Ralph Nader urges regulators to recall Tesla’s ‘manslaughtering’ Full Self-Driving vehicles

One of the most dangerous and irresponsible actions by a car company has been called out by a former presidential candidate.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) must use its recall authority to order thatTesla's FSD technology be removed from the road.

"I am calling on federal regulators to act immediately to prevent the growing deaths and injuries fromTesla manslaughtering crashes with this technology"

Critics say that the limits of what should be available to drivers are being pushed by the government in its decision on whether or not to allow the sale of the Model S. The NHTSA is investigating 16 crashes in which the owners of the cars crashed into stationary emergency vehicles. Most of the incidents took place after dark with the software ignoring the scene control measures. An engineering analysis is the second and final phase of an investigation before a recall.

Over 100,000 vehicle owners are currently testing out the safety feature on public roads. 3 million vehicles are on the road worldwide.

The autopilot feature is a standard feature of the cars from the company. For an additional $12,000, owners can buy the FSD option, which Musk has promised will one day deliver fully autonomously. The driver must remain fully engaged in the operation of the vehicle while it is in motion in order for the system to remain Level 2.

In addition to the emergency vehicle crashes, NHTSA has compiled a list of Special Crash Investigations in which the agency collects data beyond what local authorities and insurance companies typically gather at the scene. The agency looks at crashes with advanced driver assist systems.

There have been 48 crashes on the agency's SCI list as of July 26th. Nineteen people, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians, other drivers, and motorcyclists, died in the crashes.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles accused the company of making false or misleading claims about its cars. The agency may not go as far as suspending the licenses ofTesla for producing and selling cars in California.

This is not the first time thatTesla has faced complaints. The German government asked the company to stop using the term "Autopilot" in order to prevent it from suggesting that its vehicles are fully self-sufficient. The Federal Trade Commission was asked to investigate by Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal, who claimed that the way the company advertised its systems could pose a threat.

The fight is getting help from Nader. The consumer protection advocate wants NHTSA to act before someone is killed.

He said that the nation should not allow the malfunctioning software to be on the same streets as children walking to school. We need to send an urgent message to the regulators that Americans can't be test dummies for powerful corporations. The laws of manslaughter apply to everyone.