[kkuttner]

If everyone affected logs in and hits the support Chat button direct to GM, it can't hurt. There will be an equal or higher level of awareness, and potentially a quicker resolution with less wasted time and money. Moreover, they request your VIN and mileage during the chat and document the occurrence in their system.

I'm all for relentlessly pestering GM. Curt, can you direct me to where you would log in to do this?

 

[cwerdna]

Hope this isn't a repeat by our friendly neighborhood tech Jaryd at

https://www.facebook.com/groups/chevyboltevowners/posts/3090955501216055/?comment_id=3090978051213800

today said:
"Hi friendly neighborhood GM EV tech here! There is a new TSB specifically for this and it is currently under investigation by GM. It is especially puzzling because it seems to be only effecting 2019s even though they have the same battery & software as 17s and 18s. In the mean time it can be temporarily resolved by disconnecting and reconnecting the 12v battery."

 

[Steve Seidensticker]

Here is one more. Happened on my 2019 Bolt after main battery replacement about two months ago. Took it to Bob Stall Chevrolet in La Mesa, CA. They did not even look at it for five days. Then they told me it needed a new receptacle, but there were none available anywhere in the country and there was no date for when the part might be available.

By that time I discovered this thread. I sent the link to the service writer. When I picked up the car I ask both the service writer and the tech if they had read it. Both said no and both REFUSED TO LOOK AT IT! I then asked if they would please do the 12v battery disconnect/connect trick. They REFUSED! So I took the car home and did it myself. It worked. I now keep a 10mm wrench in the car. I tried to get the service manager on the phone. Left a message to call me but don't expect to hear from him.

Steve Seidensticker

 

[Saltyf]

+1. Happened to me today for the first time. 2019 Bolt EV. Main battery replaced in November.

Taking negative lead off the 12V battery for 3 minutes didn't help. Pushing the lock pin with a small hex key and a screwdriver was pretty easy, though.

 

[Eriamjh1138]

Here is one more. Happened on my 2019 Bolt after main battery replacement about two months ago. Took it to Bob Stall Chevrolet in La Mesa, CA. They did not even look at it for five days. Then they told me it needed a new receptacle, but there were none available anywhere in the country and there was no date for when the part might be available.

By that time I discovered this thread. I sent the link to the service writer. When I picked up the car I ask both the service writer and the tech if they had read it. Both said no and both REFUSED TO LOOK AT IT! I then asked if they would please do the 12v battery disconnect/connect trick. They REFUSED! So I took the car home and did it myself. It worked. I now keep a 10mm wrench in the car. I tried to get the service manager on the phone. Left a message to call me but don't expect to hear from him.

Steve Seidensticker

Sounds like they were trying to milk a warranty replacement. Never go back. They are dishonest.

 

[superwaffles]

Hi All,

First off, thank you very much for this forum.

I'm another 2019 Bolt owner that got the December 2021 software patch, but has not had the main battery pack replaced yet.

This latch issue occurred for the first time this morning after I picked up the vehicle from the dealer (more details below, if you're interested). The car is back at the dealership where they've reset the latch and plugged it in to charge.

I will start carrying a 10mm wrench in the vehicle.

Thanks again for sharing the 12V battery-disconnect trick!
Best-
Joe

Details:
Last Friday, the Bolt started displaying a "Propulsion Power is Reduced" message and the check engine light was on. I took it into the dealer They said they reset some things (I'm still waiting on specifics) and they put me on the battery-pack replacement list. Unfortunately, I'm 27th in line, and they only replace 2-battery packs/month...

 

[kkuttner]

Sounds like they were trying to milk a warranty replacement. Never go back. They are dishonest.

Or just clueless. I have the sense that a lot of dealers simply aren't all that interested in supporting EVs. I got the same response from my dealer - "needs a new charging port, we have no idea when we'll be able to get one" (followed by shoulder shrug). Another way of putting it: "congratulations on the conversion of your Bolt to a very expensive garage ornament." Why do they think this is an acceptable answer?

 

[Eriamjh1138]

Either one isn’t worth your time. Poor customer service, either way.

 

[MichBolt]

Or just clueless. I have the sense that a lot of dealers simply aren't all that interested in supporting EVs. I got the same response from my dealer - "needs a new charging port, we have no idea when we'll be able to get one" (followed by shoulder shrug). Another way of putting it: "congratulations on the conversion of your Bolt to a very expensive garage ornament." Why do they think this is an acceptable answer?

EVs are more dependent on software and electronics than ICE vehicles, where even having a mechanic with great instincts won't help. Troubleshooting an EV charging port is closer to troubleshooting a computer I/O port than it is to troubleshooting a fuel injector or a fuel pump.

EVs are going to be a challenging transition for traditional dealerships and service departments.

 

[shockBob]

Happened to me today. 2019 Bolt. Disconnecting battery fixed it. Thank you! I tried the "insert small blade" to push back the pin but could not push it back.
For those not sure: disconnect the negative battery terminal. The one WITHOUT the red plastic cover.
I previously had some issues extracting the connector; also issues pushing it in far enough to get the charging light to light up. Fixed these with wiggling and considerable force. A touch of Vaseline on the plastic locking piece seemed to help this. Not sure if it is related.

 

[cwerdna]

Jaryd posted a new update today at

https://www.facebook.com/groups/chevyboltevowners/posts/3096352270676378/

.

Hi friendly neighborhood GM EV tech here! I have seen a few people in this group recently having trouble getting the charge handle to plug in all the way due to the DC port lock being partially or fully locked when there is no DC charger connected. I have also had 2 seperate customers that I completed the recall for that have returned with this issue. Gm released a new TSB (PIC6452A) recently for 2019s only informing us that engineering is aware of the issue and is currently investigating the root cause of this in order to develop a permanent fix. If this happens the lock can be released with a scan tool command or by disconnecting and reconnecting the 12v battery and we are supposed to have the customer fill out some questions to help track the issue. The problem is many owners are simply resetting it themselves rather than dealing with the dealership which ultimately makes determining the root cause harder since GM doesn't know about those. I have been in direct communication with a resource at GM about this and have offered to try and help gather information from other owners that have experienced this as it could help expedite a permenant solution. If you have experienced this issue and would like to help all I need is a few questions answered about the circumstances just before the issue happened so I can get it to engineering. The first comment will be the questions so they can be responded to if desired, or you can pm me if you prefer. Thanks for your time!

Remember it is asking about just before you experienced the problem and first noticed you couldn't plug in.

He then asks these questions to relay back to GM (or GM will read the answers posted on FB anyway):

1. When and where (home/work/public) was the last time, you successfully plugged in your vehicle and charged?
2. Charger level used level 1 (120-volt AC) Level 2 (240-volt AC) Level 3 (440-volt DC)
3. How frequently do you use this particular charging station?
4. Since the time of your last successful charge, have you done anything unique or outside of your normal driving or charging routines?
5. Is the vehicle set up with a Charging Schedule or is it set up to Charge Immediately? Look for this information in the charging screens in the center stack.
6. Do you use the myChevrolet App?
7. Do you receive the monthly OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics Report? If so, when did you receive the last email?
Also please include your model year and location if possible.

Not sure if he will look here, but he/GM will probably look for answers in his thread.

Update: Despite some critics of Jaryd (I remember one specifically here on chevybolt.org about the content of one of Jaryd's posts), Jaryd strikes me as one of the most helpful dealer techs I've seen on social media in the car forums/FB groups I'm involved in.

His posts are informative, often insightful and summarize the Bolt issues at hand amongst the sea of information and misinformation out there (FB groups can be notoriously bad for the latter).

 

[steveskolnik]

OK, the latch is part of the charge port. Here's a pic of it from eBay. The latch is inside the horizontal portion to the upper left of the port. Its harness and the other low voltage circuits (like the pilot signal) come out of the black connector at the bottom left.
View attachment 40953

This is connector X98. Based on the pinout, pin 7 is the Latch Close pin, and 8 is the Latch Open pin.
View attachment 40954
Here's the pinout of the whole connector:
View attachment 40955
I'll trace pin 8 or circuit 2230.
This leads to Connector X117 CHARGE RECEPTACLE HARNESS TO BODY HARNESS (CBT).
I think CBT is the DC fast charging option, but I can't be sure (yet). View attachment 40956
View attachment 40959
Notice that circuit 2231 is pin G on X117. Let's see where it goes.

It goes to K114B HYBRID/EV POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE 2 X2, which is one of two connectors with the same name (the other being X1).
View attachment 40957
View attachment 40958
Pin 61 is the bottom right corner in the pic above. So we've gone from the Latch itself all the way back to the PowerTrain Control module 2. That's where the trail ends. Circuit 2230 doesn't go anywhere else.

I tried tracing K114B PTCM2 to see if I could find a schematic, block digram, etc.
Nope. I found this:
View attachment 40961
View attachment 40960
Dead end.

Conclusion: Without a fault code, this is a Powertrain Control Module 2 software fault. It's latching closed when it's not supposed to be (because it is only supposed to latch when DCFCing) and it's not supposed to latch when nothing is plugged in.

So here's more details on the fault:

Control Module References for scan tool information Circuit/System Verification

1. Vehicle in Service Mode.
2. Command the DC Charge Port Lock to LOCK and UNLOCK with a scan tool while listening for the DC Charge Port Lock to lock and unlock. The DC Charge Port Lock should lock and unlock and the scan tool DC Charge Port Lock Actuator Position Sensor parameter should change between 0.15 - 4.85 V.
   - If the DC Charge Port Lock does not LOCK or UNLOCK or the DC Charge Port Lock Actuator Position Sensor parameter does not change
   Refer to Circuit/System Testing.
   - If the DC Charge Port Lock does LOCK and UNLOCK and the DC Charge Port Lock Actuator Position Sensor parameter changes
3. All OK.

Only resort to going to the dealer if the latch doesn't automatically open after removing and reconnecting the GND cable at the 12V battery.

Amazing detective work, THANKS! Next question, how do we get GM to fix the apparent software glitch they have inadvertently introduced into our beloved little cars?

 

[Boltemort]

Update: it happened again, 3 months later. Thankfully this time I knew what I was doing, and keep the tool in the glovebox, so it only took 5 minutes.

 

[NHTortoise]

Hi community - BIG thanks to everyone contributing here.
Adding my experience to the pile - I had this happen to my 2019 (battery replaced, SW all up to date) last week, brought it to the dealer who said they were able to unlatch it by SW control but I'm not sure they were aware of the 12V battery trick since they didn't mention it to me.

Sounds like engineering is working on it, do we have a TSB number? I'd like to call my dealer and talk about it.

 

[MichBolt]

...do we have a TSB number? I'd like to call my dealer and talk about it.

@cwerdna posted info a few posts above yours:

charging port will not accept charging cable

I cannot plug the charging cable into the charge port of my (post-recall-fix, 2019, LT DCFC) Bolt. The problem is the metal "latch" at the top of the charger (see photos) is stuck in position, and physically blocks the top plastic prong on the charge cable. The charge cord cannot get far...

www.chevybolt.org

The GM tech on Facebook mentioned a TSB number: PIC6452A

 

[Curt]

I'm all for relentlessly pestering GM. Curt, can you direct me to where you would log in to do this?

The Chat seems virtually impossible to find on the GM or Chevrolet web sites. There is a separate page that appears to be specific to EVs:

Site Maintenance

Scroll down for the Live Chat button. Since it is for the EV concierge, we can hope it gets a better level of expertise and attention.

 

[cwerdna]

Definitely report to GM if you run into this. Given how many times I've seen this here on and Bolt FB groups, I wouldn't be surprised if Bolt reliability in Consumer Reports tanks again/remains poor the next go around.

This problem seemed to come out of nowhere and I'd never heard of this prior to pack replacements. However, I only had Bolt from end of Jan 2019 until end of Jan 2022...

 

[Sean Nelson]

Happened to me today. 2019 Bolt. Disconnecting battery fixed it. Thank you! I tried the "insert small blade" to push back the pin but could not push it back.

This hasn't happened to my Bolt, but I believe that what you need to do with the screwdriver is to push the metal latch UP, not "back". Maybe someone who's actually done it can chime in...?

 

[DavidOB1]

Dealer fixed my problem with a reset. It is a known problem according to my EV tech who gave me a printout related to PIC6452A. They have narrowed it to just 2019 Bolts, and it is a software problem. They tried replacing charge ports without success and are sure it is software. Their only recommended fix is a reset that only a Bolt EV tech can perform; it involves cycling "the Hybrid/EV Battery DC Charging Port Lock a couple of times. Clear Codes". My problem happened after my propulsion battery was replaced as part of the battery recall. From posts here it looks like the battery disconnect performs a reset and can fix it, but my Tech said he did not recommend it because it is not an officially known solution. I expressed frustration that I would have to return to the dealer if this happens again and there is no fix. He said it should not happen again for at least two years, and GM is working on a fix to the software. Frustrating, especially since some on this forum have had repeated occurrences.

 

[XJ12]

Makes one wonder if there's a "sneak circuit" in the 2019. Any changes to the design can lead to unintended consequences. They keep saying the 2019 isn't different and they can't figure it out. I've got one data point that says it is different.