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Hello -

While I was at the LA car show I spoke with someone about the Volt and they told me about this :

U.S. opening formal probe into GM Volt fire risk | Reuters

U.S. auto safety regulators are opening a formal investigation into fire risks in General Motors' Volt vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Friday.

The NHTSA said it was taking the action after recreation this month of a May crash test resulted in fires in two out of three tests.

"While it is too soon to tell whether the investigation will lead to a recall of any vehicles or parts, if NHTSA identifies an unreasonable risk to safety, the agency will take immediate action to notify consumers and ensure that GM communicates with current vehicle owners," NHTSA said.

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In the May crash test, the Volt's 400-pound lithium ion battery pack was damaged and a coolant line was ruptured.

Toyota Motor Corp's Prius, which dominates the hybrid vehicle market, is powered by older nickel metal hydride battery technology.

This month's tests aimed to simulate a real-world, side-impact collision into a tree or pole, followed by a rollover.

After a test on November 16 that did not result in a fire, a temporary increase in temperature was recorded in a test on November 17, NHTSA said on Friday. It said that battery pack caught fire.

During the test on November 18, using similar protocols, the battery pack was rotated within hours after being impacted and it began to smoke and emit sparks.

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CarloSW2