Consumer Reports urges Tesla to disable autopilot after driver’s death

The magazine says the carmaker should disable the automatic steering function - and change its name to avoid promoting 'dangerous assumptions'

Consumer Reports magazine on Thursday urged Tesla to disable the automatic steering function on its electric vehicles and change the name of its autopilot driving-assist system, which is under investigation after a driver was killed while using it.

Consumer Reports, which has eight million subscribers and influences buyer decisions with its annual vehicle ratings, said the autopilot name promotes "a potentially dangerous assumption" that the vehicle is capable of driving on its own.