Only days after reports surfaced that Tesla allows drivers to play video games on dashboard touch screens while vehicles are moving, Mercedes-Benz has issued a U.S. recall for a similar issue. Mercedes said in documents posted Friday by U.S. regulators that the issue affected 227 vehicles and already has been fixed by updating an internal computer server. Mercedes initiated the recall over concerns about distracted driving while Tesla has not.
“MB is following the regulatory rules as they are supposed to – in sharp contrast to what we’ve been seeing from Tesla,” said Philip Koopman, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. If NHTSA doesn’t take action against Tesla, the agency will have one standard for Tesla and another for Mercedes and other automakers, Koopman said. NHTSA didn’t directly address the double standard or Tesla, but said in a statement Friday that the federal vehicle safety act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles that pose an unreasonable risk to safety. “Every motor vehicle manufacturer in the United States has the same responsibility to identify and immediately repair, for free, such safety defect in their vehicles,” the statement said.
NHTSA is reviewing how automakers identify and safeguard against distraction hazards due to faults, misuse or intended use of infotainment screens. The NHTSA regularly communicates with automakers about concerns, as well as reviewing consumer complaints and a “massive amount of data that companies are required to submit on a regular basis, looking for evidence of safety risks. If the data show that such a risk may exist, NHTSA will act immediately,” the agency said.
Mercedes said on some 2021 and 2022 EQS and S model vehicles, drivers could access television programs and the internet while the vehicles are traveling. The automaker had intended to disable the features while the cars are moving, but the recalled vehicles had an incorrect computer configuration. “If an occupant were to actively select the function or application while the vehicle is driving, then driver distraction might result, which could increase the risk of a crash,” the company wrote in documents. The recalled cars have active and connected “Mercedes me” accounts. Mercedes wrote that it has no reports of any crashes or injuries from the problem, which was discovered in a company vehicle in Germany.
Recently a Tesla owner in Oregon filed a complaint with the NHTSA after discovering that while driving, he could play video games and browse the internet on the screen of his 2021 Tesla Model 3. The agency said Thursday that it is communicating with Tesla about the issue. NHTSA already is investigating why Tesla’s “Autopilot” partially automated driving system keeps crashing into stopped emergency vehicles, and it has inquired about why Tesla didn’t file recall documents when it did an over-the-air internet update in an effort to address the safety problem.
Jason Levine, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said the auto industry seems to have reached a point with infotainment screens where it will have to “choose whether to be an enabler or a preventer” of distracted driving. “We are glad to see Mercedes recall and repair this unreasonable risk to everyone on the road, but would urge NHTSA to move quickly to ensure that all screen-based entertainment distractions are disabled when vehicles are in motion, no matter the manufacturer,” Levine said. Mercedes likely is paying close attention to U.S. safety laws after it had to pay a $13 million penalty to NHTSA in 2019 for a series of reporting failures involving recalled vehicles.
We represent people who are injured because of the careless and reckless acts of others. At the end of the day your case can only be settled one time and you need to know all of the facts beforehand. The reason that insurance companies have paid our clients in excess of $130,000,000.00 is that we get the facts and are not intimidated at the prospect of going to trial when insurance companies fail to offer full compensation. We help with serious injuries that require serious representation. We are the Law Offices of Guenard & Bozarth, LLP. Our attorneys have more than 60 years of experience specializing in only representing injured people.. Call GB Legal 24/7/365 at 888-809-1075 or visit www.gblegal.com We would be honored to represent you!
