The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crashed a Chevrolet Volt back in May, the car's lithium-ion battery burst into flames in June, and the agency acknowledged the fire to the public and launched a safety investigation in late November. Why the six-month time-lapse?
Joan Claybrook, a consumer advocate who ran the NHTSA from 1977 to 1981 has an answer. She told Automotive News the delay was "because of the fragility of [Volt] sales."
That's a strong accusation. In six words, she implied that the NHTSA held off on its public report to protect its sister agency General Motors (oh, I'm kidding) from any hit the Volt might take to its already creaky sales. (This past October, before the fire was made public, Jalopnik wondered whether the Volt was a bona fide sales flop.)Source: Jalopnik
If there's one thing you can count on with the Obama administration, it's that this theory is entirely plausible.
