[Bolt18nj]

Yesterday morning, when I pressed the start button of my car, the word Battery started flushing on my dashboard, I turned it off thinking that maybe it’s just an isolated glitch. When I turned it again the word battery appeared, Suddenly, the word “Transmission” also appeared in my dashboard.
I’m so disappointed that I need to cancel all my appointments for my job and was forced to call the roadside assistance for towing to the nearest Chevy dealer. Can’t believe this is happening, May car has only 8K ++ miles.. sigh. So disappointed, service advisor called me and said that GM engineers were still trying to figure out how to RESOLVE the issues of my car!!!! Smh ?‍♂

 

[Vertiformed]

Based on past reports on the forum, if the car suddenly seems to be glitch central, it's probably the 12V battery. If it can't deliver power, various things go haywire. Make sure the dealer checks that first!

 

[Bolt18nj]

Yup they checked it, the service advisor told me but he said that when they checked the battery with a tester it goes way beyond the usual amount. A lot codes appeared too, very unusual they said. ?

 

[tempchaos]

Yup they checked it, the service advisor told me but he said that when they checked the battery with a tester it goes way beyond the usual amount. A lot codes appeared too, very unusual they said. ?

 

[tempchaos]

My leased 2018 Bolt has failed to start 4 times, 12volt battery flat. Replaced battery, replaced brake sensor and now replaced wiring harness. Customer service challenging at best. If it happens again I will be like looking at “lemon laws”

 

[Bolt18nj]

My leased 2018 Bolt has failed to start 4 times, 12volt battery flat. Replaced battery, replaced brake sensor and now replaced wiring harness. Customer service challenging at best. If it happens again I will be like looking at “lemon laws”

My leased 2018 Bolt has failed to start 4 times, 12volt battery flat. Replaced battery, replaced brake sensor and now replaced wiring harness. Customer service challenging at best. If it happens again I will be like looking at “lemon laws”

Hj

 

[Bolt18nj]

Wow, tempchaos! That’s a lot but with me even the word transmisssion appeared, shift gear was not working too, it only moves to Neutral and Park...then suddenly everything shut down, the start button was not working. Service advisor told me that they were still waistjng for GM engineers what to do with my car.

 

[Bolt18nj]

Wow, tempchaos! That’s a lot but with me even the word transmisssion appeared, shift gear was not working too, it only moves to Neutral and Park...then suddenly everything shut down, the start button was not working. Service advisor told me that they were still waitjng for GM engineers what to do with my car.

 

[tempchaos]

To be honest it felt like asking my local mechanic to fix my Ipad. I think the car is great but I am concerned about reliability in the future. When the lease is up I will not be buying the vehicle and may be off to the Tesla showroom.
I wish you better luck.

 

[redpoint5]

What is going on in this disaster of a thread?

First of all what does this mean "Yup they checked it, the service advisor told me but he said that when they checked the battery with a tester it goes way beyond the usual amount. A lot codes appeared too, very unusual they said. ? "

Does that mean the 12v battery is good? Those testers place a load on the battery and measure voltage. It's dead simple.

What's up with quoting one's own post, or other posts, and not saying anything else? What does Hj mean?

Finally, if the problem was with the 12v battery, the whole thing could have been avoided with a $20 jump pack, which people should probably just have as cheap insurance to get themselves and others out of a jam.

I understand the frustration of a nonfunctioning vehicle. It's always a possibility though, and contingencies need to be made.

 

[SparkE]

My leased 2018 Bolt has failed to start 4 times, 12volt battery flat. Replaced battery, replaced brake sensor and now replaced wiring harness. Customer service challenging at best. If it happens again I will be like looking at “lemon laws”

I have this vague recollection of reports of a "transport mode" (or some other mode) which changes the algorithm for keeping the 12V battery charged. Also, there were reports of "ghost load" on the 12V battery (an electronic component that improperly pulls power when it isn't supposed to).

Does anybody else remember these - and more importantly could somebody provide links to the posts. That might help tempchaos with his/her problem (since the Chevy techs seem to be at a loss).

 

[Eriamjh1138]

The 12V battery is why I have one of those cigarette lighter 12V meters in mine.

 

[tomw]

I would guess that if the "Chevy engineers" are puzzled as the dealer says, it isn't the 12V battery, but then maybe he just said that. Yeah, would be nice to know what the service guy meant by the 12V batt being "way beyond..." Higher than normal voltage, or way lower voltage? Sure would be interesting to know what they figure out. Must have been a real shock to see those messages.

 

[Carolyn O]

(1) What is a "cigarette lighter 12 V meter"? Is that something I can buy to check if my 12 V battery has enough power? I just got it jump-started by my road side service (car had read 30 minimum miles, so I was astounded that the car would not start) just jump-started my car. I am wondering if it is charged up now, as I am not driving much at all. I am worried about that.

(2) On a side note, after they charged it, the dashboard now reads "transmission service" and I am assuming that a dead battery caused that (?) If so, is there any way I can get rid of that message, if that was the case--without taking it to the dealer...or do I need to take it to the dealer?

 

[XJ12]

(1) What is a "cigarette lighter 12 V meter"? Is that something I can buy to check if my 12 V battery has enough power? I just got it jump-started by my road side service (car had read 30 minimum miles, so I was astounded that the car would not start) just jump-started my car. I am wondering if it is charged up now, as I am not driving much at all. I am worried about that.

(2) On a side note, after they charged it, the dashboard now reads "transmission service" and I am assuming that a dead battery caused that (?) If so, is there any way I can get rid of that message, if that was the case--without taking it to the dealer...or do I need to take it to the dealer?

How old is your 12V battery? Might be worth it to get it replaced. Yeah, they make a cigarette lighter thingy that will check the voltage. The transmission service warning should clear after a few start cycles if everything is okay.

edit: Welcome to the forum!

 

[Carolyn O]

My 12 V Battery is in a 2017 Bolt, which I purchased in 2019. As far as I know it has never been changed. But if I bring it to the dealer I am guessing that they can "test" it, in which case I will know it needs replacing. In the meantime what is the best way of charging it?

 

[ARob]

My 12 V Battery is in a 2017 Bolt, which I purchased in 2019. As far as I know it has never been changed. But if I bring it to the dealer I am guessing that they can "test" it, in which case I will know it needs replacing. In the meantime what is the best way of charging it?

Many auto parts stores will test the battery for you. You can also buy a trickle charger for it, but be sure the charger works on AGM batteries, regular lead acid battery chargers can damage AGM batteries.

 

[GJETSON]

My 12 V Battery is in a 2017 Bolt, which I purchased in 2019. As far as I know it has never been changed. But if I bring it to the dealer I am guessing that they can "test" it, in which case I will know it needs replacing. In the meantime what is the best way of charging it?

Yes. Tell them you want a load test like they would do for any ICE car starter battery.

If you set your Bolt to 80-90% charge, you can leave it plugged in at all times, with little drive battery degradation, and it will also keep you 12 volt battery healthy.

"If the car is plugged in but not charging, it will wake up and check the status of the 12V battery every 6 hours. If the 12V battery is low the car will begin charging it for up to 2 to 3 hours.

If the car is not plugged but has been turned on within the last 30 days, it will wake up every 3 days to check the 12V battery and if the main battery is at least 40 percent full it will begin charging the 12V battery for 45 to 90 minutes."

Revealed: secrets of the Bolt EV service manual

The official General Motors 2017 Bolt EV service manual is now available in both paper and PDF thumb drive formats and a quick skim reveals some interesting trivia. Access to service manuals is one…

electricrevs.com

 

[XJ12]

My 12 V Battery is in a 2017 Bolt, which I purchased in 2019. As far as I know it has never been changed. But if I bring it to the dealer I am guessing that they can "test" it, in which case I will know it needs replacing. In the meantime what is the best way of charging it?

A couple months ago, my wife's Honda Accord battery started acting up where she needed to have several jump starts and I had put it on a charger several times where it appeared to take a charge. She was running errands and she took it to a place that specializes in batteries. They supposedly checked it out by having her turn the air conditioner, lights, and everything else on and declared that the battery was fine. They lost a sale. I put in a new battery for her and all the issues went away completely and has been fine since. A place that specializes in batteries and they did that. As suggested above, if you can get a auto parts store that has a portable load tester, then that's a great way to know for sure. But you're at three years plus with some unknown history with the battery, I'd recommend to just replace it with a new one for a peace of mind.

 

[Sean Nelson]

My 12 V Battery is in a 2017 Bolt, which I purchased in 2019. As far as I know it has never been changed. But if I bring it to the dealer I am guessing that they can "test" it, in which case I will know it needs replacing. In the meantime what is the best way of charging it?

I bought my 2017 new and I haven't had any problems with the battery. I generally change batteries after 5 years, so I expect at least a couple more years of life out of it.

IMHO the simplest way to charge the battery is to just take the car out for a long drive. Or even just turn the car on and let it sit for a few hours. You can leave it locked and unattended while it's "running" without any ill effects. The battery is being charged whenever the car is "on".