Consumer Advocate Nader Urges Federal Regulators to Recall Tesla's Self-Driving Software
Ralph Nader calls on the NHTSA to immediately recall Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology, citing research that shows the software malfunctions every eight minutes.
Consumer advocate Ralph Nader calls on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to recall Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology, labeling it one of the most dangerous and irresponsible actions by a car company in decades. Nader urges the agency to use its recall authority to remove the software from approximately 100,000 Tesla vehicles currently equipped with the system.
Nader cites research from The Dawn Project that indicates FSD malfunctions every eight minutes, basing this finding on an analysis of 21 YouTube videos of Tesla owners using the beta software. He emphasizes that the nation must not allow this malfunctioning software on the same streets where children walk to school, arguing that Americans refuse to serve as test dummies for a powerful corporation and its celebrity CEO.
This public pressure coincides with Tesla's planned August 20 release of FSD software version 10.69, which Elon Musk hails as a major update. While Tesla claims FSD causes no crashes, NHTSA is actively investigating 16 crashes involving Tesla's separate Autopilot system that result in 15 injuries and one fatality, bringing increased scrutiny to the automaker's broader automated driving features.