General Motors (GM) says it is close to recommending a modification to the battery pack on the Chevy Volt that can trigger a fire after a crash. Consumer Affairs reports that the circuitry in the 400-pound lithium-ion battery would be laminated and the case would be reinforced. With about 6,000 of the electric cars on the road today, all of them will have to be recalled unless changes can be made immediately to the vehicles already manufactured.
Reuters reports on a publicly-disclosed memo in which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) asked GM if there had been any changes at weld points near the battery pack that might explain the fires.
The problem stems from federal crash tests conducted on five Volts the government owns. The battery pack burst into flames following a test collision last May. General Motors indicates part of the problem may be that the Volt was not properly powered down after the federal tests in order to avoid a fire.
Meanwhile, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) ranks the Volt with a five star safety rating. Gas-powered cars are still considered more flammable than electric cars after a crash.
The Jacksonville auto defect lawyers with Farah & Farah understand that consumers who want to turn in their Volt while they wait for the company to determine the final retrofit have been offered a replacement car. So far, about 33 consumers have taken GM up on the offer out of 5,000 Volt owners.
Consumer Reports notes that the Volt still shows up tops in consumer satisfaction.
Source: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2011/12/gm-nears-a-fix-for-chevy-volts-battery-pack.html; http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/08/us-gm-volt-idUSTRE7B605K20111208; http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/08/us-gm-volt-idUSTRE7B605K20111208
