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Keyless ignition class action

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by bwilson4web, Aug 28, 2015.

  1. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Source: Keyless ignition class action lawsuit launched in US against 10 automakers – report

    Ok, I'm not a great fan of the 2010 Prius version. I would prefer a position switch, no key needed, but positive indication of the desired function. Had the Saylor family had it, their fatal accident could have been avoided.

    Still, I think there is merit in having a default OFF after say "N" minutes with the option of "N" being say 30 min or 'no limit.'

    Bob Wilson
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    no car will ever be safe, inherently, or due to other drivers or ones own stupidity. still, there's always room for improvement.

    a guy made a table saw, with a blade brake that worked so fast, it would slice a hot dog. but nobody buys them.
     
  3. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Concur.
    I'm never opposed to interlocks......as long as they're defeatable...or they have a battle short.
    Battleshort - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    All of my office GENSETs are equipped with the usual myriad of sensors, some of which can cause a false low out of spec condition shutting down the generator when you need it the most (like.....during a storm!)
    Military, and some civie gear have overrides or "battle short" settings that allow things to run until they die.
    Some people like to go camping or use their Priuses as an alternate power source, and sometimes it's handy to leave the car on and be able to lock the doors.
    I like the positive action required to put the [sic] smart key into a slot to boot the car and remove it to deactivate the car.
    It seems to me that this might be a good way to help thwart the beneficial aspects of Darwinism.....but in the end, you're just playing safety feature "Whack-a-Mole."


    "...The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits."
    Albert Einstein
    (attribution disputed)
     
  4. srellim234

    srellim234 Senior Member

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    I'm all for anything to make things safer but suing and forcing this issue in this instance is not one I agree with. Each manufacturer should be able to deal with it as they see fit. I addressed it like this in another thread about the same subject:

    "To be perfectly honest it sounds like an attorney grasping for a big paycheck.

    No life should be trivialized but Toyota sold a million Prii between 2000 and 2011 in the United States. That makes that one event a one in a million event. Park those cars in the garage every night for three years and it becomes a one in a billion event. Add to that the opportunity for people to use carbon monoxide detectors in the home and the odds become even longer.

    I have a set routine I follow before I get out of the Prius anywhere. If I'm walking away from the car (into the store or into the house) as opposed to doing something like getting out just to open or close the garage door when I back out or pull in, I do not even start to get out until the gear selection on the dash turns off after hitting the power button. Kind of a post-flight checklist I go through with any car, keyless or not. If anything is lit, I don't get out until I'm comfortable with the way things are.

    My wife, on the other hand, has three times left the keys in the ignition of a car (non hybrid), locked it and left it running while going to the movies, shopping, etc. without realizing it. Not a keyless car, an actual key. She has called me or the Auto Club to open it back up for her. Is it really the car manufacturers' responsibility to protect her from that or is that her responsibility as a car owner and operator? Do those few occurrences justify the expense and effort involved in retrofitting millions of cars?

    Nothing is foolproof and if you try to make it so the world will always come up with a new and improved fool."
     
    Trollbait likes this.