CEL back on for the third time

[mikeyd810]

Looks like my less than a month old Volt is going back in the shop. CEL came on again today on the drive home. Same code as the last two times P0534. This will be the fourth time back at the dealer service department in under a month.

I've been in touch with the Volt advisers but this is getting ridiculous. They don't seem to know how to fix this issue at the dealer or Volt tech team.

[Fulgerite]

Looks like my less than a month old Volt is going back in the shop. CEL came on again today on the drive home. Same code as the last two times P0534. This will be the four time back at the dealer service department in under a month.

I've been in touch with the Volt advisers but this is getting ridiculous. They don't seem to know how to fix this issue at the dealer or Volt tech team.

This error code pertains to the Air Conditioner not working right. The AC is also used to cool the battery.

Hope they can get to the bottom of it soon.

[Steverino]

How frustrating. Part of the learning curve for a brand new car I suppose, but it still sucks. Maybe they can at least get you a Volt loaner for all the trouble?

[sipNgas]

I have the same issue. I bought mine the 18th of June and it's been in the shop 4 times for CEL. Heck, it's at the dealship right now. Up until yesterday they were blaming everything but the car (charging stations, etc.).

Gertting ridiculous pretty much sums it up!

[DonC]

I have the same issue.

I don't think you have the same issue Kurt. The CEL is sort of the default error code so it covers a multitude of issues. Your issue seems to be related to the charger and/or the ChargePoint EVSEs you're using. His seems to be AC related. Not the same at all. This doesn't mean your issue isn't important, but it's not the same issue he's experiencing.

FYI most times people have the type of problem you're experiencing it is the charger. Plus you've mentioned that if you use the 120v charger at home the error doesn't occur. I'm also assuming that the dealer doesn't see the problem if it charges the car using its charger. So it's not illogical for the dealer to be looking at the public EVSEs you're using and not the car. In fact, if the car works with all the certified chargers, which it seems to be doing, then it's almost by definition the EVSE and not the car. FWIW my personal opinion is that the Volt is too sensitive to charging issues but I'm sure this is one of those "Safety First" situations where they'll accept a lot of false positives to avoid a false negative.

In any event hopefully you'll get it resolved.

[DonC]

I've been in touch with the Volt advisers but this is getting ridiculous. They don't seem to know how to fix this issue at the dealer or Volt tech team.

Unfortunately you don't have a common problem. Just as background, the battery evaporator (which cools the battery) and the cabin evaporator (which cools you) share a compressor and condenser. If the AC for the cabin isn't working then you're hot. You'll be uncomfortable but you'll survive. If the battery isn't cooled then you could end up with a situation like the Leaf where the battery irreversibly degrades because of heat. That's not so great. So it's better to be getting the CEL than to degrade your battery.

I have no idea how all these systems work but the issue could be one of many things, including the battery temperature sensor might be off. Hopefully the can find the source of the problem but it's not entirely straightforward and is going to take some sleuthing. You have my sympathies and I hope they find and resolve the issue for you in short order.

[mikeyd810]

Happy ending to this one finally, one of the GM engineer locally here saw this post and jumped in to help resolve this issue. From what I know a valve from the battery thermal management wasn't functioning in spec and they replaced it. Really have to thank the engineers from GM here as they spent four days working on this all from just seeing this thread. A TSB will be created from this from what the service manager told me so glad this will potentially prove useful to someone else in the future.

Happy to have my Volt back and drive it again.