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Help - 'Battery Saver Active' message

57K views 26 replies 15 participants last post by  TSquare 
#1 ·
Help -

3300 miles on my Volt and I get this message this AM after a full charge at home (ChargePoint charger) and about 8 miles of driving. Started car, drove daughter to school (8 miles) left school without shutting off car and I get this message as I pull away in "L" mode. Weather is about 65 and no rain or obvious issues.

Called OnStar and they can't see any codes. They connect me with Technical service and the tech is not familiar with this on the VOLT, only with ICE cars. He tells me to take the car to the dealership immediately which is not at all possible. I fear the car might leave me stranded and am making an effort to try to get to the dealer tomorrow and get a rental car.

Can anyone offer any ideas on what may be happening? Is it possible I might be stranded with a dead 12V battery?

Thanks in Advance.
 

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#2 ·
From some quick googling, it appears your 12V battery isnt supplying the correct voltage. I am more inclined to think it is a battery that is about dead, given that a lot of people here have had premature failure of the 12V battery. You could take it to an autozone and have them test the battery. Of course, it could be related the component that keeps the 12V battery charged, but my uneducated guess is that it is a 12V battery.

I dont know what size the battery is for the Volt, but given the obvious poor quality of the thing, I think I would buy an Optima blue top to put in its place.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Please refrain from start multiple threads in more than 1 forum on the same topic

My repsonse to your initial posts here:

This depends on EXACTLY what you were doing when you observed the message.
Were you driving at the time? or sitting stationary?

That message only appears when Either the 12V battery voltage drops to a specific low voltage point or a certain level of battery discharge is observed. It doesnt mean your battery is "about to die" but depending on when it appears it shouldn't be ignored.

If it appeared while you were actually in motion and driving the car you should continue to monitor it, and if neccessary let your dealer check it out. (especially so if it is accompanied by a "check engine" lamp)

If you were stationary and parked, perhaps listening tot he radio or other activity you should perhaps drive the car for 20-30 minutes in an attempt to recharge your 12V battery, (were you in "service" mode by any chance?) Yu'll know if you are sucessful as the message will go away.

The "Battery Saver" message essentially means that the low voltage managment system will not permit certain high-draw unessential accessories from operating (such as heated seats, radio, etc) due to a detected low voltage condition.

So again, it all depends on what you were doing when it appeared.

HTH
WopOnTour
Getting a "Battery Saver Active" message while driving and observing it on it's own, with no other warnings (Service Charging System or a Check Engine lamp) for a short period is often just a short term response to a discharge event that forced the system into a load shed (however briefly) to intervene. Examples of conditions that may have caused this are either the result an immediate and significant discharge that might have occured while driving, such as plugging in an inverter to run a PS3.

Or something that happened while the car is OFF resulting in a slightly run down 12V battery due to things like using the radio excessively in Retained Accessory Power mode (car OFF) or in Service Mode, or possibly through the use of some sort of aftermarket 12V accessory (radar detector, mood lighting, mini-fridge, etc). Extremes of heat or cold as well as long period of storage (2 weeks +) where the car wasnt driven might cause this message to appear as well, typically on the 1st drive cycle immediately following this storage.

So assuming this message isn't reappearing on a regular basis, It can be considered as essentially a normal behavior in response to a temporary event.However, if you start seeing this message regularly, for no apparent reason, you should visit your dealer so the 12V charging system can be thoroughly tested.

HTH
WOT
WOT
 
#5 ·
My dead Volt ... in dealers lot :-(

Looks like my 12V battery gave out today. I was warned with a "Battery Saver Active" alert yesterday and the dreaded "Service Battery Charging System" today.

I charged the car last night and went to SF on all electric mode. On the way I received the "Battery Saver Active" (again) and was hoping the 12V would recharge on the trip. I left SF after dropping daughter off and headed on an errand about 6 miles away. Was still on EV mode and had not shut the car off. Arrived at store and spent about 30 min there with car shut down. Restarted car what was now running on gas. As I left store the "Service Battery Charging System" message came on as well as a red battery icon. I called OnStar and they advised me to go to dealer right away. I asked them to connect t me with dealership where I leased the car so I could tell them I was coming in. Service person Gwen was more than awful but I'll leave that for another post.

Pulled into dealership lot and was backing up when the car died. Would not start or move and only after a 2 min wait was I even able to get it out of park. When I put in in R or D the car would not move only coast down the little incline. Service advisor jumped the 12V battery and I left the car at the dealership and they gave me a ride home.

Car is 3 months old and has 3500 miles on it. The only thing I've done different in the past week was use the AC. Maybe the added drain on the battery put it over the edge...

I'm very disappointed - I could see they coming (dead 12V battery) but was hoping I was wrong. Looks like I'll be driving my other car for a few days while they try to find the problem.

You can see my other posts previewing this problem here:

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?13804-Another-dead-Volt-due-to-12V-battery-drain

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?14227-Help-Battery-Saver-Active-message
 
#6 ·
Battery and car died today :-(
 
#10 ·
Lucky had very little to do with it ;-) It was my persistence, multiple calls to OnStar and the help of reading this forum that made me fully aware of what BIG problems can occur if the 12V batter dies. If I had not read this forum I surely would have been stranded on the side of the road or the middle of the intersection.
 
#8 ·
Sounds as though the generator for the 12 volt died. Easy fix if that's it.

Good luck, my car has too many problems to begin counting. Faux News wants to speak with me. Wonder why?
 
#9 ·
Good luck, my car has too many problems to begin counting. Faux News wants to speak with me. Wonder why?
Literally? (Well, literal other than "faux".) Any idea of who contacted you and their show affiliation? That could be a new low for them.
 
#11 ·
Got my car back from dealer today. Here's the scoop -

From repair record:

"Customer states that battery saver active light was on and service battery charging system light and vehicle and battery died.

Verified Customer concern. Codes in Multiple Modules all pertaining to low voltage. Check battery with GR-8, passed without any charge. Gather information, informed some if not all concerns happened when driving. Run diag for P0A8D & P1EA9. Gained access to 12 volt battery cables and fuses. Found 200A fuse slightly loose. Upon removal found witness marks on fuse proving not fully secured. Resecured 200A fuse, connections & checked torque on all cables and battery. Okay, clear all codes. Okay @ this time."

I hope to talk directly to the dealerships Volt tech tomorrow to get more detail. It seems crazy that a loose fuse could cause such havoc.

Dealership was nice enough to drop the car off at my house and saved me a trip from having to go pick it up.
 
#12 ·
So the wire to the 12 volt battery was not connect tight. How many times have we had to wack a battery terminal on a ICE car to get it started.

Did they say what the voltage was on the 12 volt battery. Battery Dead and voltage too low to allow the car to start might not be the same thing. From a quick read of the posted service manual the car seems to monitor the 12 volt current and a LOOSE connection might be what triggered the Battery light and some of the codes.

As they said gained access they must have been at the fuse in the back of the car by the battery terminal.

This might be one case where trying to jump start the car from the back would have found the problem sooner.
 
#13 ·
Glad is was only the battery. Easy fix.

Seems to have been a fuse that wasn't seated correctly, which could have happened at the factory or when the car was in transit. Funny how with all the attention paid to the traction battery it's been the 12v battery involved in virtually all of the battery issues we've heard of. What's a little disconcerting is that when the 12v battery has a problem you get a lot of errors.
 
#14 ·
I guess my car was built on a monday or friday....

It seems the 200A fuse was not tightened down at the factory. From my understanding this fuse is in-line with the large cable that runs from the front of the car to the 12V battery. The lock nut was not tight and the fuse worked it's way loose prevents the car from charging the battery.

The tech confirmed it wasn't charging and torqued everything down and confirmed the correct voltage, etc. I'd love to see a picture of the 200A fuse and cable, must be a monster.

I agree that is a bit disconcerting that a 12V battery can cause so many issues. I've jump started and replaced many a battery in my day but they never caused this many issues. I guess this is the 'new' technology and we have to get used to it.
 
#15 · (Edited)
The 200A fuse is the largest one in the battery fuseblock assembly, and connects the main 12V charge output line from the APM to the battery B+ terminal. (the cable with the 90 degree bend in it) If this was loose the APM would only intermittently charge the 12V battery.

Boosting isnt likely to cause this as access to this battery fuseblock requires the removal of the load floor and rear storage tray.
So unless that was apart for some reason, as some time, it's more likely this was loose from the factory somehow.

I've actually "double-checked" the torque on many dozen of these self-locking nuts (and at the underhood 80A boost stud) and have never found one to be loose.

I do not believe this to be in any way related to the "dead" 12V batteries as none of those individuals ever spoke of receiving a "Battery Saver" or "Service Charging System" warning messages.


HTH
WopOnTour


 

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#16 ·
Argh. New here; hope I'm not doing things too wrong.

I've had my Volt since October 2011 and I don't think I've ever had a problem with the electrical system (except perhaps one case in which it just got confused but cleared up with a restart) ... until last week. The "initializing" animation stuck around for a very long time, and then the main screen loaded with the "wrong" battery icon. Putting the car into gear provided no motive power in either direction, and I got a cavalcade of error messages about the battery saver system and StabiliTrak. I tried the usual computer reboot dance (turn off, turn on, unplug, replug, hold buttons down for 60 seconds, perform chicken dance, etc.), and after about 10 minutes, it decided to cope. The "service engine" light cleared about three restarts later. (I haven't even opened the fuel cap in over a month, so it wasn't the standard vapor loss thing.)

Today it's decided to do this again, but it's not clearing up. It won't charge from my high-voltage system at all (it won't go green and remains orange). It keeps telling me to service the battery charging system and, this time around, the power steering. It won't move except to roll very slightly down the gradual incline of my driveway.

After poking around here, I went in and deleted my phone settings from its bluetooth setup, just in case it's a battery drain issue. The interior and start-button lights were fainter than they should have been, but they all lit up without complaint each time I've tried. I would think that if the accessories battery is too close to dead, it ... should be more dead than that? I've turned those off too, as much as I can, but it hasn't helped, even with >20 minutes after to let any minimal charge muster its resolve. I just don't know.

Last time was midday, probably upper 70s (F), clear; this time is post-rain, low 70s, night.

(This car has had front-left panel damage, one a scrape from being hit in a parking lot after 11 days, and the other a scrape-dent from being backed into in a different parking lot at four months, but that's been several months ago and the body shop reported only surface/panel damage.)

Guess I'm calling out of work tomorrow and then calling the dealer, but ... dammit. I've been delighted with this car, power-wise, to the point that I don't even publicly grumble about the minor fit/layout annoyances, but if it won't even *go*, that doesn't hold up. At least in the days of manual transmissions, I could make the car go at all with the time-honored push-and-pop method ... heh.
 
#17 ·
I have a Voltmeter in my Radar Detector and I noticed that the voltage is quite a bit different that on a "normal" car.
On a normal car, it usually shows around 14.2 -14.4V after startup and after a few miles, it goes down to 13.8- 14V.
The Volt shows 14.0 - 14.2 after startup but then quickly ( 1-2 miles) goes down to 13.7 and stays there for a while (5 miles) , then drops to 12.7 and that's where it stays for the remainder of my commute (~18 miles). I wonder if this generally a bit low charging voltage could cause some of the problems with the 12V battery.
 
#18 ·
Perfectly normal behavior for the Volt and most all GMs actually since about 2005 when the conventional voltage regulation system was replaced with the computer controlled Regulated Voltage Control (RVC) system. The lower charging voltage prevents over-charging and is used to "maintain" the SOC when all current deficits have been dealt with and 12V electrical loads are light. The Volt charginf schedule is only slightly different as it uses an AGM (Absorbant Glass Mat) battery.

Welcome to gm-volt.com

WopOnTour
 
#19 · (Edited)
As my first contribution to this forum I'm resurrecting this old thread with some info I just read in the service manual:

Battery Saver Mode
The battery saver mode reduces the parasitic load of some modules during overseas shipment or during vehicle storage conditions. This improves the drain time on the battery (up to 70 days without the battery going dead). When the vehicle is in transport/storage, some features may have reduced functionality while in the battery saver mode, such as disabling the Remote Function Actuator or content theft features. The battery saver mode incorporates a latching relay that when enabled disconnects some modules from their ignition power or memory power sources. Battery saver mode is initiated by turning on the hazard flashers, placing the vehicle in Vehicle On mode, and then pushing the power button switch for greater than 15 seconds. The mode is disengaged by repeating the previous process causing the relay to latch in the other direction. Once the vehicle is in Vehicle On mode and the hazard flashers are on, pushing the power button switch for more than 15 seconds will latch the relay in the other direction. This feature can be used as many times as necessary if the vehicle is to be stored for an extended period of time.

This is on page 5472 for anyone's interest.
 
#24 · (Edited)
I got this same error message but under a completely different set of circumstances. I thought I would post what happened in case someone else runs across this and they can save themselves a tow to the local dealership.

So after parking my Volt in my garage I listened to the stereo another 5-10 minutes while fiddling around with my iPod. I then went out to get the mail and came back and plugged in the charger... after which I noticed the green light wasn't coming on and it wasn't charging. So I tried unplugging it and plugging it back in.... with no luck.

Next I tried starting the car. I got a whole bunch of system errors, including "Battery Saver Active," "Service Battery Charging System," "Check Steering System" (or something like that), then brakes, etc. Basically nothing worked, except for the radio, the parking brake and the center display. No air conditioning, couldn't move the steering wheel, and couldn't start the car at all. I kept getting errors saying it couldn't charge the car, check the charging system, etc. Seemed like my Volt was totally dead and I'd need a tow to the local dealer to get the charging system replaced.

After reading this forum and noting that quite a few other folks had a similar error before their battery totally died, I crossed my fingers and decided to "jumpstart" my car. After connecting it to our minivan and letting it charge for a minute, I pressed the On button and crossed my fingers. It seemed to take forever but then all of a sudden the gas engine turned on and everything came back to life again.

I let the engine run for a few minutes, checked everything to make sure it was working (it was), then turned the car off and plugged in the charger. Voila, the green light came on and everything is good in Volt-land again.

I'm planning on taking it to the dealer tomorrow to see if they can replace the battery. I'm certain it was the culprit and was probably under-charged. I just can't believe the Volt isn't smart enough to just says "low battery" or "replace battery" or something like that. Instead it acted like I had some serious system issues. And I also can't believe that plugging it in won't charge the 12v battery. As I read in these forums, apparently the 12v battery has to do something first to allow the car to charge... and if it's not working then you'll never get the car to charge. Kind of a catch 22.

BTW - I really thought the positive battery terminal on the front of the car is really hokey. I was totally worried about connecting to it because it doesn't look like a battery terminal at all like the negative post does. But the negative post sparked when I connected the jumper cables so it was connected correctly. Glad that worked and I didn't have to tow my car.

In short, even though your battery is strong enough to power the radio and other systems on the car, it may not have enough charge to enable the charger or start the car, which results in all sorts of bad sounding error messages.
 
#25 ·
All GM cars have the "Battery Saver" feature. It is designed to notify the driver of a low voltage condition while driving (although another "clue" would be the red battery light) The message appears basically to announce that certain high draw electrical features (such as heated seats) will not be functional during the battery saver mode.

In your case I suspect you actually may have been in service mode while listening to the radio. If you used service mode (pressing the Power button for 5 seconds- with foot OFF brake), the 12V battery would run down quite quickly as in service mode the 12V charging system is disabled. When the "battery saver" message appeared (usually accompanied by a chime warning) you simply could have immediately shut OFF of the car, put your foot ON the brake and pressed the power button in order to get back into ON more where it would immediately commence to recharge your run down 12V battery.

If your 12V battery is in fact experiencing issues the dealer will test it and recommend its replacement
Good luck!
and welcome to gm-volt.com

WopOnTour
 
#26 ·
So I'm new to the Volt, just got my fully loaded 2014 a couple weeks ago. just over 37k on it, and I unfortunately thought nothing of "Battery Saver Active" displayed on the messages when I test drove it. Sounded like potentially just cold temperature protection of the battery since it was really cold still that week.

Fast forward a couple weeks, and that message is there every time I start the car and stays in the messages throughout my drive. As I said, its fully loaded, and all features are working as expected, so it doesn't appear to be cutting power anywhere.

From everything I can tell, its either that the battery is going, or the unit that charges the battery is going. Would this be an accurate assessment? Would the dealer (or anyone else) be able to determine the health of the battery before swapping it out? I've called a couple different dealerships to try to get input on it from their "Voit" guys, but they said it just needs to come in so they can read the codes. Oh, and OnStar doesn't see any codes.

Thanks for any input! One of the things I liked about the car was that it had an active forum of enthusiasts, so I'm grateful to have a good spot to come to for information!
 
#27 ·
Your assessment is correct. My bet would be that the battery is failing to keep its charge. Most auto parts stores will test your battery for free. Although their accuracy may be questionable. On more that one occasion I have had a battery tested that I knew was bad only to be told that it tested good. If you have a volt meter handy you can test the battery with the car turned on to see if the APM is charging the battery. It should read about 12.5 to 15 volts. Then turn the car off and see how fast the voltage across the battery falls. If it drops below 12 volts pretty quick when the car is off, but is above 13 volts when on, then I would replace the battery.
 
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