Chevrolet Volt owners have reported 2 related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's (2 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| problems |
I arrived at the charging station and plugged the charging handle into the charge port. At this time an audible shorting sound was heard coming from inside the handle followed by a burst of flames and white smoke. This flame immediately went out and the smoke subsided slightly before building back up and darkening. By the time that the fire department arrived, the car's engine had caught fire resulting in a total loss. Additionally, the charging handle of the station had melted, alongside the side mirror of a neighboring vehicle. It appears that there was a failure to detect the initial fault or at least a lack of protections for shorts. The parts are no longer available upon inspection, unless you have contact with the evse manufacturer, chargepoint. My safety was put directly at risk. The charging handle shorted in my hand. In the unlucky case that the short made contact with me, I likely would've died on the spot or been at risk of burns from the subsequent fire. Additionally, should I have been in the car, I noticed when trying to get pictures of the inside, that the doors had remained locked. The problem cannot be reproduced because the car is burnt. The car has been inspected by insurance representatives alongside the look over by firefighters and police officers on site during the fire. There were no issues inside the vehicle hinting to any problem. I had used the charging station next to this one consistently each day going into work with no problems. When I arrived, the car which is usually parked at this problem charger was in the spot I usually used, which caused me to use this problem charger. While the exact cause is somewhat unknown, the initial perception by fire fighters, police, and myself were that the fire was due to the evse handle shorting out. The evidence for this is the location of the fire damage external to the vehicle and the melted handle. Chargepoint disagrees but does not state an alternative possible cause.
This is a legitimately serious concern regarding gm vehicles (including Chevrolet) and dealer service compliance with "safety warnings" and reliability warnings as in factory service manuals. Specifically "single use fasteners" and "do not use air-impact on brake system fasteners" and "tty fastener dual pass torque-to-yield specifications" . . . 1. ) widespread non compliance with single use brake components (fasteners, seals, bellows) - every set of brake-pads / rotor replacement should show corresponding parts billing. 2. ) shortcuts to brake system service by using air-wrench removal / installation using torture-sticks. 3. ) multiple different torque specifications for each component / fastener (upper/lower/front/rear) likely also 'shortcuts taken by using air-wrench torque-sticks vs precision torque wrench (pass1=torque, pass2 = rotation degrees) seriously these are all called out in the factory service manuals. To inspect, without biasing discovery, but easily, a video (shop security cam) review would easily confirm noncompliance of impact-wrench use on brake component fasteners and tty fasteners protocols and a simple review of brake rotors should show at least 2 new tty fasteners per each new rotor used (check invoices for rotor replacement services). This is not a trivial picky customer concern . . . It is a *serious safety concern* . . . Check the factory service manual, note that most likely inventory control doesn't show tty single use fasteners / rotor replacement correlation . . . See service manual warning . . . consult your liability attorneys to estimate the cost of urgent safety recall for dealer serviced rotors/brakes. . . . Compliance is not a nice to do thing . . . Compliance is mandatory engineering factory service manual specifications. Period. do not neglect action on this factory specifications compliance mandate as spelled out in detail in the factory service manuals for most gm vehicles serviced by certified dealer service.