GM recalling 8,000 Chevy Volts to prevent battery fires

General Motors said today it will recall about 8,000 Chevrolet Volts to toughen the protection around its battery pack and make other changes to prevent fires following a crash, vowing the vehicle was safe.

GM executives said while the changes came following a federal probe into three fires in Volt battery packs after crash tests, they had seen no complaints from customers, no reports from Volts on the road and no sign of fire in its own crash testing.

The recall — which GM calls a "customer service campaign" — will involve adding steel plates around the battery pack, add a sensor to watch coolant levels for the battery's temperature controls and a new cap to prevent coolant overfilling. The fixes will take about two hours at a dealership.

We have tested the Volt's battery system for more than 285,000 hours, or 25 years, of operation," said Mary Barra, GM senior vice president of Global Product Development. "We're as confident as ever that the cell design is among the safest on the market."

GM execs also said only 250 Volt customers requested either a loaner or for GM to buy back their Volt following the federal probe. For their part, federal officials said the probe was still open, but that their testing of GM's fixes also showed no signs of fire.