
Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
Climate Controls 8-5
The air conditioning and electric
heat could be on at the same time
when dehumidification is required in
ECO or Comfort modes.
In Fan Only mode, occasionally the
air conditioning and/or heating
status will be on if the Auto Defog
function is enabled and high
humidity is detected. See“Climate
and Air Quality” underVehicle
Personalization on page 5‑56, for
details on enabling or disabling the
Auto Defog function.
The air conditioning may also run if
0is selected, regardless of the
climate mode.
Automatic Operation
The system automatically controls
the fan speed, air delivery mode,
and recirculation to heat or cool the
vehicle to the selected temperature.
When the AUTO indicator light is
on, the system is in full automatic
operation. If the air delivery mode, fan speed, or recirculation setting is
adjusted, the AUTO indicator turns
off and the selected settings display.
For automatic operation:
1. Press AUTO.
2. Set the temperature. An initial
setting of 23°C (74°F) is
recommended. Allow the system
time to stabilize. Adjust the
temperature as needed.
Q/R(Temperature Control):
Press to increase or decrease the
temperature.
Auto Defog: The system will
monitor high humidity inside the
vehicle. When high humidity is
detected, the climate control system
may adjust to outside air supply and
turn on the air conditioner or the
heater. The fan speed may slightly
increase to help prevent fogging.
When high humidity is no longer
detected, the system will return to
its prior operation. To turn Auto Defog off or on, see
“Climate and
Air Quality” underVehicle
Personalization on page 5‑56.
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.

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 (50,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
9-50 Driving and Operating
4. Plug in the vehicle plug of thecharge 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. To disable this
feature, see “Charge Cord Theft
Alert” inVehicle Personalization
on page 5‑56.
End Charge
1. Unlock the vehicle with the RKE transmitter to disarm the charge
cord theft alert.
2. Unplug the vehicle plug of thecharge cord from the vehicle by
squeezing the vehicle plug lever
and pull to remove. 3. Close the charge port door by
pressing firmly in the center to
latch properly.
4. Unplug the charge cord from the electrical outlet.
5. Before storing the charge cord, have the charge cord face up
and wrap the charge cable
neatly counterclockwise around
the body of the charge cord.

Black plate (54,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
9-54 Driving and Operating
Charging StatusIndicator Sound Action/Reason
None (After Green or
Yellow CSI Indication
Observed) None Charge cord connection should be checked.
If connection is good, this may be due to a
total utility interruption via OnStar and
charging will begin later. See
Utility
Interruption of Charging on page 9‑58 or
Malfunction Indicator Lamp on page 5‑19.
None Repeated horn chirps
To disable this feature, see
“Charge Power
Loss Alert” inVehicle Personalization on
page 5‑56.
To stop this alert, do one of the following:
.Unplug the charge cord.
.PressKon the RKE.
.Press and hold7on the RKE, then
press again to stop the panic alarm.
.Press the horn pad. Electricity was interrupted before charging
was complete.

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
i-8 INDEX
OnStar®
Additional Information . . . . . . . . 14-5
Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-4
Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5
Emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2
System, In Brief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-30
Ordering Service Publications . . . . . . . . 13-13
Out of Fuel/Engine Unavailable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-27
Outlets Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Overheating, Engine . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Overview, Infotainment
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Overview, OnStar
®. . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1
P
Park Shifting Into . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Shifting Out of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23
Parking Assist, Ultrasonic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-42
Brake and P (Park)Mechanism Check . . . . . . . . 10-27
Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . 9-23
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Passenger Sensing System . . . 3-26
Perchlorate Materials Requirements, California . . . . . 10-2
Personalization Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-56
Phone Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . 7-22, 7-24, 7-28
Plug-In Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-48
Power Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30 Power (cont'd)
Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
Protection, Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Retained Accessory (RAP) . . . 9-21
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Pregnancy, Using Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
Privacy
Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) . . . . . . . 13-17
Program Courtesy Transportation . . . . . . 13-9
Proposition 65 Warning,
California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Propulsion Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-52

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet Volt Owner Manual - 2012
INDEX i-11
T
Text Telephone (TTY) Users . . . 13-4
Theft-Deterrent Systems . . . . . . . 2-16Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Tires Buying New Tires . . . . . . . . . . . 10-59
Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Different Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
If a Tire Goes Flat . . . . . . . . . . 10-65
Inflation Monitor System . . . . 10-53
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Lifting the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-55
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Pressure Monitor System . . . 10-51
Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Sealant andCompressor Kit . . . . . . . . . . . 10-67
Sealant and Compressor
Kit, Storing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-74
Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61 Tires (cont'd)
Wheel Alignment and Tire
Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Wheel Replacement . . . . . . . . 10-63
When It Is Time for New
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-58
Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-45
Total Vehicle Range . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15
Towing General Information . . . . . . . . . . 9-64
Recreational Vehicle . . . . . . . . 10-83
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-81
Traction Control System (TCS) . . . . . . . . 9-36
Control System (TCS)/
StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25
Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24
Transportation Program,
Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-9
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
U
Ultrasonic Parking Assist . . . . . . 9-42
Umbrella Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Uniform Tire QualityGrading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-61
Universal Remote System . . . . . 5-65 Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-68
Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-65
Using This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
Utility Interruption of Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-58
V
Vehicle
Canadian Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5
IdentificationNumber (VIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1
Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-47
Personalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-56
Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . 5-55
Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Speed Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-55