2014 Chevrolet Volt

Our 2014 Chevy Volt began to rarely give an audible chime with a: "Service Airbag" message on the Driver Information Center display, as well as the "Passenger Airbag" overhead panel display showing "On"-"Off"-"On", spontaneously back in 2018. Again, this was rare, but concerning. This became somewhat more common in the months that followed and is now a common annoyance on every drive. Because of personal circumstances, as well as the Coronavirus Pandemic, we have not driven this vehicle much over the past couple of years, and we have not taken the car in for service. It has not yet been inspected by any other entity other than myself. The alarms happen whether the passenger seat is occupied or not. I have read on the GM-Volt online forum that this is likely caused by a defective passenger detection pad in the passenger seat, but I have personally checked the seat wiring harness and connector, and they appear to be nominal. Obviously, having an inoperative passenger airbag system is a significant safety concern. We ordered the car, and it was delivered new in December, 2013. There has never been a spill, leak, or any damage to any of the seats or airbag system of this vehicle. We intend to report the problem to our dealer, "Bob Steele Chevrolet" in Cocoa, FL within the next week. Our car is readily available for inspection at any time.

Several times a the passenger side airbag with or without a passenger will say it has an issue and a warning will pop up on the dash for a few seconds and then go away. It has been doing this since I got the car used over 2 years ago. I'm not sure if this means the airbag will deploy or not. It simply says airbag warning then goes away. I took it to the chevy dealership and they didn't find any issue.

The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle during an electrical storm the power would shut off causing the vehicle to become inoperable. On one occasion the power shut off causing the vehicle to roll into the rear of a second vehicle causing damage to the bumper. No injuries were reported and no police report was taken. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure and no repairs were performed. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,000.

Not long after purchasing my 2014 Chevrolet Volt, I got a warning light telling me to check my airbags. I immediately took my car to my local Chevrolet to be looked at. I was told “oh this happens a lot with the earlier Volts” and was quoted $1100+ to fix the issue. I took it to another shop and was quoted a similar amount, around $1000+ with parts and labor. The safety of myself and any passenger of mine is at risk indefinitely because of this issue. I cannot have any passengers sit in the front passenger seat because the airbag will toggle on/off even when there is an adult sitting in the sit and not moving around. The problem was not reproduced, but was confirmed by a mechanic at Chevrolet in Tallahassee. The only thing that mechanics tell me is that “this is a common issue” and upon looking into this issue online, there are many people having the same issue. I’ve done nothing that would have damaged this airbag sensor so I do not understand why it is malfunctioning, and why I’m supposed to pay over $1000 for an issue that should not exist in the first place? If the passenger airbag is having issues, what if my drivers seat airbag has an issue that I’m unaware of? I can honestly say that I am not 100% confident that my airbag will deploy if I get into an accident. When driving my car I am constantly afraid for myself and for my passengers. I cannot afford to pay $1000 for an issue that doesn’t make sense. My mechanic could not explain why this happens, just that it is common with my vehicle

GM sent me a letter in June, 2019 notifying me that my 2014 Chevy Volt was in need of a software update “that is intended to increase the amount of warning time provided to you before your vehicle enters a reduced propulsion mode while driving, loses propulsion, or might not start.” The letter goes on to say: “WHAT WE WILL DO: Your Chevrolet dealer will update the Hybrid Power Control Module (HPCM2).” And: “This service will be performed for you at no charge until June 30, 2021.” (NOTE: this was later extended until October, 2021.) As suggested, I made an appointment to perform this service with a local Chevrolet where I live and took my Volt there. However, they told me that this service is covered only as part of GM’s “Customer Satisfaction Program” and since this vehicle has a salvage title, they would have to charge me (>$150) for this service. For your information, when I bought this Volt, it only needed some relatively minor body work and there are no mechanical of safety issues associated with it. Furthermore, my OnStar Diagnostic Report warns me that this vehicle should seek service under GM Recall #N172130462 due to "Loss of Propulsion Due to Low Cell Voltage." So it seems to me that that this isn’t just a matter of customer satisfaction, but rather a serious safety issue if I should suddenly lose propulsion while driving down the road. However, after writing a letter to GM and having several conversations with their Customer Care Department over the last year, they refused to perform this service at no charge to me as promised in their June 2019 letter. GM should do the right thing here and fix this problem.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 CHEVROLET VOLT. THE CONTACT STATED THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITANTLY FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER STEVENS CREEK CHEVROLET (3640 STEVENS CREEK BLVD, SAN JOSE, CA 95117, (408) 490-0013) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NEEDING THE PASSENGER'S SIDE OCCUPANT DETECTION MODULE TO BE REPLACED. CONSUMER WAS QUOTED $1300. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 48,000.*DT*JB