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10 automakers sued over keyless ignitions

Keyless ignition has rapidly proliferated throughout the auto industry to become a fairly normal feature on new cars. It's supposed to offer the convenience of keeping the fob in your pocket and just pressing a button to drive away. However, ten major automakers are now being sued in US District Court over claims that the system is dangerous, Reuters reports. The suit alleges that people are forgetting to shut off the engine, and the lack of an idle timer is the cause for 13 deaths by carbon monoxide poisoning and multiple injuries. The suit currently includes 28 plaintiffs, according to Reuters, but the lawyers are asking for class-action status to potentially add many more. The case goes after a major swath of the industry, including BMW, Daimler, FCA, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen, plus their related brands like Acura, Infiniti, Mini, and Lexus. In all, over five million vehicles are affected. The assertion here is that people walk away from their vehicle without shutting it off because they believe the engine shuts off automatically. If parked in a garage, carbon monoxide can build up, leading to poisoning. The lawyers claim automakers know this is a problem and also cite 27 complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the issue, according to Reuters. The plaintiffs are asking for an automatic shut-off and damages from the companies. These concerns have come up before, though. Toyota previously faced a lawsuit over a carbon monoxide death after a woman accidentally left her Lexus running. Also earlier this year, GM recalled 64,186 examples of the 2011-2013 Chevrolet Volt because owners weren't shutting them off. The problem resulted in two injuries, and the company released a software update to limit the idling time.

2018 Lexus LS 500 gets the F Sport treatment

Lexus has used this year's auto show season for a continuous rollout of its all-new flagship sedan, the 2018 LS 500. It debuted in Detroit, followed by the hybrid LS 500h in Geneva. For New York, the updated LS gets the F Sport treatment, which includes design touches, chassis tuning and added stopping power. The 2018 Lexus LS F Sport, whether in gas-only or hybrid trim, receives a set of 20-inch alloy wheels and larger, six-piston caliper front and four-piston rear brakes. Up front, the F Sport grille is refined beyond that of the standard LS, and Lexus notes that it took CAD designers five months to get the desired look, with its 7,100 individual surfaces. Other visual changes include an enlarged side grille, unique rocker panels, trunk moldings, and, of course, F Sport badging. The Ultra White exterior is exclusive to the F Sport version. Inside the car, F Sport front seats offer more support for spirited driving. The driver commands the car through an F Sport steering wheel, aluminum pedals, and a perforated shift lever. Details like the Ultrasuede in the seats and headliner and brushed aluminum trim add to the interior's sporty refinement. For a bolder look, Lexus offers the F Sport-exclusive Circuit Red interior. Just one version, though – the rear-drive, gasoline LS 500 – will offer a handling package for more prowess on curvy roads. It features Lexus Dynamic Handling, which includes variable ratio steering, and active rear steering to help guide the rear wheels around corners. The sport tuned air suspension includes the Active Stabilizer system for flatter cornering. The powertrain and its output figures remain unchanged from the standard version. The new Lexus LS is set to go on sale in early 2018. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Lexus LS 500 F Sport: New York 2017 View 15 Photos Related Gallery 2017 Lexus LS 500 F Sport View 27 Photos News Source: LexusImage Credit: Live photos copyright 2017 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com New York Auto Show Lexus Luxury Sedan f sport

Google shares more details on self-driving car accidents

Google has pledged to release monthly reports on the status of its self-driving car program, and says these updates will include information on accidents involving the vehicles. But the company won't release the actual accident reports, a sore point for activists who recently have clamored for the company to be more transparent in the way it tests this promising technology on public roads. "Google is dribbling out bits of information in the hope to silence legitimate calls for full transparency," said John Simpson, privacy director for Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit that has asked Google to release reports from the 12 accidents the company says it has been involved in over the past six years. "They are testing on public roads, and the public has a right to know exactly what happened when something goes wrong." Under California law, the accident reports are not considered public records. Google has attributed all accidents to human error, and says drivers of the other cars involved caused 11 of the 12 accidents. In eight of those, the Google cars were rear-ended, and the autonomous vehicles were sideswiped in two other crashes. One of the accidents occurred at an intersection when a human driver failed to yield at a stop sign, and in one incident, a Google driver accidentally rear-ended another car while manually driving. Google had previously provided those details. The first monthly report installment sheds new light on which types of self-driving vehicles were involved, directions of travel, locations, and whether the cars were operating in autonomous or manual mode. Update: Google says this information comes directly from the OL 316 forms used to report accidents involving autonomous cars in California, though it has "edited the summaries lightly to protect other drivers' information." But Google still will not release the original OL 316 forms, nor the "traffic collision report" forms used in California to report accidents. Another company that has been involved in a single self-driving car accident, Delphi Automotive, has released this information, which verified its car was not at fault. Regarding Google, Simpson said, "We now know a few more details of what happened. The problem is that it's Google's version and they want us to take their word for it." The Google self-report adds information that goes beyond accidents, with further details on the company's overall program.