Carbon monoxide poisoning in vehicles, boats and RVs

Carbon monoxide on the move: cars, boats and RVs.

Engines and generators make carbon monoxide wherever they run. In a cabin, a garage, on a swim platform or inside an RV, it can build up quickly, often with no alarm at all.

By Rob Aiers, founderWe have over 25 years dealing with CO cases. We know what makes a case and what doesn’t.Updated 21 Oct 20267 min read

The short answer

In brief

Carbon monoxide from a vehicle, boat or RV can come from a damaged exhaust, a design that lets fumes into the cabin, a generator or heater, or a car left running in an enclosed space. Depending on the facts, a manufacturer, a repair shop, a rental or charter company, or an owner may be responsible.

Cars and trucks

Exhaust leaks from corroded or damaged systems can draw fumes into the passenger cabin, especially when idling or driving with a rear window or tailgate open. Snow packed around a tailpipe can push exhaust back into a parked car with the engine running.

Keyless ignition has created a newer danger: a car parked in an attached garage and left running because the driver didn’t realize the engine was still on. Fumes can then spread into the home. Whether a vehicle had an automatic shut-off, and how clearly it warned the driver, can matter.

Boats

On boats, carbon monoxide gathers around the stern, the swim platform and enclosed cabins. Generators running while people sleep aboard, exhaust drawn back on board at slow speed (the “station wagon effect”) and swimming near the back of a running boat are all well-documented causes. Many victims are mistakenly thought to have drowned.

On the water, carbon monoxide is too often recorded as something else.

RVs and campers

RVs pack generators, furnaces, water heaters and cooking appliances into a small, sealed space. A generator exhaust that is damaged or blocked, or a neighbor’s generator running close by, can push carbon monoxide inside. RVs should have a working carbon monoxide alarm, tested before every trip.

Who may be liable

ManufacturersVehicle, boat, RV, generator or heater makers, for defects and poor warnings.

Repair & service shopsFor exhaust or generator work done badly.

Rental & charter companiesFor unsafe equipment or missing alarms.

Owners & operatorsFor running engines or generators unsafely around others.

What to keep

The vehicle, boat or RV as it is. Ask that no repairs are made until it has been inspected.
Service and repair records, rental or charter agreements and receipts.
Police, coast guard, fire or EMS reports, with any readings taken.
Medical records, including any COHb blood test and its time.
Photos of the exhaust, generator, vents and any alarm.

Questions

We rented the boat. Who is responsible?

The rental or charter company may be, along with any manufacturer whose equipment failed. Keep the rental agreement and any safety briefing you were given.

Our car was left running in the garage by mistake.

Vehicle design and warnings can still be relevant. A review will look at whether the car should have warned the driver or shut itself off.