[Scott K.]

I know this thread's a bit dated by a few months, but here's what happened to me today.

Got into my '17 Bolt EV Premier, 31,486 miles. Hadn't driven in nearly 48 hours, sitting in the driveway through a couple of the recent Southern California rainstorms. On startup, I received a slew of errors:

Service: Stabilitrak
Service: Battery Charging System
Information: Battery Saver Active
Information: Side Detection Temporarily Unavailable
Service Vehicle Soon Light ON
Charging System Light (red 12V battery symbol) ON
Brake System Warning Light ON
Parking Brake Light Goes Out
Service: Electric Parking Brake Light ON
Information: Conditions Not Correct for Shift
ABS Warning Light ON
Security Light ON

I rebooted the Infotainment system, which did not come back on. I called OnStar, which connected, but without the Infotainment system I couldn't hear the call. So I called OnStar from my cell phone, and had them run a diagnostic, which returned four major errors:

Car wouldn't let me put it in Drive or Reverse, only Neutral and Park.

Needless to say, I had to be somewhere. I of course powered it off and back on a few times, all with the same result. I suspect the 12V battery, which I had the dealer test 10 months ago when the HV battery was replaced for the second time, and they tested it at 12.75v and pronounced it Good. I put a voltmeter on the battery with no load and it showed 13.02v. I turned the car On (such as it was), and the voltage dropped to 9.77v. I borrowed a friend's car to make my appointment and was gone a bit over an hour.

When I got back, I called AAA Battery Service, doubting they'd have a 12V battery (they don't) but figuring they could at least run a battery test. The tech ran a battery test, and the battery showed 13.77v the first time he ran it; I turned on a map light, then off, turned the headlights on, then off, and then the second time he tested at 13.48v. He pronounced it good. He asked me to start the car, and when I did...BINGO, it was back to normal. Off he went and I drove it around the block, and it was totally normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

I called OnStar again and asked them to run another diagnostic, and all systems checked out A-OK. Here's the second report from 3 hours later:

My 12V battery is the original, it's about 5 years and 10 months in age. I'll call the dealer for service, it looks like I hopefully only need to replace the 12V battery. But the car coming back to life after 3 hours isn't a confidence-builder, to say the least. I'll call tomorrow and price out a new battery, and I'll ask them to run some diagnostics on the car to make sure it's not something else. This assumes that the car will start up normally tomorrow and I'll be able to drive it out there.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks--

 

[LarryO]

I know this thread's a bit dated by a few months, but here's what happened to me today.

Got into my '17 Bolt EV Premier, 31,486 miles. Hadn't driven in nearly 48 hours, sitting in the driveway through a couple of the recent Southern California rainstorms. On startup, I received a slew of errors:

Service: Stabilitrak
Service: Battery Charging System
Information: Battery Saver Active
Information: Side Detection Temporarily Unavailable
Service Vehicle Soon Light ON
Charging System Light (red 12V battery symbol) ON
Brake System Warning Light ON
Parking Brake Light Goes Out
Service: Electric Parking Brake Light ON
Information: Conditions Not Correct for Shift
ABS Warning Light ON
Security Light ON

I rebooted the Infotainment system, which did not come back on. I called OnStar, which connected, but without the Infotainment system I couldn't hear the call. So I called OnStar from my cell phone, and had them run a diagnostic, which returned four major errors:

View attachment 51906

Car wouldn't let me put it in Drive or Reverse, only Neutral and Park.

Needless to say, I had to be somewhere. I of course powered it off and back on a few times, all with the same result. I suspect the 12V battery, which I had the dealer test 10 months ago when the HV battery was replaced for the second time, and they tested it at 12.75v and pronounced it Good. I put a voltmeter on the battery with no load and it showed 13.02v. I turned the car On (such as it was), and the voltage dropped to 9.77v. I borrowed a friend's car to make my appointment and was gone a bit over an hour.

When I got back, I called AAA Battery Service, doubting they'd have a 12V battery (they don't) but figuring they could at least run a battery test. The tech ran a battery test, and the battery showed 13.77v the first time he ran it; I turned on a map light, then off, turned the headlights on, then off, and then the second time he tested at 13.48v. He pronounced it good. He asked me to start the car, and when I did...BINGO, it was back to normal. Off he went and I drove it around the block, and it was totally normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

I called OnStar again and asked them to run another diagnostic, and all systems checked out A-OK. Here's the second report from 3 hours later:

View attachment 51907

My 12V battery is the original, it's about 5 years and 10 months in age. I'll call the dealer for service, it looks like I hopefully only need to replace the 12V battery. But the car coming back to life after 3 hours isn't a confidence-builder, to say the least. I'll call tomorrow and price out a new battery, and I'll ask them to run some diagnostics on the car to make sure it's not something else. This assumes that the car will start up normally tomorrow and I'll be able to drive it out there.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks--

The testing involved charging the battery a small amount. This corrected the issue of the battery simply being dead. The car dies because the 12V battery is dead. The real question is what the root cause of the battery being dead is.

Folks have been blaming intermittent batteries, but my take is that there is an intermitted software bug in the bolt where the battery fails to be charged.

I had the same thing happen in November 2022 at which time I simply charged the battery. It's been fine since then. I now carry a 12V boost battery to avoid swapping out what I think is still a good battery.

 

[Scott K.]

The testing involved charging the battery a small amount. This corrected the issue of the battery simply being dead. The car dies because the 12V battery is dead. The real question is what the root cause of the battery being dead is.

Folks have been blaming intermittent batteries, but my take is that there is an intermitted software bug in the bolt where the battery fails to be charged.

I had the same thing happen in November 2022 at which time I simply charged the battery. It's been fine since then. I now carry a 12V boost battery to avoid swapping out what I think is still a good battery.

12V battery problem solved today with a new 12V OEM battery at the dealer. Car was manufactured in March 2017, so two months shy of 6 years on the original 12V battery. In the future I'll change it out preemptively at the 5-year mark (I already have a calendar alert in), assuming I still have the car. $342 less 10% with a service coupon, plus tax. It was $57 more than buying a DieHard EV battery at Advance Auto Parts and having them install it for free at their attached Pep Boys service center. I figured that I've put less than $1000 into the car in the ~3 2/3 years I've owned it (yay!), including a $500 deductible for a new set of tires when I broke a front-wheel bearing on a road hazard ($500 for a new set of 4 tires and the bearing repair was a very good deal). So I figured the extra $57 was worth it to not have a Pep Boys mechanic under the hood of my Bolt EV, and the OEM battery has 6 months more warranty (42 vs. 36) than the aftermarket.

Thanks again.

 

[Sean Nelson]

My 12V battery is the original, it's about 5 years and 10 months in age. ...Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

I strongly suspect that the battery swap is all that you needed.

My 12V battery is at 5 years and 2 months. I'm load testing it on a regular basis and I have my 12V Li-Ion jump pack available if necessary. We'll see how long I can eke it out...

I've had more issues with my key fob battery than with the 12V battery. I buy good-quality duracell batteries but I've just started getting "Remote not detected" message again and so I guess it's time to replace it once more...

 

[Scott K.]

I strongly suspect that the battery swap is all that you needed.

My 12V battery is at 5 years and 2 months. I'm load testing it on a regular basis and I have my 12V Li-Ion jump pack available if necessary. We'll see how long I can eke it out...

I've had more issues with my key fob battery than with the 12V battery. I buy good-quality duracell batteries but I've just started getting "Remote not detected" message again and so I guess it's time to replace it once more...

The car is back to normal after the swap, and I have peace of mind that’ll it’ll be ready-to-go when I am.

If you’re not using a conditioner/desulfator, I would recommend you changing out the battery sooner rather than later. There’s a great video on YouTube for DIYers that was posted on another 12V battery thread here, and you can cut the cost about in half if you go that route if you have the time and are not under duress. My original battery tested good by the dealer at the 5 yr mark, I got 10 additional months out of it. YMMV.

 

[Sean Nelson]

If you’re not using a conditioner/desulfator, I would recommend you changing out the battery sooner rather than later.

The Bolt's 12V battery charging algorithm includes a sulfation mode, not sure how effective it is though.

 

[Scott K.]

The Bolt's 12V battery charging algorithm includes a sulfation mode, not sure how effective it is though.

Interesting.

5 years and 10 months effective?

BTW, re the keyfob battery, I rotate my two remotes monthly to spread out the battery life, with the spare kept out of range of the car. The one I use is in a Faraday cage that’s old but still blocks transmission at any appreciable distance but is worn out enough that I can get in the car with it and start up, too. I won’t buy coin cells on Amazon, they’re standard CR2032, I buy them retail for fresh stock. I think I’ve changed them once.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Interesting.

5 years and 10 months effective?

BTW, re the keyfob battery, I rotate my two remotes monthly to spread out the battery life, with the spare kept out of range of the car.

I have a spare fob and its battery flatlined after a few years even though it was never in range of the car after I programmed it. And that's a name brand retail-bought battery.

 

[Scott K.]

The Bolt's 12V battery charging algorithm includes a sulfation mode, not sure how effective it is though.

Thank you for that very informative read, Sean. There’s a lot to take for granted when hitting “On”, getting a Ready light, and driving off. An awful lot of thought and design has gone into these vehicles. And, it’s a pleasure to drive without thinking of all of the technology involved, but much appreciated.