Follow Newser on Twitter   Friend Newser on Facebook
Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

GM: We'll Buy Back Your Volt

CEO makes offer to those worried about fires

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Dec 1, 2011 4:59 PM CST

(Newser) – General Motors says it's willing to buy back its Chevrolet Volts from any customer concerned by fires in crash tests. If needed, the auto giant also is prepared to conduct a recall of the 6,000 Volts currently on the road, Dan Akerson tells the AP. The company would fix them after the cause of the fires is determined. "If we find that is the solution, we will retrofit every one of them,” he adds.

In testing, “the fire broke out seven days later. Not seven minutes. Not seven seconds,” Akerson notes. (It may have been caused by a slow-moving chemical reaction in the damaged battery.) The company is notified via OnStar after any crash, and it sends out workers to drain the car’s battery. “I think in the interest of General Motors, the industry, the electrification of the car, it's best to get it right now than when you have—instead of 6,000—60,000 or 600,000 cars on the road,” Akerson says. In the meantime, owners can get loaners.

In this Jan. 26, 2010 file photo, the Chevy Volt appears on display at the Washington Auto Show.
In this Jan. 26, 2010 file photo, the Chevy Volt appears on display at the Washington Auto Show.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
My TakeCLICK BELOW TO VOTE
9%
8%
5%
65%
6%
6%
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 14 comments
major7
Dec 2, 2011 11:14 AM CST
This is a smart move from GM.  Good PR. Very few will likely want the buy-back, because the fires occur days to weeks after the crash.  The condition is easy to inspect for and prevent (intrusion into the battery pack).  People who want electric cars are unlikely to be swayed by the hysteria.  Time will tell for certain, though.
stevsie
Dec 1, 2011 8:50 PM CST
FRAUD.
Cat-Lover
Dec 1, 2011 7:40 PM CST
I don't understand why solar rays can't be collected on my windshield's antenna or on the roof and used to power my car?

 
General Motors • electric cars • auto industry • Chevrolet Volt • Chevy Volt

More Newser Stories

Disaster Awaits Chevy Volt

GM Gives Volt Owners Loaners as It Investigates

US Probing Chevy Volt Battery Fires

Chevy Volt Will Make US Ethanol Fiasco Look Tame

GM to Sell Chevy Volt for $41K
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   Geek Sugar   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment