I-Team: Potential Dangers Of Keyless Ignition

WEYMOUTH (CBS) -- Keyless ignition systems offer high-tech convenience, but that ease has come at a cost for some drivers.

911 calls from Hollis Street in Weymouth reveal those potentially fatal consequences.

"My mother-in-law has collapsed, and there is a chemical smell in the house," says a 911 caller.

Many drivers are forgetting to turn their cars off and are leaving them running in the garage, causing carbon monoxide poisoning.

In Weymouth, an elderly couple and their two grandkids were rushed to the hospital after carbon monoxide levels were 50 times higher than what is considered safe.

Weymouth Fire Chief Keith Stark said this was a real close call.

"If it was at night and people went to sleep, who knows what could have happened," he says.

There are now about five million cars on the road with keyless ignition systems.

With this type of ignition, a driver has what is called a keyless fob. It looks like a key, but it's not.

Just by being near a car, it electronically sends a message to the ignition that it is OK for the car to start. All the driver has to do is push a button.

The problem arises when it's time to turn the car off.

Sean Kane of Safety Research & Strategies in Rehoboth says drivers can exit the vehicle with the keyless fob and the car can continue to run. They are confusing it with a traditional key.

Erin Damolaris says she kept getting dizzier while she was in her bedroom which is over the garage. Her mother had made the mistake of leaving with the keyless fob, but not turning the car off.

"I feel very lucky and I thank God that I'm here today," she said.

At least 18 deaths have now been reported nationwide from carbon monoxide poisoning linked to keyless ignition systems.

Twenty-eight plaintiffs, including one from Massachusetts, have filed a class-action lawsuit against 10 car manufacturers, saying, "This so-called convenience has produced deadly consequences in the absence of safeguards."

Kane, a nationally recognized auto safety expert, agrees this is a huge safety hazard. He believes because this is happening to drivers of all ages, it "speaks to a design that is inherently unsafe."

He wants these vehicles recalled so software can be updated.

"This is an inexpensive fix because all of the vehicles that have a keyless ignition already have the sensors, the timers, and the hardware," Kane said.

The Auto Alliance, which represents many car manufacturers, told the I-Team, "Safety is our top priority," adding that industry engineers are working on features "so consumers can have an even better understanding of keyless systems."

Starks hopes those changes come soon.

"People have lost their life from this, so this should be a priority for the car industry in my opinion," said the fire chief.

The National Highway Safety Administration has been working on new rules for keyless systems, including an audible warning for drivers exiting a car.

Critics worry about the millions of cars that will be on the road, untouched, before the federal government acts.