Akerson to testify in Volt probe

General Motors Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson agreed Wednesday to testify next week before a House panel investigating the government's handling of an investigation into fire risks in the Chevrolet Volt.

A panel of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will hear testimony next Wednesday from Akerson and the government's top auto safety regulator, David Strickland, who heads the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"Dan has agreed to testify at the hearing, and he looks forward to doing it," GM spokesman Greg Martin said.

The Volt has become a lightning rod for criticism from many Republicans and right-leaning blogs, even as the company says it has drawn thousands of new prospective buyers that haven't visited a GM dealership in years.

This will be Akerson's first testimony on Capitol Hill since taking the reins of the Detroit automaker in September 2010.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House oversight committee, said in a letter sent to House members Monday that its subcommittee overseeing bailouts will hold the hearing.

The hearing is titled "Volt Vehicle Fire: What did NHTSA know and when did they know it?"

Strickland said last week the White House was informed in September of the June fire, but officials didn't ask the agency to keep the information secret. NHTSA didn't publicly disclose the fire until Nov. 12, when Bloomberg News first reported it.

After an initial investigation concluded that damage to the Volt battery was the cause of the June fire that occurred three weeks after the government crash test, NHTSA briefed Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, according to letters Strickland sent to three House Republicans.

NHTSA opened a formal defect investigation Nov. 25, after a second Volt battery pack caught fire seven days after another government test.

GM, which received a $49.5 billion government bailout, is still 26 percent owned by the Treasury Department.

Republicans have asked GM and President Barack Obama's administration to answer detailed questions about why they didn't disclose the fire in a crash-tested Volt for several months, and whether politics was behind any decision to delay the disclosure. Obama has made getting vehicles like the Volt on the road a top priority. His re-election campaign has made the rebound of GM and Chrysler Group LLC a key part of its strategy in the Midwest.

GM said the company has been "responsive" to written questions from Issa. But the committee and GM won't disclose what the automaker has turned over.

Earlier this month, GM agreed to a safety fix, including strengthening the steel battery containment system and adding new sensors. NHTSA has pronounced itself satisfied with GM's fix, but hasn't yet closed its investigation. The agency could do so as early as this week.

Public relations expert Jeff Caponigro of Caponigro Public Relations Inc. said GM should view the hearing as an opportunity.

"I think anything that shows transparency, that shows honesty, that shows clear communication and gives the appearance of being open is positive," he said, adding that Akerson can use this as a forum to strengthen the Volt brand.

"This is still a new technology. A lot of people have questions or don't understand it. Here's an opportunity to clear some of that up."

dshepardson@detnews.com

(202) 662-8735

Bryce G. Hoffman contributed.