Battery warranty advice for 2014 Spark

[niik]

Mine is a 2014. Did they start with 19 or 21kWH?
If 21, then 13.65 is the lower limit, and I believe in CA there is a 10 year 100,000mi battery warranty.
If 19, then 12.35 is the number to reach.
I should stop by my local dealer now and start the process of extending the useful life of the lil' fella several more years...

So my understanding is that 2014 came with a 21 kWh battery. Maybe CA had a different warranty but the warranty I have is 8 yr/100k mile.
I was able to look up my warranty info using the "My Chevy" app, but now I can't find it and it also looks like they updated the website. Now everything is saying you need to call the dealer or GM to get your warranty status.

If you think that your battery is degraded below the warranty threshold and you are still under warranty I would recommend starting the process of getting it checked sooner rather than later.

I'm just over 91.5k on the odomoter, and got it used a couple months ago.

Nice. I got mine used recently too (well it's not that recent anymore I guess) with 62K on it.

 

[SparkE]

The 2014 had ~21 kWh "A123" battery pack, and a (max) 35% degradation warranty, 8 years, 100k miles.
The 2015 had ~18.5 kWh "LG Chem" battery pack, and a (max) 35% degradation warranty, 8 years, 100k miles.
The 2016 had ~18.5 kWh "LG Chem" battery pack, and a (max) 40% degradation warranty, 8 years, 100k miles.

Your car license doc, the proof of ownership, (we call it a "pink slip" in Calif) should show "date first put in service" for the vehicle.

If you Spark EV is a 2014 model, your warranty will probably expire this year (2022).

I am not too worried about it (yet) since I have 2 vehicles, and the Spark even with city range of ~60 miles is still good for 90+ percent of my daily driving. (I recently got back from a trip from San Jose to Pismo Beach, about 200 miles one way, and I took the low-polluting, high-mileage gasmobile instead of the Spark). My next long-range vehicle (to supplement the Spark) will probably be a plug-in hybrid : 30-ish miles all electric, SparkEV for local trips up to 65 miles, gas for highway trips at 45+ mpg and with refueling times (adding 300+ miles) under 5 minutes.

If people had a large choice of 35-mile-range electric plugin hybrid pickups and minvans and delivery vans and midsize cars, the city air pollution all across the country would drop drastically.

 

[niik]

quick update on the Battery replacement status.

Still waiting on parts.

I talked to GM about doing a warranty buyout instead of the repair, since the repair cost is more than the value of the vehicle. GM seemed open to it but said that I needed to work through the dealer to see if it's something they want to do.

If people had a large choice of 35-mile-range electric plugin hybrid pickups and minivans and delivery vans and midsize cars, the city air pollution all across the country would drop drastically.

Yep, I agree. Though it seems like most manufacturers are moving away from plugin hybrids and either making full EV or non-plugin hybrids.

Also from a personal perspective hybrids scare me because it's got all the potential issues of an ICE and EV. That makes me question the long-term costs and hesitate on choosing one.
This is also influenced by the fact that I normally buy cheap used cars that might have a dubious maintenance history .

The 2014 had ~21 kWh "A123" battery pack, and a (max) 35% degradation warranty, 8 years, 100k miles.
The 2015 had ~18.5 kWh "LG Chem" battery pack, and a (max) 35% degradation warranty, 8 years, 100k miles.
The 2016 had ~18.5 kWh "LG Chem" battery pack, and a (max) 40% degradation warranty, 8 years, 100k miles.

Maybe it's a bit "tinfoil hat" but it looks to me like GM got data that the batteries were not holding up as well as they expected (or as well as LG promised) and instead of fixing the issues they just changed the warranty terms to avoid the problem.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

The 2014 had ~21 kWh "A123" battery pack, and a (max) 35% degradation warranty, 8 years, 100k miles.
The 2015 had ~18.5 kWh "LG Chem" battery pack, and a (max) 35% degradation warranty, 8 years, 100k miles.
The 2016 had ~18.5 kWh "LG Chem" battery pack, and a (max) 40% degradation warranty, 8 years, 100k miles.

Your car license doc, the proof of ownership, (we call it a "pink slip" in Calif) should show "date first put in service" for the vehicle.

If you Spark EV is a 2014 model, your warranty will probably expire this year (2022).

I am not too worried about it (yet) since I have 2 vehicles, and the Spark even with city range of ~60 miles is still good for 90+ percent of my daily driving. (I recently got back from a trip from San Jose to Pismo Beach, about 200 miles one way, and I took the low-polluting, high-mileage gasmobile instead of the Spark). My next long-range vehicle (to supplement the Spark) will probably be a plug-in hybrid : 30-ish miles all electric, SparkEV for local trips up to 65 miles, gas for highway trips at 45+ mpg and with refueling times (adding 300+ miles) under 5 minutes.

If people had a large choice of 35-mile-range electric plugin hybrid pickups and minvans and delivery vans and midsize cars, the city air pollution all across the country would drop drastically.

In the beginning of my EV experience, my intent was to eliminate the cost of gasoline for all in-city driving by driving a leased Spark EV. I began my quest in June of 2015. It worked. Since then, I have turned in the leased 2015 and purchased used 2014 and 2016 Spark EVs. Both vehicles continue to work great, even though I have significant battery degradation in both vehicles. Lately, the weather here in central California has been cold, rainy and foggy. So, I run the heater, turn on the headlights and watch my GOM drop to 3.0 - 3.5 mi/kWh. No problem! I still get a GOM estimate range of 40 to 50 miles. It works for me and I enjoy driving the cars. I recharge each car overnight as needed using the L1 and L2 chargers in my garage. My nearest L3 Fast Charger is 10 miles from my home.

With the big push to move driving America to EVs, I wonder where all of the needed fast chargers are and how the "new" EV drivers are going to like "waiting" for their EVs to charge.

 

[MisturChips]

quick update on the Battery replacement status.

Still waiting on parts.

I talked to GM about doing a warranty buyout instead of the repair, since the repair cost is more than the value of the vehicle. GM seemed open to it but said that I needed to work through the dealer to see if it's something they want to do.

Intriguing. Spoke to the local dealership today. Bringing it by at 7AM when I get off work tonight. They have 4 EV techs on hand, and handle a LOT of EV sales / service at this particular location. I gave them the current 12.8 kWh indicator from the ECU, and mentioned the 2014's had a 21kWh battery etc. We'll see what they say - planning on delivering it to them with a near-zero capacity to make it quicker for them to run the charge-test.

When you 'talk to GM', do you do this by slamming the OnStar button and being transferred, or is there a specific department / person you speak with?
I'd like to be as prepared as practical.

 

[NORTON]

.. is there a specific department / person you speak with?
I'd like to be as prepared as practical.

GM EV Concierge. Look for that. Sorry I don't have the number handy.

Good luck guys! This will be interesting!

 

[MisturChips]

.. is there a specific department / person you speak with?
I'd like to be as prepared as practical.

GM EV Concierge. Look for that. Sorry I don't have the number handy.

Good luck guys! This will be interesting!

Should know later today...

Spoke to the tech directly, and saw his document regarding EV capacities etc.
2014 Spark needs to hit not 12.65kWh, but 39Ah. Interesting.
Torque shows Bat Cap raw at 40.1 for me..

Tech indicates he may reset the values to cause it to re-learn over the next several charge/discharge cycles. I found that odd, and figured there'd be an actual test run with some form of diagnostic hardware connected. Perhaps I'll just run the heater and cycle the battery a few times?

We'll see.

 

[MisturChips]

[/quote]

Should know later today...

Spoke to the tech directly, and saw his document regarding EV capacities etc.
2014 Spark needs to hit not 12.65kWh, but 39Ah. Interesting.
Torque shows Bat Cap raw at 40.1 for me..

Tech indicates he may reset the values to cause it to re-learn over the next several charge/discharge cycles. I found that odd, and figured there'd be an actual test run with some form of diagnostic hardware connected. Perhaps I'll just run the heater and cycle the battery a few times?

We'll see.
[/quote]



So no bueno for /tmp; sittin gat 40Ah, so no replacement at this point. Dealership did not charge me for anything, so I assume they didn't actually run a capacity check. Ah rating doesn't match kWh, so something is amiss at this point.

Will try to find the EV concierge and see what happens.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Should know later today...

Spoke to the tech directly, and saw his document regarding EV capacities etc.
2014 Spark needs to hit not 12.65kWh, but 39Ah. Interesting.
Torque shows Bat Cap raw at 40.1 for me..

Tech indicates he may reset the values to cause it to re-learn over the next several charge/discharge cycles. I found that odd, and figured there'd be an actual test run with some form of diagnostic hardware connected. Perhaps I'll just run the heater and cycle the battery a few times?

We'll see.
[/quote]



So no bueno for /tmp; sittin gat 40Ah, so no replacement at this point. Dealership did not charge me for anything, so I assume they didn't actually run a capacity check. Ah rating doesn't match kWh, so something is amiss at this point.

Will try to find the EV concierge and see what happens.
[/quote]

Sure sounds like the technician was referring to the 12 volt battery which is rated in AH (amp-hours). The LN1 12 volt battery is rated at 44 AH. The HV battery is 400 volts DC and is rated at approximately 21kWh new. Something is not right!!

 

[MisturChips]

[/quote]

Sure sounds like the technician was referring to the 12 volt battery which is rated in AH (amp-hours). The LN1 12 volt battery is rated at 44 AH. The HV battery is 400 volts DC and is rated at approximately 21kWh new. Something is not right!!
[/quote]



Looking at the paperwork, it indicates "Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2 HybridEV Battery Pack Capoacity 40.10Ah"
403Max, 224.12Min volts
259.5Ohm pack resistance.



.Still, they did not drain and charge the battery pack. I may have to go get my Kill-a-Watt and do that where I run the heater 'til it's d, e, doubba-d dead, then let it charge all the way up at the 8 amp setting (highest charge efficiency, right?). a few rounds after that, do the same thing at a nice ElectriFry America charger at the 15KW rate and see if there's a difference.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Sure sounds like the technician was referring to the 12 volt battery which is rated in AH (amp-hours). The LN1 12 volt battery is rated at 44 AH. The HV battery is 400 volts DC and is rated at approximately 21kWh new. Something is not right!!
[/quote]



Looking at the paperwork, it indicates "Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2 HybridEV Battery Pack Capoacity 40.10Ah"
403Max, 224.12Min volts
259.5Ohm pack resistance.



.Still, they did not drain and charge the battery pack. I may have to go get my Kill-a-Watt and do that where I run the heater 'til it's d, e, doubba-d dead, then let it charge all the way up at the 8 amp setting (highest charge efficiency, right?). a few rounds after that, do the same thing at a nice ElectriFry America charger at the 15KW rate and see if there's a difference.
[/quote]
TorquePro does have the capability to report the battery capacity in kWh stored in the car's computer. I purchased my 2014 Spark EV as a used vehicle with 1500 miles on the ODO. I started using TorquePro to report the battery capacity after the car had 14k miles on the ODO. At that time the car reported a battery capacity of 17.2 kWh. In December 2021 my ODO read 30015 miles and my battery capacity was 14.3 kWh.

See if you can find someone who is using TorquePro to measure the battery capacity in their Spark EV and have them measure yours. You can also use the data displayed on the Spark EV'S Energy Information screen to get an estimate although it will be a "rough" estimate.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Sure sounds like the technician was referring to the 12 volt battery which is rated in AH (amp-hours). The LN1 12 volt battery is rated at 44 AH. The HV battery is 400 volts DC and is rated at approximately 21kWh new. Something is not right!!

Looking at the paperwork, it indicates "Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 2 HybridEV Battery Pack Capoacity 40.10Ah"
403Max, 224.12Min volts
259.5Ohm pack resistance.



.Still, they did not drain and charge the battery pack. I may have to go get my Kill-a-Watt and do that where I run the heater 'til it's d, e, doubba-d dead, then let it charge all the way up at the 8 amp setting (highest charge efficiency, right?). a few rounds after that, do the same thing at a nice ElectriFry America charger at the 15KW rate and see if there's a difference.
[/quote]
TorquePro does have the capability to report the battery capacity in kWh stored in the car's computer. I purchased my 2014 Spark EV as a used vehicle with 1500 miles on the ODO. I started using TorquePro to report the battery capacity after the car had 14k miles on the ODO. At that time the car reported a battery capacity of 17.2 kWh. In December 2021 my ODO read 30015 miles and my battery capacity was 14.3 kWh.

See if you can find someone who is using TorquePro to measure the battery capacity in their Spark EV and have them measure yours. You can also use the data displayed on the Spark EV'S Energy Information screen to get an estimate although it will be a "rough" estimate.
[/quote]
Additional info: One search I did said the 2014 HV battery has a capacity of 4 modules of 92.4 volts for a capacity of 24 kWh. Another said the capacity is 21.3 kWh. I guess it might be possible that the battery is really 24 kWh but only 21.3 kwh is used and, at some point as the battery degrades, cells get added back in to keep the capacity up. I say this because my data shows a linear degradation to 14.2 kWh and then the curve started to flatten out. For the last 3000 miles, my HV battery capacity has been about 14.3 kWh.

 

[MisturChips]

I use Torque Pro to read mine.


I figured the kWh capacity being so low would be what triggered it.
Wonder why it doesn't match the AH reading... One would think they'd track rather closely...

 

[NORTON]

.... I guess it might be possible that the battery is really 24 kWh but only 21.3 kwh is used and, at some point as the battery degrades, cells get added back in to keep the capacity up. ...

I'm certain that all the cells are in series. There are no high power contactors that can 'add back in cells' to the series.
That would be such a mix of old and new cells and the pack could never have balanced cells.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

.... I guess it might be possible that the battery is really 24 kWh but only 21.3 kwh is used and, at some point as the battery degrades, cells get added back in to keep the capacity up. ...

I'm certain that all the cells are in series. There are no high power contactors that can 'add back in cells' to the series.
That would be such a mix of old and new cells and the pack could never have balanced cells.

It is a guess on my part. From 14k miles to 28k miles and 124 charging entries, my data shows a very linear straight-line decline in battery capacity as measured by TorquePro. Then, from 27779 to 30015 miles and 6 recorded charging sessions, my battery capacity has flatlined at 14.3 kWh.

 

[Porsche]

"If warranty repair requires replacement, the high voltage battery may be replaced with either a new or factory reconditioned high voltage battery with an ..."

energy capacity (kWh) storage) level at or within approximately 10% of that of the original battery at the time of warranty repair"

It kind of sucks that the warranty only "Guarantees" 10% improvement over whatever the current capacity is.

No, you're reading this completely wrong. It's like this (for my 2015):

"... may be replaced with a new battery..." (no problem here. for my 2015, that's 19kWh)

...or factory reconditioned high voltage battery with an energy capacity within approximately 10% of THE ORIGINAL BATTERY [emphasis mine]...

(OK, this means 10% OF 19kWh, NOT 10% of whatever is left on the old battery!! It's a disclaimer that means they don't have to use NEW, but if they don't, it must be within 10% of new!)

"...at the time of warranty repair..." (this means that when they actually perform the repair, the battery must be within 10% of the new value at that time. Two weeks later, it might be 11%, but that's not something you can complain about).

Think about it. Nothing else makes sense. It's just a disclaimer that allows them to use "nearly new". It is NOT a disclaimer that means that if your car has only 20% left in the battery, they only have to give you a 22% battery).

 

[MrDRMorgan]

"If warranty repair requires replacement, the high voltage battery may be replaced with either a new or factory reconditioned high voltage battery with an ..."

energy capacity (kWh) storage) level at or within approximately 10% of that of the original battery at the time of warranty repair"

It kind of sucks that the warranty only "Guarantees" 10% improvement over whatever the current capacity is.

No, you're reading this completely wrong. It's like this (for my 2015):

"... may be replaced with a new battery..." (no problem here. for my 2015, that's 19kWh)

...or factory reconditioned high voltage battery with an energy capacity within approximately 10% of THE ORIGINAL BATTERY [emphasis mine]...

(OK, this means 10% OF 19kWh, NOT 10% of whatever is left on the old battery!! It's a disclaimer that means they don't have to use NEW, but if they don't, it must be within 10% of new!)

"...at the time of warranty repair..." (this means that when they actually perform the repair, the battery must be within 10% of the new value at that time. Two weeks later, it might be 11%, but that's not something you can complain about).

Think about it. Nothing else makes sense. It's just a disclaimer that allows them to use "nearly new". It is NOT a disclaimer that means that if your car has only 20% left in the battery, they only have to give you a 22% battery).

I like your understanding better but it definitely needs to be clarified by GM. I cannot see GM providing a replacement battery that is within 10% of new after the car has been driven for 7 years.

 

[saabnut880]

The moderator needs to post this a sticky.
If you have a 2014, you are strongly advised to TEST your battery aggressively TODAY, in order to get a warranty claim logged before it is too late.
It took one month of research on this forum and others to put Chevy in the warranty box. NO battery yet, but thanks to all for all the posts.
Based on all the info gathered, the most important number for battery warranty is capacity (raw) less than 39Ah.

I have a 2014 Spark EV. Battery warranty expires 9/2022.
I am a professional auto technician, but do not have current GM diagnostic tools. (I work in public transit)
Following recommendations on this site, and others, I purchased, Torque Pro (android) and a cheap blue OBD2 interface on Amazon.
Next I downloaded the BOLT PID codes and added them to Torque Pro. It would be nice if they built a link into the app for that.

My Spark showed about 14.4kWh and 42Ah on the app.
Next I drove the car pretty hard, running the battery down to about 25%.
I cleared the memory and codes, and charged the car.
Then I again drove aggressively and on testing found 12.0 kWh and 37.5Ah.
I scheduled the vehicle for service, stating reduced battery range. Feb. 1st.

I was informed 3 days later that the battery module had failed. (I know, what?) and parts were ordered, 5-10 days.
I asked for the part number of the part ordered. Days went by without a part number.
I then offered to send the relevant SBs PIP5112S and 17-NA-003. to the service writer.
Then I contacted him to make sure he read them. (not yet)
I told him I just wanted to be sure they jumped through all the correct warranty hoops to get the car fixed in a timely fashion.
One week later, I was informed that Chevy had approved the claim.
Parts were to be ordered, indefinite time frame for delivery.
Feb 17th no further information at this time.

It should be noted that the dealer stated I had a body code present. I don't remember what it was, but it was related to battery performance, and Torque Pro did not present it. This means that you could have a failure in progress, that an OBD2 reader will not show, and you will have no warning on the dash! That being said, you might be advised to get the car scanned for codes by someone with the real GM tool.

Record everything, take a picture or screen shot of any battery capacity number under 40Ah.
HURRY, time is of the essence.

 

[niik]

Have they told you what parts they are waiting on? I'm still waiting for the new shocks (new battery weighs less so suspension needs mods)

Last week they said they are still on global backorder with no ETA. However they have received the new battery and other parts.

Also I agree that some kind of sticky telling people to start the process early and to do their own validation would be good. I started in like July 2021 and was told twice that nothing was wrong before the dealer performed the correct test and agreed that the battery needed replacing.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

The moderator needs to post this a sticky.
If you have a 2014, you are strongly advised to TEST your battery aggressively TODAY, in order to get a warranty claim logged before it is too late.
It took one month of research on this forum and others to put Chevy in the warranty box. NO battery yet, but thanks to all for all the posts.
Based on all the info gathered, the most important number for battery warranty is capacity (raw) less than 39Ah.

I have a 2014 Spark EV. Battery warranty expires 9/2022.
I am a professional auto technician, but do not have current GM diagnostic tools. (I work in public transit)
Following recommendations on this site, and others, I purchased, Torque Pro (android) and a cheap blue OBD2 interface on Amazon.
Next I downloaded the BOLT PID codes and added them to Torque Pro. It would be nice if they built a link into the app for that.

My Spark showed about 14.4kWh and 42Ah on the app.
Next I drove the car pretty hard, running the battery down to about 25%.
I cleared the memory and codes, and charged the car.
Then I again drove aggressively and on testing found 12.0 kWh and 37.5Ah.
I scheduled the vehicle for service, stating reduced battery range. Feb. 1st.

I was informed 3 days later that the battery module had failed. (I know, what?) and parts were ordered, 5-10 days.
I asked for the part number of the part ordered. Days went by without a part number.
I then offered to send the relevant SBs PIP5112S and 17-NA-003. to the service writer.
Then I contacted him to make sure he read them. (not yet)
I told him I just wanted to be sure they jumped through all the correct warranty hoops to get the car fixed in a timely fashion.
One week later, I was informed that Chevy had approved the claim.
Parts were to be ordered, indefinite time frame for delivery.
Feb 17th no further information at this time.

It should be noted that the dealer stated I had a body code present. I don't remember what it was, but it was related to battery performance, and Torque Pro did not present it. This means that you could have a failure in progress, that an OBD2 reader will not show, and you will have no warning on the dash! That being said, you might be advised to get the car scanned for codes by someone with the real GM tool.

Record everything, take a picture or screen shot of any battery capacity number under 40Ah.
HURRY, time is of the essence.

I am curious - where do you get the vehicle's current Ah value? I do not see it listed in the PIDs for TorquePro.