Black plate (26,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
5-26 Instruments and Controls
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
This light should come on briefly
when the vehicle is in ON/RUN. If it
does not come on, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer.
If the ABS warning light stays on
longer than a few seconds after the
vehicle is in ON/RUN, or comes
on and stays on while driving, try
resetting the system. To reset the
system:
1. While driving, pull over when it issafe to do so.
2. Place the vehicle in P (Park).
3. Turn the vehicle off.
4. Restart the vehicle. If the ABS warning light remains on
after resetting the system or comes
on again while driving, the vehicle
needs service. If the ABS warning
light is on, but the regular brake
system warning light is not on, the
antilock brakes are not working
properly, but the regular brakes are
still functioning. Have the vehicle
serviced right away. If both brake
lights are on, the vehicle does not
have antilock brakes, and there is
a problem with the regular brakes
as well. Have the vehicle towed for
service. See
Towing the Vehicle on
page 10‑84.
Sport Mode Light
This light comes on when Sport
Mode is selected. See “Sport Mode”
in Driver Selected Operating Modes
on page 9‑26 for more information.
Mountain Mode Light
This light comes on when Mountain
Mode is selected. See “Mountain
Mode” inDriver Selected Operating
Modes on page 9‑26 for more
information.
Black plate (46,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
5-46 Instruments and Controls
SERVICE HIGH VOLTAGE
CHARGING SYSTEM
This message displays when there
is a problem with the high voltage
charging system. See your dealer
for service.
Brake System Messages
BRAKE FLUID LOW
This message displays when the
brake fluid level is low. SeeBrake
Fluid on page 10‑26.
RELEASE PARKING BRAKE
This message displays if the electric
parking brake is on while the vehicle
is in motion. Release it before
attempting to drive. See Electric
Parking Brake on page 9‑35 for
more information.
SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST
This message displays when there
is a problem with the brake boost
assist system. When this message
displays, the brake boost assist
motor might be heard operating
and a pulsation may be felt in the
brake pedal. Take the vehicle to
your dealer for service.
SERVICE PARKING BRAKE
This message displays when there
is a problem with the parking brake.
Take the vehicle to your dealer for
service.
STEP ON BRAKE TO
RELEASE PARK BRAKE
This message displays when
attempting to release the electric
parking brake without the brake
pedal applied. See Electric Parking
Brake on page 9‑35 for more
information.
Cruise Control Messages
CRUISE SET TO XXX
This message displays when the
cruise control is set and shows the
speed it was set to. See Cruise
Control on page 9‑40 for more
information.
Door Ajar Messages
DOOR(S) OPEN, HOOD OPEN,
HATCH OPEN
A symbol will appear on the display
showing the area that is open.
See Door, Hood, or Hatch Open
Light on page 5‑30.
Black plate (49,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Instruments and Controls 5-49
NO REMOTE DETECTED
This message displays when the
RKE transmitter is not detected
while attempting to start the vehicle.
The transmitter battery may be
weak. See“Starting the Vehicle
with a Low Transmitter Battery”
under Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System Operation on page 2‑3 for
more information.
NO REMOTE DETECTED,
PRESS BRAKE TO RESTART
This message displays if the RKE
transmitter is no longer detected
in the vehicle. Press the brake
pedal and the POWER
Obutton
to restart the vehicle, or press the
POWER
Obutton without pressing
the brake pedal to turn the vehicle
off. If the vehicle is turned off and
a valid transmitter is not available,
the vehicle will not restart.
REMINDER: KEY LEFT IN
VEHICLE
This message displays when
leaving the vehicle with the RKE
transmitter still inside.
REPLACE BATTERY IN
REMOTE KEY
This message displays when the
battery in the RKE transmitter needs
to be replaced.
SERVICE KEYLESS START
SYSTEM
This message displays when the
keyless start system needs service.
Take the vehicle to your dealer.
Lamp Messages
AUTOMATIC LIGHT CONTROL
ON OR OFF
A message will display when the
automatic light control has been
turned on or off.
CHECK LAMP or LAMP
FAILURE
Depending on the lamp, one of
these messages may display.
See Bulb Replacement on
page 10‑34.
TURN SIGNAL ON
This message displays if the turn
signal has been left on. Turn off the
turn signal.
Object Detection System
Messages
PARK ASSIST OFF
This message displays when the
park assist system has been turned
off. See Ultrasonic Parking Assist
on page 9‑43.
SERVICE PARKING ASSIST
This message displays if there is a
problem with the park assist system.
Take the vehicle to your dealer for
service.
Black plate (52,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
5-52 Instruments and Controls
SERVICE POWER STEERING
This message displays if there is a
problem with the power steering
system. Take the vehicle to your
dealer for service.
SERVICE VEHICLE SOON
This message displays if there is a
problem with the vehicle. Take the
vehicle to your dealer for service.
Depending on the severity of a
crash, this message may come
on along with the airbag readiness
light.
Starting the Vehicle
Messages
PRESS BRAKE TO START
VEHICLE
This message displays when
attempting to start the vehicle
without first pressing the brake
pedal.
PRESS BUTTON AGAIN TO
TURN OFF
This message displays as a
reminder to press the POWER
O
button to turn the vehicle off when
an attempt is made to turn off the
vehicle while it is in motion.
Tire Messages
SERVICE TIRE MONITOR
SYSTEM
This message displays if there is
a problem with the Tire Pressure
Monitor System (TPMS). SeeTire
Pressure Monitor Operation on
page 10‑57 for more information.
TIRE LEARNING ACTIVE
This message displays when
the system is learning new tires.
SeeTire Pressure Monitor
Operation on page 10‑57 for
more information.
TIRE LOW ADD AIR TO TIRE
This message displays when the
pressure in one or more of the tires
is low.
This message also displays
LEFT FRONT, RIGHT FRONT,
LEFT REAR, or RIGHT REAR to
indicate the location of the low tire.
The low tire pressure warning
light will also come on. See Tire
Pressure Light on page 5‑27.
If a tire pressure message appears
on the DIC, stop as soon as you
can. Inflate the tires by adding air
until the tire pressure is equal to
the values shown on the Tire and
Loading Information label. See Tires
on page 10‑48, Vehicle Load Limits
on page 9‑14, and Tire Pressure on
page 10‑54.
You can receive more than one
tire pressure message at a time.
The DIC also shows the tire
pressure values. See Driver
Information Center (DIC) on
page 5‑43.
Black plate (21,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Infotainment System 7-21
Playing an Audio and
Video DVD
To view the DVD video, the vehicle
must be in P (Park) or the parking
brake must be engaged.
After the DVD is loaded, the menu
options display on the DVD screen.
The menu options time out and
a full screen appears after about
10 seconds. Press anywhere on
the navigation system screen or
press the FAV, HDD/DVD/AUX,
or
}BACK button to view the
menu screen again.
Use the preset keys or press screen
buttons to operate the DVD options. There are two pages of DVD
options. Press the arrow screen
button, in the bottom right corner
of the screen, to access the other
page. Only the highlighted functions
are available for use. Some menu
options are only available when the
disc is not playing.
DVD Options
Full Screen:
1. Press to hide the DVD options
and display the full video image.
2. Press anywhere on the navigation system screen or
press the FAV, HDD/DVD/AUX,
or
}BACK button to display the
source screen buttons over the
video image.
Cursor: Press this button
to access the Cursor menu.
The arrows and other cursor
options allow navigation of the
DVD menu options. The Cursor
menu options are only available
if a DVD has a menu.
q,Q,r,R(Arrow Buttons):
Use these arrow screen buttons to
navigate through the DVD menu.
k(Play/Pause): Use to start,
pause, or resume play.
SEEK
[:
1. Press to seek to the next chapter.
2. Press more than once to continue moving forward through
the disc.
3. Press and hold to fast forward through a disc. When fast
forward is active, press again
to change the speed. Elapsed
time displays.
4. Press
kto resume playing.
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-3
Drive Mode and PRNDL Selection
Use Normal Mode when possible.
Sport Mode provides more
responsive acceleration than
Normal Mode but can reduce
efficiency.
Use Mountain Mode prior to
climbing long, steep grades in
mountainous areas. Be sure to
engage Mountain Mode before
starting to climb. Mountain Mode
reduces electric range and power
but may be needed to maintain
speeds above 96 km/h (60 mph)
when climbing grades of 5% or
greater.
Use L (Low) in heavy stop‐and‐go
traffic or when traveling downhill.
L (Low) requires less brake
pedal application and provides
a controlled, efficient way to
slow the vehicle down.Climate Setting
Using the heat and air conditioning
systems decreases the energy
available for electric driving.
Optimal energy efficiency is
achieved with the heat, air
conditioning, and fan turned off.
Less energy is used at low fan
speeds. When using the fan:
.Fan Only is the most energy
efficient climate setting as long
as
0is not selected.
.ECO is for moderate air
conditioning and heater
operation and is the next
most energy efficient setting as
long as
0is not selected.
.Comfort provides the most
comfort but is the least energy
efficient.
Use the auto heated seat feature
instead of climate settings. Heating
the seat uses less energy than
heating the vehicle interior. Use remote start to heat or cool the
interior when the vehicle is plugged
in to maximize the electric range by
utilizing electricity from the electrical
outlet.
In hot weather, avoid parking in
direct sunlight or use sunshades
inside the vehicle.
Turn off the front and rear window
defog/defrost when they are no
longer needed.
Avoid driving with the windows open
at highway speeds.
Vehicle Charging/Maintenance
Charging
Keep the vehicle plugged in, even
when fully charged, to keep the
battery temperature ready for the
next drive. This is important when
outside temperatures are extremely
hot or cold.
Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Driving and Operating 9-5
Alcohol affects four things that
anyone needs to drive a vehicle:
judgment, muscular coordination,
vision, and attentiveness.
Police records show that
almost 40 percent of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve
alcohol. In most cases, these
deaths are the result of someone
who was drinking and driving.
In recent years, more than
17,000 annual motor vehicle-related
deaths have been associated with
the use of alcohol, with about
250,000 people injured.
For persons under 21, it is against
the law in every U.S. state to drink
alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental
reasons for these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the
leading highway safety problem is
for people never to drink alcohol
and then drive.Medical research shows that
alcohol in a person's system
can make crash injuries worse,
especially injuries to the brain,
spinal cord, or heart. This means
that when anyone who has been
drinking
—driver or passenger —is
in a crash, that person's chance of
being killed or permanently disabled
is higher than if the person had not
been drinking.
Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems
help to control the vehicle while
driving —brakes, steering, and
accelerator. At times, as when
driving on snow or ice, it is easy to
ask more of those control systems
than the tires and road can provide.
Meaning, you can lose control of the
vehicle.
Adding non‐dealer accessories
can affect vehicle performance.
See Accessories and Modifications
on page 10‑4.
Braking
See Brake System Warning Light on
page 5‑24.
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average reaction time is about
three‐fourths of a second. But that
is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two
or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition,
alertness, coordination, and
eyesight all play a part. So do
alcohol, drugs, and frustration.
But even in three‐fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20 m
(66 ft). That could be a lot of
distance in an emergency, so
keeping enough space between
the vehicle and others is important.
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
9-8 Driving and Operating
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving.
If the level of the shoulder is
only slightly below the pavement,
recovery should be fairly easy.
Ease off the accelerator and
then, if there is nothing in the way,
steer so that the vehicle straddles
the edge of the pavement.Turn the steering wheel 8 to 13 cm
(3 to 5 in), about one-eighth turn,
until the right front tire contacts
the pavement edge. Then turn the
steering wheel to go straight down
the roadway.
Loss of Control
Let us review what driving experts
say about what happens when the
three control systems
—brakes,
steering, and acceleration —do not
have enough friction where the tires
meet the road to do what the driver
has asked.
In any emergency, do not give up.
Keep trying to steer and constantly
seek an escape route or area of
less danger.
Skidding
In a skid, a driver can lose control of
the vehicle. Defensive drivers avoid
most skids by taking reasonable
care suited to existing conditions,
and by not overdriving those
conditions. But skids are always
possible.
The three types of skids correspond
to the vehicle's three control
systems. In the braking skid,
the wheels are not rolling. In the
steering or cornering skid, too much
speed or steering in a curve causes
tires to slip and lose cornering force.
And in the acceleration skid, too
much throttle causes the driving
wheels to spin.
If the vehicle starts to slide, ease
your foot off the accelerator pedal
and quickly steer the way you
want the vehicle to go. If you start
steering quickly enough, the vehicle
may straighten out. Always be ready
for a second skid if it occurs.