
Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-3
Daytime Running
Lamps (DRL)
The Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
system comes on in daylight when
the following conditions are met:
.The vehicle is on.
.The exterior lamp control is in
the automatic position.
.The electric drive unit is not in
P (Park).
.The light sensor determines it is
daytime.A light sensor on top of the
instrument panel makes the DRL
work, so be sure it is not covered.
Fully functional DRL are required on
all vehicles first sold in Canada.When the DRL are on, the taillamps,
sidemarker lamps, instrument panel
lights, and other lamps will not be
on. The instrument cluster will be lit.
When the exterior lamp control band
is turned to the headlamp position,
the low-beam headlamps come on.
The other lamps that come on with
the headlamps will also come on.
When the vehicle is on and you are
stopped, the DRL can be turned off
by moving the shift lever to P (Park).
The DRL will stay off until the shift
lever is moved out of the P (Park)
position.
The regular headlamp system
should be turned on when needed.

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Lighting 6-5
Interior Lighting
Instrument Panel
Illumination Control
The brightness of the instrument
panel cluster display, infotainment
display and controls, steering wheel
controls, and all other illuminated
controls, as well as feature status
indicators can be adjusted.The thumbwheel is on the
instrument panel to the left
of the steering column.
Move the thumbwheel up or down to
brighten or dim the lights.
Dome Lamps
The dome lamp controls are in the
overhead console.
To operate, press the following
buttons:
+(On):
Press to turn on the
dome lamps.
1(Door): Press to turn the lamps
on automatically when a door is
opened.
*(Off): Press to turn the lamps
off, even when a door is open.
Reading Lamps
The front reading lamps are in the
overhead console.
# $: Press to turn each lamp on
or off.
Lighting Features
Entry Lighting
The headlamps, parking lamps,
taillamps, back‐up lamps, and the
interior lights turn on briefly, when
the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter
Kis pressed. The lights
turn off immediately when the
POWER
Obutton is pressed or
automatically after a brief period.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
8-6 Climate Controls
Manual Operation
A(Fan Control):Press the
fan control buttons or the touch
screen fan control, to increase or
decrease the fan speed. The fan
speed setting displays. Pressing
either button cancels automatic
fan control and the fan can be
controlled manually. Press AUTO
to return to automatic operation.
Press the fan down button
repeatedly to turn off the fan
and the climate control system.
If the fan is manually turned off
while in ECO or Comfort mode,
the display will automatically change
to Fan Only mode. When the fan is
turned back on either by manually
increasing fan speed or pressing
the AUTO button, the climate
mode will revert back to ECO
or Comfort mode. Air Delivery Mode Control:
Press CLIMATE to select the
Climate touch screen. Press the
air delivery mode touch screen
button to change the direction of
the airflow. The selected air delivery
mode button is lit. Pressing any
of the air delivery buttons cancels
automatic air delivery control and
the direction of the airflow can be
controlled manually. Press AUTO
to return to automatic operation.
To change the current mode,
select one of the following:
Y(Vent):
Air is directed to the
instrument panel outlets.
\(Bi-Level): Air is divided
between the instrument panel
outlets and the floor outlets.
[(Floor): Air is directed to the
floor outlets.
-(Defog): Air is directed to the
windshield and floor outlets. Clears
the windows of fog or moisture.
0(Defrost): Air is directed to
the windshield. The windshield is
cleared of fog or frost more quickly.
Selecting
0will disable automatic
control and the AUTO button
indicator will not be lit.
Selecting
0again will return to the
previous climate settings.
For best results, clear all snow and
ice from the windshield before
defrosting.
If
0is selected in Fan Only or
ECO mode, air conditioning or
electric heat may turn on and have
a noticeable effect on vehicle
electric range and fuel economy.

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Climate Controls 8-9
Sensors
Solar Sensor
The solar sensor is located on top
of the instrument panel, near the
windshield, where it monitors solar
intensity.
The climate control system
uses the sensor information to
adjust the temperature, fan speed,
recirculation, and air delivery
mode for best comfort.
Do not cover the sensor; otherwise
the automatic climate control system
may not work properly.Humidity Sensor
The humidity sensor is near the
base of the inside rearview mirror.
The climate control system uses
the sensor information to adjust the
temperature and recirculation for
best comfort.
Outside Air Temperature Sensor
The outside air temperature sensor
is located behind the front grille
of the vehicle. The vehicle uses
the sensor information to display
outside air temperature. The climate
control system uses the information
to adjust the climate system
operation.
Air Vents
Use the louvers on the air vents to
change the direction of the airflow.
Use the thumbwheels near each
vent to open and close off the
airflow.
Operation Tips
.Keep all outlets open whenever
possible for best system
performance.
.Keep the path under all seats
clear of objects to help circulate
the air inside the vehicle more
effectively.
.Use of non-GM approved hood
deflectors can adversely affect
the performance of the system.

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
9-12 Driving and Operating
Blizzard Conditions
Being stuck in snow can be
a serious situation. Stay with
the vehicle unless there is help
nearby. If possible, use the
Roadside Assistance Program.
To get help and keep everyone
in the vehicle safe:
.Turn on the hazard warning
flashers.
.Tie a red cloth to an outside
mirror.
{WARNING
Snow can trap engine exhaust
under the vehicle. This may
cause exhaust gases to get
inside. Engine exhaust contains
Carbon Monoxide (CO) which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can
cause unconsciousness and even
death.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
If the vehicle is stuck in the snow:
.Clear away snow from
around the base of the
vehicle, especially any that
is blocking the exhaust pipe.
.Check again from time to
time to be sure snow does
not collect there.
.Open a window about 5 cm
(2 in) on the side of the
vehicle that is away from
the wind to bring in fresh air.
.Fully open the air outlets
on or under the instrument
panel.
.Adjust the climate control
system to a setting that
circulates the air inside
the vehicle and set the fan
speed to the highest setting.
See Climate Control Systems
in the Index.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
For more information about
carbon monoxide, see Engine
Exhaust on page 9‑30.
To conserve energy, run the
vehicle for only short periods as
needed to warm the vehicle and
then shut the vehicle off and close
the window most of the way to
save heat. Repeat this until help
arrives but only when you feel really
uncomfortable from the cold. Moving
about to keep warm also helps.
If it takes some time for help to
arrive, start the vehicle. The engine
may start to charge the 12‐volt
battery. Turn off unnecessary
accessories to conserve energy.

Black plate (50,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
9-50 Driving and Operating
In cold weather conditions, ice
may form around the charge port
door. The charge port door may
not open on the first attempt.
Remove ice from the area and
repeat attempting to open the
charge port door.
2. Open the rear hatch, lift the loadsupport floor covering (A), and
remove the charge cord (D). It is located near the tire sealant
and compressor kit (C). Pull up
on the charge cord handle (D)
to release it from the handle
clip (E). Lift the charge cord up
and rearward to remove it from
the vehicle. The vehicle plug (B)
is stored as shown.
3. Plug the charge cord into the electrical outlet. See Electrical
Requirements for Battery
Charging on page 9‑56.
Verify that the charge cord
status indicators are both green.
See Charge Cord on page 9‑54
for more information.
4. Then plug in the vehicle plug of the charge cord into the
charge port on the vehicle.
Verify that the charging status
indicator illuminates on top of
the instrument panel and a horn
chirp occurs. See Charging
Status Feedback on page 9‑52
for more information.
5. To arm the charge cord theft alert, lock the vehicle with the
RKE transmitter. This feature
can be disabled by a service
technician.

Black plate (52,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
9-52 Driving and Operating
Delayed Charging
Override
To temporarily override a delayed
charge event, unplug the charge
cord from the charge port and then
plug it back in within five seconds.
A single horn chirp will sound and
charging will begin immediately.
To cancel a temporary override,
unplug the charge cord, wait for
10 seconds, and then plug the
charge cord back in. A double horn
chirp will sound and charging will
be delayed.
See“Programmable Charging” in
Charging on page 5‑33 for advance
charge scheduling options.
Charging Status
Feedback
The vehicle has a Charging
Status Indicator (CSI) at the
center of the instrument panel near the windshield. When the vehicle is
plugged in and the vehicle power is
off, the CSI indicates the following:
.Solid Green
–Vehicle is plugged
in. Battery is not fully charged.
Battery is charging.
.Long Flashing Green –Vehicle
is plugged in. Battery is not fully
charged. Battery charging is
delayed.
.Short Flashing Green –Vehicle
is plugged in. Battery is fully
charged.
.Solid Yellow –Vehicle is plugged
in. It is normal for the CSI to
turn yellow for a few seconds
after plugging in a compatible
charge cord. Otherwise,
charging system has detected
a fault and will not charge the
battery. See “Charge Cord
Status Indicators” later in
this section.

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-1
Vehicle Care
General Information
General Information . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Proposition65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . 10-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4
Lifting the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-5
Vehicle Checks
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . 10-15
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . 10-16 Cooling System (Engine) . . . 10-18
Cooling System (High
Voltage Battery) . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Cooling System (Power Electronics and Charger
Modules) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-20
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . 10-23
Power Steering Fluid . . . . . . . 10-24
Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-28
Propulsion System Start Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Electrical Drive Unit Shift Lock Control Function
Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30
Park Brake and P (Park) Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-30
Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-31
Headlamp Aiming
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Bulb Replacement
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Back-Up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . 10-36
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Electrical System
High Voltage Devices andWiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Electrical System Overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-37
Engine Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38
Instrument Panel Fuse Block (Left Side) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-42
Instrument Panel Fuse Block (Right Side) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Rear Compartment Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45