Came across this article today http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/26/autos/keyless-ignition-lawsuit/index.html. It alleged cars that use key less ignitions are unsafe and can cause injury or death if the cars are left on unattended. It also states consumers have no way of knowing that their cars are still on, seriously? It never ceases to amaze me what people will sue over.
The article cites 13 deaths from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning because the owners didn’t realize their car engines were still running in the garage, and carbon monoxide seeped into the house and killed people.
If it had been one of your family members killed, you might be on the other side of the issue.
@jesmed1: Would you actually posit that the direct and proximate cause of these deaths is anything OTHER than operator negligence?!? They didn’t shut off their cars; people died. The primary cause of the accident is operator error. (“Oh, but my car is TOO quiet!”)
I understand that people are reticent to blame themselves when loved ones die; that’s human nature. I don’t necessarily blame the at-fault parties for suing; I blame the legal system for allowing suits like this to proceed. (Also, 90+% of class-action lawsuits are the “lawyer lotto.” There are plenty of cases of legal excesses in this country, but the class-action is the most flagrant, and where reforms should begin.)
A lady at work found she had left her car running when she went out 4 hours later for lunch. One I started new to me work vehicle, thought i was unlocking the car, started it and had trouble figuring out how to turn it off. stuck the key thing in the slot, did the typical counterclockwise to turn off and it was still running. Finally hit the right button to get it to turn off.
LAW SUIT my behind !
( and the judges had darn well better back this crap up )
It ALL boils down to …learn to use the item at hand !
Heck, a PENCIL can poke your eye out !!!
…is it the fault of the pencil ???
Total BS in my opinion. If someone is careless enough to leave their car running then maybe they should find another mode of transportation; bicycle, jogging shoes, etc.
It’s claimed this is “especially likely in cars that have very quiet, smooth running engines”.
Well, what about those Hondas of the late 70s and 80s? They would sit there idling and no one could tell if they were running or not. Those were all key operated so the only thing that changed between then and now is that attorneys are allowed to troll for victims on TV and in print.
Lawsuits like this happen all the time…the problem is some succeed.
I wonder if I could file a lawsuit against someone for lacking common sense.
@asemaster, I think the result of doing that would clog up every court in the country. 
There was the suit in FL some years back where a guy sued Avis I think it was after he wrecked a rental car while drunk.
The basis for his suit was that he was of Irish descent and Avis should have known better than to rent a car to Irishmen because they’re notorious drunks.
Whatever happened with that suit I do not know. What should be done with some of those suits is to dismiss them PDQ and make the plaintiff and attorney pay all costs.
At some point if the attorney files enough suits like that then yank his license for 3 months on a first offense and hit him where it hurts; his billing hours.
BS indeed, but my opinion is that the keyless ignitions are a step backwards. They serve no useful purpose and tend to add to the confusion of many modern autos.
^
I agree 100% with BillRussell’s comments. While this suit is just plain silly, I believe that keyless ignition is a useless gimmick.
I am guessing that BillRussell and VDCdriver have never owned cars with keyless ignitions. Like them I railed against the uselessness of such gimmicks. Then a car I bought came with the feature and I have to admit I REALLY like it. It is very convenient to throw my “key” in my pocket and then not take it out to open my doors or start my car. I have replaced several ignition cylinders in cars that have worn out so it remains to be seen if keyless ignitions are more reliable than the old lock cylinders. Lastly, from a security standpoint, I love how difficult it is for a car thief to defeat a keyless ignition. Remember those old GM cars from the 80’s that you could start with a screwdriver?
Don’t get me wrong. I think the lawsuit is ridiculous (that started this thread). If you are such a moron that you don’t include “shutting off the car” in your parking routine then Charles Darwin will rain on your parade.
^
You’re correct that I have never had a car with keyless ignition.
It is possible that, if I experienced it, I would like it.
Or…maybe not. Until I get there, I won’t know.
However, I also have to point out that I have never had to replace an ignition lock cylinder, so I guess that I am not reacting to it on the same level as you are.
Women (in my house, anyway) have a lot of keys on their key ring. All that weight leads to ignition switch failed, as you know. It’s not a problem if those keys remain in their purses. There are good and bad attributes for any feature in an automobile.
A few years back the keyless thing cost my brother dearly. While he and his wife were getting ready to leave for dinner about 60 miles away, he was straighting out the work bench right next to the car. He set his keys on the bench, wifey came out all ready to go, he jumps in the car started fine. After dinner is when he realized the keys were at home on the bench. Wife didn’t have her keys with, so it resulted in a long cab ride and expensive lesson learned. Although I hear now that the key actually has to be in the car. I guess his didn’t then. So to me the keyless thing is nice and all, but in my opinion not really something that is needed. Just because you can doesn’t mean you have to.
On my car, taking the key outside the car with the engine running results in a few audible beeps. That’s as much warning as anyone should need.
For those of you saying that keyless ignition isn’t useful, you’re welcome to your opinion, but I really enjoy not having to dig out my keys when my hands are full, especially when holding an umbrella in the rain. The only issue is that they now need to sell a matching keyless lock that I could install in the door between the garage and house!
My wife’s Lexus is a keyless system…and like it a lot.No more fumbling for keys to lot the doors…or start the car. As long as you have the fob on you - you have complete control of the car.
We bought the car in 07…so far we’ve only had to replace the battery once on the two fobs.
I’m a semi regular here, I enjoy cars and fixing things, I have a garage full of tools and I believe in working on my stuff myself and understanding how it works. AND, I’m a retired lawyer, I was a judge for 20 years and I do understand litigation. AND, in addition, I am constantly reminding myself that the average IQ of Americans is 100, because that’s how the test scales were designed, which means that half the population is below that score. So, remember that. There are brighter and dimmer people out there, and as we know, they do drive and we all live together in one busy crowded country (3rd biggest population in the world).
With all that, you also need to know that in most states lawyers have to sign a statement that any suit they file has merit and is not frivolous. If a court finds that the whole thing is just a waste of everyone’s time, lawyers can be fined, and the fees of the defendant can be charged to the people who filed the case.
I was under the impression that new cars put out so little carbon monoxide they are not very likely to kill you that way. So, is the whole idea that 15 people or whatever number died this way just another urban legend? And is the lawsuit also just mythology?
Finally, the keyless ignition is all very convenient, except that now when you drive the key thing is in your pocket and I find that uncomfortable, so I take it out, leave it in the center compartment, and that defeats the whole purpose. I don’t own a car with keyless, but I do rent cars with it. I assume women leave the thing in a purse, but what do men do with the fob?
I still think the,1946 and earlier Fords had the best system. The ignition switch was a toggle_switch-up for on and down for off. Turning the key locked or unlocked the steering column and the ignition switch. The key could be turned to unlock the column and the switch and then be removed. If you left the system unlocked, you could flip the ignition switch to on and press the starter button to the left of ths steering column to start the engine. You could have a heavy key ring and it wouldn’t affect the ignition switch. I never liked combining the ignition and starter switch together where one twists the key to the start position and then releases it and it goes to the run position. Chrysler brought out this system for its 1949 model, and within a few years the other manufacturers adopted the system. Now at least some manufacturers are going to the pushbutton start.
“what do men do with the fob?”
They keep them in their front pants pocket, along with the keys to the house and loose change
key fobs are pretty small, even if the car has keyless ignition
I’m going to assume you weren’t asking a real question . . .
