We don't need no stinkin' brake pedals

Regulators consider letting self-driving vehicles skip manual brake pedals—raising alarms about emergencies and unproven safety metrics. Tesla settles a deadly crash case as critics blast BS safety claims. Meanwhile, “quality” awards and China-car fearmongering get called out, Nvidia’s robotaxi safety talk is vague, steering-wheel “bling” is warned to turn airbags into shrapnel and recalls hit Hyundai, GM, Toyota/Subaru, and Ford.

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• https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/wayve-self-driving-technology-2e917ebd
• https://www.jalopnik.com/2203830/nhtsa-plan-autonomous-car-brakes-nearvous/
• https://www.msn.com/en-us/technology/general/us-proposes-to-drop-brake-pedal-requirements-for-self-driving-vehicles/ar-AA26xoGu
• https://arstechnica.com/cars/2026/06/feds-deny-polestar-authorization-to-sell-cars-in-us-from-model-year-2027/
• https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-musk/senator-demands-tesla-held-accountable-alleged-self-driving-crash-rcna351690
• https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/18/rivian-owners-file-lawsuit-alleging-false-promises-on-self-driving-features/
• https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/airlines-are-installing-new-luxury-seats-but-no-one-is-allowed-to-sit-in-them-14e2878c
• https://safetyresearch.net/aftermarket-car-bling-continues-to-inflict-harm/
• https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2026/06/30/child-hot-car-deaths-2026-data-maps/90736117007/
• https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2026/RCLRPT-26V400-5456.pdf
• https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2026/RCLRPT-26V399-0136.pdf
• https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2026/RCLRPT-26V393-3335.pdf
• https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2026/RCLRPT-26V402-1380.pdf