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Ford, GM included in lawsuit alleging keyless vehicles' carbon monoxide risk

By Doug G. Ware
The Ford Motor Company was included along with several other major world automakers in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Wednesday, which alleges the automakers should have recalled millions of vehicles over a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in vehicles with keyless ignition systems. File Photo: UPI/Mark Cowan
The Ford Motor Company was included along with several other major world automakers in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Wednesday, which alleges the automakers should have recalled millions of vehicles over a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning in vehicles with keyless ignition systems. File Photo: UPI/Mark Cowan | License Photo

DETROIT, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Just about every major world automaker has been listed as a defendant in a lawsuit that alleges the companies should have recalled millions of vehicles due to a carbon monoxide risk with "keyless" starter systems.

The class action suit, filed in Los Angeles Federal Court Wednesday, holds the automakers -- Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Honda, GM, BMW, Volkswagen, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and Kia -- responsible for not recalling keyless vehicles, over concerns that their exhaust systems could remain running unless the driver hits the "stop" button to kill the engine.

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The lawsuit says the automakers sold the vehicles "without instituting adequate safeguards, warnings, or other safety features."

Some of those vehicles, though, are equipped with an audible alarm system designed to notify the driver if they leave the automobile with the engine still running.

"For years the Automakers have known about the deadly consequences that can result when a driver exits a vehicle with our without the keyless fob and without having depressed the Start/Stop button," the suit says. "Nevertheless, even though an Auto-Off feature can be implemented without significant effort or cost, the Automakers have refused to act."

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Most of the automakers named in the suit have not yet commented, but a couple issued a statement.

"Ford takes the safety of our customers very seriously; the keyless ignition system has proven to be a safe and reliable innovative feature that has been well-received by customers," Ford Motor Company said in response. "Ford vehicles equipped with keyless ignition alert drivers when the driver's door is open and the vehicle's engine is running."

"Volkswagen Group of America and its brands consider the safety and satisfaction of its consumers and passengers as a top priority," the German automaker said. "All brands within the Volkswagen Group are engineered to meet or exceed all government regulations."

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