Thirteen people have died in incidents involving built-up volumes of the odorless and colorless carbon monoxide gas in their garages, prompting a class-action lawsuit. The carbon monoxide was released when the car owners walked away from their cars with the key fobs in hopes that the cars would turn themselves off, when, in fact, the cars were left running. The toxic gas was then able to seep into their homes.
Dudley Smoak, one of the lawyers pushing a lawsuit against automakers for their carelessness, said that car developers and manufacturers are at fault.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” Smoak said. “If you’re going to introduce features that simplifies the driving experience, like keyless entry, keyless ignition, GPS and self-driving technology, why not give the cars the ability to turn themselves off?”
The suit targets major car companies, including BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Acura, Infiniti, Mini Cooper and Lexus, because their vehicles’ engines don’t shut off automatically—a disastrous and deadly “defect.”
“I mean, just because the push-to-start button reads “START STOP ENGINE” does not make the drivers responsible for this careless and broken feature,” Smoak added.
Smoak and the rest of the plaintiffs, which total 28, assert that the automakers knowingly sold keyless fobs “without instituting adequate safeguards, warnings or other safety features,” like audible alerts that the engine is still running and an “auto-off” feature in which the engine turns off if left unattended.
“Of course, when you introduce this type of innovative technology, people will assume that it will exceed their expectations,” Smoak said. “When you take the traditional key away and revolutionize driving with a keyless fob, people will forget to shut their cars off. Automakers knew this would happen and took no steps to correct it, inviting liability.”
An excerpt from the suit states, “Even though an auto-off feature can be implemented without significant effort or cost, the automakers have refused to act.” It also states that automakers declined to include warnings in car manuals and sales brochures, opting to “conceal” the defect from the public. It is a largely kept automotive secret that a car’s engine must be manually shut off. Those in the car industry could have never imagined a world in which drivers would step out of their cars without first shutting off the engine.
“Simply put, cars should be shutting themselves off now. It’s the 21st century,” said Smoak.
Some automakers have already implemented the “auto-off” feature in their newer models, so make sure to go and get yourself the newer, safer version. If you own an older model, practice and go over the steps to shutting off the engine good and proper prior to exiting the car, especially if you keep it parked in your garage.
