Chevy Volt battery investigation: the full story

Concerns over the safety of GM’s Chevy Volt electric car are fading, as the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency has officially closed its investigation into concerns that the batteries in the car could catch fire after a crash. GM has already made some modifications to the vehicle, including adding a coolant temperature sensor, brackets, and shielding. The NHTSA ultimately found that the Volt didn’t have any systematic defects, writing that “A defect trend has not been identified at this time, and further investigation does not appear to be warranted.” The administration also agreed with GM that the modifications it is making on new models “reduce potential for battery intrusion resulting from side impacts.”

With the investigation is now closed, GM is naturally quite happy with the results. It may still buy back your Volt if you’re interested in selling as sales have apparently been quite brisk despite the safety concerns.

While GM claims the Chevy Volt “has always been safe to drive,” the auto manufacturer is making some slight physical enhancements to the plug-in hybrid this month, to ensure drivers that their vehicle won’t spontaneously catch fire weeks after a major accident. That wasn’t necessarily a major worry, mind you, as the reported fires have only occurred in the lab, specifically in side-impact crashes where the battery was punctured and the “owner” failed to disconnect the battery afterwards.

That won’t stop GM from adding a battery coolant temperature sensor, a tamper-resistant bracket for the battery coolant tank, and a large metal shielding bracket for the underside of the car, though, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) seems pleased with the fix, having crashed a new Volt with the brackets and sensors installed on December 22nd. The government organization says it hasn’t completely finished investigating the Volt fires and will continue to monitor the crashed car, but for now things are looking up. Wired reports that a voluntary recall of all Volts will begin in February, and new cars will come with the changes starting this month.

In the wake of an investigation into Chevy Volt battery fires, GM is offering to buy back the cars from any customers who are unsatisfied — although it still insists the vehicles are safe as long as the battery is powered down according to proper safety procedures after a serious crash. The buy-back offer is unusual since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) hasn’t issued a recall, but GM previously stated that it wants to make sure customers have peace of mind. Earlier this week, the automaker offered a loaner car to any owners concerned with the investigation — an offer that only 34 of the 6,142 Volt owners have accepted, according to Chevy’s Alan Batey. Any customers who want to participate in the buy-back program should contact their dealers. No matter how this ends, GM certainly gets points for bending over backwards to keep customers happy.

Update: According to the Wall Street Journal, “around a half dozen owners” have taken GM up on its offer and returned their vehicles.

Amidst a growing controversy over some Chevy Volt crash tests that resulted in batteries catching fire, GM is offering the approximately 6,000 Volt owners a different GM vehicle on a free loan while the US government determines if the car is truly a danger to owners. In a press release annoucing the loaner program, GM president Mark Russ said, “our customers’ peace of mind is too important to us for there to be any concern or any worry. This technology should inspire confidence and pride, not raise any concern or doubt.” GM also notes that a loaner program at this point in a preliminary investigation is “well beyond the norm” and that it “underlines our commitment to the vehicle and its owners.” While GM continues to defend the Volt, calling it a “five-star safety car,” it isn’t quite the same tone it had a few days ago when it told The Wall Street Journal that the Volt is safe.

GM also noted that it has put together a senior engineering team that will attempt to eliminate the concern of post-crash battery fires and develop industry standards for electrical vehicle safety; this study is in addition to the one already underway by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It seems GM is taking the issue seriously, and is taking steps to avoid damaging the reputation of electric cars before they even really get on the road. Mary Barra, senior VP of Global Product Development at GM, said, “This isn’t just a Volt issue. We’re already leading a joint electric vehicle activity with Society of Automotive Engineers and other automotive companies to address new issues, such as this protocol of depowering batteries after a severe crash.”

Back in May, the battery of a Chevy Volt caught fire several weeks after a routine crash test conducted by General Motors. This caught the attention of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and now it’s opening a formal investigation to see if Chevy Volt owners are at risk and whether or not a recall will be necessary. The NHTSA decided to open this investigation after it was able to ignite the Chevy Volt’s battery twice in three separate tests, which were designed to recreate the circumstances of GM’s original test in May.

For GM’s part, it said in a statement to The Washington Post that the Volt “is safe and does not present undue risk as part of normal operation or immediately after a severe crash.” While the NHTSA’s investigation is certainly a reasonable response to any potential danger, no vehicles on the road have had this issue, and the NHTSA itself tells Volt drivers that there’s no cause for concern unless their car has been in a serious accident. Hopefully the NHTSA either deems the Volt safe or is able to identify any issue and alert consumers before a car in a real accident catches fire.