[Alan Spector]

My two year old Bolt EV lost charging range over the winter so I took it to my local Chevy service dept. and after 2 weeks got the car back with a replaced front section of the battery pack and 186 mile range (previous weather was cold so I assume it doesn't recover until I drive longer in warm weather). BUT THE OPENING SCREEN (BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL) NOW SAYS "SERVICE HIGH VOLTAGE CHARGING SYSTEM" and when I press the Start button the message goes away BUT the yellow icon that means : Service vehicle soon" stays lit.

Could these messages be because the technician forgot to clear the system? Or could there be another problem with the battery? Loose connections or coolant leak? (The servicing report says they checked for a coolant leak).

I'VE HEARD TOO MANY STORIES OF BAD BATTERIES -- AND MY FAITH IN THE CHEVY BOLT HAS NOW DISAPPEARED.

 

[XJ12]

surprised they didn't replace the whole battery.

 

[Fivedoor]

Check the battery coolant level.

Keith

 

[drdiesel1]

There are 3 coolant loops with coolant reservoirs under the hood. Check them to make sure they're up to the full mark. DO NOT ADD TAP WATER, if they are low. Use only the proper coolant or distilled water.
The battery coolant loop will fail if the system detects minerals. It designed to detect an isolation fault.

Tap water or any water/coolant with minerals will cause an isolation failure. You have been warned!

 

[Terry Hancock]

Yes, I am very surprised that the entire pack was not replaced. Cells that are made at various times, in various production runs, are not the same as those made under the same day standards. As well, the weak section hurts the sections that were healthy. Thus, I would not trust a piecemeal battery. I actually had no idea that they EVER bothered to replace just a segment.

Your present problem may be corrected by another visit to the dealer...reset? Re-calibration?

But, I would never trust the present Frankenstein battery

*Even Mitsubishi does not do battery sections. I bought a second hand Miev, and as the second owner Mitsubishi honored the battery warranty and replaced the entire power battery. I mean, a second hand Miev owner, and they gave me a complete restart of all cells.

 

[Vertiformed]

Yes, I am very surprised that the entire pack was not replaced. Cells that are made at various times, in various production runs, are not the same as those made under the same day standards. As well, the weak section hurts the sections that were healthy. Thus, I would not trust a piecemeal battery. I actually had no idea that they EVER bothered to replace just a segment.

Your present problem may be corrected by another visit to the dealer...reset? Re-calibration?

But, I would never trust the present Frankenstein battery

*Even Mitsubishi does not do battery sections. I bought a second hand Miev, and as the second owner Mitsubishi honored the battery warranty and replaced the entire power battery. I mean, a second hand Miev owner, and they gave me a complete restart of all cells.

The Bolt's battery design is deliberately modular so that individual sections can be replaced.

I'm sure the Bolt's BMS can deal just fine with swapping out a single section for a newer one.

 

[Alan Spector]

Battery Part replaced

My local service dept. replaced the #4 section in the Thermo-mat. Can I be sure that this one section will not cause an imbalance in the battery system?
The service dept. also added battery coolant, pressure tested the system and found no leaks. But I still get the dash message "Service High Voltage Battery".

Any further suggestions?

 

[shocker]

My local service dept. replaced the #4 section in the Thermo-mat. Can I be sure that this one section will not cause an imbalance in the battery system?
The service dept. also added battery coolant, pressure tested the system and found no leaks. But I still get the dash message "Service High Voltage Battery".

Any further suggestions?

Back to the dealer till it's fixed.

 

[GregBrew]

Back to the dealer till it's fixed.

Keep track of the dates it's in the shop, with documentation to prove it. The Lemon Law clock is ticking...

 

[SparkE]

Keep track of the dates it's in the shop, with documentation to prove it. The Lemon Law clock is ticking...

It is definitely ticking. First part of original post : "...My two year old Bolt EV ". So, can a lemon law case be made? Maybe, maybe not. It might be too late - depends on the state you live in.

But it certainly doesn't hurt to track and keep the information!

 

[Curt]

My Bolt (2 months old, 750 miles) just started showing "SERVICE HIGH VOLTAGE CHARGING SYSTEM". There are no other apparent symptoms. I assumed that meant something to do with the DCFC which I have never used. I guess I'll take it in.

 

[Curt]

O... M... G... Was not expecting this.
The 2 month old battery in my 2019 has a coolant leak and they are going to replace the whole thing.

 

[Cataract2]

O... M... G... Was not expecting this.
The 2 month old battery in my 2019 has a coolant leak and they are going to replace the whole thing.

Well dang, someone forgot to tighten something... Least they're replacing it.

 

[GJETSON]

Well dang, someone forgot to tighten something... Least they're replacing it.

The hose clamps are spring type, not worm gear, so no tightening involved. Perhaps a hose not pushed on fully, or scarier still, a pinhole in one of the beer can aluminum coolant manifolds.

 

[GregBrew]

The hose clamps are spring type, not worm gear, so no tightening involved. Perhaps a hose not pushed on fully, or scarier still, a pinhole in one of the beer can aluminum coolant manifolds.

I hear you on the "beer-can aluminum" thing. I once had a can of soda rolling across my garage floor get punctured by a grain of sand and spray diet Dr Pepper all over the place as it finished its trek. I knew it was thin, but sheesh!

 

[Pvillerob]

Curt, I had that same warning. Dealer replaced the "battery disconnect connector" . Had to remove floor pan and drop battery to get to it. All's well now.

 

[KeithMoon]

The hose clamps are spring type, not worm gear, so no tightening involved. Perhaps a hose not pushed on fully, or scarier still, a pinhole in one of the beer can aluminum coolant manifolds.

I hear you on the "beer-can aluminum" thing. I once had a can of soda rolling across my garage floor get punctured by a grain of sand and spray diet Dr Pepper all over the place as it finished its trek. I knew it was thin, but sheesh!/forum/images/ChevyBolt/smilies/tango_face_surprise.png

On a flight the flight attendants forgot to secure the serving trolley with all the canned drinks in it and upon application of the thrust reversers on landing the trolley rolled down the isle a little way then tipped over sending a couple dozen drink cans rolling down the isle and each of them hit the seat brackets and erupted. Everyone was wet.

 

[drdiesel1]

Curt, I had that same warning. Dealer replaced the "battery disconnect connector" . Had to remove floor pan and drop battery to get to it. All's well now.

The battery is removed from under the car. They do not remove the floor pan. It comes out as a unit and they
split the case to gain access to the batteries and systems inside. Relatively easy to remove it. You just need s special lift

 

[Curt]

Curt, I had that same warning. Dealer replaced the "battery disconnect connector" . Had to remove floor pan and drop battery to get to it. All's well now.

Since it's warranty work, I didn't inquire as to further details after they reported the coolant leak. I just assumed GM must require a scrupulous diagnosis before they'd approve such an expensive repair.

It's weird that the alert is about the HV charging system rather than battery or coolant. I wonder if our respective vehicles threw codes with enough detail to distinguish the cause, or if they unscrewed a panel to find coolant dripping out. The diagnosis was complete less than 30 minutes after I dropped off the car.

The Bolt battery disassembly video below shows that the coolant circulates in cooling plates below the cells and not between the cells. I'm guessing dealers do not open up batteries, even though the servicing procedure is documented and it likely could be done.

I'd also assume the batteries cannot be reused in a new vehicle, making the repair hugely expensive and wasteful, and that I'll get a new battery rather than something refurbished. I wouldn't know how to verify that. It's all a **** shame, probably a really stupid manufacturing issue with a gasket.

Yesterday I received news that they got the new battery in and it should be installed by the weekend. Maybe I'll see if I can talk directly with the mechanic to get a clearer picture.

 

[ZoomZoom]

I'd also assume the batteries cannot be reused in a new vehicle, making the repair hugely expensive and wasteful, and that I'll get a new battery rather than something refurbished. I wouldn't know how to verify that. It's all a **** shame, probably a really stupid manufacturing issue with a gasket.

Yesterday I received news that they got the new battery in and it should be installed by the weekend. Maybe I'll see if I can talk directly with the mechanic to get a clearer picture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssU2mjiNi_Q

I would bet my dog and all your children that GM is servicing the battery modules in their parts distribution system, fixing them to as good as new, and you are getting a re-manufactured/rebuild/refurbished unit. If the service inventory dries up, then a new one might head your way. I was under the impression they were cracking the case and exchanging battery modules now, but I can't find the thread here where I perceived that. The batteries are in series, so my understanding is you get the performance of the worse cell. I don't believe for a second they junk an entire battery pack, because of one 'module.'