GM Provides Loaner Cars to Volt Owners Due to Fire Concerns
After testing revealed that Volt batteries can ignite in the days following a collision impact, GM has offered all Volt owners loaner vehicles if they want them.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that a lithium ion battery from a GM Volt that it was testing had spontaneously caught fire after being crash-tested several days earlier. At this time, however, there have been no incidents of Volt batteries catching fire while in the possession of consumers. General Motors' instruction procedures for its Volt note that batteries should be completely drained following any accident or on-road collision to ensure the safe use of the batteries. GM actually tracks its Volts via the OnStar system and sends teams out to Volt owners when their vehicles are involved in accidents.
The company has been quick to point out that the issue with its batteries is only a post-crash phenomenon - and one that the company has already addressed in its instructions and its onsite follow-up policy via OnStar. It should also be noted that several manufacturers in several industries have had problems with lithium-ion batteries and their tendency to catch fire when not handled properly. In the past, however, most concerns have focused on personal electronics such as laptop computers.
There are currently about 5,000 Volts that have been sold to U.S. consumers since 2010. GM plans to contact all of them to ensure that their vehicle has been functioning properly and to offer them a loaner vehicle if they feel like one might be required. GM has not set a specific timetable for the loaner program nor has it explained exactly what it planned to do with the Volts that it would presumably take back for an unspecified period of time. The company also announced that it will cease any planned sales of Volts outside the U.S. until foreign countries and their automotive infrastructure can be fully trained on how to properly drain the Volt batteries after the vehicles have been in a crash.
The company has been quick to point out that the issue with its batteries is only a post-crash phenomenon - and one that the company has already addressed in its instructions and its onsite follow-up policy via OnStar. It should also be noted that several manufacturers in several industries have had problems with lithium-ion batteries and their tendency to catch fire when not handled properly. In the past, however, most concerns have focused on personal electronics such as laptop computers.
There are currently about 5,000 Volts that have been sold to U.S. consumers since 2010. GM plans to contact all of them to ensure that their vehicle has been functioning properly and to offer them a loaner vehicle if they feel like one might be required. GM has not set a specific timetable for the loaner program nor has it explained exactly what it planned to do with the Volts that it would presumably take back for an unspecified period of time. The company also announced that it will cease any planned sales of Volts outside the U.S. until foreign countries and their automotive infrastructure can be fully trained on how to properly drain the Volt batteries after the vehicles have been in a crash.
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