Ford Focus, Honda Civic and Nissan Juke Among I.I.H.S. Top Safety Picks

By CHERYL JENSEN
On Thursday, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released crash-test results for 13 small cars. Six earned top scores, bringing the total number of small cars named top safety picks by the institute to 22.

The I.I.H.S., which is funded by the insurance industry, also released a list of the 10 small cars that claim top crash-test scores as well as the highest fuel economy ratings in their class.

The six top safety picks consist of 2011 and 2012 models. They are the 2012 Ford Focus and the Honda Civic four-door, as well as the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, the Lexus CT 200h, the Nissan Juke and Toyota Prius.

Other vehicles that were tested but not named top safety picks were the 2011 Dodge Caliber, the Honda CR-Z and Insight, the Nissan Sentra and Versa, the Scion xD and Suzuki SX4.

To earn the top designation, a vehicle must receive a rating of good in all four of the institute’s crash tests: front, side, rear and rollover. Electronic stability control must be available at least as an option. The institute rates on a scale of good, acceptable, marginal and poor.

The Civic, CT 200h, Elantra, Focus and Prius are all produced with at least one model or trim level that achieves an E.P.A. fuel economy rating of at least 40 m.p.g. on the highway.

“The bottom line is that small-car safety is improving, and that many of the most fuel-efficient cars that are available today are now available with very high levels of crash protection, which wasn’t the case a few years ago,” said David Zuby, the institute’s chief research officer, in a telephone interview.

Indeed, most small cars now are equipped with air bags and electronic stability control as standard equipment, and are designed to help protect people better in front, side, rollover and rear-impact crashes.

But the laws of physics still apply, Mr. Zuby noted. People who are more interested in safety than fuel efficiency, for example, would be better served buying a larger car.

When the institute began naming top safety picks with 2006 model-year vehicles, the criteria were less stringent than today. Still, only three small cars — the Honda Civic, Saab 9-2X and Subaru Impreza — received the distinction.

The Hyundai Elantra is an example of the changes that have taken place in this segment. Now a top safety pick, it once earned some of the lowest crash test scores of any passenger vehicles.

The institute also noted that newer small cars achieved substantially better gas mileage than their old models managed.

What prevented 7 of the 13 tested small cars from earning top marks? Five received an acceptable rating in one or more of the tests. They were the Honda CR-Z and Insight, the Nissan Versa and Sentra, and the Scion xD. Meanwhile, the Suzuki SX4 received marginal ratings for rollover and rear protection. The Dodge Caliber also was deemed marginal for side protection, but acceptable in the rollover test.

None of the small cars received a rating of poor in any tests.

For complete lists, visit the I.I.H.S. Web site.

Source;
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/26/ford-focus-honda-civic-and-nissan-juke-among-i-i-h-s-top-safety-picks/

Automobile Tips: Teaching car safety to your kids

Automobile Tips: Teaching car safety to your kids - Every day, there's an account of a fatal car crash involving teens, almost all of which might have been avoided. When a teen obtains their driving permit, this by no means ensures that this young driver knows everything there is to know about car safety. Parents worry, because they know that a teen lacks experience and judgment in many areas of life and that this extends to operating a car safely. Here we present tips to teaching your kids about car safety. It can save lives.

Learning good driving habits, before your child is eligible to apply for their driving permit is an essential prequel to actually getting behind the wheel. Kids become excited about the prospect of driving. This represents a coming of age, independence and adulthood. As you may remember, you were much the same. A certain recklessness accompanies this transition to adulthood, no matter how you've tried to instill them with responsible action and good judgment. You should never rely on driver's education training covering all the bases of car safety. While teachers may do their best, you can't count on your child paying attention at the time a particular point is discussed.

You've got to be subtle in your approach to preparing them for when they finally can apply for the coveted permit. Starting at about the age of 14, they're already thinking of being able to drive. Older siblings and friends have them hyped. Start with simple things. When you get in the car to go shopping, remark on the use of seat belts. For example, you might say, “Did you know that it wasn't until the mid 1960s that it became law that everyone must wear seat belts when driving? Do you know why?” If they don't know, explain.

There are lots of other ways to convey points of car safety to your kids. Let's say you're driving on the highway, when a big truck suddenly cuts you off, moving into your lane without warning. If you've got your eyes on the road, you can move onto the shoulder, apply your brakes and recover without mishap. “You know, I've learned that you've got to be a defensive driver and always keep your eyes on the road. That's why I never turn to talk to you when I'm driving. That dumb driver could have caused an accident!” Leave it at that. Don't lecture. Your child will take note of how close you came to getting wiped out in a heartbeat, and why.

This type of situation is also a good time to mention the '10-2' position on the steering wheel as an car safety component. Positioning your hands at roughly the 10 and 2 o'clock coordinates gives you a far greater measure of control of the vehicle in any emergency maneuver. Kids will absorb this information, so long as it's not presented as a lecture.

Make it a habit to inspect the area behind the car each time you get in the car and drive off. You might even go out and deliberately put one of the kid's bikes behind the vehicle in order to make your point. Again, your child will see the point of this lesson in car safety without you saying anything beyond, “It's a good idea to make a habit of checking for stuff behind the car – Joe's bike would have been toast.”

In addition to setting an example of good car safety practices, enroll your child in an intensive driving course program. These teach kids how to handle emergencies on the road, such as the truck incident, flood conditions which cause hydroplaning and other quick maneuvers that can prevent accidents. These programs are conducted on safe, off-road courses, with pylons used to simulate various conditions. Learning such car safety operations teaches the driver to react automatically, averting accidents. Kids who complete such programs are better drivers and get better insurance rates, too.

Most states now have laws against using cell phones while driving. This is an especially tempting car safety issue for kids. Set an example. Never use your cell while driving. If you get a call, ask your child to pick it up and take a message. “Mom's driving now, can she call you back?”

Drinking and driving is a major cause of accidents among teen drivers. Your local police department may have training videos, showing the consequences of drunk driving. Check out the video and watch it with your child. You won't need to say anything more. The evidence will speak for itself.

Teach your kids the value of checking water, oil, gas and fluid levels, as well as carrying extras of these in the trunk for emergencies. Again, a little subterfuge helps drive the point home. Let your water level get a bit low on a hot summer's day. “Oh, it looks like the car's overheating. I'm going to pull over and check the water.” Refill from your antifreeze store in the trunk. “Can you imagine being stuck out here in this heat?”

After a year plus of your car safety hints and completion of an intensive driving course program, your child will be well prepared to practice good driving habits when they finally get that driver's permit.

Auto regulators drop rule for power window safety requirement

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) withdrew proposed rulemaking for an automatic reverse function that would prevent a child’s neck or hand from getting caught in a closing window, if they inadvertently pressed down the switch that raises the window.

There are few fatalities or serious injuries that additional safety requirements could prevent, NHTSA stated in a notice about the nixed rule. Any new regulation “would instead address primarily ‘finger-pinch’ type injuries.”

Vehicle redesigns have largely addressed the issue, and now have window switches that need to be pulled up. Window switches that are pressed down to close automatic windows have been replaced, virtually eliminating the hazard. This leaves only older vehicles with that specific safety hazard.

NHTSA also asked for a delay in requiring backup cameras in cars. Both measures are part of the 2007 Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act, for which Consumers Union originally lobbied.

Consumers can check out which vehicles have auto-reverse safety features through safercar.gov
—Maggie Shader

Source;
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/safety/2011/03/auto-regulators-drop-rule-for-power-window-safety-requirement.html?EXTKEY=I91CONL&CMP=OTC-ConsumeristRSS

Keyless Ingnition Leads to CO2 Poisoning, Deaths

As I've mentioned before, I really hope Honda stays away from this push button ignition, and if we do go to it, do it with the key like how they did it on the S2000....
Car keys are becoming obsolete as more and more carmakers offer keyless ignition fobs, but the item that's supposed to make life easier for drivers is now accused of taking life in three separate incidents, and causing accidents and headaches for drivers across the country.

Three deaths -- one in New York, and two in Florida -- are raising the spotlight on keyless ignition, after drivers who left engines running in attached garages died of carbon monoxide poisoning in their sleep.

Mary Rivera of New York survived the carbon monoxide poisoning that killed her longtime partner, Ernie Codelia.

The former school superintendent and college professor says the permanent brain damage she now suffers was caused by the keyless ignition feature on her 2008 Lexus.

Rivera's lawyer, Noah Kushlefsky, says the feature lacks adequate warning and didn't stop Rivera from inadvertently leaving her car running, even though the fob was separated from the car by both distance and time.

"The engine should shut off after a specific period of time of inactivity," Kushlefsky said. "It's a problem that's only going to be magnified as more cars end up on the road with keyless start."

Toyota said it sympathizes with the families of anyone injured as a result of exposure to carbon monoxide.

The company didn't comment on the lawsuits filed in the Rivera incident, but did offer a statement on its keyless technology:

"Toyota's electronic key system fully complies with applicable federal motor vehicle standards and provides multiple layers of visual and auditory warnings to alert occupants that the vehicle is running when the driver exits with the key fob. Electronic key systems such as Toyota's are neither new nor unique within the automobile industry."

According to Edmunds.com, electronic key systems are featured on more than 150 2010 model year vehicles.

Automakers offer various iterations of keyless ignition.

As of last year the feature was offered in nearly 150 models, ranging from high-end to bargain models.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now considering tighter restrictions which would standardize keyless ignition technology due to concerns of carbon monoxide poisoning, vehicle roll-away thefts and shutting off moving vehicles in an emergency.

Source (via autoblog);
http://www.41nbc.com/news/health-news/997-keyless-ingnition-leads-to-co2-poisoning-deaths#

OnStar to provide service for non-GM cars, unveils aftermarket product at Consumer Electronics Show

Las Vegas - Today OnStar announced it would make its services available in non-GM cars through an aftermarket rear view mirror replacement. The mirror frame features the blue OnStar button, along with buttons for emergency response and hands-free phone calling, similar to its appearance in GM vehicles.

The bulky replacement mirror combines a GPS chip, accelerometer, Bluetooth hardware, and a cellular chip to connect with OnStar services and operators. OnStar uses Verizon for its voice and data connections.

The mirror uses its accelerometer to determine if a crash has occurred, which triggers OnStar's emergency collision response. An OnStar operator will attempt to contact the vehicle occupants and call emergency responders as needed, using the GPS signal to determine the car's location.

The GPS also enables OnStar's stolen vehicle location service.

Similar to OnStar in GM vehicles, the aftermarket mirror provides turn-by-turn navigation from an OnStar operator. The device pairs with Bluetooth cell phones allowing hands-free calling.

Users can also get a prepaid calling plan through OnStar, and use the mirror as a phone.

This aftermarket OnStar implementation suffers from a few limitations. It does not connect to a car's OBD-II port, so cannot offer remote door unlock or engine start. OnStar is also not offering an associated smartphone app, as it is with the Chevrolet Volt.

OnStar has tested the mirror in a wide variety of non-GM vehicles, and says it is compatible with cars from Ford, Lincoln, Toyota, Nissan, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, and Honda.

The mirror is expected to be available in early Summer at Best Buy. OnStar recommends a professional installation. The unit will cost $299, with the cheapest service plan at $18.95 per month.

Source;
http://ces.cnet.com/8301-32254_1-20027278-283.html

Jalponik.com : How A Cadaver Made Your Car Safer

Whoa....gruesome, but it's hard to argue with the results....
A highly-promoted feature in the 2011 Ford Explorer are its new inflatable rear seat belts. The not-so-highly-promoted working stiffs that helped make it happen? Human cadavers. Here's how automakers still quietly use dead people to make your car safer.

When automakers and safety advocates show off the results of crash tests, they inevitably run video showing empty vehicles or crash test dummies; back in the 1980s, they even turned the dummies into lovable cartoon characters. What the industry doesn't like talking about is how much of the safety innovation in vehicles was built around testing cadavers.

Since the 1930s, when researchers at Wayne State University first threw a body down an elevator shaft to see what kind of forces it could sustain, cadavers have been essential to making driving safer. Every part of a car touching on safety — from steering columns and laminated windshields to side-impact air bags — has science from cadaver tests making sure they work.

"It's still very important," said Priya Prasad, a former top safety researcher at Ford. "Even though we have very good math modeling of dummies, human modeling hasn't reached that state yet."

Automakers prefer to keep their names away from such ickiness. When a Swedish researcher told a newspaper in 2008 that General Motors and Saab were using cadavers in research, both companies quickly denied the story. And as far as the denial goes, it's true: automakers don't have the medical resources that cadaver tests require.

But universities do. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration funds scores of cadaver tests at schools across the country every year; many of those schools also get grants from automakers. And the data they gather can be shared widely.

That's the case with Ford's inflatable seat belts, an idea it's been testing for several years. The 2011 Explorer will be the first vehicle in the world to offer them, and Ford has made the belts a highlight of the safety features offered to compete against other family haulers.

But before the system could be sold, Ford had to answer myriad questions. Just because it has an air bag doesn't mean the belts would automatically do a better job of shielding passengers from injuries than standard seat belts. It could even be worse: What would happen to children who were sleeping on the belts when they inflated?

Most of Ford's tests used the family of dummies developed by the industry, including ones that mimic children. But without a cadaver test, Ford couldn't know for sure how the inflatable belt would affect internal organs and tissues.

Typically in cadaver tests, as the one pictured above run by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, researchers swaddle the body in stockings, including one over its face, partly for scientific reasons and partly out of respect. The arms and hands, if still attached, are bound in place to keep them from moving during a simulated crash, and sensors record the forces on various parts.

After the test, researchers would likely have used x-rays and autopsies to examine how much damage the cadaver sustained. Ford shared the results with NHTSA but deemed them confidential business information — meaning we can't access them by way of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request — but given that the belts are going on sale, we can guess the tests were successful.

Universities which run such tests have standard procedures for handling cadavers that cover every step of the process, from informing the relatives of a donor what the body will be used for to disposing of the remains.

Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood said the company, like the rest of the industry, was trying to move into digital modeling for crash testing whenever possible. It's far cheaper to run thousands of computer simulations of a crash test with a digital wireframe than to do even one test with a dummy. And either test is less squeamish to the general public than crash-testing involving a once-living, breathing body. It's no wonder they're in no mood to publicize their continued, but still very necessary, use.

"If there's a specific need (for a cadaver test), we will look outside the company to see if someone can help, but most of our work is digital," Sherwood said.

Albert King, a professor at Wayne State who has been working in cadaver research since 1966, said the school's tests had fallen off in recent years; where it used to do one cadaver test a month on average, it now did a few a year if that. King once estimated that such tests saved 8,500 lives a year.

The major reason? After six decades, there's not much room left to improve safety inside the car. With even low-end vehicles offering eight air bags, most research has turned toward how to prevent crashes in the first place.

"We have most of the information we need," King said. "The rest of it we're doing through computer."

But it's not just cars that benefit. Researchers have drawn on Wayne State's cadaver work to design helmets that might prevent concussions in NFL players. NASA has used cadavers to test crashworthiness in the past, and the Defense Department-backed studies rely on cadaver work to better understand traumatic brain injuries.

Prasad says as good as computer models are, they still can't capture the exact essence of how human tissue reacts.

"It's always a good idea when you're developing something to do cadaver testing," he said.

Source;
http://jalopnik.com/5622667/how-a-cadaver-made-your-car-safer

NHTSA To Update Test Process for Five-Star Safety Ratings

Just the Facts:
NHTSA will test 55 vehicles using new crash methods.
The new tests will result in a single, easy to compare score.
NHTSA says it will be harder for vehicles to achieve the coveted five-star rating under the new test criteria.

WASHINGTON — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will test 55 vehicles from the 2011 model year, putting them through a new "tougher" crash test and giving them a single overall safety grade at the end. It's part of NHTSA's newly updated five-star safety rating program.

The agency says the changes to the program will make it easier for consumers to compare the safety performance of different vehicles. The safety ratings will also include information about lane departure, forward collision warning and other modern electronic safety features on vehicles. NHTSA says it will be harder for vehicles to achieve the coveted five-star rating under the new test criteria.

The list of vehicles to be tested includes 24 passenger cars, 20 SUVs, two vans and nine pickups, all from the 2011 model year. The list includes the Audi A4 ; BMW 5 Series; Buick Lucerne; Chevrolet Cruze and Malibu; Dodge Caliber; Ford Fiesta, Fusion and Taurus; Honda Accord and Civic; Hyundai Sonata; Infiniti M37; Kia Forte and Optima; Mazda 6; Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Nissan Altima, Sentra and Versa; Toyota Camry, Corolla and Prius; and Volkswagen Jetta.

The SUVs to be tested are the Acura MDX; Chevrolet Tahoe, Traverse and Equinox; Ford Edge and Escape; Honda CR-V and Pilot; Jeep Grand Cherokee; Kia Sorento and Soul; Lexus RX 350; Nissan Murano and Rogue; Subaru Forester and Outback; Toyota Highlander, RAV4 and Venza; and the Volvo XC60.

The vans are the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. The pickup trucks to undergo the new NHTSA testing are Chrysler's Ram 1500 Crew and Quad Cab models, the Ford F-150 Super Cab and Super Crew Cab and the Ranger Extended Cab, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Extended and Crew Cab and Toyota's Tacoma and Tundra Double Cab models.

NHTSA did not give details of the new crash test protocol. The agency also said it will not be possible to compare the new safety ratings to NHTSA's previous ones since the criteria are different. The new ratings will be made available at NHTSA's Web site once they are completed.

Source;
http://www.insideline.com/car-news/nhtsa-to-update-test-process-for-five-star-safety-ratings.html

Honda to install brake override

This is an example of Honda being Honda, Proactive...

Honda Motor Co. will install a brake override system on Honda and Acura brand vehicles starting in August and expects to have equipped all models with the safety system by the end of 2011.

Congress is weighing mandatory brake override systems as a result of investigations into hundreds of reports of unintended acceleration of Toyota Motor Corp. as well as other vehicles.
In vehicles equipped with brake override systems, pressure on the brake overrides other commands and reduces the power going to the engine.

"We are committed to applying Brake Priority Logic on 100 percent of Honda and Acura passenger vehicles produced for the North American market by the end of calendar year 2011, with our first application coming to market in late August 2010," Honda's U.S. sales subsidiary said today in a statement.

Source;

http://detnews.com/article/20100526/AUTO01/5260435/1148/auto01/Honda-to-install-brake-override

CarShark Software Lets You Hack Into, Control And Kill Any Car

Whoa! Yikes!
CarShark's a computer program that'll let someone hack into a car's onboard computer system to kill the brakes, disable the engine, blast music and otherwise wreak electronic havoc. It's both clever and absolutely frightening. Here's how it works.

A team of researchers led by professors at the University of Washington and USCD hacked the Controller Area Network (CAN) system installed on all new cars built in the United States to show how potentially vulnerable the system is. The CAN is supposed to allow onboard vehicle systems to communicate so problems are easier to diagnose, but the hands of these hackers it's the open door to disabling a vehicle.

The researchers connected to the car via a simple OBD-II computer port and using the CarShark program, identified the packets of information being trafficked across the CAN. For some hacks they used a process called "fuzzing" and sent random bits of code to disrupt them. This caused horns to blow, trunks to pop and even the brakes to stop functioning. There's supposed to be a failsafe override for the brakes, but jamming the ABS solenoids could lock up the brakes so they're not usable.

The most frightening attack is called "self-destruct" and essentially counts down from 60 seconds on the dash clock and then shuts off the engine and locks the door.

Don't freak out too much. It's not a simple task for someone without a degree in computer science to access the CAN and rewrite the code for a modern car, but that it's possible at all is something scientists think automakers need to consider when protecting these systems.
The full research report can be found here.

Source;
http://jalopnik.com/5539181/carshark-software-lets-you-hack-into-control-and-kill-any-car

Toyota Announces Pedal Recall Fix

Toyota today announced it will begin fixing accelerator pedals in all of this week's 18.4 billion-gazillion (approx.) recalled vehicles with a "precision cut steel reinforcement bar." Details below.
Toyota claims they've finally pinpointed the issue that could, on rare occasions, cause accelerator pedals in recalled vehicles to stick in a partially open position. The issue involves a friction device in the pedal designed to provide the proper "feel" by adding resistance and making the pedal steady and stable. The device includes a "shoe" that rubs against an adjoining surface during normal pedal operation. Due to the materials used, wear and environmental conditions, these surfaces may, over time, begin to stick and release instead of operating smoothly. In some cases, friction could increase to a point that the pedal is slow to return to the idle position or, in rare cases, the pedal sticks, leaving the throttle partially open.

Toyota's solution for current owners includes a precision-cut steel reinforcement bar being installed into the assembly that'll reduce the surface tension between the friction shoe and the adjoining surface. With this reinforcement in place, the excess friction that can cause the pedal to stick will supposedly be eliminated.

And, hey, why not also get your floor mat fixed while you're in getting yer pedals fixed.

Source;
http://jalopnik.com/5461198/toyota-announces-accelerator-pedal-fiery-death-fix

Toyota adds another 1.1 million cars to floor mat recall.

The accelerator pedal, right, in a 2010 Toyota Camry is seen on the show room floor of Bobby Rahal Toyota in Mechanicsburg, Pa., Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009. Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will replace accelerator pedals on about 4 million recalled vehicles in the United States because the pedals can get stuck in the floor mats.

Tonight Toyota has added another 1.1 million cars to its floor mat recall in September.

That recall now includes the these additional models:

2008-2010 Highlander;
2009-2010 Corolla
2009-2010 Venza;
2009-2010 Matrix;
And the 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe.

This is in addition to the 4.2 million cars recalled in September for floor mat issues.
Here’s how Toyota plans to fix these cars:

“Toyota's remedy plan is to modify or replace the accelerator pedals on the subject vehicles to address the risk of floor mat entrapment, even when an older-design all weather floor mat or other inappropriate mat is improperly attached, or is placed on top of another floor mat. Floor surface modifications are also being considered and will be included in the remedy plan for any model for which it is deemed appropriate.

Initially, dealers will be instructed on how to reshape the accelerator pedal for the repair. As replacement parts with the same shape as the modified pedal become available, they will be made available to the dealers for the repair. Customers who have had the pedal reshape remedy completed will have the opportunity to receive a new pedal if they desire, after replacement pedals become available.

In addition, Toyota will replace any Toyota all-weather floor mat in a subject vehicle with a newly designed mat, free of charge. For those customers who have the previous design all-weather floor mat but do not need or want the newly designed all-weather floor mat, Toyota will recover the previous design all-weather floor mat and reimburse its price.”

Toyota gas pedal problem blogs since last year
Floor mat warning issued- September 29, 2009
Gas pedal sticking update- October 29, 2009
ABC News investigates gas pedal problem- November 3, 2009
Toyota announces fix for gas pedal problem- November 25, 2009
More gas pedal problems prompt recall of 2.3 million Toyota cars- January 21, 2010
Pontiac Vibe part of recall- January 24, 2010

Toyota halts sales of 8 models with gas pedal problems - January 26, 2010

Source;
http://www.kvue.com/news/consumer/Toyota-adds-another-11-million-cars-to-floor-mat-recall-82856627.html

Safety of cars' keyless entry and ignition systems questioned

Wow, this is a really good read, as a Honda person (only push button start system we have in north america is the S2000), I come across a lot of people asking why Honda has not adopted the Push Button technology, here are a few reasons why (now watch every 2011 come equipped....).
The sleek Infiniti G37 Cindy Marsh bought last August was the car of her dreams, equipped with the latest keyless electronics technology that allows her to start the engine with the touch of a button.

But right away, the system gave her trouble. To get the engine started, she would sometimes have to tap the power button repeatedly. Sometimes it wouldn't start unless she opened and closed the car doors, Marsh recalled.

She eventually adapted to the system's quirks but said that even now she isn't sure how to shut off the engine in an emergency."

I don't know if I ever read it in the owners manual or not," said Marsh, who lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Old-school car keys appear headed for extinction, as automakers rush to install wireless systems that allow drivers to unlock their doors and start their engines with an electronic fob that they never have to take out of their purse or pocket.

Introduced less than a decade ago on luxury models, the push-button systems are rapidly spreading to all segments of the market, including bargain-priced Kias. The number of models with them as standard or optional equipment has quadrupled in the last five years.

Many drivers don't fully understand how the systems work, however, leaving them vulnerable to potentially serious safety problems.

In complaints to federal regulators, motorists have reported that they were unable to shut down engines during highway emergencies, including sudden acceleration events. In other cases, parked vehicles accidentally rolled away and engines were left running for hours without their owners realizing it.

And although traditional keys all work the same way and are universally understood by consumers, automakers have adopted different procedures for using the keyless ignition systems. As a result, owners may not know how to operate their own cars in an emergency, let alone a rented or borrowed car.

"Where you have a second to make an emergency maneuver, you shouldn't have to search around for the right procedure to use on a switch," said Henry Jasny, general counsel at Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., that pushes for laws to make roads safer.

Standards weighed
The risk is considered serious enough that federal regulators and an auto industry trade group are looking at adopting standard procedures.

All of the systems rely on a similar architecture that uses a fob: a small transmitter that communicates with the vehicle's computer. The fob can automatically open door locks when the owner approaches the vehicle, and then the engine can be started with just the push of a power button on the dashboard.

But to shut down the engine while the vehicle is moving, drivers must hold down the power button for one to three full seconds, depending on the make. In some cases, two or three successive taps on the button will work. Mercedes-Benz allows drivers to kill the engine with a single push of the power button, but only if the transmission is in neutral. At least one manufacturer prevents emergency engine shutdowns if the vehicle is moving at less than 5 mph.

Industry officials say that the devices have become wildly popular with buyers and that glitches will be eliminated through the normal course of technological improvements, making new regulations unnecessary.

"We really haven't seen too much confusion with these systems," said Dave Proefke, a vehicle security engineer at General Motors Co.

"As they become more widely adopted, I think we'll find that they converge in how they operate," he said.

Besides offering convenience for motorists, Proefke said, the technology gives auto designers greater styling freedom because there's no longer the need for a key cylinder in the steering column. It also benefits older people who have difficulty removing keys from their pockets or turning a key in a lock.

And "it has that cool factor," said Dan Edmunds, director of vehicle testing at www.edmunds.com, an Internet automobile research site.

Auto safety experts say the industry needs to do a better job explaining the functions of advanced technology to motorists and needs to adopt common operating procedures.

Automakers are offering the systems on 155 models this year, compared with 41 in the 2006 model year, according to Edmunds.com. Ford Motor is planning to make keyless ignition an option in its entry-level 2011 Fiesta, due out later this year.

Freeway panic
But some owners say that confusing software rules have put them in peril.

Wally Brithinee was in his 2007 Toyota Avalon last August when it began to speed out of control on Interstate 5 near San Diego. Thinking quickly, Brithinee, president of an electric motor repair business in Colton, pressed the sedan's power button, but nothing happened.

"This car isn't stopping," he told a passenger as he felt panic swelling in his chest. "I really didn't know what to do at that point."

Five terrifying miles later, Brithinee managed to halt the runaway Avalon by braking hard and shifting to a lower gear. He walked away unharmed. All that could have been avoided, he later learned, had he depressed the button for a full three seconds, the emergency shut-off procedure used in Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles.

A keyless ignition system may also have played a role in the Aug. 29 crash that took the life of California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Saylor and three members of his family when a Lexus ES 350 lent to Saylor by a car dealer accelerated out of control to speeds of more than 120 mph before hitting an embankment in suburban San Diego County.

Some safety experts believe that a warning label should be included on the dashboard, telling motorists how to shut off the engine. But industry analysts say manufacturers typically resist installing such labels.

What's more, automakers maintain that shutting off the engine may not be the best option in an emergency, because doing so will cause the driver to lose power steering and possibly braking ability.

Toyota has blamed the San Diego accident on a floor mat that trapped the accelerator pedal. But a September memorandum by investigators for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also identified the Lexus' push-button ignition as one of the "significant factors" in the crash and noted that "there was no ignition key" that could shut down the engine or warning label on the power button to explain how to shut off the engine.

In the aftermath of the Saylor tragedy, Toyota issued a recall covering 4.3 million of its vehicles and said it would modify gas pedals, change floor padding and install new software.

Toyota spokesman John Hanson said the company is also discussing internally whether to change the function of its power button.

And Thursday, Toyota launched another recall targeting 2.3 million vehicles, including many of the models subject to the floor-mat recall, saying their gas pedals could stick.

Paul Green, a human factors expert at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, said he sees the issue with keyless technology as part of a growing problem of high-tech features being introduced faster than the industry is able to agree on common operating procedures.

"The amount of research we are doing is not adequate," Green said.

Motorists are confused even when they pay top dollar for advanced features. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found in a recent survey that a majority of owners of Infinitis equipped with automatic lane departure warning systems did not know that a button on the steering wheel turned the system on and off.

"They had no idea that they had a button on the steering wheel that could activate the system," said Russ Rader, a spokesman for the institute.

The highway safety administration said in a statement that it has begun to look into possible standards for the keyless systems. And the Society of Automotive Engineers formed a committee in July to examine keyless technology and "study a possible standard on how long the ignition button should be depressed to shut off the engine."

But new federal safety rules or industry standards typically can take years to adopt. The scrutiny is coming eight years after the first system was introduced by Mercedes-Benz.

Abetting thefts
Beyond safety problems, the push-button technology has some idiosyncrasies that have left motorists stranded but also provided loopholes for car thieves.

In early General Motors vehicles with push-button start systems, owners would sometimes shut down the engines with the transmission still in gear.

That would not electronically lock the ignition system, and thieves soon found they could simply get in the vehicle, push the start button and drive away, said Forrest Folck, a forensic mechanic in San Diego who investigated the issue for an insurance company."

Cars were being stolen all over the United States," he said.

Larry Stewart, a former Times sportswriter, discovered an opposite problem with the technology in his 2007 Toyota Camry.

After he parked at a Granada Hills restaurant last summer, the car would not start. The tow truck driver who came to Stewart's rescue wasn't surprised, telling Stewart he had been there several times recently for the same reason.

The driver blamed the problem on stray radio signals, possibly from a powerful police or fire station transmitter nearby. He towed the car 100 yards, and it started immediately.

"It's really unnerving that such a thing could happen," said Stewart, who lives in Arcadia.

Even GM engineers found themselves in the same situation when they parked test vehicles at a Detroit-area shopping mall and found that the keyless ignition system was disabled, according to Proefke, the GM expert.

"It was a dead zone," he said.Proefke said the problem was traced to interference from a nearby nightclub's lighting system, which was broadcasting unlicensed high-power radio signals.

Source;
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-carkeys24-2010jan24,0,6794000,full.story