“People seem to have no issue driving around with 20 gallons of a highly flammable liquid sloshing around under the back seat. Why is an electrical fire cause for so much concern?”
Because it’s a fire. A gas tank is not a fire.
Typically the gas tank is not under the back seat.
“Typically the gas tank is not under the back seat.”
If you’re lucky it is. Gas tanks that are installed “inboard” on vehicles are generally less likely to have gasoline fires in collisions. Gas tanks too near the rear bumper are dangerous. Think “Pinto.”
My Caravan’s gas tank is inboard under the center passengers’ seat. My Fieros have their gas tanks in the console between the front (only seats) seats. Old beetles and Corvairs had gas tanks in front of the driver.
Typically the gas tank is pretty darn close to being under the back seat or just behind that area. That’s generally a good thing.
CSA
CSA is correct!
Every FWD car I’ve dealt with had the gas tank nearly under the rear seat, unlike the old RWD sedans with the tank a few inches from the rear bumper and clearly visible to the driver behind them.
… also think 1960s Mustangs, which had the gas tank under the trunk. Early on the fuel tanks weren’t even secured, and in a rear end collision, gasoline would gush into the passenger compartment.
Correct Me If I’m Wrong (I Was Wrong Once . . . I Thought I Was Wrong And Then Found Out That I Wasn’t).
I remember helping a friend with an Escort (wagon ? sedan ?) and by lifting the rear seat cushion (and perhaps removing an inspection cover) I was able to come face to tank with the gas tank, fuel pump module, and fuel line connections, eh ?
My Bonneville has this same type access in the trunk floor, immediately behind the rear seat back.
CSA
My Civic has access to the fuel pump connections under the rear seat, so I assume the fuel tank is directly underneath it.
In those early Mustangs and Falcons, the top of the gas tank WAS the floor of the trunk! Mine developed some pin-hole rust spots and gasoline began leaking directly directly into the passenger compartment. The Fastbacks had fold-down rear seats which opened into the trunk which had a 1/2 inch of gasoline sloshing around in it…Death Traps…But today, people are willing to pay SERIOUS money for those poorly designed cars…
As far as I can find out, Chevy has not bought back a single Volt…
Toyota puts its gas tanks under the rear seat. I think all the FWD cars do now. I wonder where the Veyron’s gas tank is?
"I wonder where the Veyron’s gas tank is?"
Besides The One That’s In The Car, I Imagine It’s On Just About Every Corner And I’m Guessing That One Would Have To Stop At Most Of Them.
;=)
CSA
Automotive companies think the same way they did years ago as far as safety items in cars is concerned. Making profits is paramount. Cars are safer because of access to knowledge and govt. regulations and it is harder for them to keep from getting their hand caught in the cookie jar. There is no benevolence on their part.
The better informed buying public is less apt to put up with unsafe cars which affects sales as the Pinto lesson demonstrates. It took time, research, testing and the light of day to expose Ford and GM back then while people died and they lied. Now, immediate public access like utube does it for you in short order. In that respect, automotive companies are smarter…they have Internet access too as profit is more closely tied to safer cars.
Volt owners really, really love their cars:
Looks like GM is backing off the buy-back program : http://www.ottawacitizen.com/cars/clarifies+Volt+buyback/5813959/story.html
"In those early Mustangs and Falcons, the top of the gas tank WAS the floor of the trunk! "
My 1950 Chevy pickup had an even better gas tank arrangement. The tank was in the cab behind the seat. I think this was true for almost all pickup trucks of that time, though the Studebaker truck may have been an exception.
Aikerson’s comment sounded pretty clear to me. It looks like there’s a whole lot of back-peddling going on. It sounds like he goofed in his comment.
Regarding gas tanks of old, heck I remember in the pre-Pinto days when cars had fill holes in clever hideaways, including under the rear license plate and behind the taillight trim. Fortunately, times have changed. For the good.
I read a lengthy article in yesterday’s USA Today that (I couldn’t find the internet link to it) that was very clear in saying that GM had, in fact, offered to buy back the Volts from concerned owners. They even went on to say how many they’d already retreived (very few) and to say that some of their executives wanted to buy the vehicles.
It seems like not everybody at GM is reading from the same script.
“It seems like not everybody at GM is reading from the same script.”
What big organization does have 100% knowledge of the party line?
So have they actually bought anybody’s car back because the owners were “concerned”??
According to the article in USA Today they have, but there were very few owners interested in the offer.