
Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
9159388) - 2016 - crc - 5/20/15
66 Seats and Restraints
Frontal airbags are not intended to
inflate during vehicle rollovers, in
rear impacts, or in many side
impacts.
In addition, the vehicle has
advanced technology frontal
airbags. Advanced technology
frontal airbags adjust the restraint
according to crash severity.
Knee airbags are designed to inflate
in moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal impacts. Knee airbags
are not designed to inflate during
vehicle rollovers, in rear impacts,
or in many side impacts.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags
are designed to inflate in moderate
to severe side crashes depending
on the location of the impact.
Seat-mounted side impact airbags
are not designed to inflate in frontal
impacts, near frontal impacts,
rollovers, or rear impacts.
A seat-mounted side impact airbag
is designed to inflate on the side of
the vehicle that is struck.
Roof-rail airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe side
crashes depending on the locationof the impact. In addition, these
roof-rail airbags are designed to
inflate during a rollover or in a
severe frontal impact. Roof-rail
airbags are not designed to inflate in
rear impacts. Both roof-rail airbags
will inflate when either side of the
vehicle is struck or if the sensing
system predicts that the vehicle is
about to roll over on its side, or in a
severe frontal impact.
In any particular crash, no one can
say whether an airbag should have
inflated simply because of the
vehicle damage or repair costs.
What Makes an Airbag
Inflate?
In a deployment event, the sensing
system sends an electrical signal
triggering a release of gas from the
inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the
airbag causing the bag to break out
of the cover. The inflator, the airbag,
and related hardware are all part of
the airbag module.
For airbag locations, see
Where Are
the Airbags? 063.
How Does an Airbag
Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or
near frontal collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the steering
wheel or the instrument panel. In
moderate to severe side collisions,
even belted occupants can contact
the inside of the vehicle.
Airbags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts by
distributing the force of the impact
more evenly over the
occupant's body.
Rollover capable roof-rail airbags
are designed to help contain the
head and chest of occupants in the
outboard seating positions in the
first and second rows. The rollover
capable roof-rail airbags are
designed to help reduce the risk of
full or partial ejection in rollover
events, although no system can
prevent all such ejections.

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
9159388) - 2016 - crc - 5/20/15
Seats and Restraints 67
But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. SeeWhen
Should an Airbag Inflate? 065.
Airbags should never be regarded
as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts.
What Will You See after
an Airbag Inflates?
After frontal, knee, and
seat-mounted side impact airbags
inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not
even realize an airbag inflated.
Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after
they inflate. Some components of
the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? 063.
The parts of the airbag that come
into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There may
be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated
airbags. Airbag inflation does not prevent the driver from seeing out of
the windshield or being able to steer
the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
{Warning
When an airbag inflates, there
may be dust in the air. This dust
could cause breathing problems
for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble.
To avoid this, everyone in the
vehicle should get out as soon as
it is safe to do so. If you have
breathing problems but cannot
get out of the vehicle after an
airbag inflates, then get fresh air
by opening a window or a door.
If you experience breathing
problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek
medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may
automatically unlock the doors, turn
on the interior lamps, turn on the
hazard warning flashers, and shut
off the fuel system after the airbags inflate. The feature may also
activate, without airbag inflation,
after an event that exceeds a
predetermined threshold. You can
lock the doors, turn off the interior
lamps, and turn off the hazard
warning flashers by using the
controls for those features.
{Warning
A crash severe enough to inflate
the airbags may have also
damaged important functions in
the vehicle, such as the fuel
system, brake and steering
systems, etc. Even if the vehicle
appears to be drivable after a
moderate crash, there may be
concealed damage that could
make it difficult to safely operate
the vehicle.
Use caution if you should attempt
to restart the engine after a crash
has occurred.
If an airbag inflates or the vehicle
has been in a crash, the sensing
system may shut down the high

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
9159388) - 2016 - crc - 5/20/15
Seats and Restraints 73
The operation of the airbag system
can also be affected by changing
any parts of the front seats, safety
belts, airbag sensing and diagnostic
module, steering wheel, instrument
panel, any of the airbag modules,
ceiling or pillar garnish trim,
overhead console, front sensors,
side impact sensors, rollover sensor
module, or airbag wiring.
Your dealer and the service manual
have information about the location
of the airbag sensors, sensing and
diagnostic module, and airbag
wiring.
In addition, the vehicle has a
passenger sensing system that
includes sensors as part of the front
outboard passenger seat. The
passenger sensing system may not
operate properly if the original seat
trim is replaced with non-GM
covers, upholstery, or trim; or with
GM covers, upholstery, or trim
designed for a different vehicle. Any
object, such as an aftermarket seat
heater or a comfort-enhancing pad
or device, installed under or on top
of the seat fabric, could also
interfere with the operation of thepassenger sensing system. This
could either prevent proper
deployment of the passenger
airbag(s) or prevent the passenger
sensing system from properly
turning off the passenger airbag(s).
See
Passenger Sensing System
0 68.
If the vehicle has rollover roof-rail
airbags, see Different Size Tires
and Wheels 0277 for additional
important information.
If you have to modify your vehicle
because you have a disability and
you have questions about whether
the modifications will affect the
vehicle's airbag system, or if you
have questions about whether the
airbag system will be affected if the
vehicle is modified for any other
reason, call Customer Assistance.
See Customer Assistance Offices
0 333.Airbag System Check
The airbag system does not need
regularly scheduled maintenance or
replacement. Make sure the airbag
readiness light is working. See
Airbag Readiness Light 0107.
Caution
If an airbag covering is damaged,
opened, or broken, the airbag
may not work properly. Do not
open or break the airbag
coverings. If there are any
opened or broken airbag
coverings, have the airbag
covering and/or airbag module
replaced. For the location of the
airbags, see Where Are the
Airbags? 063. See your dealer
for service.

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
9159388) - 2016 - crc - 5/20/15
94 Instruments and Controls
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . 95
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . 95
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . 95
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . 96
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Wireless Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Battery Gauge (High Voltage) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Driver Efficiency Gauge . . . . . . 105
Power Indicator Gauge . . . . . . . 106
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 106
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . 107 Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Charging System Light (12-Volt Battery) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . 109
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Service Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Sport Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Mountain Mode Light . . . . . . . . . 112
Hold Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . 113
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . . 113
Traction Control System (TCS)/ StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . 114
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 115
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Vehicle Ready Light . . . . . . . . . . 115 High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 115
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . 116
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . 116
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Information Displays
Center Stack Display . . . . . . . . . 116
Power Flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Programmable Charging . . . . . . 118
Energy Information . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Battery and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Brake System Messages . . . . . 130
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . . 131
Cruise Control Messages . . . . . 131
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . 131
Electric Drive Unit Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . 132
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . . 132
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 133
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
9159388) - 2016 - crc - 5/20/15
Instruments and Controls 95
Propulsion PowerMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Ride Control System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Airbag System Messages . . . . 136
Security Messages . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Service Vehicle Messages . . . . 136
Starting the Vehicle
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Tire Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Vehicle Reminder Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Vehicle Speed Messages . . . . . 138
Vehicle Personalization
Vehicle Personalization . . . . . . . 138
Controls
Steering Wheel
Adjustment
To adjust the steering wheel:
1. Pull the lever down.
2. Move the steering wheel up or down.
3. Pull or push the steering wheel closer or away from you.
4. Pull the lever up to lock the steering wheel in place.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while driving.
Steering Wheel Controls
The infotainment system can be
operated by using the steering
wheel controls. See "Steering
Wheel Controls" in the infotainment
manual.
Heated Steering Wheel
((Heated Steering Wheel) :
If equipped, press to turn on or off.
A light on the button displays when
the feature is turned on.
The steering wheel takes about
three minutes to start heating.

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
9159388) - 2016 - crc - 5/20/15
96 Instruments and Controls
Horn
Pressaon the steering wheel pad
to sound the horn.
Windshield Wiper/Washer
The windshield wiper/washer lever
is on the side of the steering
column. With the ignition in ACC/
ACCESSORY or ON/RUN, move
the windshield wiper lever to select
the wiper speed.
HI : Use for fast wipes. LO :
Use for slow wipes.
INT : Move the lever up to INT for
intermittent wipes, then turn the
band up for more frequent wipes or
down for less frequent wipes.
OFF : Use to turn the wipers off.
1X : For a single wipe, briefly move
the lever down. For several wipes,
hold the lever down.
Clear snow and ice from the wiper
blades and windshield before using
them. If frozen to the windshield,
carefully loosen or thaw them.
Damaged blades should be
replaced. See Wiper Blade
Replacement 0248.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the
wiper motor. If the wiper motor
overheats, the windshield wipers will stop until the motor cools and the
wiper control is turned off. See
Electrical System Overload
0252.
Wiper Parking
If the vehicle is turned to
STOPPING THE VEHICLE/OFF
while the wipers are on LO, HI, or
INT, they will immediately stop.
If the windshield wiper lever is then
moved to OFF before the driver
door is opened or within 10 minutes,
the wipers will restart and move to
the base of the windshield.
If the vehicle is turned to
STOPPING THE VEHICLE/OFF
while the wipers are performing
wipes due to windshield washing,
the wipers continue to run until they
reach the base of the windshield.
f: Pull the windshield wiper
lever toward you to spray windshield
washer fluid and activate the wipers.
The wipers will continue until the
lever is released or the maximum
wash time is reached. When the
lever is released, additional wipes
may occur depending on how long
the windshield washer had been

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
9159388) - 2016 - crc - 5/20/15
102 Instruments and Controls
Reconfigurable Instrument
Cluster
There are four instrument cluster
display configurations to choose
from: Classic, Modern, Classic
Enhanced, or Modern Enhanced.
Classic
Modern
Classic Enhanced
Modern Enhanced
Use the five-way control on the right
side of the steering wheel to move
between the different display zones
and scroll through the different
displays. To change the cluster configuration:
1. Press
oto access the cluster
applications.
2. Use
worxto scroll through
the list until Display Layout is
highlighted. Then press
Vto
select it.
3. Each layout in the menu is represented by a small preview
image of the display layout.
Scroll up or down and highlight
the selection. Press
Vto select
the desired cluster
configuration.
4. Exit the Display Layout menu by pressing
o.
Cluster Menu
There is an interactive display area
in the center of the instrument
cluster.

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S/Canada/Mexico-
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Instruments and Controls 103
Use the right steering wheel control
to open and scroll through the
different items and displays.
Press
oto access the cluster
applications. Use
worxto scroll
through the list of applications.
. Info. This is where you can view
the Driver Information Center
(DIC) displays. See Driver
Information Center (DIC) 0128.
. Audio
. Phone
. Navigation .
Display Layout. See
“Reconfigurable Instrument
Cluster” earlier in this section.
. Settings
Audio
While the Audio application page is
displayed, press
pto enter the
Audio menu. In the Audio menu,
search for music or change the
audio source.
Phone
While the Phone application page is
displayed, press
pto enter the
Phone menu. In the Phone menu,
if there is no active phone call, view
recent calls or scroll through
contacts. If there is an active call,
mute the phone or switch to handset
operation.
Navigation
If there is no active route, a
compass will be displayed. If there
is an active route, press
pto end
route guidance or turn the voice
prompts on or off. Settings
Press
pto enter the Settings menu.
Use
worxto scroll through the
items in the Settings menu
Units : Press
Vwhile Units is
highlighted to enter the Unit menu.
Choose US, Metric, or Imperial units
by pressing
Vwhile the desired
item is highlighted. A checkmark will
be displayed next to the
selected item.
Speed Warning : The Speed
Warning display allows the driver to
set a speed that they do not want to
exceed. To set the Speed Warning,
press
Vwhen Speed Warning is
displayed. Press
worxto adjust
the value. Press
Vto set the speed.
Once the speed is set, this feature
can be turned off by pressing
V
while viewing this page. If the
selected speed limit is exceeded, a
pop-up warning is displayed with a
chime.