When Chevrolet Volt owner and gm-volt.com forum member “1RiverMan1” came home on October 19, he heard a phone message from his Volt advisor (sic) informing him about a potential problem with some of GM’s 2013 MY extended-range hybrids.
The issue was that on some cars, the electric motor for no apparent reason at all, stopped working while on the move. The advisor said that the steering and brakes of the Volt still worked, but added that if it were to occur, the driver must coast to a stop, power the car off, wait for 2-5 minutes and then power it up again.
The problem that necessitates a “reboot” is caused by a software glitch that affects only 2013-model year Volts. General Motors confirmed that the Volt owner’s post was indeed accurate, and 1RiverMan1 wasn’t the only one who encountered that problem.
Company rep Michele Malcho said that the glitch could affect a small number of the 4,000 2013 MY Volts and their owners who use the delayed charging option that enables them to charge the car’s battery at certain times.
“We are notifying 2013 model year Chevy Volt owners about a customer satisfaction issue”, is how Malcho described the problem. “We’re asking owners to bring their vehicles into their local Chevy dealer for a re-flash of the vehicle’s control system, which should take less than an hour”.
She added that until that malfunction issue is addressed, owners are advised “to switch to immediate instead of delayed time charging to avoid this inconvenience”.
GM said that it had already sent letters to all 4,000 Volt owners by FedEx last Friday and that no accidents or injuries have been reported because of the glitch.
By Andrew Tsaousis
Story References: Detroit News
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