Detroit, MI — April 9, 2015 — The Wall Street Journal reports that General Motors has recalled thousands of hybrid cars after the discovery of a possible emissions problem in these vehicles. Chevrolet Volts produced between 2011 and 2013 could have a systems fault that leaves some users accidentally running the car for too long. In garages and other enclosed spaces, continuous time active could lead to a buildup of emissions and the threat of monoxide carbon monoxide poisoning.
Although a software update from the manufacturer is intended to fix the problem, there are reportedly two known cases of people being injured because they did not understand the car was still running after they had exited it, even though the cars do already emit a warning.
If the battery drains itself, the Volt is designed to automatically switch to standard fuel power, creating the emissions danger. Because the car is turned on and off via a button, users that aren’t aware of this could relatively easily make a hazardous mistake.
The company’s solution to this issue is a software change that institutes an “automatic shutdown” protocol. This prevents Volts from being left idling too long by shutting them down after being left stationary for an hour and a half, as CNN states. Owners of the affected cars can also have the software change administered to their vehicles.
Defects in cars could be so impactful that they require a thorough response, including not just a recall but some action on behalf of the affected customers. A strong recall alert program will advise all the necessary parties about how to react, and disperse the message in an appropriate timeframe. In addition to spreading the word, vehicle owners will need to know what they can do to mitigate risk.
