GM Volt Forum banner

I'm reaching the end of my rope :(

5K views 20 replies 15 participants last post by  TheStepChild 
#1 ·
I love this car, but i'm really tired of wondering when the proverbial "other shoe" is going to drop.

Tonight, the Service Airbag light turned on, 3 weeks ago it was Service high-voltage charging system, 2 months ago, it was service high-voltage charging system again. Not trying to start a "bitch" thread, but my faith in the rock-solidness of this car has been shaken and i keep wondering what is going to break next.

FWIW, I LOVE this car; I came from 3 audis to 2 porsches to a BMW to the volt and honestly it has stood up well and is awesome at what it does. I have California HOV sticker #200 if that tells you how early I was to order the car. My dealership has been awesome about fixing this stuff, but this will be unscheduled trip #5 to fix things in 50k miles; I know this car isn't German, but I expect it not to be breaking on average every 10k miles.

I really don't know what to do at this point. Thanks for listening to me vent... ugh.
 
#2 ·
Service air bag can easily be caused by spilling liquid on the car seat. Esp the passenger seat. There is something about the occupant sensor for seats these days that make them really sensitive to this. If this is it, it will usually clear up on its own.
 
#3 ·
Your experience with Porsche and BMW reliability was better? If so, you must have driven different models than I drove. I too love my Volt, and it has been rock solid (2011 with 57K miles). In contrast, my one Porsche and two BMWs were all service nightmares, often in the shop for weeks on end. Don't get me wrong, I loved those cars too, but for a much different reason!
 
#7 ·
So you have one problem. That's good. I've had a couple too. No big deal really.

Wiggled the connector to the airbag module under the passenger seat mine went away, a little oxidation on the connectors..
Might be that simple. I hope your rope gets longer. Cars with tech like this are a bit scarier than the ICE cars we've gotten so used to.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I know this car isn't German, but I expect it not to be breaking on average every 10k miles.
So by this, you are used to German cars needing shop work every 10k miles? :)

Looking at a reliability site like http://www.truedelta.com and the Volt isn't great, but it is on par with most of the German cars: Audi A4, BMW 3er, Mercedes C, VW Jetta, etc.

If you really want low probability of shop visits, get a Honda or Toyota. Boring and reliable.
 
#14 ·
Looked at the website. Misleading to say the least. Most of the issues deal with charge door, some were firmware updates 1 was windows were all down and engine on, hmmm really, someone was playing with fob. of the 20 I looked at only 2 were serious issues. Most people who frequent these websites have a ax to grind to begin with. So I'm not sure that your statement "Volt isn't great" may not pass scrutiny.
 
#13 ·
So you have had 2 warnings about your power service to the EVSE being insufficient. And now you have one airbag warning.

Two of those warnings had nothing to do with the car.

One may be an issue with the airbag system. (A system which ALL cars have trouble with from time to time.)

And now you are ready to "throw in the towel"?

Take the car in to have your airbags checked.

Call an electrician to fix your broken house.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Here is some more info from TrueDelta, where I briefly (and probably not 100% accurate) summarized many of the complaints from the 2012 Volt, several infotainment system issues, tons of battery coolant and charging system issues (relatively) and a few engine coolant issues (including 2 head gasket replacements) and a few other misc. fixes. They had 57 2012 Volts reporting, and 27 of those cars had shop repairs. Some were really minor like bulbs burning out which I wouldn't count (but not everyone can change their own).

All of the OPs complaints fall under common issues we see here, supporting the statistics. Again, TrueDelta seems to have a pretty respectable site. Again, statistics don't apply to individuals, all about odds.


Camera x2
Nav x2
Radio
OnStar

ABS x2
Strut/Mount

Thermostat x2
head x2
CV Axle
emissions pump
TCM

Battery Coolant system x6
Motor bearing
charging system x5
charger door x2

Bulb
Seat rails
window switch
parking brake
tpms
ac x2 (1 might be 12v issue)
 
#21 ·
I'd be excited to be able to make it 10,000 miles without a new issue. Mine cant seem to go 1000 miles without another issue
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top