
Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9807421) - 2017 - CRC - 11/18/15
26 In Brief
Driving for Better Energy
Efficiency
Use the following tips to help
maximize energy efficiency and
range.
In colder temperatures, while these
efficiency tips will help, the electric
vehicle driving range may be lower
due to higher energy usage.
Driving Style
Efficiency Gauge (Instrument
Cluster)
The ball indicator should be kept
green and toward the center of the
gauge for efficient operation.
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.
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 or steep grades.
Use Hold Mode on a trip where it is
expected that all of the electric
charge will be depleted. Use Hold
Mode mainly during highway or high
speed driving to maximize both EV
miles and fuel efficiency.
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.

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9807421) - 2017 - CRC - 11/18/15
In Brief 27
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.
. Use eco for moderate air
conditioning and heater
operation. This is the next most
energy efficient setting as long
as
0is not selected.
. MAX provides the most comfort
but is the least energy efficient.
Use the auto heated seat feature
and the heated steering wheel
instead of climate settings. Heating
the seat and steering wheel 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,
if equipped, can be personalized
while plugged in. See
“Engine
Assist Heat Plugged In” under
Vehicle Personalization 0141.
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.
Vehicle Charging/Maintenance
Charging
Keep the vehicle plugged in, even
when fully charged, to keep the
battery temperature ready for the
next drive. This is important when
outside temperatures are extremely
hot or cold. Maintenance
Always keep the tires properly
inflated and the vehicle properly
aligned.
The weight of excess cargo in the
vehicle affects efficiency and range.
Avoid carrying more than is needed.
If fuel is not regularly used, consider
keeping the fuel tank only one-third
full. Excess fuel weight impacts
efficiency and range.
For fuel recommendations, see
Fuel
0230.
Avoid unnecessary use of electrical
accessories. Power used for
functions other than propelling the
vehicle will reduce EV range.
Using a rooftop carrier will reduce
efficiency due to additional weight
and drag.

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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Keys, Doors, and Windows 37
cool the interior when the vehicle is
plugged in to maximize the electric
range by utilizing electricity from the
electrical outlet. Normal operation of
the system will return after the
vehicle has been turned on.
/:This button is on the RKE
transmitter.
During remote start:
. The climate control system will
typically default to the last
climate setting. If the fan is off or
if eco and MAX are not selected,
the air conditioning or heat will
turn on as needed. See
Automatic Climate Control
System 0157.
. If equipped with heated seats,
and the vehicle personalization
setting is enabled, the remote
start auto heated seats may also
come on. See Heated Front
Seats 054, and Vehicle
Personalization 0141.
. If equipped the heated steering
wheel may also come on. See
Heated Steering Wheel 096. .
The rear window defogger will
turn on during colder outside
temperatures.
. Selecting
1during colder
outside temperatures before
shutting the vehicle off will help
windshield clearing.
. Shutting the vehicle off in eco
mode without
1selected will
minimize the impact to electric
range. Shutting the vehicle off in
other modes will maximize
heating or air conditioning.
. The engine may start to provide
energy for heating and cooling,
independent of the vehicle being
plugged in or completely
charged. Engine Assisted
Heating operation, if available,
can be personalized. See
“Engine Assist Heat Plugged In”
under Vehicle
Personalization 0141.
. Vehicle range may decrease if
the vehicle is not plugged into
an electrical outlet. If the vehicle
is plugged in, much of the
energy needed to support this feature will be provided from the
electrical outlet, not from the
high voltage battery.
Laws in some communities may
restrict the use of features that
remotely start the engine. For
example, some laws may require a
person using the remote start
feature to have the vehicle in view
when doing so. Check local
regulations for any requirements on
remote starting of vehicles.
The RKE transmitter range may be
less while the vehicle is running.
Other conditions can affect the
performance of the transmitter. See
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE)
System 030.
Starting the Vehicle
To heat or cool the passenger
compartment using remote start:
1. Press and release
Qon the
RKE transmitter; the doors
will lock.
2. Immediately press and hold
/
until the turn signal lamps
flash, or for at least

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9807421) - 2017 - CRC - 11/18/15
Keys, Doors, and Windows 45
The security light comes on if there
is a problem with arming or
disarming the theft-deterrent
system.
This light may come on briefly when
the vehicle is turned on. There is a
problem if the engine does not start
and this light stays on.
Turn the ignition off and try again.If the engine still does not start, and
the RKE transmitter appears
undamaged, try the other RKE
transmitter for the vehicle, or place
the RKE transmitter in the
transmitter pocket. See
Remote
Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation 030. It may be necessary
to check the fuse. See Electrical
System Overload 0262. If the
vehicle does start, the first
transmitter is bad. If the vehicle still
does not start the vehicle needs
service. See your dealer.
Do not leave the key or device that
disarms or deactivates the vehicle
theft-deterrent system in the vehicle.
Exterior Mirrors
Convex Mirrors
{Warning
A convex mirror can make things,
like other vehicles, look farther
away than they really are. If you
cut too sharply into the right lane,
you could hit a vehicle on the
right. Check the inside mirror or
glance over your shoulder before
changing lanes.
The passenger side mirror is convex
shaped. A convex mirror's surface is
curved so more can be seen from
the driver seat.

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9807421) - 2017 - CRC - 11/18/15
64 Seats and Restraints
{Warning
You can be severely injured or
killed in a crash if you are not
wearing your safety belt, even
with airbags. Airbags are
designed to work with safety
belts, not replace them. Also,
airbags are not designed to inflate
in every crash. In some crashes
safety belts are the only restraint.
SeeWhen Should an Airbag
Inflate? 066.
Wearing your safety belt during a
crash helps reduce the chance of
hitting things inside the vehicle or
being ejected from it. Airbags are
“supplemental restraints” to the
safety belts. Everyone in the
vehicle should wear a safety belt
properly, whether or not there is
an airbag for that person.
{Warning
Because airbags inflate with great
force and faster than the blink of
an eye, anyone who is up
against, or very close to any
airbag when it inflates can be
seriously injured or killed. Do not
sit unnecessarily close to any
airbag, as you would be if sitting
on the edge of the seat or leaning
forward. Safety belts help keep
you in position before and during
a crash. Always wear a safety
belt, even with airbags. The driver
should sit as far back as possible
while still maintaining control of
the vehicle. The safety belts and
the front outboard passenger
airbags are most effective when
you are sitting well back and
upright in the seat with both feet
on the floor.
Occupants should not lean on or
sleep against the door or side
windows in seating positions with
seat-mounted side impact airbags
and/or roof-rail airbags.
{Warning
Children who are up against,
or very close to, any airbag when
it inflates can be seriously injured
or killed. Always secure children
properly in the vehicle. To read
how, see Older Children 075 or
Infants and Young Children 077.
There is an airbag readiness light
on the instrument cluster, which
shows the airbag symbol. The
system checks the airbag electrical
system for malfunctions. The light
tells you if there is an electrical
problem. See Airbag Readiness
Light 0108 for more information.

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9807421) - 2017 - CRC - 11/18/15
Seats and Restraints 67
predict how severe a crash is likely
to be in time for the airbags to
inflate and help restrain the
occupants. The vehicle has
electronic sensors that help the
airbag system determine the
severity of the impact. Deployment
thresholds can vary with specific
vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are designed to
inflate in moderate to severe frontal
or near frontal crashes to help
reduce the potential for severe
injuries, mainly to the driver's or
front outboard passenger's head
and chest.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should inflate is not based primarily
on how fast the vehicle is traveling.
It depends on what you hit, the
direction of the impact, and how
quickly the vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may inflate at
different crash speeds depending on
whether the vehicle hits an object
straight on or at an angle, and
whether the object is fixed or
moving, rigid or deformable, narrow
or wide.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? 065.

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9807421) - 2017 - CRC - 11/18/15
Instruments and Controls 95
Instruments and
Controls
Controls
Steering Wheel Adjustment . . . . 96
Steering Wheel Controls . . . . . . . 96
Heated Steering Wheel . . . . . . . . 96
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Windshield Wiper/Washer . . . . . . 97
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Power Outlets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Wireless Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Warning Lights, Gauges, and
Indicators
Warning Lights, Gauges, andIndicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Instrument Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Trip Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Battery Gauge (High Voltage) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Fuel Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Driver Efficiency Gauge . . . . . . 106
Power Indicator Gauge . . . . . . . 107
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . 107
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . 108 Passenger Airbag Status
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Charging System Light (12-Volt Battery) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Malfunction Indicator Lamp
(Check Engine Light) . . . . . . . . 109
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Service Electric Parking Brake Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Sport Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Mountain Mode Light . . . . . . . . . 113
Hold Mode Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Lane Keep Assist (LKA) Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Vehicle Ahead Indicator . . . . . . . 113
Traction Off Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . . 114
Traction Control System (TCS)/ StabiliTrak
®Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Engine Oil Pressure Light . . . . . 115
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 116
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Vehicle Ready Light . . . . . . . . . . 116 High-Beam On Light . . . . . . . . . . 116
Lamps On Reminder . . . . . . . . . . 117
Cruise Control Light . . . . . . . . . . 117
Door Ajar Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Information Displays
Power Flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Programmable Charging . . . . . . 119
Energy Information . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Driver Information
Center (DIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Vehicle Messages
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Battery and ChargingMessages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Brake System Messages . . . . . 133
Compass Messages . . . . . . . . . . 133
Cruise Control Messages . . . . . 133
Door Ajar Messages . . . . . . . . . . 133
Electric Drive Unit Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Engine Cooling System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Engine Oil Messages . . . . . . . . . 134
Fuel System Messages . . . . . . . 135
Key and Lock Messages . . . . . 135
Lamp Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Object Detection System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
9807421) - 2017 - CRC - 11/18/15
Instruments and Controls 97
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 0258.
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
0262.
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