Bolt self started/moved, and backed into garage wall/cabinet

SoCalif · Jan 15, 2017

Here is a strange one, but seriously happened.

I was out of town (the only driver of the Bolt) I get a call saying there was a crash in the garage.

BOTH keys were out of the vehicle, car self locked and shut down in park from the previous night.

Wife heard a crash, goes to the garage and sees that the car backed up and ran into a work bench pushing in a wall.

granted, hard to believe, but both keys out of the car, she was in the house (no other drivers here), I was 40 miles away, and somehow the car moved????

Insurance called, dealership notified, GM messaged.

Just FYI

leodoggie · Jan 15, 2017

Holy crap!!!!!

Boson · Jan 15, 2017

Do you know if the parking brake was set? I assume you set it (or at least meant to)...

SeanNelson · Jan 15, 2017

I hate to be the guy to say it but that sounds a bit like a kid claiming "I don't know how that cookie jar fell out of the cupboard...". Even if it's true, it still sounds suspicious.

I guess we'll see if GM thinks it's worth sending someone to read the car's diagnostic logs to try to verify what happened.

SoCalif · Jan 15, 2017

When I parked it last night, I pressed P, and after the incident and I got home, went into the car and it was still set to P.

No kids here, only my wife at home who heard the loud crash, she has her own car to drive, and I was 30+ miles away all day in a 3rd car (with proof), while the Bolt was parked in the garage since last night.

Isnt there some sort of black box in the memory that could scan to see the series of sequence that could of caused this?

I was backed into the garage, so it had to actually go into reverse, because if it was a Park set issue, it would roll forward into the garage door.

leodoggie · Jan 15, 2017

SoCalif said:
When I parked it last night, I pressed P, and after the incident and I got home, went into the car and it was still set to P.

No kids here, only my wife at home who heard the loud crash, she has her own car to drive, and I was 30+ miles away all day in a 3rd car (with proof), while the Bolt was parked in the garage since last night.

Isnt there some sort of black box in the memory that could scan to see the series of sequence that could of caused this?

I was backed into the garage, so it had to actually go into reverse, because if it was a Park set issue, it would roll forward into the garage door.

If I were you, I would suggest touching very little, but take a lot of visual evidence. A video of the scene and lots and lots of photos.

Nagorak · Jan 15, 2017

Sounds concerning. I hope you get to the bottom of what happened. Assuming the car really did go into reverse on its own, it's probably good that it happened in a garage. If it was in a driveway it could have reversed out into the street and who knows what damage it could have caused?

SoCalif · Jan 15, 2017

Pictures and video taken, car is un-moved, and will remain that way until GM calls back, or at least until the adjuster comes Tuesday morning.

Also put tires blocks in front and back so that it cant do it again (wife is a bit afraid)

CGameProgrammer · Jan 15, 2017

That's terrifying, and nobody would create a thread to lie about that so I'm sure it happened as you say (unless wife or child crashed it?). Yes the black box is absolutely vital. I wonder if this could somehow be an OnStar thing? And you're positive the car was off when you parked it?

The parking brake locks the rear wheels. The "park" button locks the front wheels. Both of them are a form of electronic parking brake.

roundpeg · Jan 15, 2017

Yikes. :shock:

So was the car "running" (display active) when you looked at it?

marshallinwa · Jan 16, 2017

It almost makes you wonder if the car's computer was hacked or some glitch in the car's software. Are a absolutely sure the car was turned off in the garage before you left? If I remember correctly, I read that it's easy to overlook the car still being on.

Keep us informed as to what you find out.

michael · Jan 16, 2017

Maybe I'll wait a few months to get mine....

SoCalif · Jan 16, 2017

roundpeg said:
Yikes. :shock:

So was the car "running" (display active) when you looked at it?

No, it was off, and in P (Park)

SoCalif · Jan 16, 2017

marshallinwa said:
It almost makes you wonder if the car's computer was hacked or some glitch in the car's software. Are a absolutely sure the car was turned off in the garage before you left? If I remember correctly, I read that it's easy to overlook the car still being on.

Keep us informed as to what you find out.

You can overlook if the car is on, but not if it is in gear and on, because it moves. So for sure it was off and in P.

There were two times the first day I got it home the power was still on, but when I got out of the car it honked because the key was out of the car which reminds you to power it down.

roundpeg · Jan 16, 2017

Well then the mystery certainly deepens. I hope you will keep us informed of any developments.

I also left the car powered up, one time, on the first day of ownership. Took me a few minutes understand what was going on. I think it really needs a better warning system than just those short horn toots. Other cars I've owned used that method to signal whenever the doors are locked so it didn't mean much to me at the time.

user 124 · Jan 16, 2017

Did it move slightly downhill, or was the surface level or uphill? Could help determine whether power needed to be applied.

Zoomit · Jan 16, 2017

tgreene said:
Did it move slightly downhill, or was the surface level or uphill? Could help determine whether power needed to be applied.

Previously SoCalif said: "I was backed into the garage, so it had to actually go into reverse, because if it was a Park set issue, it would roll forward into the garage door."

IMAdolt · Jan 16, 2017

Have you checked for ghosts? :evil: :twisted: :twisted:

marshallinwa · Jan 16, 2017

A thread on another Bolt forum has a picture of the damage.

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?273362-Bolt-self-started-moved-and-backed-into-garage-wall-cabinet/page4

leodoggie · Jan 16, 2017

Power delivery is controlled by Chevrolet’s first Electronic Precision Shift system. This shift and park-by-wire system sends electronic signals to the Bolt EV’s drive unit to manage precise feel and delivery of power and torque, based on drive mode selection and accelerator inputs. A by-wire shifter requires less packaging space than a traditional mechanical shifter, resulting in more interior space and improved interior layout.

Is it possible that the shifter malfunctioned. Although you put it in park it remained in reverse and a power surge from a discharging capacitor or something similar gave it enough power to actually move it in reverse.

Bolt self started/moved, and backed into garage wall/cabinet

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