Chevy Volt's Pseudo-Recall Could Be Worse

Reuters
Eric Randall 1,180 Views Jan 5, 2012

Chevrolet will announce Thursday that it wants owners of its battery-powered Volt model to return their cars to a dealer to have the battery pack "strengthened" after crash tests caused the batteries to catch fire. It doesn't quite reach the definition of a "recall" but any mass call for car buyers to return to dealers is never good, and especially when the government is offering a tax credit to those who purchase Volts. Because President Obama is so identified with government incentives for green technology, there's also the easy potential for any sign of failure to set off a scandal (think Solyndra), and indeed the Drudge Report has already linked to the news with the headline "GOV'T MOTORS TO 'CALL BACK' 8,000 CHEVY VOLTS...." But, as the Associated Press notes, the adjustment is addressing a problem that so far hasn't occurred on roads, and it's "a step below a recall," so we're not sure this'll really be fodder for the kind of sexy scandal that Republicans looking to end the tax credit might want. 

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