So I took delivery of my Volt on Thursday, and through part of my journey back to see family, I turned off the car. When I turned it back on, it said something to the effect of "Reduced Propulsion" and the check engine light came on too. With this message, the generator was always running, and it seemed that the "indirect" mechanical link between the generator and the wheels were all that were driving my car. Mountain mode could also no longer be enabled when this problem presented itself.

I tried powering on and off again, and got the problem to go away. It then happened later on in the trip too when I went to gas up.

It turns out that, with my Volt anyway, if after pressing the power button to turn the vehicle on, I continue to have my foot on the brake, some Voltec electronics diagnostic seems to fail. If I remove my foot from the brake immediately after pressing the power button, this problem doesn't occur.

If I had to take a stab at what's happening, perhaps there's some diagnostic test that monitors current draw or something to that effect, and the brake system is drawing too much during that test if I'm pushing on the brake, causing it to fail.

I've noticed from time to time a small pulsating on the brakes, and a small noise that occurs for about 3 or 4 seconds that seems to involve the brake/regen system when driving. I wonder if that's normal, and if it's that same behavior that's causing my propulsion message to appear.

That is an interesting problem. Yesterday I was talking with my sales rep at the dealer, while waiting for my Volt's purchase papers to be prepared, and mentioned that someone else on this site had had a barke issue with a Volt delivered from the dealership the week before. The sales rep said that, evidently, the barke problem was caused by another sales rep pushing too hard on the brake pedal (he pushed on the brake pedal to get out of the car) after holding it down for a long period while explaining features of the Volt to the new owner. Upon discovering the problem the new owner returned the car and a whole new brake switch was installed to fix the problem (delaying the owner from taking is Volt home for a couple days).

I also discovered that the hourly charge for working on the Volt at my dealership is $183, up from $150 for any other Chevy, because of all the special equipment that had to be purchased for servicing. Lot's of nuances to owning a Volt I'm learning.

Good luck,ClarksonCote,on fixing all the issues with your Volt. I will be interested to see how it turns out.

Any update on your brake issue, keep us posted.

Any update on your brake issue, keep us posted.

Hi Chad,

Nothing yet; My "work-around" seems to avoid it for the time being, and I have an FSE driving up here to look at it tomorrow. They were supposed to come today, but there's a Long Island blizzard warning keeping him off the streets.

Side note: GM Corporate FSE's driving 7 hours to ensure satisfied customers is very impressive IMHO.

So, park at work today with 37 mile range remaining. (41 to start). Get back in car to drop off something at a friends house. 36 miles remaining on shut-off. A minute later, I get in to show him the interior and start the car. 36 mile range still. Turn off the car without moving a few minutes later.

Go to leave in about 10 minutes, and "reduced propulsion" pops up, battery indicator goes "dark" and the gas engine clicks on immediately. The little yellow check-engine light remains illuminated. Also, couldn't get the A/C to click on or the heat - regardless if I it was on "comfort" or not and no matter if I moved the blue arrow all the way to "low" and the red all the way to "high." The main screen still showed A/C and heat icons as "off."

Tried off/on reboot a few times, nothing worked. Hit OnStar and they did a remote-diag and told me to get it to the dealer. That part was pretty awesome - they called the dealer for me and had a gratis rental (CTS - nice) waiting. I dropped off the car this afternoon.

I understand that with every new product roll-out there's bound to be random issues. I'm trying to see here if anyone else has had a similar experience?

Please feel free to move this to whatever is the most appropriate forum. I did a search with "reduced propulsion" and this thread came up.

Regards,

#838

D-fiant,
Please ensure you find out what the DTC codes are. That helps all of us. Also when you call onstar make sure you ask them what the DTC codes are. They can see them. Then post them here for advice/info.

Stilgar

So, park at work today with 37 mile range remaining. (41 to start). Get back in car to drop off something at a friends house. 36 miles remaining on shut-off. A minute later, I get in to show him the interior and start the car. 36 mile range still. Turn off the car without moving a few minutes later.

Go to leave in about 10 minutes, and "reduced propulsion" pops up, battery indicator goes "dark" and the gas engine clicks on immediately. The little yellow check-engine light remains illuminated. Also, couldn't get the A/C to click on or the heat - regardless if I it was on "comfort" or not and no matter if I moved the blue arrow all the way to "low" and the red all the way to "high." The main screen still showed A/C and heat icons as "off."

Tried off/on reboot a few times, nothing worked. Hit OnStar and they did a remote-diag and told me to get it to the dealer. That part was pretty awesome - they called the dealer for me and had a gratis rental (CTS - nice) waiting. I dropped off the car this afternoon.

I understand that with every new product roll-out there's bound to be random issues. I'm trying to see here if anyone else has had a similar experience?

Please feel free to move this to whatever is the most appropriate forum. I did a search with "reduced propulsion" and this thread came up.

Regards,

#838

Somewhere on this GM-Volt forum I recall reading about an early Volt that had the same problem with the "reduced propulsion" notification. My recollection is that a GM engineer came out and did some tests and then installed an entirely new battery assembly.

HTH

# 565

I had a front page blog about this, but I guess I never posted my final outcome here in the forum (apologies)... My reduced propulsion problem was related to something within the battery, and they did swap it out for me. I think it was a particular internal bank's voltage sensor. The swap was pretty painless, with the car just spending a day at the dealership. I got it back the same day, and haven't seen the problem since.

My workaround was to only tap the brake to push the power button, then immediately off the brake after the power button was pressed. In my particular case, that prevented the issue from appearing until I could get the battery swapped.

HTH & ClarksonCote,

It was a battery malfunction. A few of the cells went kaput. A GM tech came down with a new battery and requisite tools and replaced the battery component. All's well now.

I was pleasantly surprised by the level of service & attention I received from the local servicing dealer; it was wonderful! Having come from German & Japanese makes, I was expecting lesser service with Chevy, but it was exactly the opposite - the service was better! A truly nice surprise!

Regards,

HTH & ClarksonCote,

It was a battery malfunction. A few of the cells went kaput. A GM tech came down with a new battery and requisite tools and replaced the battery component. All's well now.

I was pleasantly surprised by the level of service & attention I received from the local servicing dealer; it was wonderful! Having come from German & Japanese makes, I was expecting lesser service with Chevy, but it was exactly the opposite - the service was better! A truly nice surprise!

Regards,It's great to hear that this issue was rectified in a timely manner and to your (apparent) satisfaction. Would you mind taking a quick look at the repair order paperwork you received from teh dealerhip and let us know exactly what DTCs the documentation indicates?

It should be in the format of a 5-digit alpha-numeric code such as P1E00 (there may be more than one)

Thanks!
WopOnTour

WOT,
I thought the smallest cell package they monitored was 4 in series and the whole pack was ((3P)24S)4S. Does this mean that GM is replacing entire battery packs when only one cell has failed??

Thx,
GSB

WOT,
I thought the smallest cell package they monitored was 4 in series and the whole pack was ((3P)24S)4S. Does this mean that GM is replacing entire battery packs when only one cell has failed??

Thx,
GSBMerely the current strategy for expediting the repairs for customer satisfaction and then better/more accurate failure analysis Geo. This repair process will defiantely have a finite life-span. Just don't know when exactly.
WOT

Just looked at and pulled the RO. I couldn't find any codes that started with a "P." Here's all I could find:

"02CVZ - Engine Driveability. Cust states check engine light on in dash. vehicle does not have battery power mode. Goes straight to gas engine/could not reset.

Internal battery issue (electric)
Replaced electric vehicle battery module assembly. Vacuum test battery cooling system and filled coolant. Reprogrammed modules (BECM, HPCM2, HVAC and ECM). Cleared all codes and retested all. Ok."

It didn't list DTC's anywhere - sorry I couldn't be more help!
Regards,





It's great to hear that this issue was rectified in a timely manner and to your (apparent) satisfaction. Would you mind taking a quick look at the repair order paperwork you received from teh dealerhip and let us know exactly what DTCs the documentation indicates?

It should be in the format of a 5-digit alpha-numeric code such as P1E00 (there may be more than one)

Thanks!
WopOnTour

Just looked at and pulled the RO. I couldn't find any codes that started with a "P." Here's all I could find:

"02CVZ - Engine Driveability. Cust states check engine light on in dash. vehicle does not have battery power mode. Goes straight to gas engine/could not reset.

Internal battery issue (electric)
Replaced electric vehicle battery module assembly. Vacuum test battery cooling system and filled coolant. Reprogrammed modules (BECM, HPCM2, HVAC and ECM). Cleared all codes and retested all. Ok."

It didn't list DTC's anywhere - sorry I couldn't be more help!
Regards,

That's no problem- THANKS
(that's a warranty/labor-op code actually)
Looks like they replaced the Battery Energy Control Module -BECM (first one I've heard of) and updated teh software in the primary system modules.
You sir are good to go!
WOT

I too had the same problem, but the next day the light went out and it seemed normal but the batery idicator would not go over 25. I took it to the dealer the next day and they kept the car for three days and replaced the battery, but would not tell me what caused the problem nor give me the codes that showed what the problem was. I don't think that this is right. We have a right to know. I get the car back tomorrow but with the new battery they tell me that the battery guage is reading only 30 after a full charge. Is that right?

I too had the same problem, but the next day the light went out and it seemed normal but the batery idicator would not go over 25. I took it to the dealer the next day and they kept the car for three days and replaced the battery, but would not tell me what caused the problem nor give me the codes that showed what the problem was. I don't think that this is right. We have a right to know. I get the car back tomorrow but with the new battery they tell me that the battery guage is reading only 30 after a full charge. Is that right?How long have you been driving the Volt since it was repaired? (how many miles)
Don't worry, after resetting all the data it just takes a bit for the new statistical baselines to be established. The software takes into consideration your driving and charging habits and regular ambient conditions to calculate your EV range. Providing you are fully charging the battery between trips and driving regularily and in a sane fashion (not racing at WOT everywhere) your range is sure to gradual increase to 40+.
Just a bit of patience is required
WOT

Ok i now have the propulsion message on the screen and now have service scheduled!! I drive a 2012 so i had hoped these issues would be solved!!!!!!!!!!!! ARGGGHH

Reviving this thread. I was driving into work this morning. I drive 26.3 miles one way. It's mostly a slight down hill most of the way in. I was about 5 miles from work and I got a check engine light and "propulsion power reduced" MSG. Called OnStar and they gave me 2 codes. P2e00 and P0a1f. She told me to get the car to the dealer ASAP. So I am going to try and get it over there later today. I have also noticed that in the last few months I can't get more than 9.9KW out of the battery. When it was new I was getting 10.4-10.6KW. So was kinda thinking there might be a problem.

Reviving this thread. I was driving into work this morning. I drive 26.3 miles one way. It's mostly a slight down hill most of the way in. I was about 5 miles from work and I got a check engine light and "propulsion power reduced" MSG. Called OnStar and they gave me 2 codes. P2e00 and P0a1f. She told me to get the car to the dealer ASAP. So I am going to try and get it over there later today. I have also noticed that in the last few months I can't get more than 9.9KW out of the battery. When it was new I was getting 10.4-10.6KW. So was kinda thinking there might be a problem.Hmmm I suspect it was actually a P1B00 (there is now such DTC B2E00) but either way that's just a generic DTC indicating a serious proplusion system fault was detected and the MIL (check engine light) was being commanded "ON" as a result.
The P0A1F is the primary reason for the P1B00 and a bit more worrisome suggesting a serious hardware error within the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) was detected.
Since the BECM is mounted INSIDE the battery assembly, so the entire battery pack will need to be removed to access/replace it OR they MAY choose to replace the entire battery pack/assembly if this DTC is determined to be a hard fault.
Your slightly erratic kWh readout MAY be due to this failure.
WOT

just an update. The BCM is bad and they are replacing it. They said once thats in then they will do some more tests and let me know if anything else is wrong. Should hopefully hear something on monday.

Thanks for the update. I'm sure there are lots of folks wanting to hear more about your problem.

Good luck.

WVhybrid

AARGGHHH!

The reduced propulsion error has struck me down as well.

The car immediately went to ICE. I stopped, restarted and the car drove normally except for a check engine light. Also the full charge has dropped from about 10kw to about 9.6.

It is in with the dealer now and they say they pulled about 15 different codes. I'm amazed that it drove just fine after that. They are arguing about fixing the battery vs replace and I'm not sure which is better. I have babied my battery and get 10 kw in the depth of winter and 10f type weather. Any replacement battery is likely to be a 'refurbished' beat up unit and I don't want a old battery in a 2 month old car. I told this to my volt advisor and he said it is a technical team descision and he could not really do anything.

Any one have opinions/experience?

I got reduced propulsion message too but no CEL.
But it went away now.
I called Onstar and they said there were no codes from the Diagnostic test.
My message came on during mountain travel , but car was not in Mountain mode.

So the Volt advisor said that the message might be normal.

I have a 2013 volt.

After getting out of the car, I noticed a burning rubber type smell coming from only the driver side rear wheel.
Smelled like a burned tire, but I could not see any evidence of tire wear.
Not sure it smell and the message are related.
Maybe not enough power to get up a mountain pass, puts more stress on the tires ?

I havent had the problem occur again.

I got reduced propulsion message too but no CEL.
But it went away now.
I called Onstar and they said there were no codes from the Diagnostic test.
My message came on during mountain travel , but car was not in Mountain mode.

So the Volt advisor said that the message might be normal.

I have a 2013 volt.

After getting out of the car, I noticed a burning rubber type smell coming from only the driver side rear wheel.
Smelled like a burned tire, but I could not see any evidence of tire wear.
Not sure it smell and the message are related.
Maybe not enough power to get up a mountain pass, puts more stress on the tires ?

I havent had the problem occur again.

Good Morning Silentguy,

Your Advisor was correct. When going up a steep grade the Volt may display the Reduced Propulsion message. The Volt is using all available power to get up the grade. Once the Volt is passed the grade the message should go away. This is why there was no CEL or codes from Onstar. As for the burning smell I am not sure what would cause that. If you were to experience it again i would let your dealer know right away.

-Ian Chevrolet Volt Customer Service

I've had the same burning rubber smell, up the same grade, 3 times now.
Brought it in to the dealer, but they couldnt find any problems.

It has happened with the Reduced Propulsion message, as well as with no message.