2013 Chevrolet Volt

WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE MAIN HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY IS DEPLETED, I HAVE A SUDDEN REDUCTION IN SPEED AND ZERO ACCELERATION. I GET A DASHBOARD ALERT "PROPULSION POWER REDUCED". "REDUCED" IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT! THE GAS ENGINE TRIES TO KEEP UP WITH SPEED BY RAMPING UP THE RMPS. THE SUDDEN LOSS OF SPEED FORCES OTHER CARS TO AVOID ME AND I CANNOT INCREASE MY SPEED IF NEEDED. I EXPECT I WILL BE REAR ENDED OR LOSE CONTROL WHEN THIS HAPPENS AGAIN. ENGINE REVS EXTREMELY HIGH. I USUALLY PULL OVER AND TURN OFF VEHICLE- SOMETIMES A RESTARTS FIXES IT. I HAVE ALSO WAITED (5 MINS?) WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AT HIGH RMPS HOPING THE BATTERY WOULD RECOVER, BUT NO. I ALSO FEAR THE GAS ENGINE WILL OVERHEAT. THE CAR CAN NO LONGER DRIVE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS SAFELY AFTER DEPLETION AND CANNOT ACCELERATE SUFFICIENTLY EVEN IN A 30MPH ZONE. THIS IS A CONTINUING ISSUE AND HAS HAPPENED FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THE HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY IS BAD, BUT THE MAIN BATTERY CHARGES AND DRIVES FINE UNTIL IT IS DEPLETED. I NOW DON'T DRIVE FARTHER THAN WHAT THE EV BATTERY CAN ACHIEVE. (ALL OTHER CURRENT RECALL ISSUES, SOFTWARE UPDATES HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED)

2013 CHEVY VOLT STOPPED ACCELERATING AND RECEIVED A LOW PROPULSION WHILE DRIVING ON A STATE ROUTE IN OHIO. OUR SON WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED IF THIS WAS ON A HIGHWAY. THE VOLT WOULD NOT MOVE AND HE HAD TO TRY TO GLIDE OFF THE ROAD SINCE IT HAD NO POWER. HE PUSHED THE CAR OFF THE ROAD SO IT WOULD NOT BE HIT. IF THIS SITUATION WOULD HAVE OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, OUR SON COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED TO OTHER VOLT OWNERS IF YOU LOOK THIS ISSUE UP ON THE INTERNET. WHY HASN'T GM FIXED THIS ISSUE SO PEOPLE ARE SAFE WHEN DRIVING THIS VEHICLE? WE BROUGHT OUR VOLT INTO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THIS CAR IS NOW GOING ON 3 WEEKS AND WE STILL DO NOT HAVE OUR CAR BACK. THEY FIRST SAID IT WAS A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL MODULE, AND REPLACED PARTS. NOW THEY ARE STATING THAT IT DID NOT WORK AND IT IS THE TRANSMISSION. I AM NOT SURE THEY KNOW WHAT IS REALLY WRONG WITH THIS VOLT. THEY ARE NOW ASKING US TO PAY $3661 TO HAVE THIS TRANSMISSION REPLACE AND GM WILL PAY 2000 OR IT WOULD BE 5661. THIS CAR IS NOT EVEN WORTH THAT MUCH AT THIS POINT HAS 83000 MILES ON IT AND THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD HAVE NEVER WENT OUT. GM TRIED TO SAY IT WAS THE SHORT, NOW THEY ARE SAYING IT WAS NOT A SHORT. I DO NOT CARE WHAT IT IS I JUST WANT A SAFE CAR FOR MY SON TO DRIVE. IT SEEMS LIKE THEY ARE BACK PEDALING TO TRY TO NOT PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT THEY (GM) SHOULD PAY FOR. ESPECIALLY SINCE THIS ISSUE IS NOT A NEW ISSUE FOR THE CHEVY VOLT. GM NEEDS TO STAND BY THEIR PRODUCTS AND FIX THIS VEHICLE.

COMPONENT DESIGNED TO DETECT PASSENGER SITTING ON THE PASSENGER SEAT HAS FAILED CAUSING THE AIRBAG TO REMAIN OFF. DEALER SAYS THE PASSENGER PRESENCE DETECTION MODULE IN THE SEAT CUSHION HAS FAILED. I HAD A SIMILAR ISSUE WITH VW WHICH WAS A RECALL, HOWEVER GM IS NOT RECALLING THESE FAULTY VEHICLES. THIS COULD CAUSE AN AIRBAG TO NOT INFLATE DURING A CRASH.

AT LOW SPEED (UNDER 5 MPH) I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND HAD NO RESPONSE. I STOMPED DOWN WITH ALL MY MIGHT AND STILL HAD ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSE FROM EITHER THE POWER ANTILOCK NOR THE MANUAL BRAKE. THE CAR CONTINUED FORWARD WITH NO SLOWING UNTIL IT HIT THE CAR AHEAD OF ME, TRAVELING SEVERAL FEET BEFORE DOING SO. I NEVER FELT ANY BRAKE ENGAGEMENT INCLUDING 'PUMPING' OF THE ANTILOCK OR ANY SLOWING. I WAS ON A CITY STREET AND HAD BEEN AT A FULL OR NEAR FULL STOP BEFORE LETTING OFF THE BRAKE TO ROLL FORWARD. I WAS GOING STRAIGHT AHEAD. BRAKES HAVE BEEN REGULARLY SERVICED.

THE PASSENGER PRESENCE SENSOR FAILED IN MY VOLT SEVERAL YEARS AGO. SINCE IT'S NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY, THE DEALER QUOTED ME $1000 TO FIX THIS ISSUE. THIS IS A CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE AND CHEVY SHOULD RECALL THESE BECAUSE IT'S A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. THE AIRBAG IS OFTEN NOT ACTIVATED WHEN I HAVE A PASSENGER DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE SENSOR HAS FAILED AND CAN'T SENSE A PERSON IN THE SEAT. CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE! NOT TO MENTION, THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT IS INTERMITTENT AND EXTREMELY OBNOXIOUS BEEPING MULTIPLE TIMES EVERY TIME I DRIVE NOW. THIS SEAT HAS NEVER BEEN WET AND THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. ALSO, I RARELY HAVE PASSENGERS.

MY 2013 VOLT HAS STARTED GIVING ME ONLY A MAXIMUM OF 35 MILES CHARGE, BUT REALLY ONLY GIVING ME 27-32 EVEN THROUGH I DRIVE IN LOW (WHICH ALWAYS GAVE ME MORE MILES THAN THE CAR THOUGHT I'D GET). MAYBE THIS IS CONNECTED TO THE NEW PROBLEM? YESTERDAY WHEN I TURNED ON THE CAR (DRIVING IN GAS BECAUSE I HAD RUN OUT OF ELECTRIC) IT GAVE GAVE ME A "PROPULSION POWER REDUCED" ERROR MESSAGE. I TRIED TURNING IT OFF AND ON SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THE ERROR STAYED. I HAD TO DRIVE FROM DOWNTOWN LA IN A CAR THAT COULD BARELY MOVE. ABOUT 8 MILES IN, THE ERROR DISAPPEARED AND THE CAR RAN NORMALLY. THE DEALERSHIP TELLS ME THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY ERROR MESSAGES (?!), BUT MAYBE, MAYBE THAT PROBLEM AND THE CHARGING PROBLEM COULD BE CORRECTED BY A $300 SOFTWARE UPDATE. MAYBE. MEANTIME, I FOUND THAT SOME 2013 VOLTS WERE RECALLED FOR EXACTLY THIS ERROR PROBLEM, BUT APPARENTLY NOT MINE. THE DEALERSHIP DOESN'T SEEM TO BE INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT WHAT'S WRONG, AND GM SAYS TO GO TO THE DEALERSHIP (GM, IN FACT, HUNG UP ON MY TODAY). SO LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT, GM, YOU KNOW YOU BUILT CARS WITH SOFTWARE PROBLEMS, BUT WE NEED TO PAY TO CORRECT THEM? AND YOU'RE NOT EVEN SURE IT WILL CORRECT IT??????

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET VOLT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED, THE PROPORTION POWER REDUCED INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, AND THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS PUSHED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE CONTACT CALLED AN UNKNOWN DEALER IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS AN OPEN RECALL; HOWEVER, THE VIN SEARCH DID NOT LOCATE ANY RECALLS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THERE WERE TWO MANUFACTURER RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 62,000.