Glitch in Auto Start/Stop Nearly Proves Fatal
Daily Slideshow: An unfortunate combination of not paying attention and malfunctioning car-tech systems led to garage filling with deadly carbon monoxide.
How did it unfold?
Rob Fine, an enthusiast of cars, motorcycles, and boats, drives a Porsche Cayenne, a great choice for any driving enthusiast with a family who needs the practicality of an SUV. Despite his familiarity with cars, he was fooled into thinking the car was already turned off when it wasn't. "What tricked me was the auto [start-stop] feature," Fine told thedrive.com. "I pulled into my garage, and the engine shut off as if I was at a stop light. I was distracted by my children in the car and forgot to turn the keyless ignition to off."
Where did the technology fail?
The way it worked was like this: Fine had already put the transmission into park and was fully aware that he needed to press the start-stop button to turn the car off. However, because of the fuel-saving feature that automatically turns the engine off when the car is stopped in traffic, the sounds and sensations of the running engine weren't there to remind him to press the button. Unfortunately, this happened at the moment when his kids distracted him. And due to the keyfob's proximity to the car, the engine started again when the battery voltage got low.
Why is carbon monoxide so dangerous?
Well, for one, carbon monoxide is both odorless and colorless, so it’s very hard to detect. When it enters a person’s airways, it deprives the heart, brain and other vital organs of oxygen. Victims are often found with a cherry red rash, a symptom of carbon monoxide molecules attaching to red blood cells. Those who survive live with irreversible brain damage.
What will Fine do?
"I intended to write to Porsche to suggest that if a keyless entry vehicle with auto [start-stop] is put into Park, it shouldn’t restart automatically as the battery gets low," says Fine. "I’m sure a software tweak could solve for that."
Has this happened before?
Earlier in the year, the New York Times ran an article about the dangers of keyless vehicles, pointing out that nearly two dozen people have been killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in the US since 2006 after a keyless-ignition car was accidentally left running in a garage; dozens of others have been injured.
Keyless ignitions are now standard in more than 50% of the 17 million new cars sold annually in the US.
Per the article: “Rather than a physical key, drivers carry a fob that transmits a radio signal, and as long as the fob is present, a car can be started with the touch of a button. But weaned from the habit of turning and removing a key to shut off the motor, drivers — particularly older ones — can be lulled by newer, quieter engines into mistakenly thinking that it has stopped running.”
Nearly a decade ago, the Society of Automotive Engineers called for features like a series of beeps to alert drivers that cars were still running without the key fob in or near the car, and in some cases to shut the engine off automatically. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed a federal regulation based on this idea, a software change that the group explained could be accomplished for pennies per vehicle. The auto industry opposed and the plan has since been stuck in political limbo. Today, it’s still a rule under consideration.
For more advice on maintaining your Porsche check out the how-to sections of Rennlist.com.