Remote Start Recall
Remote start or keyless ignition systems are contributing to the deaths of innocent Americans. But has a remote start recall been issued by federal regulators or automakers?
The sad truth is that it has not. No widespread keyless remote system recall has been made by automakers, and an estimated 5 million such vehicles remain on our roads, threatening the lives of unsuspecting Americans.
Why Is Remote Start Dangerous?
As for why remote start is a dangerous new feature in vehicles, it allows cas to be started without a key, but rather by simply pressing an on-off button or a switch — an unconventional way for drivers to start an engine, but an easy one.
The trouble is that it’s also easy to forget to turn off the engine when leaving a vehicle, since drivers no longer need to turn a key in an ignition, and since vehicles’ engines often run very quietly today. The same keyless fob whose presence in the vehicle is necessary to start it will not turn off the engine when removed from the vehicle as the driver departs.
When a parked car is left unattended with the engine running, the engine emits deadly carbon monoxide gas. This odorless, colorless, toxic gas can cause death to humans, as can happen if a car is left in an enclosed garage attached to a house and the gas seeps inside.
Up to 19 deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning emitted by remote start vehicles have been reported since the devices began being used in American cars several years ago.
How to Fix the Problem
Automakers could fix the problem easily and inexpensively by adopting one of two methods.
One is to provide an audible alert such as a beep or a honking horn to alert drivers who leave a vehicle with the keyless fob and the engine is still running. Another is to equip such vehicles with an automatic shut-off, which will turn off an engine soon after a driver has exited the vehicle.
While some newer models are being equipped with such elements as a safety measure, millions of older vehicles with remote start or keyless ignition systems remain on America’s roads. That’s because automakers have not issued a nationwide remote start recall.
Keyless Ignition Recalls to Date
Keyless ignition recalls have been made by automakers, but these have been extremely limited.
General Motors issued a remote start recall of older Chevrolet Volt hybrid vehicles in order to provide installation of software to correct the problem. Other automakers have limited such corrections to the systems installed in new cars and not yet on roads.
Directed, a leader in automotive electronics, has issued a related recall. While not an automaker with its own vehicles, Directed does manufacture electronics features for autos, and it recently issued a voluntary recall of select Directed Remote Start/Interface Systems installed on vehicles with push-to-start ignitions made from 2008-2015.
However, this remote start recall was done to prevent unintended vehicle engine shut-down in push-to-start vehicles. This remote start recall does not address the keyless start problem of engines left running in unattended vehicles.
Many safety experts, injury attorneys and concerned consumers agree that a national remote start recall should be issued for all vehicles on our roads equipped with keyless start systems which do not protect motorists from inadvertently leaving engines on.
Remote Start Lawsuits
If someone in your family already has been killed or injured by a defective remote start system which allows carbon monoxide poisoning, contact us at the Willis Law Firm today. Our law firm has decades of experience helping Americans claim the payments they legally deserve after an injury or death due to a manufacturer’s negligence.
Contact us today and we’ll provide you a free legal review of your case. Then you can elect whether or not to proceed with a remote start injury or death lawsuit.