WASHINGTON — A House panel will hold a hearing next month on the Chevrolet Volt and the Obama administration's investigation into fire risks in the extended-range electric vehicle.
The announcement came as Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Tuesday he believes the Volt is safe. He denied that the government withheld news of a fire in a crash-test vehicle to protect Detroit-based General Motors Co, reported The Detroit News.
"I believe the Volt is safe to drive," LaHood told reporters after testifying before lawmakers on an unrelated matter.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said Tuesday that one of its panels plans to hold a hearing in late January on the Volt battery issue, according to committee spokesman Jeff Solsby.
The hearing by the committee's panel on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending also will look at the government's investigation into fire risks.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the subcommittee panel, said he wanted to know if the government had been candid about its investigation into the Volt.
"It gives us great concern that recent reports indicate important safety information may have been omitted in testimony before our committee just a few weeks ago," Jordan said in a statement. "This is a serious situation that our committee will look further into."
The committee held a hearing on fuel economy standards and heard from officials of the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Questions weren't asked about safety problems with the Volt.
GM spokesman Greg Martin had no comment on the hearing.
Conservative commentators have sharply criticized the Volt and the government's investigation, asserting the Obama administration was trying to protect GM. As part of a $49.5 billion bailout, the Treasury still holds a 26.5 percent stake in GM.
LaHood said the government wasn't trying to protect GM by not immediately disclosing a fire in a crash-tested Volt.
"We're not in the business of protecting the auto industry. We're in the business of making sure cars are safe," LaHood said.
Last month, NHTSA opened a preliminary investigation into the extended-range electric vehicle for fire risks after two fires in Volt battery packs.
One fire happened on Thanksgiving, seven days after a battery pack was crash-tested.
The first was in early June, three weeks after a May 12 NHTSA Chevrolet Volt crash test in Wisconsin.
The blaze burned three other cars. NHTSA didn't disclose the initial fire — or the fact it had sent letters to automakers asking questions about battery electric vehicles — until early November, when Bloomberg News reported the incident.
NHTSA hasn't asked GM to stop selling the Volt. It has no reports of real-world fires or complaints.
GM has offered loaner vehicles and has agreed to buy back cars.
General Motors is working on upgrades to the Volt battery containment system to prevent a fire from occurring days after a crash.
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