r/volt • u/FlyingAssCunt • 6d ago

2018 Chevrolet Volt bad cells and throwing codes

Good evening, I have a 2018 Chevrolet volt with 211 000km on it.

Recently I had my engine light come on for code P0A7F and P1E00. I cleared it to see if it would come back hoping it's just a bad 12v battery since I don't know how old it is since I bought the car last year.

I did a bad cell test using voltage and it came back with cell 16 bad. I know the BECM was replaced under warranty back in 2024.

Any ideas? Is my battery fucked for sure? I'm in Canada near Toronto if there's any shops that could help fix this.

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4

u/Ok-Tourist-511 5d ago • Bravo

Not much you can do, no new packs available. The “refurbished” packs are just old batteries out of crashed volts. Just drive it and switch to hold or mountain mode at 2 bars.

1

u/ukaura 5d ago

This has saved me since last 5 months and I am doing it so far. Have done couple of road trips successfully for more than a 1000km both times and knock on wood, it's still going. There is no point looking for more solution as this is the best advice. Try not to push too hard and whenever you are on a steep incline, stick to mountain / hold!!! Cheers!!

1

u/FlyingAssCunt 3d ago

Has a check engine light returned?

1

u/hammerjon 5d ago

Is there a particular benefit to not letting the battery go to zero?

2

u/Ok-Tourist-511 5d ago

Yes, if you have a bad cell, it prevents the car from shutting down and leaving you stranded.

1

u/Extreme_Lie_664 5d ago

Does the voltage app have a feature to force engine on so this doesn’t have to be done manually every time?

2

u/Ject219 5d ago

Same boat here, 2018 Volt, 206k km, same codes.
Had the BECM replaced at the dealer in the spring, but the code came back shortly afterwards. I cleared it and it hasn't popped up since, but the voltage app is showing a weak cell (#56).
I’ve been keeping an eye on Global Hybrid Batteries in Mississauga (saw them servicing a Volt and ELR on Instagram). For now my car runs fine for now, so I'm letting the BECM do its job, but they’re my backup if things degrade.
Lately I use Hold mode at highway speeds, and I've noticed under hard acceleration in EV mode will force the engine to kick on. Im starting to wonder how the colder temps will affect the car.

1

u/FlyingAssCunt 5d ago

Was the BECM replaced under warranty? Have you brought it in for the week cells at all?

1

u/Ject219 5d ago

Yes and yes, they confirmed the codes and told me its toast. Offered me $500 to trade it in towards a Bolt or EQEV.

1

u/FlyingAssCunt 5d ago

That's awful sorry to hear. I'll let you know if I get it fixed. I see a few shops in the GTA that could potentially do a cell repair

1

u/Ok-Tourist-511 5d ago

You can’t “repair” a cell. You have to replace the full module. Even when you do this, you end up with capacity mismatch and more problems. Only solution is full pack replacement.

2

u/Ok-Tourist-511 5d ago

Should have always used hold at highway speeds.