The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a new investigation into Elon Musk’s Tesla (TSLA-4.18%), this time over its Actually Smart Summon (A.S.S.)
The feature, which launched in September to the amusement of Tesla fans and employees alike, is designed to allow owners to order their vehicles to drive to their location or another designated area through Tesla’s app.
A prior version of the software debuted in 2019 but became notorious for failing to register curbs, poles, and even trees. Infamously, a Tesla reportedly called over by Smart Summon crashed into a $3.5 million private jet in 2022.
The NHTSA said its Office of Defects Investigation had received one complaint alleging that a customer attempted to use the feature, only for it to result in a crash. The office said it had reviewed at least three media reports of similar incidents and had received 12 additional complaints along the same lines.
Officially, Tesla has not reported any crashes, the NHTSA said.
The federal investigation involves more than 2.58 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the company’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software and made between 2016 and 2025, according to a report. That includes Tesla’s Model S, X, 3, and Y electric vehicles. Tesla’s Cybertruck electric pickup is not currently eligible for A.S.S.
The NHTSA said it would evaluate the top speed a vehicle can travel while A.S.S. is equipped, line of sight requirements, and any designed restrictions for usage on public roads. Its preliminary steps will include reviewing remote vehicle control through Tesla’s app, along with other tests of the software.
The inquiry builds on the NHTSA’s previous investigations into Tesla, including a series of probes into Tesla’s Autopilot software. In October, the agency said it had identified four reports where a Tesla equipped with FSD was involved in a crash. In April, the NHTSA said it linked Tesla’s Autopilot software to more than 200 crashes and 29 deaths
“Actually Smart Summon and Full Self-Driving are defective engineering prototypes, and should not be allowed on the road,” frequent Tesla critic and The Dawn Project founder Dan O’Dowd said in a statement, calling for the NHTSA to ban the technology.
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