Very old news here. The real mystery is why the GM and the dealership are slow-rolling this process. They've known for a long time now they can't do anything for a Volt with a failed traction battery. AFAIK, there haven't been any GM replacement Volt batteries for years now. The only resource is a couple of small garages which buy junked Volt batteries, test for the good cells and build one for about $5k, with a one year warranty.

However, the inference in the subject is problematic. Volt batteries have little-to-nothing in common with the Bolt battery; a problem there is not necessarily a problem here. However, agree, GM not supporting the Volt with replacement batteries has everything to do with the Bolt.

jack vines

 

Volt batteries have little-to-nothing in common with the Bolt battery

Odd that you say that, since the look pretty much the same with the cover off, just fewer modules. And swapping out modules is the same idea, whether Bolt or Volt.

And how is a future ship date 'very old news.'

 

The best figures I can find say there were 157,054 Volts sold in the US, and 177,000 globally, including Opel Ampera. For the Bolt, the US sales were 137,192, and globally, including the Opel Ampera E was 166,749.

So yeah, I think you can assume they will eventually be offering trade-ins for the new Ultium Bolt, or you will have to look to the small Volt specialty shops for refurbished Bolt batteries too.

 

Have you searched on what the law is on parts availability and warranty repairs? I may not have all the details but it sure looks like they have to be able to provide the parts and repair it in a reasonable amount of time or replace or buy back the vehicle.

 

It's under warranty, so it's up to Chevy to make them whole. The battery can be replaced, or they can pay the market value plus fees to purchase a comparable vehicle to replace it at the time of loss.

 

Have you searched on what the law is on parts availability and warranty repairs? I may not have all the details but it sure looks like they have to be able to provide the parts and repair it in a reasonable amount of time or replace or buy back the vehicle.

Yes, GM is contractually obligated to repair Volts for the stated term of the warranties.

We have to know the state in which the car was purchased and in what state it is now registered, the date it was sold and the current mileage. The "CARB" state warranties are supposedly different than the lame state warranties. Basically, GM promised any Volt owner five warranty coverages:

1. Bumper to bumper: 3 years/36,000 miles
2. Powertrain: 5 years/100,000 miles
3. Sheet Metal corrosion: 3 years/36,000 miles, rust-through: 6 years/100,000 miles
4. Federal emissions major components: 8 years/80,000 miles
5. Voltec: 8 years/100,000 miles

It's the rare Volt which still has any warranty coverage remaining.

jack vines

 

Yes, GM is contractually obligated to repair Volts for the stated term of the warranties.


5. Voltec: 8 years/100,000 miles

It's the rare Volt which still has any warranty coverage remaining.

jack vines

Not that good at math, but wouldn't a 2017 and 2018 still have Voltec warranty if under 100K miles?

 

I heard there is no Volt packs being built. That was last year even.

GM doesn't have to give new pack, just fix bad cells.

 

I heard there is no Volt packs being built. That was last year even.

GM doesn't have to give new pack, just fix bad cells.

And only for those still covered by the written warranty. They're under no legal obligation to maintain a supply of replacement batteries for those out of warranty. That's why Bolt owners should be watching the situation.

jack vines

 

after twenty years of hybrids and plug ins, i am not seeing any indy shops pop up around here, nor do i expect to in the future.
it's hard enough finding a decent mech for a gasser

 

You have to go to 'developing nations' to find those.

I've mentioned this before, but I read a story of a guy who's Tesla was declared totaled by his insurance company and it was sold for salvage. 8 months later his Tesla app pings and his car was in Ukraine, fully repaired and driving around. Why can't we do this here???

 

to date, gm has a poor reputation with ev's. the future is uncertain

 

people are over educated. no one goes into the trades anymore, even though they pay better than middle management jobs with bachelors degrees.
immigrants are doing the dirty work, but there aren't enough around here, and learning a trade isn't easy when you can't speak english, so only a percentage move up the ladder.

 

Yes, however, I have been seeing news articles that trades are seeing growth because the MBAs that turned colleges into ATMs for the upper-admins in the 1990s have now priced them out of normal people's reach, so trades is the only option. And they look enticing because they are commanding high pay rates for their work - specifically because there aren't enough to go around. You can once again, earn a middle class income from the trades.

 

I can’t wait until it trickles down to boots on the ground, but at 70, I may not live to see it

 

I'm 88, and I plan to live to see it. And now that joy has returned to our political life, I'm even more sure of that! If you are like me, you still have 18 more years in the work force. I go to work every day!

 

our last gasser was an '05 camry. getting parts is a breeze 20 years later.

a 20 year old bolt, i wouldn't risk it. sure, a wheel bearing or something, but the electrics, i wouldn't count on it.

 

Exactly my point. Chevy not selling a critical replacement part for a vehicle less than ten years old seems wrong.

 

I'm sorry, the GM Stealership has been holding your dad's car hostage for 4 months and you haven't contacted a lawyer?

 

I mentioned that and they scoffed, "As if that would work. That would be a waste of money. You can't win against a dealership."

 

One more time. If an owner has a written warranty still in force, GM must repair the car or buy it back. If the warranty has expired, tough shite and he is on his own. He can go to the aftermarket, buy a rebuilt battery and pay to have it installed by an independent shop.

One more time, the mystery is why the dealership is holding the car they know they can't repair and why the owner is not taking matters in his own hands.

jack vines

 

Some Tesla hackers offering new packs and even upgrades.

 

I’ll bet gm has plenty of Tahoe parts available for any year

 

I recently heard about a friend of a friend whose Volt battery went bad and GM gave him $30k for the car. I don’t know what year the car was. This was in California.

 

Can you elaborate on how recent this was?

 

My dad has a 2017 Volt. For a few months last year he was getting the well-known 'shift into park' warning. This April he took it to the dealer to that that fixed. GM has a service bulletin and everything. It is still at the dealer and he's not getting is back any time soon!

When he brought it in they ran their diagnostic software and found a problem with the high voltage battery. They refused to release the car back to him and said the battery will be replaced under warranty, and the battery should be there in a month. Well, it's still not in.

So I called GM's Concierge service and spoke with a nice person there that had ZERO information about when - or even if - a Volt battery would ever be available. Because I was nice and not being mean to her she put me on hold and called a dealer she knows that likes her. What she told me was very interesting.

There is no new High Voltage battery part number in the GM parts database. They don't have any new batteries and they are not making any more new Volt batteries, they do not exist. What the dealer did tell here is that there is a GM parts database entry for a refurbished battery, put it has no ship date and is listed as a future product. She was told by the dealer that GM is taking old Volt batteries and swapping out the bad module with a module from a different Volt battery! Some day those batteries will ship, but no one knows when.

Meanwhile, the dealer that had offered $11,500 trade in value says that is now down to 10,000 and dropping every day it sits on their lot, having waited four months already for a battery that they can't say when it will ship. Basically, the car is lost $400/month, undriveable, waiting for parts.

GM has moved on from this series. They are selling Ultiums now and have no care for previous models. They are not about to spend money on old tech. This may very well mean they do the same thing with the Bolts, now that they are no longer made.

Has anyone had any problems in the last six months getting their Bolt battery replaced by GM?

My dad has a 2017 Volt. For a few months last year he was getting the well-known 'shift into park' warning. This April he took it to the dealer to that that fixed. GM has a service bulletin and everything. It is still at the dealer and he's not getting is back any time soon!

When he brought it in they ran their diagnostic software and found a problem with the high voltage battery. They refused to release the car back to him and said the battery will be replaced under warranty, and the battery should be there in a month. Well, it's still not in.

So I called GM's Concierge service and spoke with a nice person there that had ZERO information about when - or even if - a Volt battery would ever be available. Because I was nice and not being mean to her she put me on hold and called a dealer she knows that likes her. What she told me was very interesting.

There is no new High Voltage battery part number in the GM parts database. They don't have any new batteries and they are not making any more new Volt batteries, they do not exist. What the dealer did tell here is that there is a GM parts database entry for a refurbished battery, put it has no ship date and is listed as a future product. She was told by the dealer that GM is taking old Volt batteries and swapping out the bad module with a module from a different Volt battery! Some day those batteries will ship, but no one knows when.

Meanwhile, the dealer that had offered $11,500 trade in value says that is now down to 10,000 and dropping every day it sits on their lot, having waited four months already for a battery that they can't say when it will ship. Basically, the car is lost $400/month, undriveable, waiting for parts.

GM has moved on from this series. They are selling Ultiums now and have no care for previous models. They are not about to spend money on old tech. This may very well mean they do the same thing with the Bolts, now that they are no longer made.

Has anyone had any problems in the last six months getting their Bolt battery replaced by GM?

My dad has a 2017 Volt. For a few months last year he was getting the well-known 'shift into park' warning. This April he took it to the dealer to that that fixed. GM has a service bulletin and everything. It is still at the dealer and he's not getting is back any time soon!

When he brought it in they ran their diagnostic software and found a problem with the high voltage battery. They refused to release the car back to him and said the battery will be replaced under warranty, and the battery should be there in a month. Well, it's still not in.

So I called GM's Concierge service and spoke with a nice person there that had ZERO information about when - or even if - a Volt battery would ever be available. Because I was nice and not being mean to her she put me on hold and called a dealer she knows that likes her. What she told me was very interesting.

There is no new High Voltage battery part number in the GM parts database. They don't have any new batteries and they are not making any more new Volt batteries, they do not exist. What the dealer did tell here is that there is a GM parts database entry for a refurbished battery, put it has no ship date and is listed as a future product. She was told by the dealer that GM is taking old Volt batteries and swapping out the bad module with a module from a different Volt battery! Some day those batteries will ship, but no one knows when.

Meanwhile, the dealer that had offered $11,500 trade in value says that is now down to 10,000 and dropping every day it sits on their lot, having waited four months already for a battery that they can't say when it will ship. Basically, the car is lost $400/month, undriveable, waiting for parts.

GM has moved on from this series. They are selling Ultiums now and have no care for previous models. They are not about to spend money on old tech. This may very well mean they do the same thing with the Bolts, now that they are no longer made.

Has anyone had any problems in the last six months getting their Bolt battery replaced by GM?

I have A 2017 bolt. I had the battery replaced last year after receiving the recall letter. Has your Dad had the battery replaced in the past or is this his first request for a battery replacement? I have not had the shift into park warning. Does this warning affect the driveability of the car?

 

The OP's father has a Volt. You own a Bolt. While the spelling is only one letter different, they are not the same.

jack vines

 

offer to swap the Volt for a new Bolt, for having waited for so long already

 

My brother in-law worked in Lincoln parts. They would sell all of years parts that was beyond what they had to keep in one sale to highest bidder. Usually pennies on dollar.

 

Don't threaten them with a lawyer, show up with a letter from a lawyer.
Or if you have time on your hands spend every day in the waiting room eating crabs, broccoli, Indian curry. Tell everyone you see how you've been waiting on your car for four months .

 

There were 148,000+ Chevrolet Volt vehicles sold between 2011-2018 in two generations with different battery packs. There were over 200,000+ Chevrolet Bolt vehicles sold in one generation with essentially the same battery pack. You aren’t going to have trouble getting refurbished parts for your Bolt once it is out of warranty. If you live in a blue state, there are plenty of independent EV Shops that will work on your Bolt, so when it is out of warranty it will be okay. Meanwhile, if you are under warranty, then the manufacturer needs to repair it for free or replace your vehicle with another one.

 

If you live in a blue state, there are plenty of independent EV Shops that will work on your Bolt

I'll have to look into that. I haven't seen any yet around here, but it's a small rural state and EVs are 'brand new' to the mechanics shops nearest to me. Without looking into it, I'll bet there's one in my state and it's 230 miles away from me.

 

we live in a blue state, and there aren't even any hybrid shops, never mind ev's.

 

The weird thing is that the shift-to-park issue has nothing to do with the traction battery. It is actually a fairly easy problem to fix.

 

Yes, exactly! It's a well known problem, GM has a service bulletin and I've been told that at most it's a $450 fix.

Even worse, I stopped by to get it's current mileage, borrowed the key from the service dept and it came right on ready to go. No warnings on the dash. Which jibes with what they said last April. THey don't want him to get stranded if the battery problem gets worse.

 

I think the best hope for long-term Bolt ownership is the 2026 Bolt EUV when it returns to production. Sure, there will be changes, but it isn’t a clean sheet design so quite a bit will inevitably carry over. Yes, the batteries will be different and almost certainly not interchangeable, but the more of the rest that is the same the more incentive there is to provide 3rd party battery solutions. It is one thing if a car is limited production and already likely to be doomed to an early grave by a minor component becoming unavailable, but quite another if those minor components are still in production.

 

I am having the same issue. My car has been at the dealership since June 2024. Initially I was told I’d likely hear something after the beginning of 2025. I have been told I’m on a list for a refurbished battery but there is no time frame. My dealership has been great providing me with a loaner car.