2012 CHEVROLET VOLT engine

Black plate (54,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
5-54 Instruments and Controls
SERVICE THEFT DETERRENT
SYSTEM
This message displays if there is a
problem with the theft-deterrent
system. See your dealer for service.
Service Vehicle Messages
ENGINE MAINTENANCE XXX%
COMPLETE
This message displays when the
Engine Maintenance Mode is
running. See“Engine Maintenance
Mode” underMaintenance Modes
on page 9‑28.
ENGINE NOT AVAILABLE
SERVICE SOON
This message displays when the
engine is not available due to a
malfunction that will not allow the
engine to start. The vehicle can
continue to be driven in Electric
Mode until the battery is depleted,
but will have reduced acceleration. When this message is displayed,
the vehicle should be taken to your
dealer for service as soon as
possible. See
Out of Fuel/Engine
Unavailable on page 9‑27.
SERVICE AC SYSTEM
This message displays if there is a
problem with the air conditioning
system. Take the vehicle to your
dealer for service.
SERVICE HEATER SOON
This message displays if there is a
problem with the heater system.
Take the vehicle to your dealer for
service.
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.

Black plate (57,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-57
Selecting a Menu Option
Touch any one of the available
menu options on the touch screen
to select the option. A checkmark
next to the option indicates the
selected option.
Turning a Function On or Off
Touch the screen where the
available function is listed to turn it
on or off. A checkmark next to the
function indicates that the function
is on.Entering the
Personalization Menu
Press the Vehicle Settings menu on
the touch screen.
The Vehicle Settings menu features
may include:
.Climate and Air Quality
.Comfort and Convenience
.Languages
.Lighting
.Power Door Locks
.Remote Locking, Unlocking,
Starting
.Return to Factory Settings
Climate and Air Quality
Select the Climate and Air Quality
menu to display:
.Auto Fan Speed
.Auto Heated Seats
.Remote Start Auto Heated Seats
.Auto Defog
.Engine Assisted Heating
.Engine Assisted Heating
(Plugged‐In)

Black plate (59,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Instruments and Controls 5-59
To turn the auto defog on or off:
1. Press the VehicleSettings menu.
2. Select Climate and Air Quality.
3. Turn the auto defog feature on or off.
4. Press Back to return to the previous menu.
Engine Assisted Heating
If equipped, this feature selects the
outside temperature level at which
the engine may run to assist heating
in Electric Mode. A change in
selection will not take affect until
after the vehicle is first
powered down.
The Engine Assisted Heating
options are:
.At Cold Outside Temperatures
.At Very Cold Outside
Temperatures To select the outside temperature
level:
1. Press the Vehicle menu.
2. Select Climate and Air Quality.
3. Select the temperature level.
4. Press Back to return to the
previous menu.
Engine Assisted Heating
(Plugged‐In)
If equipped, this feature will enable
or disable Engine Assisted Heating
whenever the vehicle is plugged in.
A change in setting will not take
affect until after the vehicle is first
powered down.
The Engine Assisted Heating
options are:
.At Cold Outside Temperatures
.At Very Cold Outside
Temperatures To turn the Engine Assisted Heating
(Plugged‐In) on or off:
1. Press the Vehicle menu.
2. Select Climate and Air Quality.
3. Turn the Engine Assisted
Heating (Plugged‐In) feature on
or off.
4. Press Back to return to the previous menu.
Comfort and Convenience
Select the Comfort and
Convenience menu and the
following will be displayed:
.Chime Volume
.Button Chime
.Energy Summary Exit Pop‐up
.Charge Cord Theft Alert
.Charge Power Loss Alert

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Climate Controls 8-1
Climate Controls
Climate Control Systems
Automatic Climate ControlSystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1
Air Vents
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8
Climate Control
Systems
Automatic Climate
Control System
The climate control buttons and the
touch screen are used to adjust the
heating, cooling, and ventilation. The vehicle may require the use of
an auxiliary heat source under
certain cold conditions. This
provides additional heating and
defrost capability obtained by
running the engine, even if the high
voltage battery is adequately
charged. Under these conditions,
the engine will start and use fuel.
Make sure there is fuel in the tank.
Do not allow the vehicle to remain in
extreme temperatures for long
periods without being driven or
being plugged in.

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 (1,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-1
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Driving for Better EnergyEfficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . . 9-8
Highway Hypnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . . 9-9
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 9-12
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . 9-17
Power Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Starting and Stopping the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20 Retained Accessory
Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Electric Vehicle Operating
Modes
System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Electric Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24
Extended Range Mode . . . . . . 9-24
Driver Selected OperatingModes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25
Out of Fuel/Engine Unavailable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Maintenance Modes . . . . . . . . . 9-28
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Electric Drive Unit
Electric Drive Unit . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . 9-34
Regenerative Braking . . . . . . . . 9-36
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-36
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-40
Object Detection Systems
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . 9-42
Rear VisionCamera (RVC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-45
Charging
Plug-In Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Delayed ChargingOverride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-51
Charging Status Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-52

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Driving and Operating 9-3
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.
Engine Assisted Heating operation,
if equipped, can be personalized.
See
Vehicle Personalization on
page 5‑56 for more information.
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.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
9-6 Driving and Operating
Braking
Braking action involves perception
time and reaction time. Deciding to
push the brake pedal is perception
time. Actually doing it is
reaction time.
Average driver reaction time is
about three‐fourths of a second. In
that time, a vehicle moving at
100 km/h (60 mph) travels 20 m
(66 ft), which could be a lot of
distance in an emergency.
Helpful braking tips to keep in mind
include:
.Keep enough distance between
you and the vehicle in front
of you.
.Avoid needless heavy braking.
.Keep pace with traffic.If the engine ever stops while the
vehicle is being driven, brake
normally but do not pump the
brakes. Doing so could make the
pedal harder to push down. If the
engine stops, there will be some
power brake assist but it will be
used when the brake is applied.
Once the power assist is used up, it
can take longer to stop and the
brake pedal will be harder to push.
Steering
Electric Power Steering
Your vehicle has electric power
steering. It does not have power
steering fluid. Regular maintenance
is not required.
If power steering assist is lost due
to a system malfunction, the vehicle
can be steered, but may require
increased effort.
See specific vehicle steering
messages under
Vehicle Messages
on page 5‑47.
Curve Tips
.Take curves at a reasonable
speed.
.Reduce speed before entering a
curve.
.Maintain a reasonable steady
speed through the curve.
.Wait until the vehicle is out of
the curve before accelerating
gently into the straightaway.
Steering in Emergencies
.There are some situations when
steering around a problem may
be more effective than braking.
.Holding both sides of the
steering wheel allows you to turn
180 degrees without removing
a hand.
.The Antilock Brake System
(ABS) allows steering while
braking.