2017 Chevrolet Volt

WE'VE HAD A TOTAL OF THREE CHEVY VOLTS. TWO HAVE BEEN GREAT, BUT THE 2017 VOLT WE GOT IN FEBRUARY 2017 HAS BEEN AWFUL -- THE CAR COMPLETELY LOSES POWER WITHOUT WARNING. IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING, BOTH ON THE FREEWAY AND SURFACE STREETS. AND JUST TO CLARIFY, I DON'T MEAN THE CAR WAS OUT OF ELECTRICITY OR OUT OF GAS (EACH TIME THIS HAPPENED, THE CAR HAD BOTH). WE WILL BE DRIVING ALONG WHEN, OUT OF THE BLUE, THE CAR SIMPLY JUST STOPS RUNNING, LEAVING US TO DO OUR BEST TO GET IT OUT OF THE ROADWAY WITHOUT GETTING HIT. THE CAR (WHICH ONLY HAS ABOUT 1,000 MILES ON IT) HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP OFF AND ON FOR ABOUT A MONTH NOW. WE HAVE BEEN VERY DISAPPOINTED BY HOW BOTH GM AND THE DEALER HAVE BEEN HANDLING THE SITUATION.

THIS ELECTRIC CAR HAS REGENERATIVE BRAKING. BESIDES BEING IN THE REGULAR BRAKING, THERE IS A PURE REGENERATIVE BRAKING PADDLE ON THE STEERING WHEEL. BUT WHEN YOU USE THIS BRAKE, THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO NOT TURN ON. THIS IS A MAJOR HAZARD AS I USE THIS BRAKE ALL THE TIME AND CARS BEHIND ME DO NOT KNOW I AM BRAKING AND HAVE ALMOST REAR ENDED ME. CHEVY DEALER SAYS THAT IS THE WAY IT IS DESIGNED AND IS FUNCTIONING PERFECTLY. WHY HAS THIS BEEN APPROVED TO DESIGN A BRAKING SYSTEM WITHOUT ANY WARNING LIGHTS? WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS?

WE BOUGHT A NEW 2017 CHEVY VOLT AT THE END OF DECEMBER 2016 AND HAD OUR FIRST ISSUE IN EARLY FEBRUARY 2017. WHAT HAPPENED THAT FIRST TIME WAS ON (2/3/2017) WHILE DRIVING THROUGH TRAFFIC THE CAR WITHOUT WARNING TURNED OFF THE ELECTRIC WHEEL MOTORS AND WOULD NOT ALLOW US TO POWER THE CAR PROPERLY TO GET THE CAR TO THE BERM. WE WERE NEARLY WERE HIT TWICE WHILE TRYING TO STEER THE CAR OFF OF THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AS IT DECELERATED. THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DISABLED AN NEEDED TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. AFTER THE DEALERSHIP HAD THE CAR FOR A WEEK THEY RETURNED IT WITH THE EXPLANATION THAT THE CAR NEEDED TO DO SOFTWARE UPDATES AND THEY WERE TOO LARGE TO DO OVER THE CAR'S SATELLITE SYSTEM ' BUT THEY NEVER GAVE US ANY INDICATION OF HOW WE WOULD HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THE NEED FOR SUCH AN UPDATE. WE THEN HAD ANOTHER NEAR ACCIDENT TODAY (4/6/2017) ON THE SAME HIGHWAY AND WE WERE NEARLY PUSHED UP UNDER A SEMI WHILE TRYING TO MANEUVER OFF OF THE HIGHWAY AT 75 MILES AN HOUR. AGAIN, THE CAR WITHOUT WARNING SHUT OFF THE ELECTRIC WHEEL MOTORS AND WARNED US TO 'PUT THE CAR IN PARK'. IT HAPPENED IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AS IN FEBRUARY BUT NO WARNINGS HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR OUR CAR AND WE ALMOST HAD A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. MY CONCERN IS FOR MY FAMILY AND COLLEAGUES SAFETY AT THIS POINT AND I DON'T WANT ANYONE DRIVING IN THIS CAR. I HATE TO THINK OF WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TODAY IF MY DAUGHTER, WHO IS A BRAND NEW DRIVER, WOULD HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH THE SAME SITUATION SANDWICHED IN BY TWO SEMI-TRUCKS AND WITH A CAR TRYING TO PASS ON THE SHOULDER AROUND HER ' IT COULD HAVE BEEN FAR WORSE. I AM IN SEVERAL CHEVY VOLT GROUPS ON FACEBOOK AND PEOPLE WHO LOVED THE GENERATION 1 OF THESE CARS ARE HAVING MAJOR ISSUES FROM BATTERY PACKS DYING, TO DRIVE TRAIN ISSUES, TO SPEED CONTROL PROBLEMS AND MORE WHERE PEOPLE ARE HAVING MAJOR SYSTEM PIECES REPLACED 2-3 TIMES IN THE FIRST FEW MONTHS THEY OWN THE CARS.

STRONG BURNING AND/OR FUEL SMELL FILLED THE PASSENGER CABIN. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS MOST NOTABLY WHEN THE CAR WAS OPERATING IN 'ENGINE RUNNING DUE TO TEMPERATURE' MODE. THE ODOR WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE DIZZINESS AND REQUIRED TO THE WINDOWS TO BE OPENED TO VENT THE CABIN. THE SMELL AND ORDER NOW IS PERSISTENT EVEN WHEN DRIVING IN ALL-ELECTRIC MODE. MY INTENSION IS TO REPLACE THE CABIN AIR FILTER WITH A CARBON AIR FILTER PER 16-NA-127.

MY 2017 CHEVY VOLT SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER WHILE I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 35 MPH IN ELECTRIC MODE. THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN ABOUT 4500 MILES. A "SHIFT TO PARK" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED ON THE DASHBOARD. I COULD NOT RESTART THE CAR AND HAD IT TOWED TO A DEALER FOR SERVICE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE POWER INVERTER MODULE AND UPDATED THE SOFTWARE. AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE ELECTRIC MOTOR HAS STALLED ON TWO OCCASIONS AND THE CAR SHAKES VIOLENTLY THEN SWITCHES INTO THE GASOLINE ENGINE MODE.

THE POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH ON A MILD CURVE ON A WET OREGON STATE HIGHWAY. IT BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO STEER THE VEHICLE. THIS SURELY COULD HAVE CAUSED INJURY OR DEATH HAD THERE BEEN A SHARP CURVE OR PEDESTRIAN OR VEHICLE TO AVOID. I AM HAVING THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. THIS VEHICLE HAS 2043 MILES ON IT.

ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASION MY CAR HAS DIED ON THE HIGHWAY AND LOST ACCELERATION, GM ISSUED A RECALL BETWEEN MY FIRST AND SECOND INCIDENTS AND THE RECALL FIX DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE AS THIS HAPPENED A THIRD TIME. NOV 14TH WAS THE FIRST TIME BUT IT HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND PEOPLE WILL PROBABLY DIE BECAUSE OF THIS. THE ERROR MESSAGE ON THE SCREEN IS PROPULSION POWER IS REDUCED

IF THE CAR LOSES POWER, AND THE DOORS HAVE LOCKED (DO AUTOMATICALLY), THERE IS NO WAY TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOORS. THE PLUNGER IS RECESSED SO MUCH IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO RAISE IT TO UNLOCK. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET, THEY HAVE NO ANSWER ON HOW TO OVERCOME THIS. I HAVE A FRIEND WHO WAS LOCKED IN ANOTHER TYPE OF VEHICLE WHEN LOST POWER, BUT COULD MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOORS. TV NEWS THIS MORNING SHOWED A PERSON TRAPPED IN A CAR WITH NO POWER, BUT WAS ABLE TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOORS. THE MESSAGE WAS TO LEARN HOW TO MANUALLY UNLOCK THE CAR IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. PLEASE SEE IF THIS CAN BE REMEDIED, IT MAY SAVE LIVES. THANK YOU, GRATEFUL TAXPAYER. *TR

WE ARE WRITING TO VOICE A VERY DISCONCERTING AND DANGEROUS INCIDENT WITH OUR 2017 CHEVY VOLT. ON A RETURN TRIP AT DARK FROM CLEVELAND, OHIO TO ROCHESTER, NY ON 12-26-16, OUR ENGINE SUDDENLY GAVE WARNING BEEPS WHICH PROMPTED MY HUSBAND TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER ON INTERSTATE 90 IN ERIE, PA. WE HAD ALL OF 15-20 SECONDS TO GET OFF THIS HEAVILY TRAFFICKED HIGHWAY WHEN THE CAR LITERALLY SHUT DOWN.. NOTHING WORKED NOT EVEN THE WARNING FLASHERS. WE COULD NOT OPEN THE TRUNK, AND HAD WE NOT KEPT ONE DOOR OPEN WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ENTER THE CAR. IN SUMMARY, THE TOTAL FAILURE WE ENCOUNTERED SHOWS THE SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE RELATED TO THIS CAR. WE ARE NOW RELUCTANT TO TAKE IT ON TRIPS THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT HAD WE NOT BEEN ABLE TO PULL OFF ONTO THE SHOULDER.

THE VEHICLE CENTER DISPLAY DOES NOT WORK RELIABLY. MOST CONCERNING TO SAFETY IS THE FACT THAT THIS RENDERS THE REVERSE CAMERA INOPERABLE. OTHER THINGS THAT DON'T WORK INCLUDE BLUETOOTH, RADIO, ON STAR, CONTROLS FOR THE VEHICLE SETUP AND CHARGING PARAMETERS, AIR CONDITIONING, ENERGY USAGE DISPLAY, AND SO ON. AFTER SEVERAL SERVICE VISITS AND CALLS TO GM, THEY DETERMINED THAT IF YOU LEAVE A PHONE PLUGGED INTO THE USB CORD FOR THE AUDIO SYSTEM, AND POWER THE CAR OFF WITHOUT FIRST UNPLUGGING THE PHONE FROM THE CHARGER AND EVEN THE CHARGER CORD FROM THE USB PORT (WITH NO PHONE PLUGGED IN) OR ELSE THE NEXT TIME YOU START THE CAR THE SCREEN AND FUNCTIONS ON IT WILL BE INOPERABLE UNTIL THE CAR IS POWERED OFF FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. WHETHER OR NOT I UNPLUG MY PHONE WHEN I TURN OFF THE CAR SHOULD PREVENT THE BACKUP CAMERA FROM FUNCTIONING NOR THE DETAILS ABOUT ELECTRIC CAR CHARGE USAGE. GM HAS TOLD ME THERE IS NOTHING MORE THEY CAN DO, THAT'S JUST HOW IT WORKS.