Toyota Tacoma Smart Key Case Settled After Carbon Monoxide Death

Wrongful Death

Lee Griffin, 55, died of carbon monoxide poisoning in 2022 after he left his Toyota Tacoma running in the garage, pumping emissions throughout the house. The plaintiff, Lee's wife, argued that Toyota's smart key system was defective, which caused the death of her husband.

Toyota argued that the incident was caused by Griffin, but the plaintiff asserted that the 2017 Toyota Tacoma had design defects because it didn't shut off on its own after her husband left it running in the garage, and that Toyota failed to warn her husband about "the risk of the engine continuing to run after the Smart Key was removed from the truck in an enclosed space."

Furthermore, Toyota argued that the couple knew about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning, but the judge in the case deemed Toyota's argument to be "insufficient."

Also, Toyota told the judge that there was no evidence that the plaintiff or her husband had read the warnings and instructions in the owner's manual regarding the operation of the smart key system, and the company said that the system had sufficient audible alerts and that there was no evidence that contradicted Toyota's claim.

What Happened?

According to the lawsuit, Mr. Griffin moved his 2017 Toyota Tacoma out of his garage to get his lawnmower. He then listened to music through a pair of earbuds. After he finished his work, with his earbuds still in and music playing, he brought his truck back in and got out, not realizing his engine was still running.

Toyota's Smart Key system will make an audible noise if the driver leaves the engine running without the keys; however, Mr. Griffin was unable to hear the beeps and simply went back into the house.

Hours later, Mr. Griffin woke up sick that night and fainted in the bathroom. Caroline Griffin, his wife and the plaintiff in this case, helped him back to bed. Mr. Griffin regained consciousness and asked his wife to bring him back to the bathroom. However, Mrs. Griffin ended up fainting after she helped her husband.

When Mrs. Griffin came to, she saw her husband lying unconscious on the floor of the bathroom. After that, she called 911. The fire department detected high levels of carbon monoxide. While Caroline Griffin was carried out of the house, Lee Griffin was pronounced dead on the spot. The autopsy revealed that carbon monoxide was the cause of death, coming from the Toyota Tacoma's emissions in the garage.

A Confidential Settlement

Recent jury verdicts didn't bode well for some brands like Ford, according to Car Complaints. The report also notes that, following recent jury trials in Georgia involving a wrongful death, Toyota has since agreed to a confidential settlement.

It looks like Toyota has agreed to settle. The case has been going on for more than three years now. Perhaps in a bid to avoid more legal expenses, this is where we're at.

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