NHTSA complaint #11444827

Owner complaint summary

There has been a lot of talk about the possible distractions in Tesla vehicles. I happen to have a Tesla Model S and I have a Chrysler Pacifica Plugin Hybrid. The Chrysler, although overall is a great vehicle, poses a risk because they do not treat the drivers as adults. Let me explain. While using the navigation system, it will not let you interact with the vehicle while it's in motion. This literally assumes that no one else is in the vehicle that could co-pilot. So, when I was traveling with my family over Thanksgiving, with my wife in the front passenger seat and four kids in the back, I had to pull over to the side of the road to make any adjustments to the navigation system. I don't have to you tell you how dangerous pulling off to the side of a highway is whether at night or during the day. This is extremely frustrating and dangerous and I take it personally that adults are being treated like children when it comes to interacting with these machines. If we're truly concerned about distracted drivers, then we would ban even carrying a cell phone with us in a vehicle and even ban the radio and the ability to change the station while driving. This is of course impractical, and that's my point. Tesla treats its drivers with respect and allows for responsible interaction with the navigations system, radio, other vehicle functions, etc. I play "Caroke" in the car all the time for my kids in the rear seat. If I'm distracted by the lyrics on the screen constantly changing with the song, then that is my issue and I should shut it off. However, it is not an issue with me and I remain focused on the road. Manufacturers should treat drivers as adults and allow them to be responsible. Anything short of that, and any regulation barring the great functionality of a Tesla, will only hold us back technologically. Please ask Chrysler and other OEMs to stop barring interaction with the vehicle while it's in motion before a truck slams into a vehicle pulled over to the side.