
Chevrolet VOLT Owner Manual (GMNA-Localizing-U.S./Canada/Mexico-
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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-
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68 Seats and Restraints
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.But airbags would not help in many
types of collisions, primarily
because the occupant's motion is
not toward those airbags. See
When
Should an Airbag Inflate? 066.
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? 065.
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

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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

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Instruments and Controls 113
Mountain Mode Light
This light comes on when Mountain
Mode is selected. See“Mountain
Mode” inDriver Selected Operating
Modes 0181 for more information.
Hold Mode Light
This light comes on when Hold
Mode is selected. See “Hold Mode”
in Driver Selected Operating Modes
0 181 for more information.
Lane Keep Assist (LKA)
Light
This light is green if LKA is available
to assist.
LKA may assist by gently turning
the steering wheel if the vehicle
approaches a detected lane marking
without using the turn signal in that
direction. The LKA light will turn
amber.
This light is amber and flashes as a
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
alert, to indicate that the lane
marking has been crossed.
See Lane Keep Assist (LKA) 0213.
Vehicle Ahead Indicator
If equipped, this indicator will
display green when a vehicle is
detected ahead and amber when
you are following a vehicle ahead
much too closely.
See Forward Collision Alert (FCA)
System 0208.
Traction Off Light
This light comes on briefly while
starting the engine. If it does not,
have the vehicle serviced by your

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Instruments and Controls 119
Engine and Regen Power Recovery
- Engine is active. Power from the
wheels returns to the battery during
regenerative braking or coasting.
Regen Power Recovery - Power
from the wheels returns to the
battery during regenerative braking
or coasting.
Power Off - No power is flowing to
the wheels.
Programmable Charging
Important Information About
Portable Electric Vehicle Charging
.Charging an electric vehicle can
stress a building’ s electrical
system more than a typical
household appliance.
. Before you plug into any
electrical outlet, have a qualified
electrician inspect and verify the
electrical system (electrical
outlet, wiring, junctions, and
protection devices) for
heavy-duty service at a 12 amp
continuous load. .
Electrical outlets may wear out
with normal usage or be
damaged over time, making
them unsuitable for electric
vehicle charging.
. Check the electrical outlet/plug
while charging and discontinue
use if the electrical outlet/plug is
hot, then have the electrical
outlet serviced by a qualified
electrician.
. When outdoors, plug into an
electrical outlet that is
weatherproof while in use.
. Mount the charging cord to
reduce strain on the electrical
outlet/plug.
{Danger
Improper use of portable electric
vehicle charge cords may cause
a fire, electrical shock, or burns,
and may result in damage to
property, serious injury, or death.
(Continued)

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Instruments and Controls 131
The Average Fuel Economy display
shows the approximate average
liters per 100 kilometers (L/100 km)
or miles per gallon (mpg). This
number is calculated based on the
number of L/100 km (mpg) recorded
since the last time this menu item
was reset. This number reflects only
the approximate average fuel
economy that the vehicle has right
now, and will change as driving
conditions change. The Average
Fuel Economy can be reset along
with the trip odometer by pressing
and holding
Vwhile this display is
active.
Compass and Speed : Shows the
direction the vehicle is driving and
the vehicle speed in either
kilometers per hour (km/h) or miles
per hour (mph).
Total Range : Shows the remaining
distance the vehicle can be driven
combining the electric range and
fuel range. Oil Life :
The Oil Life display shows
an estimate of the oil's remaining
useful life. If REMAINING OIL LIFE
99% is displayed, that means 99%
of the current oil life remains.
When the remaining oil life is low,
the CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
message will appear on the display.
See Engine Oil Messages 0134.
The oil should be changed as soon
as possible. See Engine Oil0243.
In addition to the engine oil life
system monitoring the oil life,
additional maintenance is
recommended. See Maintenance
Schedule 0326.
Remember, the Oil Life display must
be reset after each oil change. It will
not reset itself. Also, be careful not
to reset the Oil Life display
accidentally at any time other than
when the oil has just been changed.
It cannot be reset accurately until
the next oil change. To reset the
engine oil life system, press and
hold
Vfor several seconds while
the Oil Life display is active. See
Engine Oil Life System 0245. Tire Pressure :
Shows the
approximate pressures of all four
tires. Tire pressure is displayed in
either kilopascal (kPa) or in pounds
per square inch (psi). If the pressure
is low, the value for that tire is
shown in amber. See Tire Pressure
Monitor System 0280 andTire
Pressure Monitor Operation 0281.
Average Speed : Shows the
average speed of the vehicle in
kilometers per hour (km/h) or miles
per hour (mph). This average is
calculated based on the various
vehicle speeds recorded since the
last reset of this value. The average
speed can be reset by pressing and
holding
Vwhile this display is
active.
Timer : This display can be used as
a timer. To start the timer, press
V
while this display is active. The
display will show the amount of
time that has passed since the timer
was last reset. To stop the timer,
press
Vbriefly while this display
is active and the timer is running.

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138 Instruments and Controls
Propulsion Power
Messages
PROPULSION POWER IS
REDUCED
This message displays when the
propulsion power is reduced and
can affect the ability to accelerate.
If this message is on, but there is no
reduction in performance, proceed
to your destination. The
performance may be reduced the
next time the vehicle is driven. The
vehicle may be driven at a reduced
speed while this message is on, but
maximum acceleration and speed
may be reduced. If this message
stays on when the malfunction
indicator lamp is on, the vehicle
should be taken to your dealer for
service as soon as possible.
This message can display when the
vehicle is parked during extreme
cold conditions without plugging-in.
While driving the vehicle with this
message displayed, the vehicle
speed may be reduced until the high
voltage battery is conditioned.This message can display when
driving in mountainous terrain
without using Mountain Mode or by
not entering Mountain Mode soon
enough to build a sufficient battery
charge reserve before climbing
steep grades. This is normal
operation to protect the high voltage
battery. Only if both the
PROPULSION POWER IS
REDUCED message and the
malfunction indicator lamp are on
should the vehicle be taken to the
dealer for service.
While climbing the grade with this
message displayed, the vehicle
speed may be reduced until the
engine can recover the battery state
of charge to a normal level. See
“Mountain Mode”
underDriver
Selected Operating Modes 0181.
Ride Control System
Messages
SERVICE STABILITRAK
This message displays when there
is a problem detected with the
StabiliTrak system. The vehicle is safe to drive, but the StabiliTrak
system is not operational. See
Traction Control/Electronic Stability
Control
0192 for information on
resetting the system.
SERVICE TRACTION
CONTROL
This message displays when there
is a problem detected with the
Traction Control System (TCS). The
vehicle is safe to drive, but the TCS
is not operational. See Traction
Control/Electronic Stability Control
0 192 for information on resetting
the system.
STABILITRAK OFF
This message displays when
StabiliTrak is turned off. Adjust your
driving accordingly.
TRACTION CONTROL OFF
This message displays when the
Traction Control System (TCS) is
turned off. Adjust your driving
accordingly.

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Climate Controls 159
eco Mode :Press eco to select this
mode and the indicator will be lit.
The air conditioning and electric
heat are controlled to balance
comfort with fuel economy. As long
as
0MAX is not selected, the
vehicle electric range or fuel
economy will decrease less than in
MAX mode, but will result in
moderate comfort.
MAX Mode : Press MAX to select
this mode and the indicator will be
lit. The air conditioning and electric
heat are controlled to reach the best
comfort level based on the
temperature setting selected. In this
mode, vehicle electric range or fuel
economy will decrease depending
on the amount of energy required to
reach the best comfort levels.
The air conditioning and electric
heat could be on at the same time
when dehumidification is required in
eco or MAX modes.
The air conditioning may also run if
0MAX is 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 or
fan speed 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.
Manual Operation
O: Press to turn the climate control
system on and off.
A: Turn the knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to increase or
decrease the fan speed. The fan
speed setting appears on the
display screen. Manually adjusting
the fan speed cancels automatic fan control. Press AUTO to return to
automatic operation. Press
Oto turn
off the fan and the climate control
system.
If the power is turned off while in
eco or MAX mode, the display will
automatically change to Fan Only
mode. If the fan speed is increased
or AUTO is pressed, the climate
mode will revert back to eco or
MAX mode.
Temperature Control : Turn the
knob clockwise or counterclockwise
to increase or decrease the
temperature setting.
Air Delivery Mode Control :
Press
dandcor a
combination of the buttons to
change the direction of the airflow.
The indicator light in the button will
turn on. The current mode appears
in the display screen.
Pressing any of the air delivery
buttons cancels automatic air
delivery control and the direction of
the airflow can be controlled
manually. Press AUTO to return to
automatic operation.