- Fri Aug 28, 2015 2:14 pm
#355621
http://jalopnik.com/the-next-big-warnin ... fD9cK_nw.0
The world is getting dumber every day
On Wednesday in a Los Angeles federal court, a class action lawsuit was filed against 10 global automakers alleging the companies concealed the risk of death from carbon monoxide poisoning in cars with keyless ignition systems.
The TL;DR version: the lawsuit says drivers thought their engines would turn off if they walked away and took their key fobs with them, leading to 13 deaths from carbon monoxide. The suit names pretty much everybody, from BMW to General Motors to Hyundai. From Reuters:
The plaintiffs said the automakers could have averted the 13 deaths, and many more injuries, by installing an inexpensive feature to automatically turn off unattended engines, and that GM and Ford even took steps to patent a shut-off feature.
They said 27 complaints have been lodged with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since 2009 over keyless ignitions.
“The automakers had actual knowledge of the dangerous carbon monoxide poisoning consequences of vehicles with keyless fobs that lack an automatic shut-off,” the complaint said.
Now I tend to fall more on the consumer protection side of things, but even this one seems absurd to me. These people couldn’t tell that their cars weren’t off? Why did they think their cars would turn off automatically if they just walked away with the fob? Why would you ever walk away knowing your car was idling and wasting gas, especially running in your garage?
I don’t know. This one will probably end in a settlement, a new warning label in your car to MAKE SURE IT’S OFF!, and some kind of engine shutoff feature. Oy.
The world is getting dumber every day
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My 1992 SOHC Turbo Hatch
My Youtube Channel: 6th Gear Garage