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I totaled Volt #187

23K views 39 replies 31 participants last post by  anothervolt 
#1 ·
Well, I'm just not having much luck with this car. My family and I were heading south on the NJ Turnpike last week when a Ford Taurus decided to veer into our lane, hit the drivers side door, push us into the right lane where we were then smashed into by an oncoming school bus! As you can see, the damage was bad and they just classified the car as a total loss. The car was leased so I'm hoping the payment process will go smoothly and I won't owe anything on top of the insurance payment. I did like the car... it's too bad it's gone!
 

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#3 ·
Ouch, such carnage. :(

I hope everyone is ok and you're able to get a replacement soon.
 
#4 ·
While this is bad I thank you for sharing the pictures. It does help to see how the car holds up when in a accident. Hope everyone is ok. I travel a lot in my volt with wife and two children in the back. Hope this turns out well with you and your family.
 
#5 ·
Everyone is ok! Except for some back and neck pain for my wife and I, it was a miracle that there wasn't any more injuries. My 3 1/2 year old son and 15 month daughter were in the back! Other than a bunch of stuff ending up in the back seats, the passenger compartment held up really well. The car is rock solid, that's for sure. I'm going to miss that car...
 
#13 ·
I'm going to miss that car...
Are you going to get another Volt then? It's not too hard to replace one now that they are making more.
 
#6 ·
Oh my gosh! How scary is that!!?? You did not mention injuries so I trust all are ok? I have a replacement rider on my insurance, but hope to never have to use it. Very sorry to hear this. Will you be replacing with another Volt?

What can you tell us about, well, the experience, as I don't know anyone else who has been on the inside during a crash test.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Thank God Volt number 187 did its' job and protected your wife, 3 1/2 year old son, and 15 month old daughter :)
 
#9 ·
So sorry to hear about this. Good that the car did its job and protected you and your family. Cars, even Volts, are replaceable. People are not.

I have to say that given you were hit by a bus this is pretty impressive protection. Keep us updated.
 
#30 ·
I could not have said it better myself. Glad to hear that you, your wife and children escaped pretty much unscathed.
That looked like a very bad accident.
 
#11 · (Edited)
faz, man that is the worst luck of any Volt owner I know! I'm happy to hear you and your family are okay, that looks like a pretty nasty impact. I can't help but notice the irony of your series of unfortunate events with Volt #187 of all numbers.

Yes, thanks for sharing the pics of how the Volt held up and protected your family. I'm curious, did the 8 airbags deploy?

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Chevrolet volt Automotive design


Land vehicle Vehicle Car Chevrolet volt Automotive design
 
#15 · (Edited)
Faz, I'm just glad everyone's OK (hopefully in the Taurus and school bus as well)
Please make sure EVERONE has seen a doctor including daily follow-ups as certain injuries in a rear -ender can creep up in the first 48-72 hrs...
Damn, wrecks like this scare the $hit outta me.

faz, man that is the worst luck of any Volt owner I know! I'm happy to hear you and your family are okay, that looks like a pretty nasty impact. I can't help but notice the irony of your series of unfortunate events with Volt #187 of all numbers.

Yes, thanks for sharing the pics of how the Volt held up and protected your family. I'm curious, did the 8 airbags deploy?
Depending on the g-force progression to the referenced drivers side impact (Taurus) there MIGHT have perhaps been a driver's side airbag or LH curtain airbag deployment. But only if severe enough, and this sounds like more of a glancing blow. (i.e. not enough detected "g" on the Y-axis.)

Then, generally unless there was some sort of significant frontal element (i.e. such as hitting something in FRONT of you AFTER geting rear ended by the bus) the frontal airbags would NOT normally be deployed (and based strictly on the photos it appears the front of the Volt was undamaged) as in a rear-ender the "g's" would have been positive + (not negative -) and taking the seatback and headrest design to task. (and obviously the child seats/s)

Damn, I hate hits like this...
But way to go Milford! (GM Safety Engineering)

WopOnTour
 
#12 ·
And how long before OnStar called you? Or did you lose power since the battery was located the back hatch?
 
#16 ·
I'm glad to hear you and your family survived with no significant injuries. I'm also impressed that the Volt did a tremendous job in protecting the occupants from serious harm. Thank you for sharing your experience as this helps answer any questions I had about how well the Volt would hold up in a severe accident. As a prospective new owner this is one area of concern I can check off.
 
#17 ·
faz,
Thanks taking the time to share with the community (Volt family). I was so glad reading through the thread that your family was OK. I would probably still be shaking. I'm sure you'll be hugging your family members extra for the next many days. Hope all your follow up visits go well. Take care of yourselves.
Scott F
 
#19 ·
faz...I am like most everyone else here...I am sorry for the loss of #187 -but I am very thankful you and the family are okay..

Good luck replacing #187 soon... your photos have made me a bigger believer in Volts!

VM
 
#21 ·
Thanks everyone for the super nice remarks that you all made. It's a great feeling to be acquaintances with such a great group of people and supporters! *** guessed correctly in that no airbags went off after the impacts. Here's a picture of the side impact which I guess was not enough to deploy the side airbags. That initial impact wasn't too bad... but then the bus hit us and it was such a loud BANG of an explosion, there was a second where I was too scared to turn around and look at my kids. You could hear the bus's engine IN the car... the car then filled with a burning rubber smell and smoke and it wobbled from side to side a bit. You could hear the tires chirping as the traction control held the car in a straight line until we were able to pull to the side. An amazing performance actually. It's hard to remember the details, but we were probably going about 40 at the time of the impact. If we were in a SUV or another top heavy car, I felt we would have flipped over or completely lost control of the car. The Volt was really, really good and held mostly steady and straight. Onstar came on immediately after we stopped, just like in the commercials. There were other people that ran over and asked about calling the police, but I told them that Onstar had already done that. The rear, passenger door was stuck and I had to pull as hard as I could to open it. The back glass completely shattered and the amazing thing is I couldn't find any, I mean any, glass on the kids. In fact, I couldn't find much of it anywhere! In the end, everyone was ok.
 

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#22 ·
While im sure the experience was traumatic and I feel bad for your loss of the vehicle.... It sure is a testament to the build quality and safety quality of the vehicle. I dont know many ANYTHINGS that fare too well after a run in with a bus. Glad you and your family are ok. One of the main reasons Im giving up my sporty coupe for one of these is to aid in transporting my 2 children. Sure makes me feel better knowing that, while in the backseat, they should be well protected (ive got a 6 year old and a 4 month old).
 
#24 ·
If you think about it, the fact that the Volt is quite heavy for its size, the passenger compartment held up really well. The heavier the vehicle, the less easily it would get pushed forward from a rear collision. It would need to absorb more of the energy from the impact than a lighter car. This speaks volumes about how well GM built this car. Great job GM! All Volt owners, while sad to see this, should also feel very comforted that the car protects its occupants exceedingly well. Thanks for this report faz, and as others have said I hope any injuries are minor and temporary. Also please post with your experience with the insurance/lease process. Hope you can get another one to replace it.
 
#25 ·
I am pleased to read that everyone is doing well after the crash. Thank you for sharing the news, as you have made a lot of Volt drivers pleased that the Volt can withstand such an incident. This Thanksgiving should be extra special for you and your family. What ever you decide to purchase, may you have safe traveling mercies in the years ahead.
 
#26 ·
Wow, sorry to hear that faz. I have your brother Volt, #186 over here, best of luck.
 
#27 ·
Sounds like a case of the lady in the Taurus not using her side mirrors correctly. When you drive by a car on the freeway, you can tell if they have the side mirrors adjusted correctly if you can see their face or not when you are in their "blind spot" area. If not, they don't know how to use their mirrors and they could veer into you at any moment.

Why there isn't more of an effort to teach people to use the side mirrors to see what's on the side instead of what's behind you, I will never understand. I bet 90% of the people on here don't use them right, because that's my observation on the road.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/features/mirrors/

Please study this website so you aren't a hazzard to me, my family, and my car.
 
#28 ·
Well i am terrible but I am the guy that is waiting to find a leaf or a volt (don't really care which) to steal the batteries or whole drivetrain from. http://gm-volt.com/forum/images/smilies/eek.png

No idea how I would pull that off though, from what I remember of the hybrid years the batteries even when fully functional always left the car before it made it to the lot.

Anyway I would love to buy your wreck if the price was right :)
 
#29 ·
Turns out that you can buy a new battery from the dealer for less than $3K. That's gotta be a lot less than buying a wrecked car with all the other parts you don't need. It will definitely cost a lot more for the whole drivetrain, but it doesn't sound like you really want that.
 
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