US opens probe 2.6 million Tesla vehicles over Actually Smart Summon feature

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Tue it has opened a probe into 2.6 million Tesla vehicles in the United States over reports of crashes involving a feature that allows users to move their cars remotely.

NHTSA said it is opening a preliminary evaluation into Tesla's Actually Smart Summon feature over reports of four crashes involving Tesla vehicles.

The vehicles failed to detect posts, or parked vehicles, when they were operating on Actually Smart Summon, NHTSA said, adding it had reports where users "had too little reaction time to avoid a crash, either with the available line of sight or releasing the phone app button, which stops the vehicle's movement.

"Actually Smart Summon was launched in Sep and allows users to remotely move their vehicle towards them or another location using a smartphone application.The predecessor to the feature allowed users to move their car forward or backward into or out of a parking spot.

NHTSA is opening a preliminary evaluation into the feature and then must decide whether to update the probe to an engineering analysis before it could seek to require a recall.

Donald Trump will take office in 13 days and Elon Musk is a close adviser who has previously criticized the NHTSA's actions.

NHTSA said it will assess Actually Smart Summon's maximum speed, use on public roads and line of sight requirements. The probe will also cover remote control through the phone app, the impact of connectivity delays and the system's performance in unanticipated conditions.

The probe covers 2016-2025 Model S and X vehicles, 2017-2025 Model 3 and 2020-2025 Model Y with the optional Full Self-Driving driver assistance system.

The heightened scrutiny of the advanced driver assistance system comes as Musk looks to pivot towards self-driving technology and robotaxis.