Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Due to a Defect in Your Car

 Posted on November 03, 2015 in Personal Injury

An awful story came to light recently involving a car, a keyless ignition, and an innocent elderly couple. The couple's 2013 Lincoln MKS was left running in their attached garage, and by the time their home carbon dioxide alarm alerted them, it was too late.

A lawsuit has been filed and it cites several cases in which drivers had inadvertently left their vehicles running inside enclosed garages. The buildup of toxic odorless carbon monoxide gas seeped into homes and, in the case of the elderly couple, proved deadly.

Although a relatively new convenience, keyless ignition systems are available on several new cars sold throughout the United States. These systems allow drivers to start a car with the press of a button while their electronic "key fob" remains in their pocket or pocket book. A car will not start if the key fob is not detected inside the vehicle. However, what has emerged as somewhat of a defect is that once the vehicle has been started, these systems allow to the vehicle to continue idling even though the fob is no longer in the car.

Automakers and the Fixes

Several automakers are already retroactively installing features or software to eliminate the continual running of the engine. Features include the following:

• Software to shut off a car a few minutes after the fob leaves the vehicle (in cars already in circulation);
• An “auto-off”; and
• A beeping horn if a driver leaves his or her car while it is still running.

The litigants in the highlighted case claim that Ford knew of the defect years ago but continued to promote the feature as safe. As for the audible horn in certain models, such as Lexus, it was concluded in the death of a 29 year old female in Florida that the sound of the alert was not significantly audible over the sound of the idling engine. However, automakers claim otherwise and have therefore created an impasse of sorts.

Several complaints have been placed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding the toxic fumes that occur if a car is left running. NHTSA claims that the fix is a simple one and one that is not costly to the industry as a whole.

Compassionate Legal Counsel

When a perfectly preventable scenario occurs, you have a right to fight for justice. If it turns out to be true that a massive corporation knew of a defect, and even took steps to create a fix but failed to alert the public of the potential danger, in fairness do you not deserve some kind of recourse? This is where the assistance of legal counsel experienced in personal injury litigation is key. Located in DuPage County, the team at Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices can serve your needs. Call our experienced Illinois personal injury attorneys today to schedule your complimentary consultation.