Mercedes recall fixes dashboard video glitch
DETROIT — A few 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.
The German automaker 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.
But the fact that Mercedes did the recall over concerns about distracted driving, and Tesla has not, raised questions about whether federal auto safety standards are being applied equally by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“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 other automakers, Koopman said.
Mercedes said in documents that 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 said it 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.
Last month a Tesla owner near Portland, Oregon, filed a complaint with 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.