- NHTSA late Friday said it had closed its investigation into post-crash fire risk in the Chevrolet Volt, as a Congressional committee prepared on Wednesday to open its own probe into how General Motors and federal safety regulators handled the investigation.
- GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson has agreed to testify Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chaired by Representative Darrell Issa, the California Republican.
- The NHTSA statement, released late Friday, noted that its investigation into the risk of fires in the Volt "has concluded that no discernible defect trend exists and that the vehicle modifications recently developed by General Motors reduce the potential for battery intrusion resulting from side impacts."
WASHINGTON — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) late Friday said it had closed its investigation into post-crash fire risk in the Chevrolet Volt, as a Congressional committee prepares on Wednesday to open its own probe into how General Motors and federal safety regulators handled the investigation.
GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson has agreed to testify Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chaired by Representative Darrell Issa, the California Republican. The hearing will be streamed live on the committee's Web site. This is Akerson's first testimony on Capitol Hill regarding the Volt.
In response to an Inside Line e-mail query on Monday, GM spokesman Rob Peterson said, "Dan looks forward to the opportunity to express his confidence in the Volt, the car's safety and its technology."
The NHTSA statement, released late Friday, noted that its investigation into the risk of fires in the Volt "has concluded that no discernible defect trend exists and that the vehicle modifications recently developed by General Motors reduce the potential for battery intrusion resulting from side impacts."
In response, GM issued its own statement Friday that noted NHTSA's "decision to close its investigation is consistent with the results of our internal testing and assessment."
In the unusually sweeping statement, the safety agency added: "NHTSA remains unaware of any real-world crashes that have resulted in a battery-related fire involving the Chevy Volt or any other electric vehicle. NHTSA continues to believe that electric vehicles show great promise as a safe and fuel-efficient option for American drivers.... Based on the available data, NHTSA does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles."
The Volt is a hybrid electric vehicle that uses both an electric motor and a gasoline engine.
Federal safety regulators opened an investigation into the Volt's potential fire risk on November 25, after a Volt caught fire while stored in a garage in a NHTSA testing center.
GM responded with a voluntary "customer satisfaction program" that asks its 8,000 Volt owners to bring the plug-in hybrid back to the dealership for modifications, but elected not to issue a formal recall.
In early January, GM announced it is making enhancements to the vehicle structure and battery coolant system in the Volt and its sister vehicle, the Opel Ampera, to protect the battery from the risk of an electric fire after a crash.
"We have made the Volt even safer," said Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, in a January 5 media conference call. "We will continue on the road to rewriting automotive history with it."
In its statement last Friday, GM said those enhancements "will provide additional protection for the battery, minimizing the risk of a post-crash fire in the days and weeks after a severe crash and rollover."
GM sold 7,671 Volts in 2011, missing its sales target of 10,000.
Inside Line says: GM's towering challenge now is to rebuild the Volt's image. For a start, Chevy is planning to give away a Volt during a Super Bowl sweepstakes.
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openeyes1 says:
09:47 PM, 01/24/2012
As for the NHTSA investigation on the Volt, its much ado about nothing.
If GM wants to sell Volts, they've got to bring the price down, starting with a better deal on the batteries they use. A good move now would be a $299/month lease deal to get more cars on the road.
tbone85 says:
08:35 AM, 01/24/2012
"Let's see, work needed done by Congress:
Job creation
Reviving the economy
Getting China to realistically value their currency
Federal debt
Crumbling national infrastructure
National Security - START treaty"
The first two on your list fall on the private sector in my book. When there is an improvement in job creation and the economy we credit the private sector. It makes no sense to blame the government when things are going poorly if we don't credit them when things are going well.
The last three are also clearly on their plate, and they have failed miserably in that regard. I think we as voters also have to begin sending clearer messages about where our own priorities stand on federal debt and the crumbling national infrastructure because they cannot be fixed without shared sacrifice, and disciplined commitment, and a willingness to move from sound bites to sound policy.
Govmotor, you've moved from assininity to race baiting. There are so many other outlets better suited for this kind of nonsense. I'm not reading anything else you ever write, but please don't clog up space on the forum.
arthurbishop says:
01:06 PM, 01/23/2012
qdp
I don't think the Prius sold well its first year in the US.
For a 40k car with new tech and limited avail and production... I think it did pretty well.
MAybe we should just hide our heads in teh sand and pretend that oil will last forever and it comes from some glorious hole in the ground that is actually beneficial to the environment, and the people in charge of this oil want nothing but peace and goodwill in our lifetime. Powertrains like the Volt's are the future wether you want to acknowledge it or not.
qdp says:
12:37 PM, 01/23/2012
GM Has Made Volt Out Of Proportions In Every Way.
Reality Check: Even under the limited supply, in just 10 Weeks, Prius V sold more 8,399 examples in the U.S. , while GM sold 7,671 Volts in all of 2011.
"Should GM Kill the Chevy Volt?"
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/01/21/should-gm-kill-the-chevy-volt.aspx
GM spent disproportinally well too much marketing dollars and effort to market Volt, an unviable car, and now is taking the same amount of adverse reactionary hit from its backfire. Of course, newly developed cars are prone to defects, but is GM unwisely irresponsibly overmarketing Volt?
akitadog says:
11:14 AM, 01/23/2012
govmotorgm2008, you're pretty good at unintentional comedy! That usually comes with viewing the world with blinders on.
angry_mushroom says:
10:35 AM, 01/23/2012
@Tomtom:
I'm going to go ahead and say vote... not that will help at all.
Also... If they want to sell more Volts, they really should drop the price... to at the most 30k.
tomtom55 says:
10:07 AM, 01/23/2012
Let's see, work needed done by Congress:
Job creation
Reviving the economy
Getting China to realistically value their currency
Federal debt
Crumbling national infrastructure
National Security - START treaty
and more...
Congress focuses on:
Reaffirming "In God We Trust" as the national motto
Protecting the rights of millionaires
Not passing a national budget until we are downgraded by rating agency
Delaying funding for FAA
Trying to defund healthcare reform
Longterm delays of federal judge appointments
Oh, and opens an investigation on the Volt after the NHTSA declares it closed.
Can we fire these losers already?
ziggerman says:
10:01 AM, 01/23/2012
"When Black Dynamite defeats Nixon in a kung-fu battle and threatens to expose Nixon as the subject of a series of bondage and cross dressing photographs, the president begs to be killed and his plan is foiled." (Wikipedia)
blackdynamite1 says:
09:40 AM, 01/23/2012
GM makes a Cadillac Cimarron for the 21st Century
BD