How does your ignition switch kill you?

Bobzilla wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: Well it's more convenient to carry your keys on a ring than individual keys in some kind of...bag or something. People like to do this. Car manufacturers know it. Pretty much every other car out there has an ignition that can handle the weight of many keys just fine because the market demands it. As such it is highly unlikely that GM spontaneously decided to make an ignition which could only bear the weight of a single key for a few of their cars.

Bolded part entirely not true.

Would you say that even 1/10th of all car models made in the last 30 years have the same problem?

(for those with keyed ignitions)

Bobzilla wrote: You know how most of them are "fixing" this? Keyless ignitions.

Like the Prius, right?

When THEIR car wouldn't shut off, Toyota simply told people to STAND ON THE BRAKES!! (What's wrong with turning off the car???)

As you have said, a real problem from one manufacturer, a litigation/media fabricated one from the other.

Datsun1500 wrote: In reply to GameboyRMH: Why do you need more than one key on the key ring? Just because people do carry more, does not mean it has to be designed to carry more

so you carry a different key ring for each and every key you have ?

I have one key ring (doesn't make sense to me to swap key rings whenever I swap cars) that has each of car keys, my house key, my PO box key … are you REALLY trying to say I should carry 5 different key rings ?

I can pull the key out of my '95 F150 at any speed I feel like. And I have. Nothing changes when I do it, wheel doesn't lock, can still shift the auto trans.

I've even kept it running in the driveway when I had to run back in the house with my keys then driven 1/2 way to work before I realized my keys were in my jacket pocket.

Good thing I never died.

In reply to ebonyandivory:

Same here.

I can pull the key out of my Samurai at any time too, but I don't think I'm supposed to be able to...it's handy for unlocking the glove box while moving though.

My keys weigh about the same as my phone in total.

I still think the real problem has basically nothing to do with the ignition.

Removing the keys should be a non-issue.

Even killing the engine shouldn't matter that much.

But shutting down the air bags? That's different.

So, even if GM identified the ignition switch problem, it had to be linked to the air bag shut down before it became life threatening.

In reply to wbjones:

I keep my ring of excess on a clip all the time, only when not in a vehicle do the car keys reside on it. I hate clanking keys though.

So.... If you have wear-damage in your GM ignition, drive your car and hit a bump big enough to cause your 1950's Prison Guard key chain to fall out, then happen to crash immediately after, you might die from lack of airbags even while wearing your shoulder and lap belt?

Hmmmmmmm, what's the MegaBucks jackpot up to now?

In reply to ebonyandivory:

Sort of.

What I am understanding the issue to be is:

You leave the road at a high rate of speed, out of control. You hit a bump (ditch, stump, whatever), dislodging the keys en route to a crash. The air bags are disabled before you hit the tree, potentially contributing to your death (or at least failing to serve their purpose in trying to prevent your death).

That's a problem. But it's not the ignition switch's fault.

GameboyRMH wrote:

Bobzilla wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote: Well it's more convenient to carry your keys on a ring than individual keys in some kind of...bag or something. People like to do this. Car manufacturers know it. Pretty much every other car out there has an ignition that can handle the weight of many keys just fine because the market demands it. As such it is highly unlikely that GM spontaneously decided to make an ignition which could only bear the weight of a single key for a few of their cars.

Bolded part entirely not true.

Would you say that even 1/10th of all car models made in the last 30 years have the same problem? (for those with keyed ignitions)

I would say about 50-75% of cars made in the last 20 years have this same problem.

Once you've pulled apart a key tumbler and see what and how they are made, it's amazing more vehicles don't have "recalls" on them. They are little brass blades with a spring behind them to allow them to move up allowing the key into the slot. Once it's there, they settle down onto the typically steel) key and rest on it until the key is removed. The entire time it's held down with spring tension. Every time the key moves, it rubs the tumblers, causing wear. In time, the key you put in becomes irrelevant. I know of 6 cars in out employee lot that just require SOMETHING put into the slot to turn it, then that something can be removed. 4 Hondas, a Toyota and a Dodge.

But hey, lets keep ignoring the fines resulting from an actual investigation for yota and keep harping on a non-issue with GM because EVERYONE knows GM is crap. Screw those guys.

But does that shut the car down? It's not the same problem otherwise. Like I said, I can pull the key from my Sammy while it's running but it just keeps on running, it doesn't turn anything off. The ignition problem in question is more of an electrical problem than a mechanical one.

Honda's had the elctrical issue. I don't know if they shut down while driving or not. I can't remember. Their's was the electrical portion that sucked balls.

But the statement that was made was that all manufacturers except the Evil GM Monsters made their ignition locks strong enough that heavy keys don't affect them. That statement is incorrect.

SVreX wrote: In reply to ebonyandivory: Sort of. What I am understanding the issue to be is: You leave the road at a high rate of speed, out of control. You hit a bump (ditch, stump, whatever), dislodging the keys en route to a crash. The air bags are disabled before you hit the tree, potentially contributing to your death (or at least failing to serve their purpose in trying to prevent your death). That's a problem. But it's not the ignition switch's fault.

learn something everyday … I was under the impression that the airbags stayed electrically energized for some amt. of sec. after the power was removed ..

also along those same lines, I thought that you had to actually remove power (i.e. disconnect the battery) to cause the air bags to not pop out

In reply to wbjones:

It was covered several pages ago.

I don't actually know (and agree they SHOULD work the way you described, and DO for other manufacturers).

That is what was explained earlier, which is why I have been saying if that is the case, it ain't the ignition's fault.

The keys aren't killing anyone.

I have always had one key ring for all the other crap and one key ring just for the car. It's really not that big of a hassle and they still fit in my pocket fine.

SVreX wrote: In reply to wbjones: It was covered several pages ago. I don't actually know (and agree they SHOULD work the way you described, and DO for other manufacturers). That is what was explained earlier, which is why I have been saying if that is the case, it ain't the ignition's fault. The keys aren't killing anyone.

AWWWW …. TL;DR thanks … all I knew was when I had to replace the clock spring in the Impreza, I disconnected the battery and then waited 30 min or so before disconnecting the airbag … you know … just to be safe

In reply to GameboyRMH:

The electrical problem is "why didnt the air bags deploy". The ignition issue is a mechanical one that is probably normal wear and that the owners had been neglecting due to cost of replacement(figuring all were out of warranty by 2010)......and was compounded by the weight of keys.