GM issues recall for Chevy Volts

Kentucky drivers may be affected by a recent recall involving a dangerous defect in several model years of the Chevy Volt electric hybrid car. General Motors, the manufacturer of the vehicles, said in a statement that it voluntarily recalled Volts manufactured from 2011 to 2013 because of a software error that could expose people to carbon monoxide.

GM recalled a total of 64,000 Volts, 50,000 of which were sold to customers in the United States. The company said that the affected vehicles have software installed in their computers that allows them to idle for extended periods of time. The quiet hybrid engines might result in drivers parking and forgetting to turn them off, leaving them idling. After the cars’ batteries run out, they switch to the gasoline engines, which produce carbon monoxide fumes. When carbon monoxide fumes build up in enclosed spaces such as home garages, they could pose a hazard to people nearby.

According to General Motors, two injuries have occurred because of the software defect. Volt owners who respond to the voluntary recall can receive service to update their Volts’ software. The software update will limit the time the cars can remain idling.

When people buy cars, they do so expecting that they will not be endangered as a result of design flaws or other defects in their vehicles’ systems. Even injuries that occur in incidents not involving a car crash could leave victims in recovery for weeks or months. People who are exposed to carbon monoxide or other dangerous substances because of defects in their vehicles can even suffer from disabilities in some cases. A personal injury attorney can discuss the advisability of bringing a defective product lawsuit in order to recover the appropriate damages.

Source: Tech Times, imes, “Carbon Monoxide Risk Forces GM To Recall Chevy Volt”, Nicole Arce, March 13, 2015