Mercedes issues recall over distracted driving concerns

Mercedes-Benz is recalling 227 vehicles with a feature allowing drivers to watch videos on the touch screen console, even while the car is in motion.

The German automaker’s recall report was filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The vehicles with a computer error allowing drivers to watch videos on the console include the following models: the 2021 S580, the 2022 EQS450, the 2022 EQS 580 and the 2022 S500.

Mercedes said the vehicles were defective, and that the video feature was not meant to display while driving. The company was made aware of the issue in mid-November by an individual car owner and has updated its computer network server to fix the error.

Mercedes-Benz said in the report it was not aware of any crashes or accidents as a result of the feature.

Electric vehicle automaker Tesla is under a federal investigation for similar features accessible to most models through an update this summer. The feature allows drivers or front-seat passengers to play video games on a touch screen console while the car is in motion.

Eight people die everyday from distracted driving, which includes texting, eating or using a navigation system, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.