The Chevrolet Volt was recalled last week, ironically for being too quiet. It seems that when drivers use the Volt as intended, arriving back home from a round trip on electric power, the car is so quiet that some forget to turn it off.
The problem arises when owners park the car in an attached garage without plugging it in. In an emailed statement, GM describes the problem:
“If a driver exits the vehicle and inadvertently leaves the vehicle ‘on’ by failing to react to cues and warning chimes emitted by the vehicle, the vehicle’s high-voltage battery will drain after a period of time and the gasoline engine will begin to run. 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 is recalling 2011 to 2013 Volts to update the software so the car will shut off automatically after an hour and a half to reduce the potential carbon monoxide buildup. Volts from 2014 and 2015 already have the update.
Two people have been injured from the carbon-monoxide buildup, according to the GM statement.
We’ve seen similar problems with other hybrids, such as when one staff member drove to the office in our 2014 Toyota Highlander Hybrid recently and parked it, not clear that the power was technically still on. Another staffer heard its engine running in the parking lot an hour later, as the engine fired up to provide heat on the cold winter day.
We think an automatic shutoff seems a sensible solution that makes sense for all cars, especially hybrids.
—Eric Evarts
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