
Black plate (24,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
10-24 Vehicle Care
Power Steering Fluid
The vehicle is equipped with an
electric power steering system.
No fluid or general maintenance
is required.
Washer Fluid
What to Use
When adding windshield washer
fluid to the vehicle, be sure to read
the manufacturer's instructions
before use. If operating the vehicle
in an area where the temperature
may fall below freezing, use a fluid
that has sufficient protection against
freezing.
Adding Washer Fluid
The WASHER FLUID LOW ADD
FLUID message will appear on
the Driver Information Center
(DIC) when the fluid level is low.
SeeDriver Information Center (DIC)
on page 5‑43 for more information.
Open the cap with the washer
symbol on it. Add washer fluid
until the tank is full. See Engine
Compartment Overview on
page 10‑10 for reservoir location. Notice
.When using concentrated
washer fluid, follow the
manufacturer's instructions
for adding water.
.Do not mix water with
ready-to-use washer fluid.
Water can cause the solution
to freeze and damage the
washer fluid tank and other
parts of the washer system.
Also, water does not clean
as well as washer fluid.
.Fill the washer fluid tank
only three-quarters full
when it is very cold. This
allows for fluid expansion
if freezing occurs, which
could damage the tank if
it is completely full.
.Do not use engine coolant
(antifreeze) in the windshield
washer. It can damage the
windshield washer system
and paint.

Black plate (91,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-91
Notice:Conveyor systems on
some automatic car washes could
damage the vehicle. There may
not be enough clearance for the
undercarriage. Check with the car
wash manager before using the
automatic car wash.
Weatherstrips
Silicone grease on weatherstrips
will make them last longer, seal
better, and not stick or squeak.
Apply silicone grease with a clean
cloth. During very cold, damp
weather frequent application may
be required. See Recommended
Fluids and Lubricants on page 11‑6.
Wheels and Trim —Aluminum
or Chrome
The vehicle may have either
aluminum or chrome-plated wheels.
Keep the wheels clean using a
soft, clean cloth with mild soap
and water. Rinse with clean water.
After rinsing thoroughly, dry with a
soft, clean towel. A wax may then
be applied. Notice:
Chrome wheels and other
chrome trim may be damaged if
the vehicle is not washed after
driving on roads that have been
sprayed with magnesium, calcium
or sodium chloride. These
chlorides are used on roads for
conditions such as ice and dust.
Always wash the chrome with
soap and water after exposure.
Notice: Do not use strong soaps,
chemicals, abrasive polishes,
cleaners, brushes, or cleaners
that contain acid on aluminum or
chrome-plated wheels, because
the surface could be damaged.
The repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Use only
approved cleaners on aluminum
or chrome-plated wheels.
Notice: Never drive a vehicle that
has aluminum or chrome-plated
wheels through an automatic car
wash that uses silicone carbide
tire cleaning brushes, as this
could cause damage. The repairs
would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Windshield and Wiper Blades
Clean the outside of the windshield
with glass cleaner.
Clean the rubber blades using a
lint‐free cloth or paper towel soaked
with windshield washer fluid or a
mild detergent. Wash the windshield
thoroughly when cleaning the
blades. Bugs, road grime, sap,
and a buildup of vehicle wash/
wax treatments may cause wiper
streaking. Replace the wiper blades
if they are worn or damaged.
Wipers can be damaged by:
.Extreme dusty conditions.
.Sand and salt.
.Heat and sun.
.Snow and ice, without proper
removal.

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Service and Maintenance 11-3
.Windshield washer fluid level
check. SeeWasher Fluid on
page 10‑24.
.Tire inflation check. See Tire
Pressure on page 10‑54.
.Tire wear inspection. See Tire
Inspection on page 10‑61.
Every 12 000 km/7,500 mi
.Rotate tires. See Tire Rotation
on page 10‑61.
Every 24 000 km/15,000 mi
.Check the engine oil filter for
corrosion if driving in a corrosive
environment, such as areas of
high humidity, along an ocean
coast, and/or areas that apply
road salt during winter.
Have the engine oil and filter
changed if the filter shows signs
of corrosion. After each oil and
filter change, the oil life system
must be reset. See Engine Oil
Life System on page 10‑15.
.Cooling systems inspection.
Visually inspect the hoses,
pipes, fittings, and clamps.
Replace, if needed.
.Windshield wiper blade
inspection for wear, cracking,
or contamination and windshield
and wiper blade cleaning,
if contaminated. See Exterior
Care on page 10‑89. Worn
or damaged wiper blade
replacement. See Wiper Blade
Replacement on page 10‑31.
.Engine air cleaner filter
inspection. See Engine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 10‑16.
.Brake system inspection.
See your dealer.
.Steering and suspension
inspection. Visual inspection
for damaged, loose, or missing
parts or signs of wear.
.Body hinges and latches and
key lock cylinders lubrication.
See Recommended Fluids
and Lubricants on page 11‑6.
More frequent lubrication may
be required when the vehicle
is exposed to a corrosive
environment, such as areas of
high humidity, along an ocean
coast, and/or areas that apply
road salt during winter. Applying
silicone grease on weatherstrips
with a clean cloth makes them
last longer, seal better, and not
stick or squeak.
.Restraint system component
check. See Safety System
Check on page 3‑23.
.Fuel system inspection for
damage or leaks.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
11-6 Service and Maintenance
Recommended Fluids, Lubricants, and Parts
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
UsageFluid/Lubricant
Engine Oil The engine requires engine oil approved to the dexos specification.
Oils meeting this specification can be identified with the dexos certification
mark. Look for and use only an engine oil that displays the dexos
certification mark of the proper viscosity grade. See
Engine Oil on
page 10‑12.
Engine Cooling System 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and use only DEX-COOL Coolant.
See
Engine Coolant on page 10‑21.
High Voltage Battery Cooling System Always use the pre‐mixed 50/50 mixture of deionized water and
DEX-COOL Coolant available at your dealer.
Power Electronics Cooling System Always use the pre‐mixed 50/50 mixture of deionized water and
DEX-COOL Coolant available at your dealer.
Hydraulic Brake System DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid (GM Part No. 88863461,
in Canada 88863462).
Windshield Washer Optikleen
®Washer Solvent.
Parking Brake Cable Guides Chassis Lubricant (GM Part No. 12377985, in Canada 88901242) or
lubricant meeting requirements of NLGI #2, Category LB or GC‐LB.
Electric Drive Unit DEXRON
®-VI Automatic Transmission Fluid

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
i-4 INDEX
E
Electric Drive Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Electric Drive UnitMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-47
Electric Drive Unit Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Electric Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . 9-35
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . 5-25
Electrical Equipment, Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-63
Electrical Requirements for Battery Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Electrical System Engine Compartment
Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . 10-42, 10-43
Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Rear Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Electronic Stability Control . . . . . 9-39
Energy Efficiency Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25, 9-2
Energy Information . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41 Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Check and Service Engine
Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Compartment Overview . . . . . 10-10
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Cooling System . . . . . . 10-18, 10-20
Cooling System Messages . . . 5-47
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-3
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 9-31
Engine Oil
Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Engine Unavailable Out of Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 13-26
Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Extended Range Mode . . . . . . . . 9-25
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 3-23
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 6-1
F
Filter,
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-4
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
Floor Console Storage . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-96
Fluid Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Folding Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Front Seats Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Filling a Portable FuelContainer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-62
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-58
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-58
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-7
LocksAutomatic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-28
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH System) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-49
M
Maintenance
Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8
Maintenance Modes . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluids andLubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-6
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . 11-2
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-21
Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-44 Menu
Configure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-66
Messages Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
Anti-theft Alarm System . . . . . . . 5-51
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-46
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-46
Drive Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-47
Electric Drive Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-47
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-47
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48
Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-49
Object Detection System . . . . . 5-49
Propulsion Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-50
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-50
Service Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-51
Starting the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 5-52
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-52
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-45
Vehicle Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-53
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-53 Mirrors
Automatic Dimming
Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Folding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Mode Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Extended Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Modes
Driver Selected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Monitor System, Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-55
Mountain Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
MP3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
Multi-band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
i-12 INDEX
Vehicle CareStoring the Tire Sealant
and Compressor Kit . . . . . . . 10-78
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Vehicle Identification Service Parts IdentificationLabel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Ventilation, Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Voice Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-77
Voltage Devices and Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
W
WarningBrake System Light . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9
Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv Cautions and Danger . . . . . . . . . . . .iv
Hazard Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Washer Fluid Messages . . . . . . . 5-53 Wheels
Alignment and Tire
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
When It Is Time for New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-62
Where to Put the Restraint . . . . 3-47
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16 Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Windshield
Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Winter Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . 10-31
Wiring, High Voltage Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37