US consumer advocate calls to ban Tesla’s Full Self-Driving

American consumer advocate Ralph Nader urged recalling the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature in Tesla vehicles due to its ‘dangerous and irresponsible actions’.

According to Nader, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) should compel the automaker to disable FSD in every vehicle.

“I urge federal regulators to take immediate action to prevent the growth in deaths and injuries resulting from Tesla’s inadvertent killings through this technology,” he said.

Nader noted that more than 100,000 vehicle owners are participating in FSD beta testing on public roads. Tesla operates about 3 million vehicles worldwide.

The advocate insists that the NHTSA must act before another robo-car kills someone else.

“We must send an urgent signal to regulators that Americans should not be test dummies for a powerful, well-known corporation and its famous chief executive. No one is above the laws on unintentional killings,” added Nader.

Earlier, the NHTSA compiled a list of Special Crash Investigations (SCI), in which the agency collects data on crashes that go beyond the competencies of local authorities and insurers. The agency is also examining incidents involving advanced driver assistance systems such as Tesla’s Autopilot and automated driving systems.

As of today, 48 crashes are listed in the SCI. In 39 cases, Tesla vehicles with Autopilot were involved. According to the agency, 19 people died in the specified crashes, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and drivers of other vehicles.

Additionally, on August 8, 2022, the California Department of Transportation accused the automaker of using misleading advertising for Autopilot and FSD. According to the department, their name and description imply full autonomy, which is not actually the case.

In June, NHTSA head Steven Cliff announced plans to develop federal rules for unmanned vehicles.

In the same month, the agency continued its investigation into Tesla, launching the ‘engineering analysis’ phase.

In August 2021, senators urged the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to initiate an investigation into the automaker because of “misleading advertising and marketing.”

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