 On January 5 , 2012 , General Motors announced that it would offer a customer @-@ satisfaction program to provide modifications to the Chevrolet Volt to reduce the chance that the battery pack could catch fire days or weeks after a severe accident . The carmaker described the modifications as voluntary enhancements and stated that neither the car nor the battery was being recalled . General Motors determined the June fire was the result of a minor intrusion from a portion of the vehicle into a side section of the battery pack . This intrusion resulted in a small coolant leak inside the battery of approximately 50 mL ( 1 @.@ 8 imp fl oz ; 1 @.@ 7 US fl oz ) . When the vehicle was put through a slow roll , where it was rotated at 90 @-@ degree increments , holding in each position for about five minutes , an additional 1 liter ( 0 @.@ 22 imp gal ; 0 @.@ 26 U.S. gal ) of coolant leaked . With the vehicle in the 180 degrees position ( upside down ) , the coolant came in contact with the printed circuit board electronics at the top of the battery pack and later crystallized . Three weeks later this condition , in combination with a charged battery , led to a short circuit that resulted in the post @-@ crash fire . 
