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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.

2015 Volkswagen Touareg TDI Quick Spin [w/video]

There are two particularly great things about diesel-powered cars: torque and range. The 2015 Volkswagen Touareg TDI has both in spades. We put 190 miles on our test car, and upon return, the computer claimed we still had 490 miles to go. We weren't even averaging the EPA-estimaged 29 miles per gallon highway. Plus, that's in a sport-utility vehicle with tons of room and a whopping 406 pound-feet of torque. That said, our most recent adventure with the Touareg wasn't totally positive. This thing feels decidedly long in the tooth, despite a 2014 refresh. Driving Notes The Touareg TDI's powertrain really is the star of the show. The 3.0-liter, turbodiesel V6 has been in service since 2009, but it's still a dynamite engine. With 240 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, the latter of which can be called upon at just 2,000 rpm, there's no shortage of thrust under your right foot. Turbo lag is an issue when you get aggressive with the throttle, but don't drive like a boob and you'll be fine. ZF's critically acclaimed eight-speed automatic delivers that power to all four wheels. But where other ZF-equipped vehicles deliver a crisper, sharper character, the TDI's trans is tuned for a far more relaxed driving experience. Upshifts are leisurely; the eight-speed keeps you right in the thick of the Touareg's broad torque curve. The suspension tuning follows a similar philosophy. It's far more comfortable than dynamic, soaking up all manner of bumps and general imperfections with aplomb. That said, the Touareg does not feel floaty or disconnected – just smooth. The greasy bits of the Touareg are very desirable, but the package they're wrapped in is less so. It's not that the interior or exterior designs are necessarily bad – fans of Earth tones will love our tester's Black Oak Brown Metallic paint and Cornsilk Beige interior – they're just kind of bland, or anonymous. The switchgear and buttons come from the Volkswagen parts bin, and while they're fine on a $20,000 Golf, these pieces aren't as appropriate in a vehicle that starts at more than twice the price. The dash plastics and faux wood don't look as nice as what's inside an Acura MDX, or even a Jeep Grand Cherokee. This mid-level Touareg TDI Lux starts at $57,580.

VW Diesel Scandal Wrap-up: Time for bullet points

Here we go again. If you were not pegged to your RSS reader yesterday, scoping out all of the VW diesel scandal news, here's a brief rundown of what happened: Just how much extra pollution did VW's little problem cause in the US? New estimates suggest it's as bad as having an additional 19 million cars on the road, or "12,000 additional tons of nitrogen oxide pollutants per year." NOx can create smog and acid rain. The diesel scandal is also reshaping some online ads. Sponsored content in WIRED that talked about clean diesel has been taken down. The advertisement was a partnership between Volkswagen and the Wired Brand Lab and claimed to have, "created an experience that will inform, educate, surprise, and change the way you think about diesel." Canada says it might start up its own governmental investigation and that "enforcement action will be taken," if the automaker is found to have broken the law. The German government says it did not know about VW's subterfuge until recently, and is going to start a fact-finding process this week. It turns out that the first hints of this scandal were discovered by independent researchers in 2012 and 2013. Whatever happened, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that it's hard to hide something like this. Following CEO Martin Winterkorn's departure yesterday, speculation is running rampant to see who will replace him. Automotive News says it should be current Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller. Don't feel too bad for Winterkorn, though, as he's still likely to get his $32 million pension, Bloomberg says. Oh, and this isn't even the first time VW has tried to cheat the EPA. It's a problem in the auto industry. We'll see how many bullet points we have tomorrow. Government/Legal Green Volkswagen Emissions Diesel Vehicles vw diesel scandal martin winterkorn matthias mueller pension