Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
9159388) - 2016 - crc - 5/20/15
Instruments and Controls 111
{Warning
The brake system might not be
working properly if the brake
system warning light is on.
Driving with the brake system
warning light on can lead to a
crash. If the light is still on after
the vehicle has been pulled off
the road and carefully stopped,
have the vehicle towed for
service.
Electric Parking Brake
Light
MetricEnglish
This light comes on when the
parking brake is applied. If the light
continues flashing after the parking
brake is released, or while driving,
there is a problem with the Electric Parking Brake system or another
system. A message may also
display in the Driver Information
Center (DIC). See
Brake System
Messages 0130.
If the light does not come on,
or remains flashing, see your dealer.
Service Electric Parking
Brake Light
If this light comes on and stays on,
there is a problem with a system on
the vehicle that is causing the
parking brake system to work at a
reduced level. The vehicle can still
be driven, but should be taken to a
dealer as soon as possible. See
Electric Parking Brake 0185. If a
message displays in the Driver
Information Center (DIC), see Brake
System Messages 0130.
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) Warning Light
This light should come on briefly
when the vehicle is in ON/RUN. If it
does not come on, have the vehicle
serviced by your dealer.
If the ABS warning light stays on
longer than a few seconds after the
vehicle is in ON/RUN, or comes on
and stays on while driving, try
resetting the system. To reset the
system:
1. While driving, pull over when it is safe to do so.
2. Place the vehicle in P (Park).
3. Turn the vehicle off.
4. Restart the vehicle.
If the ABS warning light remains on
after resetting the system or comes
on again while driving, the vehicle
Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
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Instruments and Controls 131
RELEASE PARKING BRAKE
This message displays if the Electric
Parking Brake is on while the
vehicle is in motion. Release it
before attempting to drive. See
Electric Parking Brake0185.
SERVICE BRAKE ASSIST
This message displays when there
is a problem with the brake boost
system. When this message
displays, the brake pedal may be
harder to push and the stopping
distance may be longer. See your
dealer for service.
SERVICE PARKING BRAKE
This message displays when there
is a problem with the Electric
Parking Brake. See your dealer for
service.
STEP ON BRAKE TO
RELEASE PARK BRAKE
This message displays when
attempting to release the Electric
Parking Brake without the brake
pedal applied. See Electric Parking
Brake 0185.
Compass Messages
Dashes may be displayed if the
vehicle temporarily loses
communication with the Global
Positioning System (GPS).
Cruise Control Messages
CRUISE SET TO XXX
This message displays when the
cruise control is set and shows the
speed it was set to. See Cruise
Control 0190.
Door Ajar Messages
DOOR OPEN
A door open symbol will be
displayed on the DIC showing which
door is open. If the vehicle has been
shifted out of P (Park), a DOOR
OPEN message will also be
displayed. The DOOR OPEN
message may also be displayed if
the vehicle starts to move. Close the
door completely.
HOOD OPEN
This message will display along with
a hood open symbol when the hood
is open. Close the hood completely.
TRUNK OPEN
This message will display along with
a symbol when the hatch is open.
Close the hatch completely.
Electric Drive Unit
Messages
SHIFT FROM NEUTRAL
This message displays when the
vehicle should be shifted from
N (Neutral). If the vehicle remains in
electric neutral at low vehicle
speeds, the vehicle will not be able
to charge the high voltage battery.
SHIFT TO PARK
This message displays when the
vehicle should be shifted to
P (Park). This may appear when
attempting to turn off the vehicle
when it is not in P (Park).
Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
9159388) - 2016 - crc - 5/20/15
Instruments and Controls 141
Auto Collision Preparation
This feature will turn on or off the
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) and
Front Automatic Braking (FAB). The
Off setting disables all FCA and
FAB functions. With the Alert and
Brake setting, both FCA and FAB
are available. The Alert setting
disables FAB. SeeFront Automatic
Braking (FAB) System 0200.
Select Off, Alert, or Alert and Brake.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert
This allows the Rear Cross Traffic
Alert to be turned on or off.
Select Off or On. See Assistance
Systems for Parking or Backing
0 193.
Lane Change Alert
This allows the Lane Change Alert
feature to be turned on or off.
Select Off or On. See Lane Change
Alert (LCA) 0201.
Comfort and Convenience
Select and the following may
display: .
Chime Volume
. Extended Hill Start Assist
Chime Volume
This allows the selection of the
chime volume level.
Select + or −to adjust the volume.
Extended Hill Start Assist
This allows the duration of the Hill
Start Assist to be changed. See
“Extended Hill Start Assist (EHSA)”
in Hill Start Assist (HSA) 0186.
Select Extended Hold or
Standard Hold.
Energy
Select and the following may
display:
. Location Based Charging
. Energy Summary Pop-up
. Charge Status Feedback
. Charge Cord Theft Alert
. Charge Power Loss Alert Location Based Charging
This allows the feature to be turned
on or off.
Select Update Home Location, On,
or Off.
Energy Summary Pop-up
This allows the feature to be turned
on or off.
Select Off or On.
Charge Status Feedback
If the feature is on, horn chirps
are on.
Select Off or On.
Charge Cord Theft Alert
This allows the feature to be turned
on or off.
Select Off or On.
Charge Power Loss Alert
This allows the feature to be turned
on or off.
Select Off or On.
Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
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Driving and Operating 161
Driving and
Operating
Driving Information
Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Defensive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Drunk Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Control of a Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Off-Road Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Driving on Wet Roads . . . . . . . . 165
Hill and Mountain Roads . . . . . 166
Winter Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
If the Vehicle Is Stuck . . . . . . . . 168
Vehicle Load Limits . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Starting and Operating
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . 171
Power Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Starting and Stopping theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Shifting out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Parking over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Electric Vehicle Operating
Modes
System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Electric Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Extended Range Mode . . . . . . . 176
Driver Selected OperatingModes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Out of Fuel/Engine Unavailable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Maintenance Modes . . . . . . . . . . 180
Engine Exhaust
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Electric Drive Unit
Electric Drive Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Brakes
Antilock BrakeSystem (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Electric Parking Brake . . . . . . . . 185
Hill Start Assist (HSA) . . . . . . . . 186
Regenerative Braking . . . . . . . . 187
Ride Control Systems
Traction Control/Electronic Stability Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Driver Mode Control . . . . . . . . . . 190
Cruise Control
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Driver Assistance Systems
Driver Assistance Systems . . . 193
Assistance Systems for Parking or Backing . . . . . . . . . . 193
Assistance Systems for Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Forward Collision Alert (FCA) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Front Automatic Braking (FAB) System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Side Blind Zone Alert (SBZA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Lane Change Alert (LCA) . . . . . 201
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) . . . . . . 203
Charging
Plug-In Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Delayed Charging Override . . . 206
Charging Status Feedback . . . 207
Charge Cord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
Utility Interruption of Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Electrical Requirements for Battery Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
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Driving and Operating 173
4. Set the parking brake. SeeElectric Parking Brake 0185.
{Warning
Turning off the vehicle while
moving may disable the airbags.
While driving, only shut the
propulsion system off in an
emergency.
If the vehicle cannot be pulled over,
and must be shut off while driving,
press and hold POWER
Ofor
longer than two seconds, or press
twice in five seconds.
Starting and Stopping the
Vehicle
Computers determine when the
engine needs to run. The engine
may start, if required, when the
propulsion system is on.
Starting Procedure
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or
N (Neutral). The propulsion system
will not start in any other position.
Caution
Do not try to shift to P (Park) if the
vehicle is moving or the electric
drive unit could be damaged.
Shift to P (Park) only when the
vehicle is stopped.
Caution
If you add electrical parts or
accessories, you could change
the way the vehicle operates. Any
resulting damage would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
See Add-On Electrical Equipment
0 224.
The Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
transmitter must be in the vehicle.
Press the brake pedal and press
and release POWER
O.
If the RKE transmitter is not in the
vehicle or something is interfering
with the transmitter, a message displays in the Driver Information
Center (DIC). See
Key and Lock
Messages 0133.
If the vehicle will not start due to a
low RKE transmitter battery, the
vehicle can still be driven. See
“Starting the Vehicle with a Low
Transmitter Battery” inRemote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation 029.
A Welcome, Ready, and Good-bye
audio message will be heard in the
vehicle and animated on the
instrument cluster when opening the
driver door upon entry, when the
vehicle is ready to be driven, and
when the vehicle is turned off.
The instrument cluster displays an
active fuel and/or battery gauge,
along with an audio startup cue,
when the vehicle is ready to be
driven. This could take up to
15 seconds at extremely cold
temperatures. The engine will only
start if needed. If the vehicle did not
start, the instrument cluster will
display a screen with inactive fuel
and battery gauges. See Starting
and Stopping the Vehicle 0173.
Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
9159388) - 2016 - crc - 5/20/15
174 Driving and Operating
Restarting Procedure
If the vehicle must be restarted
while it is still moving, move the shift
lever to N (Neutral) and press
POWER
Otwice without pressing
the brake pedal. The propulsion
system will not restart in any other
position.
Forced Engine On
Some vehicle conditions that force
the engine to run:
. There are cold ambient
temperatures.
. The hood is open or not
completely latched.
. The high voltage battery has a
low charge.
. The engine needs to run for
maintenance.
See Maintenance Modes 0180.
A chime will sound if the driver door
is opened while the vehicle is in ON/
RUN. Always press POWER
Oto
turn the vehicle off before exiting.
Stopping Procedure
For information on how to turn the
vehicle off, see Power Button0171.
Retained Accessory
Power (RAP)
The following features will operate
for up to 10 minutes or until the
driver door is opened:
.
Audio System
. Accessory Power Outlets
Power windows will operate for up
to 10 minutes or until any door is
opened.
Shifting Into Park
1. Hold the brake pedal down and set the parking brake. See
Electric Parking Brake 0185.
2. Move the shift lever into P (Park) by pushing the lever
all the way toward the front of
the vehicle.
3. Turn the vehicle off.
Leaving the Vehicle with the
Propulsion System On
{Warning
It can be dangerous to leave the
vehicle with the propulsion
system running. It could overheat
and catch fire.
It is dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the vehicle when the
propulsion system is running.
If you have left the propulsion
system running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground,
always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park).
See Shifting Into Park 0174.
If you have to leave the vehicle with
the propulsion system on, be sure
the vehicle is in P (Park) and the
Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
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Driving and Operating 175
parking brake is firmly set before
you leave it. After you have moved
the shift lever into P (Park), hold
down the regular brake pedal. See if
you can move the shift lever away
from P (Park) without first pulling it
toward you. If you can, it means that
the shift lever was not fully locked
into P (Park).
Torque Lock
Torque lock is when the weight of
the vehicle puts too much force on
the parking pawl in the electric drive
unit. This happens when parking on
a hill and shifting the electric drive
unit into P (Park) is not done
properly and then it is difficult to
shift out of P (Park). To prevent
torque lock, set the parking brake
and then shift into P (Park).
If torque lock does occur, your
vehicle may need to be pushed
uphill by another vehicle to relieve
the parking pawl pressure, so you
can shift out of P (Park).
Shifting out of Park
To shift out of P (Park), the vehicle
must be in ON/RUN, the brake
pedal must be applied, and the
charge cord must be unplugged.
The vehicle has an electronic shift
lock release system. The shift lock
release is designed to:
.Prevent the vehicle from turning
off unless the shift lever is in
P (Park).
. Prevent moving the shift lever
out of P (Park), unless the
vehicle is in ON/RUN, the brake
pedal is applied, and the charge
cord is unplugged.
Parking the vehicle in extreme cold
for several days without the charge
cord connected may cause the
electric drive unit to be locked in
P (Park) until the propulsion system
has warmed sufficiently.
The shift lock is always functional
except in the case of an uncharged
or low charged 12-volt battery (less
than 9 volts). If the vehicle has an uncharged
12-volt battery or a 12-volt battery
with low voltage, try charging or
jump starting the 12-volt battery.
See
Battery - North America 0245
or Jump Starting - North America
0 295.
If the shift lever cannot be moved
out of P (Park): 1. Apply and maintain the regular brakes.
2. Turn the vehicle on using POWER
O. See Power Button
0 171.
3. Let up on the shift lever and make sure the shift lever is
pushed all the way into
P (Park).
4. Press the shift lever button.
5. Move the shift lever into the desired gear.
If you still cannot move the shift
lever from P (Park), see your dealer
or a professional towing service.
Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
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Driving and Operating 183
Electric Drive Unit
The vehicle uses an electric
drive unit.
P :This position locks the front
wheels. It is the best position to use
when starting the propulsion system
because the vehicle cannot move
easily.
{Warning
It is dangerous to get out of the
vehicle if the shift lever is not fully
in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
Do not leave the vehicle when the
propulsion system is running.
If you have left the propulsion
system running, the vehicle can
move suddenly. You or others
could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when
you are on fairly level ground,
always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park).
See Shifting Into Park 0174.
Make sure the shift lever is fully in
P (Park) before starting the
propulsion system. The vehicle has
an electric drive unit shift lock
control system. The regular brake
must be fully applied first and then
the shift lever button pressed before
shifting from P (Park) when the
vehicle is in ON/RUN. If you cannot
shift out of P (Park), ease pressure on the shift lever, then push the shift
lever all the way into P (Park) as
you maintain brake application.
Then press the shift lever button
and move the shift lever into
another gear. See
Shifting out of
Park 0175.
R : Use this gear to back up.
Caution
Shifting to R (Reverse) while the
vehicle is moving forward could
damage the electric drive unit.
The repairs would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty. Shift to
R (Reverse) only after the vehicle
is stopped.
To rock the vehicle back and forth to
get out of snow, ice, or sand without
damaging the electric drive unit, see
If the Vehicle Is Stuck 0168.
N : In this position, the propulsion
system does not provide power to
the wheels.