLD ME NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THIS CAR HAS NEVER BEEN HIT, BUMPED, OR EVEN BEEN INTO A CAR WASH. FEEL THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND I CANNOT GET ANYONE TO LISTEN TO ME. I SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE ON LINE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET VOLT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HORN WOULD ACTIVATE INDEPENDENTLY WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE STARTED OCCURRING AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V145000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000.

A WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE DASH, WHICH SAID "PROPULSION POWER IS REDUCED," FOLLOWED BY, "ENGINE NOT AVAILABLE. SERVICE SOON," AS WELL AS A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. I PRESSED THE ONSTAR BUTTON TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG BUT THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THE ERROR MESSAGE AND COULD NOT ESTABLISH COMMUNICATION WITH THE VEHICLE TO PERFORM DIAGNOSTICS. WHILE ON HOLD WITH ONSTAR, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SPONTANEOUSLY DECELERATE VERY RAPIDLY DESPITE MY ATTEMPTS TO ACCELERATE, IN THE MIDDLE OF FAST HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. I MADE IT OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY, LIMPING ALONG AT 3-10 MPH, WITH THE HELP OF A GOOD SAMARITAN WHO BLOCKED TRAFFIC FOR ME. THIS IS A SPONTANEOUS OCCURRENCE, WITH NO MAINTENANCE NEGLIGENCE TO EXPLAIN THE EVENT. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A DEALER, WHICH HAS YET TO DETERMINE THE SOURCE OF THE ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (INCLUDING MOTOR) SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED. IN THE FIRST INSTANCE I WAS DRIVING AT 5 MPH OR LESS IN A PARKING LOT. IN THE SECOND INCIDENT I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH. INVESTIGATED BY DEALER ON 3/27/15. THEY REPORTED A NOTICE FROM CHEVROLET ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITHOUT RESOLUTION. THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM NOR PROVIDE ANY FIX.

AFTER DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES AT 55 MPH I NOTICED THE STEERING WHEEL SEEMED TO BE STUCK IN THE CENTER POSITION. WITH A SLIGHT FORCE IT SEEMED TO COME OFF OF A NOTCH AND RESUME NORMAL FEEL UNTIL ONCE AGAIN I TRAVELED FOR SOME TIME IN A STRAIGHT LINE. SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANT I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE STEERING RACK AND PINION BUT I AM ENTERING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT CONFIRM THAT THE PARTS THEY USED TO FIX THE PROBLEM WHERE ANY DIFFERENT THAT THE ORIGINAL PARTS THAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM AFTER 19000 MILES OF DRIVING. NOR WOULD THEY TELL ME THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE MANY CHEVY VOLTS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. MY CONCERN IS THAT IT MAY HAPPEN AGAIN AFTER 19K MILES AND PERHAPS IN A MORE SERIOUS FASHION. *TR

THE INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 8/27/14, AND RESULTED IN MY WIFE ME TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AND TREATED FOR CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT OUR HOME. THE VOLT WAS PARKED IN THE ENCLOSED GARAGE ON 8/26 AROUND 7PM. THE 240 VOLT CHARGER WAS PLUGGED IN AS USUAL. I DID NOT NOTICE ANYTHING UNUSUAL AFTER PLUGGING IN THE CHARGER, AND THE VOLT WAS LEFT UNATTENDED UNTIL THE EMS ARRIVED AROUND 11AM THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE EMS PERSONNEL FOUND THE ENGINE RUNNING, VERY HIGH LEVELS OF CO UPON ENTERING THE GARAGE AND EVEN HIGHER LEVELS INSIDE THE CAR. THE INSIDE OF THE PASSAGE COMPARTMENT WAS DESCRIBED AS HOT. THE FRONT EXTERIOR OF THE CAR WAS TO HOT TO TOUCH AND THE CAR REAR WARM. THE TEMPERATURE UNDER THE CAR HOOD WAS DESCRIBED AS "RED HOT". THE ENGINE HAD CONSUMED AROUND 5 GALLONS OF GAS DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. DISTRIBUTION OF THE CO THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE WAS PROBABLY CAUSED BY THE A/C AIR HANDLER WHICH IS LOCATED INSIDE THE GARAGE. DATA DUMPS REVEALED POWER AND STARTING BATTERIES WERE EXHAUSTED, AND NO FAULT FLAGS DROPPED. I BELIEVE THE INCIDENT HAS REVEALED: -THE TEMPERATURE LEVELS REACHED UNDER THE HOOD PROBABLY EXCEEDED THE SAFE OPERATING LEVELS OF THE DIGITAL SYSTEMS SOLID STATE JUNCTIONS RENDERING ANY DATA COLLECTED (OR NOT COLLECTED) AS UNRELIABLE. -THE LITHIUM ION AND STARTING BATTERIES WERE TOTALLY W/O CHARGE. HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN WHEN THE SOLE FUNCTION OF THE GAS ENGINE ( WHICH WAS RUNNING WHEN DISCOVERED BY THE FIREMEN ) IS TO CHARGE THESE BATTERIES UNLESS A FAILURE OCCURRED. NOTE: ALL PERSONAL INFO STORED IN THE CAR ENTERTAINMENT HARD DRIVE SYSTEM WAS LOST. -HOW CAN THE CAR OUTSIDE SURFACE GET THAT HOT? ONE POSSIBILITY IS THE BODY IS TEMPORARILY USED AS A RETURN GROUND PASSING VERY HIGH LEVELS OF CURRENT BECAUSE OF A FAILURE. *TR

I RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE ON THE CAR DASH DISPLAY: PROPULSION REDUCED-ENGINE NOT AVAILABLE. THIS MESSAGE CAME ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN THE CARPOOL LANE. I CALLED GM THRU ON STAR AND WAS TOLD THAT I HAD A CATASTROPHIC ERROR AND NEEDED TO GET MY CAR INTO REPAIR WITH 24 HOURS. WITH ONLY 6 MILES LEFT ON THE BATTERY, I TOLD THE GM REP THAT I BETTER GET THE CAR TO A CHEVY DEALER. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE TO THE DEALERSHIP IN CULVER CITY. THE MINUTE I PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY OF THE DEALERSHIP, MY CAR STOPPED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER IF THE CAR HAD STOPPED IN THE CARPOOL LANE. I HAVE READ OF OTHER COMPLAINTS ON GOOGLE AND YAHOO. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THEY WERE GOING TO REPLACE THE ENGINE MODULE, WHICH THEY SAID WOULD TAKE 8 HOURS TO REPAIR, BUT WHEN I PICKED UP THE CAR, THEY ONLY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION MODULE. SINCE THE INCIDENT, I ONLY GET A FULL CHARGE OF 32 TO 34 MILES, WHERE BEFORE THE INCIDENT I WAS GETTING A FULL CHARGE OF 42 TO 44 MILES PER CHARGE. THIS IS DEFINITE SAFETY ISSUE AS GM BLAMES THE DRIVER FOR THE PROBLEM. GM NEEDS TO REPLACE THE ENGINE MODULE ON MY CAR. *TR

WAS ENTERING HIGHWAY IN THE DARK AND WENT TO PUT THE CAR INTO "HOLD" MODE TO RUN THE GAS ENGINE AND SAVE BATTERY CHARGE. THIS REQUIRES PUSHING A BUTTON 3 TIMES. I REACHED OVER AND PUSHED THE BUTTON. ACCIDENTLY WAS PUSHING THE "POWER" BUTTON WHICH IS RIGHT BELOW THE "MODE" BUTTON SHUTTING DOWN THE CAR. THE ENTIRE CAR SHUTS OFF, NO LIGHTS, POWERTRAIN, PS, PB JUST DEAD. THIS IS EASY TO DO IF YOU ARE WATCHING THE ROAD AND JUST GLANCE DOWN TO THE BUTTONS. THEY ARE PLACED TOO CLOSE TOGETHER AND THIS IS GOING TO BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM IF IN TRAFFIC OR ON WINDING ROADS. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THIS ON THE VOLT FORUM! *TR