GM Exchanging Chevy Volt Charger Cables
GM is exchanging Chevy Volt charger cables for owners of 2011 models and a few 2012 units with the previous version of the cable. There's no defect in the old Chevy Volt charger cables. GM is simply acknowledging customer complaints that the old cords get too hot to touch and is offering the complimentary exchange program to keep customers satisfied.
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Written by
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UPDATED: Jul 15, 2021
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General Motors has announced a complimentary exchange program for Volt owners of the 120-volt charging cable for a new unit. Owners of 2011 models and the few 2012 units with the previous version of the cable are eligible for the exchange.
We’d heard grumblings last summer from Volt owners of the charging cords becoming warm, and in some cases, too hot to touch. But there’s no defect in the old cords, GM is quick to point out, and the exchange is completely unrelated.
Don’t call it a recall. Nothing to see here, move along, the company insists. Just looking to make sure Chevrolet Volt owners are happy, satisfied customers.
GM spokesperson Randy Fox says they’ve begun production of a new design of the cable, one that provides “a more consistent charge.” The new Chevy Volt’s charger is thicker, and Fox says GM made “enhancements to the design to add some durability and reliability.”
Hopefully, this means fewer trips to the charging station, increased miles of range, and less reliance on the Volt’s backup gas engine. Fox indicated Volt owners will be getting notices of the exchange via postal mail next week. The old charging cable will be swapped for the updated design the next time they have their Volt serviced at a dealership.
The plug-in hybrid electric vehicle has been a bit of a lightning rod for General Motors. The company has consistently missed lofty sales targets, and the factory where the Volt is built currently sits idle on a five-week shutdown because of unsold stock sitting on dealer lots.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a safety defect investigation on the Volt after a number of models that underwent crash testing caught fire, the first weeks after it had been crashed.
The NHTSA ultimately declared the car safe, saying it was no more prone to after-collision fires than any other car on the market, and GM redesigned the battery housing that eliminates the potential for such fires. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the 2019 Chevy Volt strong ratings based on side and roof strength, crash avoidance characteristics, and more.
Do the tax credits available as an incentive outweigh the potential headaches you might face with a Chevy Volt? Unfortunately, the federal tax credit for purchasing the Volt or the Chevy Bolt is no longer available as of March 2020. Are cheap auto insurance rates offered to owners of electric vehicles? Compared to the average vehicle that relies wholly on a gas engine, electric vehicles usually cost more to insure because they are newer and feature more complex mechanisms.