June 5, 2026 - Toyota has agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit over its Smart Key System with the wife of a Georgia resident who died from carbon monoxide after his truck was left idling in a closed garage.

Lee Griffin, 55, was the owner of a 2017 Toyota Tacoma that featured a keyless push-button start known as the Smart Key System.

Toyota states that when a driver parks, leaves the engine on, shuts the door and walks away with the fob, the vehicle issues three warning beeps to indicate the motor remains active.

On July 4, 2022, Lee Griffin pulled his Tacoma from the garage to retrieve his lawnmower and inserted noise-isolating earbuds to enjoy music while working.

After finishing the yard work and returning the mower, he drove the truck back inside the garage. He exited the vehicle while the engine continued running, apparently still wearing the earbuds.

That evening Griffin became ill and collapsed in the bathroom. His wife Caroline assisted him back to bed, but when he needed help again she also lost consciousness after aiding him.

Upon waking, she discovered her husband unresponsive and contacted emergency services. Responders measured dangerously elevated carbon monoxide levels and had to carry Caroline out. Lee Griffin was declared deceased at the location.

An autopsy confirmed carbon monoxide poisoning from the Tacoma left running in the garage. Caroline Griffin filed suit against Toyota in July 2023, alleging defects in the truck and Smart Key system.

The complaint claimed the vehicle failed to shut off automatically and lacked sufficient warnings about engine operation in enclosed spaces after the key fob was removed.

Toyota countered that the incident resulted from user actions rather than product flaws and noted the couple likely understood carbon monoxide risks.

The case advanced to trial because the court rejected several defense motions over nearly three years, including one arguing the Griffins were already aware of fume dangers.

Toyota maintained there was no proof the owners consulted the manual and asserted the three audible alerts adequately signaled a running engine.

Just before the Georgia trial began, the parties reached a confidential settlement. Toyota likely sought to avoid a jury given recent large verdicts against another manufacturer in the state.

Those cases involved multi-billion-dollar awards against Ford following roof-collapse incidents in rollover crashes.

The lawsuit was brought in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia under the caption Caroline Patton Griffin v. Toyota Motor Corporation, et al.