The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating the Chevrolet Volt after a strange fire occurred weeks after the vehicle was in a crash.
Earlier this spring, the NHTSA crash-tested the Volt as part of its safety ratings procedure, reports USA Today. Approximately three weeks after the crash, the Volt was sitting in storage when it caught on fire.
Though the fire occurred earlier this year, news of it is just now getting out. GM says that the car's lithium ion battery was damaged during the crash, and the NHTSA did not follow GM's recommendations for the vehicle in that scenario.
"Had those safety protocols been followed for this test, this incident would not have happened," General Motors spokesman Greg Martin told the news source.
The NHTSA has not responded to that claim, but says it is further investigating the Volt's battery. This is the only reported incident of fire on record for the car.
Cars are complex machines with a lot of moving parts, and drivers can never be 100 percent sure what problems are lurking beneath the surface of their vehicles. This is why regular auto maintenance and vehicle diagnostics are critical to maintaining a healthy and safe automobile.