Feds open ’formal safety defect’ probe into Chevy Volt

Federal safety regulators announced Friday that they have opened "a formal safety defect investigation" into the Chevrolet Volt over concerns the electric car’s battery may pose a significant fire risk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been looking at the car for months, explaining in a press release that this includes crash-testing the Volt in May and conducting three tests last week focused specifically on the vehicle’s lithium-ion batteries.