2012 CHEVROLET VOLT Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THERE WAS A PASSENGER SEATED IN THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SEAT, THE SERVICE AIR BAGS AND PASSENGER AIR BAGS OFF WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. COLONIAL WEST CHEVROLET OF FITCHBURG LOCATED AT (314 JOHN FITCH HWY, FITCHBURG, MA 01420) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SUBJECTED TO A RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

SERVICE AIRBAGS WARNING LIGHT ON DASHBOARD WITH NO CAUSE. SEAT AND INTERIOR HAS NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO WATER. MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE EXPRESSED THIS PROBLEM. NO CODES INDICATE ANYTHING TO ISOLATE WHAT PART OF THE SYSTEM IS AFFECTED.

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.

THE SERVICE AIRBAG SENSOR KEEPS COMING ON. WE ARE WORRIED THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT WORK CORRECTLY IF NEEDED.

INTERMITTENT PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATION. THE WARNING LIGHT COMES ON WHEN VERY LIGHT ITEMS ARE PLACED ON THE SEAT AND WHEN A PASSENGER IS PRESENT.

AN AIR BAG ERROR MESSAGE APPEARS ON THE DASH. WE DISCOVERED IF A PERSON SITS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT THE ERROR CLEARS. WE JUST BOUGHT THE CAR, AND THE DEALER STATES THAT THIS SAFETY FEATURE WOULD FALL ON US TO REPAIR. WHEN WE TEST DROVE THE CAR THERE AS SOMEONE IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT SO WE WERE NOT AWARE OF THE ISSUE TILL AFTER IT WAS PURCHASED.

MY 2012 CHEVY VOLT HAS COMPLETELY SHUT OFF AT FREEWAY SPEEDS, AND SURFACE STREETS ON OVER 15 OCCASIONS. THE POWER STEERING ASSIST GOES OUT, THE BRAKE ASSIST GOES OUT AND IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER AND BREAK THE CAR, I HAVE NEARLY AVOIDED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS, THERE IS NO WARNING THAT THIS WILL OCCUR.THE POWER STEERING ASSIST GOES OUT, THE BRAKE ASSIST GOES OUT AND IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER AND BREAK THE CAR, I HAVE NEARLY AVOIDED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS, THERE IS NO WARNING THAT THIS WILL OCCUR ONCE I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO SAFELY PULL OVER THE CAR SAYS ENGINE NOT AVAILABLE, PROPULSION POWER REDUCED, THE CAR WILL NOT TURN OFF AND IT SAYS WAITING TO INITIALIZE ON THE SCREEN. I HAVE HAD IT TOWED TO MY LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP AND PAID A DIAGNOSTIC, THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM AND THEY JUST RESET THE CAR BY UNPLUGGING THE BATTERY AND TELL ME THAT THEY CANNOT REPLICATE THE ISSUE.THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN WHILE THE CAR IS DRIVING ON HIS HYBRID BATTERY, IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING IN HYBRID MODE WITH THE GAS MOTOR. IN DOING MY OWN RESEARCH, I FOUND A RECALL CAMPAIGN THAT DESCRIBES THE EXACT ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN OCCURRING, IT EVEN STATES THAT THE CAR MAY NOT BE SAFE TO DRIVE IF THIS OCCURS. RECALL #18V397000. EACH TIME I TOWED MY CHEVY VOLT TO THE DEALER IT SAT THERE FOR SEVERAL WEEKS TO A MONTH, THEY RETURNED IT TO ME AND THE NEXT DAY IT DIED IN THE ROAD. THE CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE, THE DEALER STATES THAT THEY CAN'T DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND I FEAR FOR MY LIFE EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE IT HAPPENS AT RANDOM.

THE DRIVE MOTOR ROTOR BEARING FAILED AT APPROXIMATELY 71,000 MILES. THIS MAJOR REPAIR TO THE DRIVE TRAIN MAKES THE CAR UNUSUALLY LOUD AND THE DEALER CAUTIONED THAT IT WAS A SAFETY HAZARD AND THAT IF LEFT IN REPAIRED COULD CAUSE MORE SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO OTHER VEHICLE COMPONENTS.

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SYSTEM WILL INTERMITTENTLY CODE FOR SERVICE AIRBAG. IT WILL DO THIS WHEN A PASSENGER IS IN OR NOT IN THE SEAT. WHEN IT DOES THIS THE AIRBAG INDICATES AS OFF INSTEAD OF DEFAULTING TO ON. THIS IS WORRISOME CAUSE THE AIRBAG COULD NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF ANY ACCIDENT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WHEN IT IS OCCUPIED.

AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON WHEN EVEN THE SLIGHTEST PRESSURE IS PLACED ON THE PASSENGER SEAT. I WAS TOLD THAT REPLACING THE SENSOR IN THE SEAT IS THE ONLY REMEDY, AND THAT IS REPAIR IS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE THAT IS KNOWN TO GM.