The fixes are similar to a recall and include about 8,000 Volts sold in the U.S. in the past two years.
The repairs come in the wake of three Volt batteries that caught fire following crash tests done by federal safety investigators. The fires happened a week to three weeks after the tests and have been blamed on a coolant leak that caused an electrical short.
GM will ask owners to return their cars to dealers for modifications. The move is considered a step below a recall, which would be issued by a car company and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
NHTSA and GM have said the electric cars are safe and that no fires have occurred after crashes on real-world roadways.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
