Keyless Cars and the Risk of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
April 18, 2025- Categories: Personal Injury
Keyless ignitions on new vehicles have gained in popularity in recent years, but a startling report from the New York Times reveals something alarming: Dozens of people have been killed from carbon monoxide poisoning after they did not turn off the keyless ignition on their car. If you or a loved one has been affected by such an incident, consulting an experienced car accident lawyer can help you understand your rights.
If you or someone you love has suffered harm due to a keyless ignition system issue, Neale & Fhima APC can potentially help you get justice through the compensation you deserve. Call 888-407-2955 for a free consultation today.
A keyless ignition system allows the driver to start a vehicle by pressing a button in the vehicle; the electronic key fob is in their purse or pocket. The technology first came to America in the early 2000s.
A class action lawsuit brought by injury lawyers in 2015 claimed there had been 13 deaths related to carbon monoxide and keyless ignition vehicles. A judge threw out the suit in 2016. But a New York Times report published in 2018 suggests the problem could be more pervasive than initially believed.
A possible solution suggested by the Society of Automotive Engineers is to require car makers to feature warning signals, such as a series of beeps, to warn drivers that their vehicle is still running. Given the rise in cases handled by a distracted driving accident lawyer, the NHTSA backed a new regulation that supported this concept.
The auto industry came out against the rule, and the NHTSA has not yet followed up with anything. The agency also started a probe into seven car manufacturers several years ago that attempted to find data on the safety features that have been installed on keyless ignition products, but this inquiry was wound down very quickly.
The team at Neale & Fhima leverages decades of combined experience to provide each client with robust, effective representation.
Some auto manufacturers are volunteering to have these types of safety features on their keyless entry systems, but others are not. Lexus vehicles have been involved in nearly 50% of the carbon monoxide deaths to date in the United States.
Product Liability Overview
Neale & Fhima, serving Los Angeles and surrounding areas, reminds readers that they can file a product liability lawsuit if a defective part of the vehicle caused damage or injury. This can be done on the basis of several legal theories:
- Breach of warranty: This can include either an express or implied guarantee.
- Negligence: The dealer or manufacturer failed to exercise reasonable care.
- Strict liability: The auto part or product was inherently dangerous and this led to injury.
- Misrepresentation or fraud: There was deceptive marketing or concealment of a danger.
Consumers who have been injured by a defective product, such as a vehicle keyless entry system, should remember they have legal rights.
Damages
With a successful case, a plaintiff can recover numerous damages for their monetary and non-monetary losses. Monetary losses in cases involving carbon monoxide poisoning include medical and hospital expenses and lost wages, among others. Non-monetary losses, on the other hand, are intangible but devastating nonetheless. They include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
In the unfortunate event a person dies as a result of a keyless entry system, the victim’s family may have grounds to file a wrongful death lawsuit. In California, a person’s surviving family members may file a lawsuit.
The problem in cases such as these is that product makers and their insurance companies are not in the custom of willingly paying out damages to plaintiffs. Instead, insurance companies and defendants put up the most rigorous defenses against injury and wrongful death claims. Without an attorney representing them, victims and their families rarely get what they deserve.
Acting Quickly
A successful product liability claim is utterly dependent on timely action by the victim or their family members. There is a statute of limitations for wrongful death claims in California, as well as for personal injury lawsuits. Both require that the plaintiff file a lawsuit within two years of the date of the harm or lose the right to compensation.
In addition to the statutes of limitations, plaintiffs in wrongful death and personal injury cases should act quickly to ensure that their attorneys have access to evidence that tends to become unavailable after too much time after an accident.
Contact a Los Angeles Product Liability Attorney Now
Neale & Fhima has many years of experience as personal injury lawyers, holding auto manufacturers responsible if they manufacture a product that leads to personal injury or death. If you have been injured by a defective or dangerous keyless entry system on a vehicle, please contact our law offices today for a complimentary consultation. We serve all of Los Angeles and Orange counties.
If you or someone you care about has been harmed by carbon monoxide or any other factor related to a vehicle, contact Neale & Fhima for a free consultation. Learn about the justice you may be entitled to. Call 888-407-2955 today.
Attorney Aaron Fhima
Aaron Fhima is a trial attorney who has secured numerous settlements and verdicts against large corporations and some of the largest auto manufacturers in the world. Representing consumers and injury victims throughout the state of California, Aaron’s practice areas include personal injury, and lemon law litigation. Aaron has a long record of success taking on large defense firms; and he doesn’t hesitate to take cases to trial when necessary to enforce his clients’ rights. [ Attorney Bio ]
