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New Worries: Chevy Volt Battery Unexpectedly Catches Fire…Three Weeks After Being Damaged

Critics of the Chevy Volt might think it’s bad enough to be seen driving the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

Worse, however, is to be seen driving a Chevy Volt and then have everything around you catch on fire.

Seriously. That’s the latest problem for General Motors, manufacturers of the the Chevy Volt, and it has prompted an investigation from U.S. auto-safety regulators.

It all started when a Chevy Volt caught fire a full three weeks after its lithium-ion battery was damaged in a government crash test, federal officials said Friday.

Adding the concern is the fact that is was no small fire. The fire was large enough to burn vehicles parked in the vicinity of the car, reports Jalopnk.

“Lithium burns really hot,” said Sandy Munro, president of Munro and Associates, an engineering consulting firm in Troy, in phone interview with Bloomberg. “But it doesn’t happen often. You have to do something pretty dramatic to make it catch fire.”

Regulators and GM believe the batteries are safe and don’t pose a greater fire risk than gasoline-powered engines.

“I want to make this very clear: the Volt is a safe car,” Jim Federico, GM’s chief engineer, said in an e-mailed statement according to Bloomberg. “We are working cooperatively with NHTSA [the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] as it completes its investigation.”

General Motors spokesman Greg Martin claims that the fire occurred because “the test did not follow procedures developed by GM engineers for handling the Volt after a crash. The engineers tested the Volt’s battery pack for more than 300,000 hours to come up with the procedures, which include discharge and disposal of the battery pack.”

“Had those protocols been followed after this test, this incident would not have occurred,” he added.

The company had not told the government of its protocols at the time of the test, another GM spokesman said.

If it’s any consolation to consumers, after the Volt fire, NHTSA and GM each replicated the crash test and waited three weeks, but in neither case did the cars catch fire, officials said. Nor were the cars’ batteries damaged in those tests, officials said.

The NHTSA official said the agency has been unable to explain why the Volt’s battery was damaged in one test but not in two others conducted in exactly the same manner. NHTSA, along with the Department of Energy, is continuing to test Volt batteries and monitor cars already in use. Government and GM officials said they are unaware of any similar fires among the 5,000 Volts now on the road.

NHTSA is also asking manufacturers who currently have electric cars on the market, or who plan to introduce electric vehicles in the near future, for information on what procedures they have established for discharging and handling batteries, including recommendations for reducing fire risks.

“NHTSA is focused on identifying the best ways to ensure that consumers and emergency responders are aware of any risks they may encounter in electric vehicles in post-crash situations,” the agency said in a statement.

“Ultimately, we hope the information we gather will lay the groundwork for detailed guidance for first-responders and tow truck operators for use in their work responding to incidents involving these vehicles,” the agency said.

After the crash test, NHTSA found a coolant leak and moved the damaged Volt to a back lot, where it was exposed to the elements, said Rob Peterson, a GM spokesman who specializes in electric cars. Exposure to the weather caused the coolant to crystalize, and that, combined with the remaining charge in the battery, were factors, he said.

In a real-world crash, GM would be notified through its OnStar safety communications system and would send a team out to remove the battery for research purposes, he said.

The safety of the Volt “really isn’t being questioned,” Peterson added. “What they’re investigating is how do you handle the vehicles longer-term; tow truck drivers, salvage yards, body shops, things like that.”

In the event of a crash, NHTSA’s advice to consumers is to do the same thing they would do in a gasoline-powered car – get out of the vehicle and move a safe distance away. The agency also recommends against storing a severely damaged electric car in a garage or near other vehicles.

Yet despite these assurances, it is still a fact that lithium-ion batteries, which are used in a vast array of consumer electronics, have a history of, you know, sometimes catching fire when damaged.

Recall that back in 2010 the Federal Aviation Administration warned that lithium batteries were “highly flammable and capable of ignition” after a United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS) cargo plane carrying thousands of the batteries “crashed in Dubai after catching fire, killing both pilots.”

So the batteries in all electric cars are dangerous then? Not necessarily.

Nissan Motor Co., which has more than 8,000 all-electric Leaf models on U.S. roads, and Tesla Motors Inc., with 2,000 cars sold worldwide, said their cars are extensively tested and have not started any fires after crashes.

Therefore, it would seem that the combustible battery problem is exclusively a GM issue. Either they have a flawed battery design or they are simply the unluckiest car manufactures in the world.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

(h/t Jalopnik)

Comments (122)

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  • spfoam1
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 10:06pm

    Blazing saddles, the car.

    Report Post »  
    • dealer@678
      Posted on November 11, 2011 at 10:45pm

      Osama Hussein can build a car. Boy Howdy

      Report Post »  
    • GIDEON612
      Posted on November 11, 2011 at 11:32pm

      The article speaks of a few thousand electric cars in use and it is not common. Gm built hundreds of thousands of the pick ups in the 70‘s and 80’s with side saddle gas tanks that caught fire. Lets not forget the Ford Pinto either.

      One thing that is very rarely mentioned is that first responders are afraid of these vehicles because of the batteries. These are DC(direct current) batteries that cannot be shut down or turned off. Much the contrary. In the event of an accident these can become even more dangerous. Bending metal and displacement can increase the volts through what is known as a series. This would not only begin doubling the volts that are produced but the amps as well. The amps are what becomes very lethal.
      Hooking up a set of jaws for an extraction or even trying to pull someone out in the rain can be deadly.

      Report Post » GIDEON612  
    • decendentof56
      Posted on November 12, 2011 at 6:07am

      SP…….
      You’re killing me! hahahahahahahaha…..love it!

      Report Post »  
    • Ruler4You
      Posted on November 12, 2011 at 11:18am

      You mean shorting out plates in a battery can cause a “short”?

      Report Post » Ruler4You  
    • Bluefish49
      Posted on November 12, 2011 at 12:47pm

      The bottom line is that this car does absolutly nothing to change its carbon footprint from a standard gas model. And at its wopping price tag the only people buying it es the US Gov. and GE.

      Report Post »  
    • lukerw
      Posted on November 12, 2011 at 12:59pm

      Burn… baby… Burn!

      Report Post » lukerw  
    • KickinBack
      Posted on November 12, 2011 at 1:44pm

      So there are the coffin cars, the one’s that they might as well just bury you in after an accident. The volt however contains a bonus, free crematorium!

      Report Post » KickinBack  
    • yougottabekidding
      Posted on November 13, 2011 at 8:27am

      GIDEON612
      My sons a Firefighter and he is more apprehensive of an extracation at a accident involving a “Volt” or similar, then an entry on a burn. Isn’t that ironic?

      Report Post »  
    • ghostsouls
      Posted on November 28, 2011 at 2:31am

      There goes another obama company the way of Solyndra…

      Report Post » ghostsouls  
  • burned at edges
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 10:04pm

    What kine of air pollution is caused when lithium burns?

    Report Post »  
  • burned at edges
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 10:02pm

    Okay, first I have learned not to trust anyone who says “I want to make this very clear”…or…“let me be perfectly clear”. Second, “The engineers tested the Volt’s battery pack for more than 300,000 hours”. That would be 24/7/365 for OVER 34 YEARS! I suppose they could have tested 300,000 battery packs for an hour.

    Report Post »  
    • OlefromMN
      Posted on November 11, 2011 at 10:12pm

      Good job on the math. That would force them to say the Volt battery pack was being tested for use in the Volt since 1977 or earlier. I am a little skeptical of that claim as well.

      Report Post » OlefromMN  
    • HorseCrazy
      Posted on November 11, 2011 at 10:58pm

      Ha ha! Love being constantly lied to and manipulated don’t you?

      Report Post »  
    • NI6HTHAWK
      Posted on November 11, 2011 at 11:30pm

      That figure is a combined representation of their overstaffed engineering and technical departments combined work hours on the project. Make no doubt about the figure, just think of the wasted time and taxpayer resources.

      Report Post »  
    • burned at edges
      Posted on November 11, 2011 at 11:56pm

      Okay if you don’t doubt they spent that much time on the battery, chew on this. If the average engineer made $60,000 per year, then they spent (just on engineers salary) $2.055 million in labor just on the battery. How many cars would it take to make that up?…I love math. It doesn’t lie…lol. Plus they obviously didn’t take something into account if they have1 in 5000 cars blowing up.

      Report Post »  
    • BillyPenn
      Posted on November 12, 2011 at 8:43am

      I doubt if the $2.055 million engineering labor will ever be made up. The MSRP of a Volt is $39,995 (just reduced for 2012), minus up to a $7,500 taxpayer funded (we never approved) rebate. From the industry articles I have read, GM states that the sticker price is what it costs to manufacture it. It gets worse; The Volt manufacturing facility will be partly powered by a multi acre solar panel array which cost $ 3 million. This array will save approx $15,000 annually in energy costs. Now there is some type of deal with the solar panel company rel. to the cost. The simple math would put the break even point at 2,000 years. Not so; Inclusive with the deal and of course some Government funding, the break even point will only be 200 years. Of course this ‘cost effective’ venture does not take into consideration that the panels will have to be changed every 20 years or so (maybe less as the technology improves), in addition to maintenance, frequent cleaning and disposal costs of three acres worth of used panels. Fair to say the engineering costs will never be realized.

      Report Post »  
    • StrongViolentType
      Posted on November 14, 2011 at 8:24pm

      I have told you a million times to stop exaggerating lol

      Report Post »  
  • OlefromMN
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:51pm

    Just wait folks. The Chevy Volt is going to have a baby sister. She is called the Spark (kinda fitting to this story). http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2010-2012-chevrolet-spark-first-drive-review

    Report Post » OlefromMN  
  • georgeisn6
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:47pm

    I wonder if this could have anything to do with all those beer and swag lunchens the UAW so called workers put on.

    Report Post »  
  • love the kids
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:46pm

    This will be the next big expense for these cars. The insurance companies will have to start replacing the batteries after a collision as a precautionary measure whic will jack the cost of insurance way up.
    Oh, and by the way, can you imagine the environmental cost to clean up from a battery fire or a battery leak?

    Report Post »  
    • CatB
      Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:54pm

      It is my understanding that they have known about this for a long time .. and tow truck drivers have been made aware and are supposed to take “extra precautions”. Of course they didn’t tell the buyers … I heard it years ago from a tow truck driver.

      Report Post »  
    • Give Me Newt Or Give Me Death
      Posted on November 13, 2011 at 12:48am

      Seriously. This is all a scam.

      Report Post » Give Me Newt Or Give Me Death  
  • georgeisn6
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:44pm

    “O”whatabummer mobile, WHAT BLAZING SPEED”

    Report Post »  
  • Suzee
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:42pm

    I read this out loud……and laughed my butt off! It isn’t funny that our money is being wasted but I have been putting up with these greenies for so long. One of our vehicles is a Dodge dually and have had these greenie wind bags glare at me when I am @ home depot. There is nothing that would make my day better than to watch one of these ‘nose in the air greenie wind bags’ plug in their volt and watch it go up in flames!!!!!!!!!!!! Then call the EPA because they are polluting my air!

    Report Post » Suzee  
  • Unix
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:41pm

    Another fine volt you gotten us into now Ollie!

    Report Post » Unix  
  • OlefromMN
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:33pm

    When can we revamp all of the old moped jokes and substitute Chevy Volt where we would say “moped” ?

    Report Post » OlefromMN  
    • OlefromMN
      Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:41pm

      The modern day PC version of the joke would go something like this…

      “What does a Chevy Volt and a gravity challenged person born with female parts have in common? They’re both fun to drive until someone sees you”.

      Report Post » OlefromMN  
  • Nobar
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:33pm

    Proof that anything government makes can only crash and burn.

    Report Post » Nobar  
  • Charles
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:30pm

    Sure a huge battery can cause a fire in a accident. In a collision the typical 10 to 20 gallon tank of gasoline is far more likely to cause an explosion of deadly flames from which there is no chance of escape. Battery cars are for a statement and not practical now but in time they’ll actually become more useful. You wouldn’t catch me driving one of the current (ha ha) ones out on the market now.

    Report Post »  
  • Freedombeliever
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:25pm

    AWESOME! Free cars to every left wing commie marxist socialist liberal out there! DONE! LOL!

    Report Post » Freedombeliever  
  • Smokey_Bojangles
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:06pm

    So That is what Happens when the Obama Administration puts pressure on Obama Motors!

    Report Post » Smokey_Bojangles  
  • nobull14
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:04pm

    The chevy volt is just another big mistake GM and lot of the Blame should go to the OTURD administration !!!!

    Report Post »  
  • Quagaar Warrior
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 9:00pm

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    True battery acid-heads!
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Report Post »  
  • progressiveslayer
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 8:59pm

    The chevy volt is the travant of the 21st century

    Report Post » progressiveslayer  
  • ENTP
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 8:56pm

    According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), workers involved in hybrid extrication should never cut orange cables, which carry high-voltage current. But the NFPA points out a potential problem: “Though most cabling for such systems is colored orange for easy discovery, the practice isn’t followed by all manufacturers.” That’s all the more reason for the Electric Vehicle Safety Training project, which is funded by a $4.4 million grant from the —> U.S. Department of Energy.<——

    Report Post » ENTP  
  • searching for the Truth
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 8:55pm

    Where were the parts made?

    Report Post »  
  • One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 8:51pm

    This great product has been brought to you by ….wait a minute…..YOUR MONEY!!!!

    Government at work, nice job. See what happens when you send a liberal to do a man‘s job and now they burned likely a billion or more on this Contraption and now the battery’s are exploding? Nice work guys. And remember, when your company needs a bail out, just call 1 800 BHO SUXX

    Report Post » One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew  
  • garyM
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 8:48pm

    I was worried about fires with these electric cars with so much battery content and voltage! Combine all that voltage with gasoline and you got problems. Even if the green cars are totally electric, the cars they crash into have gasoline tanks. Besides that, it’s Obama green, you know it’s gotta have many flawed and dangers!

    Report Post »  
  • Shasta
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 8:47pm

    The people’s car.

    Report Post » Shasta  
    • One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew
      Posted on November 11, 2011 at 8:59pm

      At least the Hitlermobiles aren’t blowing up and do have an extraordinary track record as not such a bad entry auto for people now for what 50 years? lol But BHO’s Government Motors has been turned into a laughing stock by this administration over this rushed to the board project.

      All so he could look like a great innovator and he and GM could ride the glory to re election and profits on Barry’s idea, just like HITLER did I guess!! lolol

      So sad the left can’t see through this dangerous clown.

      Report Post » One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew  
    • Living In NYC
      Posted on November 12, 2011 at 6:33am

      But the Bug was designed and manufactured by Dr. Porsche!

      Not some Cook County community organizer and labor unions!

      Report Post » Living In NYC  
    • Give Me Newt Or Give Me Death
      Posted on November 13, 2011 at 12:50am

      Remember the Yugo?

      Report Post » Give Me Newt Or Give Me Death  
  • Brooke Lorren
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 8:47pm

    I’m concerned about the fact that after a crash, OnStar guys will come to your car and take your battery “for research purposes.”

    Are they going to give the owners a free battery to replace it? Don’t the people own the battery? If so, why are they taking property that doesn’t belong to them? What about people that have their OnStar disconnected?

    Report Post »  
  • LIBS-ARE-DINGLEHEADS
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 8:42pm

    Some Like Em HOT!

    New….from Chevy……………..El Caliente!

    Chevy Burns Deep

    Report Post » LIBS-ARE-DINGLEHEADS  
    • teddrunk
      Posted on November 12, 2011 at 8:50pm

      The Caliente? LOL..They stole that from an early to mid 60s Mercury Comet

      Report Post »  
  • LIBS-ARE-DINGLEHEADS
    Posted on November 11, 2011 at 8:41pm

    Government Motors. A Hot One!

    Fools!

    Report Post » LIBS-ARE-DINGLEHEADS  
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