Lawsuit Claims Keyless Entry/Ignition Technology Causes Death
As anyone who has been in a contemporary car knows, fast-paced developments in modern technology have made their way into the world of auto manufacturing. From the installation of heated seats and satellite radio capability to newer innovations such as self-parking options and fob-enabled keyless entry/ignition, drivers are readily embracing most of the new technological additions to vehicles.
However, as our Delray Beach personal injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Aronberg, Aronberg & Green know, not all of these snazzy options are without risk. One of these new additions is keyless entry and ignition technology, standard on many newer-model cars. With this technology, by simply having the car’s fob key close by, the car can be turned on with the push of a button – the driver, in order to turn the car off, need only push the button again. (It’s important to note that the car can remain running even when the fob has been removed from the car.)
A lawsuit filed in federal court in California late this summer, on behalf of keyless car drivers, alleges that there have been at least 13 deaths (not to mention a number of other close calls) resulting from carbon monoxide poisoning after consumers failed to properly, manually, shut off their engines.
Deaths of this nature can occur when, for example, a driver pulls into his or her garage, closes the garage door, exits the car, and begins to tinker with something else in the garage. As our Delray Beach personal injury lawyers know, if the car was not properly turned off, the garage can become filled with carbon monoxide, leading to the death of the driver still in the garage.
According to the federal lawsuit, many “reasonable drivers mistakenly believe that removing the Keyless Fob from the vehicle turns off the engine.” Of course, as our Delray Beach personal injury lawyers know, simply removing the keyless fob does not turn off the engine. With some of the newer and more eco-friendly cars that are on the road now, it can be almost impossible to tell whether or not the car has been shut off due to the inherently silent nature of the car in a parked position.
This horrifying type of accident takes place more than it should. The lawsuit alleges that the defendant automakers, including Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Honda, GM, BMW, Bentley, etc., should have recalled millions of these vehicles which don’t turn off automatically when the driver fails to press the “start/stop” button.
If you have any questions about this auto safety issue or about any other personal injury issue, please contact our Delray Beach personal injury lawyers at Aronberg, Aronberg & Green by calling 561-266-9191 or by e-mailing us at daronberg@aronberglaw.com to schedule a free consultation. We look forward to assisting you.
