Elon Musk calls the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the “Fun Police” after forcing Tesla to recall vehicles capable of emitting fart sounds from an external loud speaker.
Tesla’s ‘Boombox’ feature allows a driver to emit farting sounds along with several other noises from an external loud speaker mounted outside the cabin of several Tesla models.
The Tesla external speaker is part of the mandatory pedestrian warnings in all electric and hybrid vehicles that are often difficult to hear and much quieter than a gas engine powered car.
The Boombox feature that allows drivers to play fart noises and other sounds came as part of an update to the Tesla external speaker in 2020 during a firmware update automatically sent to its various model cars.
I put the art in fart
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 9, 2020
Farts aren’t the only sounds offending the NHTSA according to the recall. Goat sounds and fart sounds it warns could ‘increase the risk of collision’ according to the safety recall yet does not indicate any data or research that supports such a claim.
The recall affects some 587,607 Tesla vehicles including a portion of 2017-2022 Model 3 cars, and the 2020-2022 Model S, Model X, and Model Ys. Tesla complying with the recall by issuing a software update that will disable both the farting and goat sounds while a vehicle is moving or in neutral.
Tesla Fart setting on Boombox loud speaker display screen
Tesla owners and car fanatics are critical of the recall saying the government regulating farting sounds from a car is overreaching.
Elon Musk seems to agree.
Do you find this distracting to pedestrians as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does?