It just may be the most minimal safety recall in history.
General Motors said yesterday it would recall precisely four 2012 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric cars to fix a potential problem with a brake component that could have safety implications.
As reported in The Detroit News, the company identified a defective brake-pressure modulator valve after investigating a failed part returned under warranty for a Volt exported to another country.
The failure of that modulator could lead the electronic stability control system not to function properly under emergency braking, compromising the car's safety.
Chevrolet began contacting owners of the four cars affected last Friday, to ask them to bring their cars in for inspection and replacement of the part.
If the company has not been able to reach any of those owners by the middle of next month, it will send a formal recall letter.
This action is actually the first formal recall for the range-extended electric Volt.
GM undertook a "customer satisfaction campaign" in 2012 to modify battery packs in 2011 models if owners requested it.
Those updates were the result of an inquiry after a heavily damaged Volt caught fire in a wrecking yard several days after it was crash-tested by the NHTSA.
The NHTSA undertook a safety investigation at the time--with the added sideshow of a Congressional hearing--and concluded the Volt was safe.
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