Representative Mike Kelly Sends Letter to GM Seeking Answers to Questions Surrounding Safety of the Volt

Press Release

Today, Representative Mike Kelly (PA-03), who serves on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee (OGR), submitted a letter to the chairman and CEO of General Motors Co., Daniel Akerson, asking GM to answer questions regarding the safety of the Volt, GM's signature electric vehicle, which is now under federal investigtion by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). On November 25, NHTSA launched its investigation after reporting that the Volt's lithium-ion battery caught on fire weeks after it was subjected to a government crash test. This was the third recorded fire occuring in Volt batteries damaged during crash simulations since the car came on the market early this year.

The letter, which was also signed by Representative and OGR Chairman Darrell Issa (CA-49) and OGR committee member Representative Jim Jordan (OH-04), raises questions about GM's decision not to publicly disclose the first fire, which occurred in May, and requests a timeline of events and communications between GM and NHTSA surrounding the May and subsequent fires.

Yesterday, Reps. Kelly, Issa, and Jordan released a similar letter to NHTSA, seeking explanation for their decision to wait until a third fire occurred before initiating its investigation. Both letters are attached.

"We are not going to be satisfied until we have a better sense of what caused these fires and the safety implications of this new battery technology that is being subsidized by the taxpayer," said Rep. Kelly. "GM's unprecedented decision to buy back the more than 5,000 Volts out on the road today demonstrates the serious nature of the investigation that NHTSA has launched, and the investigation that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will continue to pursue."

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