Toyota sued that keyless system caused carbon monoxide death

[Chuck]

Rivera was found "with a faint pulse and barely breathing," and her companion, Ernest Codelia Jr., dead. An autopsy found Codelia's blood had "65% carbon monoxide saturation."

Dan McCue - COURTHOUSENEWS - Nov 2, 2010

Multiple issues here. Apparently while tailpipe emissions the past decade have been cut sharply, they can still kill in a closed garage. By 2050, the number of Alzheimer's cases in the US will quadruple - will we see more cases like this? I don't know if the victims had this condition but that will definitely be examined by the court. Should automakers completely throw away the key? --Ed.

Toyota's "Smart Key" technology, which allows cars to be started and run without inserting an ignition key, allowed a woman to die of carbon monoxide poisoning and crippled her roommate with permanent disabling injuries, the injured woman claims in Federal Court.

Mary Rivera claims Toyota's Smart Key allowed her to accidentally leave her Lexus running in the garage underneath her Queens home. Rivera says she "either inadvertently forgot to shut down the engine of the subject vehicle, or pushed the start button in an effort to do so but was unsuccessful."... [Read More]

[Jalen]

I'm sorry, but this is no different than someone leaving their key in the ignition and leaving the car running. The fact that this person can't even tell if they even attempted to shut things down is really a big clue...

I don't want to downplay the tragedy, but this sort of thing used to happen a lot with cars that were much noisier than today's. The 'level of convenience' does not lessen the responsibility of each driver to be fully aware of the status of their vehicle at all times when in operation, including proper shutdown.

Sure, the car could be designed to shut down when the fob is taken a distance from the vehicle, but that would not stop a situation where someone forgets to turn off their car. Even I've left my keys in the ignition. On my old truck, I've pulled the key while it was still running (worn tumblers) and stepped out with it still running, and I tend to be observant.

Blaming the technology for an individual's failure to operate machinery safely is a growing trend in this country.

[worthywads]

Originally Posted by Jalen

Blaming the technology for an individual's failure to operate machinery safely is a growing trend in this country.

That's an understatement.

[MaxxMPG]

At the risk of suggesting another electronanny...
The car knows when there is a person seated in either front seat, as noted by the seatbelt idiot light and passenger airbag disabler.

Why aren't the keyless cars (and any car for that matter), set to check if the seatbelt is buckled, and is it's not, and the car is running and in park/neutral, and no throttle or brake application, count down 5 minutes and then cut the fuel injectors?

I can't think of any circumstances where someone would want to leave a car idling unattended for more than 5 minutes.

Factory installed remote start systems will cut the engine after a period of time (up to 10 minutes) if the door is not opened. If someone pressed the remote start button while the car is parked in the garage, a similar tragedy would happen if not for the timer that kills the ignition if nobody enters the car.

Sure, it's yet another safety net for people who can make mistakes or misuse the product, but the parts to make the change are already in the car, so why not tweak the PCM to save a life and save some fuel?

[msirach]

I can't imagine how she could have left it running. She should have noticed the engine running and if not, the external loud shrill warning beep that the car puts out should have gotten her attention.

[worthywads]

Originally Posted by MaxxMPG

I can't think of any circumstances where someone would want to leave a car idling unattended for more than 5 minutes.

Now that's an overstatement, people warm up for a half hour all over this country. We don't agree but it's done by the majority.

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Originally Posted by MaxxMPG

I can't think of any circumstances where someone would want to leave a car idling unattended for more than 5 minutes.

If a car is being pre-warmed you might want to leave it running for more than 5 minutes because of unpredictability. I know it happens to us.

[jmbakerak]

Originally Posted by MaxxMPG

I can't think of any circumstances where someone would want to leave a car idling unattended for more than 5 minutes.

In extreme cold you may not want to shut your vehicle down. In the dead of winter in Fairbanks you'll see vehicles idling in parking lots at -50f. On the north slope oil fields vehicles left outside are running 24 hours a day with some big rigs jacking the drive wheels off the ground to keep them turning to prevent the transmission and axle grease from freezing.

[Oainac]

What about a system that would automatically turn off the car after XMins of idling. It would keep people from idling for no reason and reduce accidents like this.

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Originally Posted by jmbakerak

In extreme cold you may not want to shut your vehicle down. In the dead of winter in Fairbanks you'll see vehicles idling in parking lots at -50f. On the north slope oil fields vehicles left outside are running 24 hours a day with some big rigs jacking the drive wheels off the ground to keep them turning to prevent the transmission and axle grease from freezing.

I guess it's safe to guess you don't dive the Insight in those conditions?