Toyota Carbon Monoxide Lawsuit Filed Over Keyless Ignition System

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Toyota by the family of a Florida woman who died from carbon monoxide poisoning that was allegedly caused by problems with a vehicle’s keyless ignition system.

The family of Chasity Glisson, 29, alleges that she died and her boyfriend, Timothy Maddock, was nearly killed after her Lexus was left running in the garage. As a result of the vehicle failing to shut off, carbon monoxide gas filled the couple’s townhouse in Boca Raton, Florida last August.

According to allegations raised in the Toyota carbon monoxide lawsuit, the vehicle’s keyless ignition should have some sort of safety feature that shuts it down. The system has been attributed to a number of carbon monoxide deaths by people who were unaware the vehicle was left running.

The complaint, filed by Maddock and Kimberlin Nickles, Glisson’s mother, also aims charges at Marbella Premium Apartments for lacking proper ventilation.

In November 2010 a similar carbon monoxide poisoning lawsuit was filed by Mary Rivera of Queens, New York, who blamed the Toyota Smart Key keyless ignition system on severe injuries she suffered when her Lexus was left running in the garage under her home. Rivera suffered brain damage and lost the ability to walk. She requires 24-hour care. Ernest Codelia, Jr. died in the incident.

The Toyota Smart Key is a fob that can attach to a key ring that starts the vehicle automatically or warms it up when the driver comes within range, depending on the settings. There is only a push-button ignition, with no key to insert, remove, or turn to start and stop the vehicle.

A number of users of Toyota Smart Keys have reported problems to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), saying that they accidentally left the engines running with the Smart Key in their pocket, the lawsuit claims.

Carbon monoxide is a significantly toxic gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless and lacks any sort of irritating factor that could allow someone to detect its presence. Leaks of carbon monoxide are the leading cause of fatal poisonings in the United States, injuring about 40,000 people annually. The first symptoms of CO poisoning, which could include headaches, nausea, light headedness and flu like symptoms, are often not attributed to a gas leak, potentially resulting in prolonged exposure.

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