General
Motors is recalling approximately 64,000 examples of the Chevrolet Volt to
implement a fix that will limit the length of time that the car can be left
idling, Automotive News reports. The issue stems from the possibility of carbon
monoxide build-up in enclosed spaces when Volt drivers forget to shut off the
car, which can happen when the driver accidentally leaves the car on while it's
in electric mode.
Leaving
the Volt powered up in electric mode will eventually drain the battery and the
gas engine will kick in.
"If
the gas engine runs for a long period of time within an enclosed space, such as
a garage, carbon monoxide could build up," GM said.
GM
informed Automotive News in a statement that it was aware of two injuries
stemming from carbon monoxide exposure related to this issue.
The
Volt is already programmed to emit a chime when the driver exits the car if it
hasn't been switched off, but the change to the Volt's software will limit the
time that the car can remain idling in the "on" position. This
alteration to the software will be implemented at the dealer level once the
software fix is ready.
This
recall affects 50,249 Volts in the U.S and another 13,987 in Canada from the
2011, 2012, and 2013 model years. The NHTSA hasn't posted a recall notice to
its website as of Friday, March 13, but GM has already asked dealers to stop
selling new or used Volts from those model years until the software is updated.
And yes, there are still several hundred new, unsold Volts from the 2013 model
year.
Credit: Jay Ramey, Autoweek.com
Image:
Chevrolet
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