The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation into crashes involving Tesla vehicles equipped with the “Actually Smart Summon” feature, which allows owners to remotely summon their cars from parking spaces without anyone inside. The agency is looking into approximately 2.6 million Tesla vehicles with this feature and has identified multiple crash allegations where users failed to prevent collisions due to line of sight or reaction time issues.
This probe comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s influence on federal government policy is set to increase, following President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. The investigation follows a similar probe launched by NHTSA in October into the safety of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature (FSD), which was linked to at least four accidents, including one fatal pedestrian incident.
The latest investigation focuses on incidents involving Tesla vehicles operating in “Smart Summon” mode failing to detect obstacles like parked vehicles or posts, resulting in crashes. The agency is also examining 12 additional reported incidents by car owners.
While the Tesla website warns that the “Smart Summon” feature should only be used on private property, such as parking lots and driveways, not public streets and roads. However, the company’s guidelines advise users to have a clear view of the vehicle and path to stop the car if necessary.
It is worth noting that Tesla’s “self-driving” features have been available for years, with warning messages reminding drivers to be prepared to take control in case of emergencies.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/07/business/nhtsa-tesla-smart-summon-probe/index.html