I have been following this story as closely as possible and can assure readers that GM is all over this thing with every resource available. I understand that a preliminary report suggests that a cooling cell in the battery pack may have ruptured and oxidized resulting in the fire at a later time. I do not know if NHTSA followed the GM battery "depower" protocol following the crash tests. The amount of research and testing that went into these lithium-ion batteries made by GM before production was massive. I expect they will work very hard to very quickly get an answer to the cause and any fixes, if necessary, handled promptly...............................
The Story:
GM announced this week that they will be willing to purchase a Volt back from any owner who is afraid that their vehicle will catch fire. This latest customer satisfaction effort by GM came from CEO Daniel Akerson in response to continuing concerns regarding the safety of the Volt. Details of the buyback program have not been provided.
This latest response is in addition to the previously announced policy of providing a loaner car to any Volt owner who requests it while the investigation into the causes and fixes that may be required continues. Any Volt owner wishing to be provided a loaner should contact their Volt advisor according to GM.
