Really wishing I had bought a different car.

[mtndrew1]

Some of you may remember me from Volt #9161. It broke the day after I bought it and spent 17 of the first 30 days I had it in the shop for various issues (brake system, transmission mount, struts, shocks, A/C, rattles, charging faults, etc.).

GM bought back car 9161 (very politely, I might add) and replaced it with car 17948.

Remarkably, I'm off to an even worse start with this Volt.

With about 1600 miles on the odometer I picked up a friend and drove him several hours out of town to pick up his new motorcycle. A few miles from the bike dealer the Volt's check engine light illuminated and the engine didn't seem to be coming on. Embarrassed, I didn't tell my passenger, hoping we could get to pick up his bike before I called onstar. It wasn't to be.

A bang sound emanated from under the hood, the engine went bananas and revved hard for about five seconds (like redline hard), then shut off. Then "engine not available, service soon" came up with a chime on the instrument cluster. The car then didn't seem to have any power which was clear when "propulsion power is reduced" popped up with another chime. We pulled over to the side of the road.

I cycled the power several times hoping it was just some sort of a bug. The car would move but only very slowly so I pulled into the safety of a gas station (the irony).

Called onstar, but it was memorial day weekend and dealers were closed, rental car agencies were closed, and it would take 2-3 hours to get a tow truck out to me. My passenger was nonplussed.

After five or six calls, disconnects, screwups, etc. with onstar we had been on the phone about an hour with the car turned off. My friend was getting agitated and prodded me to try restarting the Volt to see if it would budge. The engine fired up and I put the car in D, and it moved with normal response.

I told the onstar lady to put the truck on hold and I was going to try and get the car as close to home as possible. The car made it home.

Dropped it off at the dealer and left it for five days while I was out of town, figuring that would give them plenty of time to diagnose and repair.

I just picked the car up and it had codes P0700, P2620, and P073B. Dealer claims they couldn't reproduce it and that GM doesn't know what caused the car to break down on the side of the road other than "something in the transmission." The Volt Advisor states that "if it breaks down again we'll be sure not to give it back to you without some sort of repair." Super.

Given that I only use the gas engine for very long trips I basically now have an expensive electric car with a 35 mile range that I'm afraid to take out of town.

I'm wishing I had bought another Toyota given this string of nightmares. I got a new charge cord though. Yay?

-Drew
#17948

[DonC]

Wow. Very sorry to hear about this. My neighbor has had her Lexus in for three recalls and several repairs in the first year. So much for Toyota quality. Lexus did not take her car back BTW. I've never had a single issue with my Volt. Most problem free car I've ever had. I guess that's the other side of the fence but I can certainly understand how you feel.

[mtndrew1]

Well neither of my Toyotas were perfect by any stretch, but my first Volt didn't make it a week and the second one didn't make it to its two-month anniversary without calling a tow truck.

Such a shame 'cause it's such a neat car. 34 months to go until I can dump this turd.

-Drew

[bonaire]

I keep wondering if the cars made just before or after a plant shutdown have some type of glitches built in. Does anyone know if there is a correlation of VIN numbers and plant on/off periods involved in some of the volts like mtndrew1 has had? Didn't the 2011's all have a good track record with fewer issues such as these?

[MinnesotaWT]

Wow too bad! What are the odds of dual lemons...no offense but you can't ride in my car

[drbruns]

I keep wondering if the cars made just before or after a plant shutdown have some type of glitches built in. Does anyone know if there is a correlation of VIN numbers and plant on/off periods involved in some of the volts like mtndrew1 has had? Didn't the 2011's all have a good track record with fewer issues such as these?

My Volt was built after the shutdown and has run perfectly for two weeks. I feel badly for the OP. My wife had a Pontiac lemon in the mid 80's and swore she would never buy another GM product. The Volt changed her mind, but I can understand how one's experience (twice) dictates their feelings.

[mtndrew1]

My replacement car was built March 5th, if I'm not mistaken. I believe that was after the shutdown was announced but before it actually happened.

I don't know if the "transmission" is manufactured at Hamtramck with the rest of the car, though. Probably supplied elsewhere so the defect is probably just a coincidence with build date.

-Drew

[rmtoberman]

I am pretty sure the transmission is Japanese, it's states "electric drive unit; Japan" on the window sticker, so I don't think it was made in Hamtramck.

[mtndrew1]

I am pretty sure the transmission is Japanese.

That would make sense; I think Denso (?) assembles the Ford and Toyota hybrid transmissions. Not sure who builds the GM "two mode" system but perhaps the same supplier?

-Drew

[jbfalaska]

The dealer has put more miles on my car than me. I've been in for too many reasons, and instead of getting better, now the AC went out along with the electric motor, and the center console blips off. At least the burning smell has died down some. I need a replacement.