The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has closed an investigation into Tesla’s “Actually Smart Summon” feature, coming to the conclusion that the system is linked only to low-speed incidents and does not pose a safety risk that would require broader action.
NHTSA said its study involved close to 2.6 million Tesla vehicles and covered roughly 100 incidents. The results showed that crashes involving the Summons feature were minor in nature, and none resulted in injuries or fatalities. Most cases involved vehicles striking nearby objects such as parked cars or garage doors, and usually occurred at the beginning of a summon session when visibility was limited.
Related Stories
Smart Summon allows users to move their vehicles short distances via a smartphone app, primarily in parking lots. The feature drew closer attention after there were multiple reports of low-speed crashes, but regulators determined that the frequency and severity of the instances were too limited to justify continued investigation.
NHTSA noted that Tesla has already addressed many of the issues it identified through a series of over-the-air (OTA) software updates. These improvements focused on improving obstacle detection and refining how vehicles respond to changing environmental situations like opening gates. The OTA updates also aimed at reducing errors caused by factors like snow or condensation interfering with camera visibility.
The closure of the probe does lift some pressure off Tesla, but the automaker remains under regulatory scrutiny from separate investigations, including one into Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, which recently saw its scope expand to 3.2 million vehicles. That review follows reports of traffic violations and crashes linked to FSD performance, with NHTSA examining whether the system adequately ensures driver engagement and adherence to traffic laws.
But for a couple of sketchy, short-lived gigs right out of college, Natalie Neff has had the good fortune to spend the entirety of her professional life around cars. A 2017 Honda Ridgeline, 1972 VW Beetle, 1999 Ducati Monster and a well-loved purple-and-white five-speed Schwinn currently call her garage home.
