NHTSA Complaint #10437757 — 2010 LEXUS RX HYBRID

HYBRID VEHICLE + KELSEY IGNITION = DEADLY COMBINATION. WE ACCIDENTALLY LEFT OUR 2010 LEXUS RX450H IN THE GARAGE WITH THE IGNITION "ON" AND TURNED IN FOR THE NIGHT. SINCE IT IS A HYBRID, IT MAKES NO SOUND - EVEN WHEN "RUNNING". SO WE WERE UNAWARE THE IGNITION WAS STILL ON. MUCH LATER IN THE EVENING, AFTER THE BATTERY HAD DEPLETED, THE GAS ENGINE CAME ON, FILLING OUR GARAGE WITH CARBON MONOXIDE. HAD I NOT GONE BACK OUT TO RETRIEVE SOMETHING FROM THE GARAGE AND NOTICED THAT BY THIS TIME THE CAR'S GAS ENGINE WAS RUNNING, I LIKELY WOULDN'T BE WRITING THIS E-MAIL. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS FLAW IN AN OTHERWISE GREAT CAR. THE TINY RED VS. GREEN LED ON THE IGNITION BUTTON IS NOT ENOUGH INDICATION THAT THE CAR IS RUNNING. AN AUDIBLE ALARM OR SOME TYPE OF POSITIVE INTERLOCK IS NEEDED. ## VIN FAILED ## LEXUS RX 450H 2010 ## *KB