2012 CHEVROLET VOLT ESP

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Infotainment System 7-33
Muting a Call
During a call, all sounds from inside
the vehicle can be muted so that the
person on the other end of the call
cannot hear them.
To mute a call, press
b/g, and
then say “Mute Call.”
To cancel mute, press
b/g, and
then say “Un‐mute Call.”
Transferring a Call
Audio can be transferred between
the Bluetooth system and the cell
phone.
The cell phone must be paired and
connected with the Bluetooth
system before a call can be
transferred. The connection process
can take up to two minutes after the
ignition is turned to ON/RUN. To Transfer Audio from the
Bluetooth System to a Cell Phone
During a call with the audio in the
vehicle:
1. Press
b/g.
2. Say “Transfer Call.”
To Transfer Audio to the Bluetooth
System from a Cell Phone
During a call with the audio on the
cell phone, press
b/g. The audio
transfers to the vehicle. If the audio
does not transfer to the vehicle, use
the audio transfer feature on the cell
phone. See your cell phone
manufacturer's user guide for more
information.
Voice Pass-Thru
Voice pass‐thru allows access to the
voice recognition commands on the
cell phone. See your cell phone
manufacturer's user guide to see if
the cell phone supports this feature.
To access contacts stored in the cell
phone:
1. Press
b/g. The system
responds “Ready,”followed by
a tone.
2. Say “Bluetooth.”
3. Say “Voice.” The system
responds “OK, accessing
.”
The cell phone's normal prompt
messages will go through their cycle
according to the phone's operating
instructions.

Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
7-34 Infotainment System
Dual Tone Multi-Frequency
(DTMF) Tones
The Bluetooth system can send
numbers and the numbers stored as
name tags during a call. You can
use this feature when calling a
menu‐driven phone system.
Account numbers can also be
stored for use.
Sending a Number or Name Tag
During a Call
1. Press
b/g. The system
responds “Ready,”followed by
a tone.
2. Say “Dial.”
3. Say the number or name tag to send.
Clearing the System
Unless information is deleted out of
the in‐vehicle Bluetooth system, it
will be retained indefinitely. This
includes all saved name tags in the
phone book and phone pairing
information. For information on how
to delete this information, see the
previous sections on “Deleting a
Paired Phone” and“Deleting
Name Tags.”
Trademarks and
License Agreements
Manufactured under license under
U.S. Patent #'s: 5,451,942;
5,956,674; 5,974,380; 5,978,762;
6,487,535 & other U.S. and
worldwide patents issued &
pending. DTS and the Symbol are
registered trademarks and DTS
Digital Surround and the DTS logos
are trademarks of DTS Inc. All
Rights Reserved.

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Climate Controls 8-7
MAUTO/LAUTO (Auto Heated
Seats): If available, the controls
are on the touch screen on the
center stack.
Press the touch screen
LAUTO or
MAUTO button. The button color
will change to green when this
feature is on. When the vehicle is
on, this feature will automatically
activate the heated seats at the
level required by the vehicle's
interior temperature. The active
high, medium, low, or off heated
seat level will be indicated by the
manual heated seat button lights on
the center stack. Use the touch
screen buttons or the manual
heated seat buttons on the center
stack to turn auto heated seats off.
For more information, see Heated
Front Seats on page 3‑6.
Rear Window Defogger
=(Rear Window Defogger):
Press to turn the rear window
defogger on or off.
The rear window defogger turns off
automatically after about
five minutes. If turned on again, it
runs for about five minutes before
turning off. The defogger can also
be turned off by turning the
vehicle off.
For vehicles with heated outside
rearview mirrors, they turn on when
the rear window defogger button is
on and help to clear fog or frost from
the surface of the mirror. See
Heated Mirrors on page 2‑17.
Notice: Do not try to clear frost
or other material from the inside
of the front windshield and rear
window with a razor blade or
anything else that is sharp. This
may damage the rear window
defogger grid and affect the
radio's ability to pick up stations
clearly. The repairs would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty. Remote Start:
For vehicles with
this feature, the climate control
system may be started by using the
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter. The climate control
system will default to an appropriate
heating or cooling mode. See
Remote Start on page 2‑8.
The rear window defogger turns on
if it is cold outside.
Compressor
The vehicle has an electric powered
air conditioning compressor. This
allows for continuous air
conditioning and/or high voltage
battery cooling operation, without
running the engine.
The compressor operating speed is
not tied to the engine speed, so
some noise may be heard from the
compressor, especially when air
conditioning use is high and the
engine has turned off. This is
normal.

Black plate (2,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
9-2 Driving and Operating
Charge Cord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-55
Utility Interruption ofCharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
Electrical Requirements for Battery Charging . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
Fuel
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Gasoline Specifications (U.S.
and Canada Only) . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
California Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . 9-60
Fuel Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-60
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-62
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-64
Towing
General Towing
Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-64
Conversions and Add-Ons
Add-On ElectricalEquipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-65
Driving Information
Driving for Better Energy
Efficiency
Use the following tips to help
maximize energy efficiency and
range.
Driving Style
Efficiency Gauge (Instrument
Cluster)
The ball indicator should be kept
green and in the center of the
gauge.
Inefficient acceleration is indicated
when the ball turns yellow and
travels above the center of the
gauge.
Aggressive braking is indicated
when the ball turns yellow and
travels below the center of the
gauge. Acceleration/Braking/Coasting
Avoid unnecessary rapid
accelerations and decelerations.
Electric range is maximized at
80 km/h (50 mph) and below. Higher
speeds use more energy and can
significantly reduce electric range.
Use cruise control when
appropriate.
Plan ahead for decelerations and
coast whenever possible. For
example, do not rush to traffic
signals.
Do not shift to N (Neutral) to coast.
The vehicle recovers energy while
coasting and braking in D (Drive)
or L (Low).
Drive Mode and PRNDL Selection
Use Normal Mode when possible.
Sport Mode provides more
responsive acceleration than
Normal Mode but can reduce
efficiency.

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-7
Off-Road Recovery
The vehicle's right wheels can drop
off the edge of a road onto the
shoulder while driving. Follow
these tips:
1. Ease off the accelerator andthen, if there is nothing in the
way, steer the vehicle so that it
straddles the edge of the
pavement. 2. Turn the steering wheel about
one-eighth of a turn, until the
right front tire contacts the
pavement edge.
3. Then turn the steering wheel to go straight down the roadway.
Loss of Control
Skidding
There are three types of skids that
correspond to the vehicle's three
control systems:
.Braking Skid —wheels are not
rolling.
.Steering or Cornering
Skid —too much speed or
steering in a curve causes tires
to slip and lose cornering force.
.Acceleration Skid —too much
throttle causes the driving
wheels to spin. Defensive drivers avoid most skids
by taking reasonable care suited to
existing conditions, and by not
overdriving those conditions. But
skids are always possible.
If the vehicle starts to slide, follow
these suggestions:
.Ease your foot off the
accelerator pedal and quickly
steer the way you want the
vehicle to go. The vehicle may
straighten out. Be ready for a
second skid if it occurs.
.Slow down and adjust your
driving according to weather
conditions. Stopping distance
can be longer and vehicle
control can be affected when
traction is reduced by water,
snow, ice, gravel, or other
material on the road. Learn to
recognize warning clues
—such
as enough water, ice, or packed
snow on the road to make a
mirrored surface —and slow
down when you have any doubt.

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-11
{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.
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.(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
.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.
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 (26,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
9-26 Driving and Operating
If in Sport or Mountain Mode, either
may become unavailable and the
vehicle will return to Normal Mode.
The indicator light goes off and a
DIC message displays. See
Propulsion Power Messages on
page 5‑52.
Sport Mode
Sport Mode provides more
responsive acceleration than
Normal Mode, but can reduce
efficiency. Use Normal Mode
whenever possible.
Press the DRIVE MODE button to
select Sport Mode.Press the DRIVE MODE button
again to return to Normal Mode and
it becomes active after
three seconds.
The Sport light comes on when
Sport Mode is selected. See
Sport
Mode Light on page 5‑24.
Each time the vehicle is started, it
will return to Normal Mode.
Mountain Mode
Mountain Mode should be selected
at the beginning of a trip before
climbing steep, uphill grades and
when expecting to drive in very hilly
or mountainous terrain. This mode
maintains a reserve electrical
charge of the high voltage battery to provide better grade climbing
performance. While driving in
Mountain Mode, the vehicle will
have less responsive acceleration.
Mountain Mode will not change
normal vehicle braking performance
for steep downhill grades. See
Hill
and Mountain Roads on page 9‑9
and Electric Drive Unit on
page 9‑31.
Press the DRIVE MODE button to
select Mountain Mode. If steep hill
driving is expected, it is
recommended to select Mountain
Mode at least 20 minutes before
driving on steep grades. This will
allow the vehicle time to build a
sufficient battery charge reserve.
If Mountain Mode is not selected for
these conditions, propulsion power
may be reduced and the engine
speed may increase. See
Propulsion Power Messages on
page 5‑52.

Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-27
The engine may run when Mountain
Mode is selected, depending on
high voltage battery charge, to build
reserve battery charge for uphill
climbs. If Mountain Mode is entered
with a sufficient battery charge
reserve, the estimated electric range
will adjust accordingly and any
battery charge reserve still unused
upon exiting Mountain Mode will be
added back to the electric range
display.
Press the Drive Mode button again
to return to Normal Mode and it
becomes active after three seconds.
The Mountain light comes on when
Mountain Mode is selected. See
Mountain Mode Light on page 5‑24.
Each time the vehicle is started, it
will return to Normal Mode to
maintain a smaller battery charge
reserve for normal driving.Out of Fuel/Engine
Unavailable
If the vehicle runs out of fuel, or the
engine will not start due to a
malfunction, the vehicle can
continue to be driven in Electric
Mode. The vehicle will have less
responsive acceleration. DIC
messages indicate reduced
propulsion power, that the engine is
not available, and the need for fuel
or service.Once the vehicle is refueled, or the
malfunction is corrected, the engine
will start the next time the vehicle is
turned on to perform a self test, and
DIC messages will not be displayed.
Once the engine starts successfully,
normal operation will continue in
either Electric or Extended Range
Mode. The engine will stop running
after the self test is completed, and
based on the current mode of
operation. See
Fuel System
Messages on page 5‑50 and
Service Vehicle Messages on
page 5‑54.