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Keyless Start Dangers

The New York Times recently (August 2018) published an article about a problem inherent with keyless start cars. Specifically the phenomenon of drivers pulling into their garages and, lacking the need to remove a key from the ignition switch, walking away with the vehicle still running. The home fills with odorless carbon monoxide, injuring or killing the occupants.

The problem is real and in this article we will echo the calls for action, expand on the danger, add some comments on potential solutions, and finally add our primary concerns to the mix.

The article notes that since 2006 there have been more than two dozen carbon monoxide deaths attributed to keyless start cars left running in garages. And many more have been injured with some left brain damaged. Its an excellent read and goes into great depth.

Now if your first thought is why would someone walk away from a running car, there are two answers. First, even gasoline powered cars today are remarkably quiet, particularly at idle. Second, since most of these vehicles will lock themselves if left unattended, some drivers expect that an unattended car cars will shut itself off as well. Some will, but it cannot be assumed.

A Danger Inside

There is an additional danger in hybrid cars. These may be operating on battery power when brought inside, and thus be dead quiet. However, if the ignition is left on, the internal combustion engine will eventually fire up to recharge the battery.

There is only one viable solution. Each and every keyless start vehicle on the road must shut itself down if left unattended or if no action is taken after an agreed upon time. This will mean lots of recalls, but it is the only sure fire solution.

The Times article talks about the Society of Automotive Engineers, which called for among other things adding a series of beeps to alert the driver that a car when the key fob is removed. But I will add a personal anecdote that will illustrate why this idea should be shut down. The Times piece also bemoans the lack of regulations here, which we’ll touch on in a moment.

And on to the anecdote. Shortly after buying a pre-owned car some years ago, I walked away leaving the headlights lights on. After a 10 hour day, I needed a jump start. Testing this sometime later proved that the car beeped itself silly when the door was open while the lights were still on.

There are beeps and whistles and lights in todays vehicles for everything under the sun, and for the most part, they simply aren’t heard anymore. There’s simply no guarantee that sound will get a driver’s attention.

The same engineer’s group also recommends having vehicles shut themselves down, and the discussion should simply end there. The article also noted that engineers with Toyota wanted more than audible warnings, but were rebuffed by the company. Dollars and cents are always an issue no matter how much they shouldn’t be.

Hidden Keyholes

One of our primary concerns here at DashboardSymbols.com is drivers left stranded by key fobs that have gone dead. I have sat with drivers who were stunned when I pulled a mechanical key from their fobs. We have spoken with others who knew of the key and thought it was only for the glove box.

And you simply haven’t lived until you’ve tried to talk someone through the process of prying off a piece of their car to unlock it over the phone. A dozen major auto manufacturers are now responsible for this useless bit of aggravation.

And of course, the instructions for getting inside are locked inside the car!

Its relatively easy to ascertain that a car was left running causing a carbon monoxide death. But drivers trying to work put how to get in and start their cars if their key fobs have died could very well be in very vulnerable circumstances — dark parking garages, rainy parking lots, etc. If one them is set upon, will it even be possible to conclude that they were vulnerable because their keys had died. Will first responders make the connection?

So, should any and all of this be regulated? Likely yes. But forget that. These are safety issues pure and simple, and to all auto manufacturers, it is in your own best interest to keep your drivers safe! How is this even a question?

Manufacturers, make sure your keyless start cars will shut themselves down if left unattended. All of them. And give your drivers an app with at least instructions on how to get in and start the car or better yet an app that can unlock and start the car for them. Keep your drivers safe.

You want a customer for life right? How about helping to make sure its a good long life.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

Marc Favreau

The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY

Tesla Model S Incident

We watched with a good deal of fascination the running battle between New York Times reporter John Broder and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk. Broder took to the interstate system in the northeast to test the Tesla Model S and the company’s charging stations. The resulting debacle has Tesla reeling, and while we hope and believe the end result will be a positive for the company and the buying public, we see a different problem and one that is faced daily by all car manufacturers, not just Tesla.

The reality is that new technology in nearly all new cars has drivers calling roadside assistance and service departments at alarming and increasing rates. Most drivers are more like Broder – average Joes rather than car jocks. What happened to Broder and Tesla is frankly not a new phenomenon. But because it is Tesla, the issue he faced received a great deal of attention and presents an opportunity to focus on a growing knowledge gap.

Case in point: shortly after the East Coast debacle, autoblog.com posted a video of Kelly Blue Book’s Micah Muzio – for the record, a car jock – attempting a trip from LA to Las Vegas in a Model S. On the way, he and his cameraman pulled into the Tesla Design Center to get a rundown on the car. And there we are, one minute and six seconds into the 14 minute video, and the screen shows in big bold letters “Warning! Information Overload!”

Overload Indeed

This is what an entire industry runs headlong into every day, and manages to miss! A driver getting too much information to process and remember. And in this case, the managing editor for a top automotive website!

Seriously, what chance does everyone else have???

It really is time to pause and think about this.

In the back and forth that erupted on Twitter, Rebecca Greenfield of the Atlantic Wire posted “If a New York Times reporter, with an entire squadron of Tesla employees at his disposal, can’t use a Model S electric car properly, as Tesla founder and C.E.O. Elon Musk strongly asserted in a tweet this afternoon, it doesn’t say much about the usability of Tesla’s cars for regular people.”

And while she is right, our assessments from the trenches suggest that new car dealer service departments handle nearly 30 million calls a year related to electronics issues in gas and hybrid powered vehicles (17,000 new car dealers in the U.S. and Canada averaging a half dozen calls per day). And a whole lot of those drivers are also in vehicles that won’t move, or that they are afraid to move.

These are not electric cars, but they offer a good deal of new technology unfamiliar to the driving public. Drivers need and want a car they can get into, start and drive. They have full lives and more than enough to deal with without their car companies expecting them to learn every detail about their rides.

This is not just about usability. It is also about how a vehicle communicates its status and needs to its driver. Lights, chimes, buzzers and text have been rendered useless.

The laser focus placed on the Tesla Motors incident is an opportunity to shine a light on and re-think this entire process and come up with something as new as the electric car itself. We firmly believe that Tesla will make the improvements needed in its cars. We hope that the same will be true of its car-to-driver interface, and that of every other manufacturer.