Several Automakers Sued After 13 Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Deaths

Several of the top automakers in the world are being sued. BMW, FCA, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Volkswagen and Toyota were among the automakers named as defendants in this lawsuit. Thirteen deaths have been related to this incident. The suit alleges that when consumers removed their key from their vehicle, they didn’t know it was still running. When the vehicle was left running, in some cases in a garage, carbon monoxide poisoning caused their death.

The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction that would require automakers to install an auto shut-off system in their ignition systems that would shut down vehicles left running for long periods of time. The plaintiffs are also seeking compensatory and punitive damages related to the 13 fatalities.

The complaint against automakers was filed in Los Angeles County Court Wednesday, and alleges, “Automakers had actual knowledge of the dangerous carbon monoxide poisoning consequences of vehicles with keyless fobs that lack an automatic shut-off.” The complaint further alleges that the automakers knew about the potential issue with keyless ignition in 5 million vehicles, but concealed the information. Twenty-seven complaints have been filed with the NHTSA over keyless ignition systems since 2009. The plaintiffs in the case also wonder why Ford and GM went as far as working to patent an auto shut-off for keyless ignitions and then didn’t put it into practice.

Keyless ignition systems were blamed this past March when a family of three became sick after a vehicle with a keyless ignition system was left running in the garage. The four police officers that responded to the scene of that incident also became ill. Another incident occurred in June of this year when an elderly Illinois couple died when they left a vehicle with a keyless ignition running in their garage overnight.

Are automakers liable for consumers not knowing how their vehicle systems work? Should those automakers have to pay damages and change their vehicle systems as a result of this lawsuit?