USA06 April, 20261 min read
NHTSA Closes Tesla's Actually Smart Summon Probe After No Injuries
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NHTSA closed its investigation into Tesla's Actually Smart Summon feature. Incidents were rare; no injuries were reported.
Investigation Closure
The NHTSA closed its investigation after finding crashes were rare and not severe. The probe covered roughly 2.6 million vehicles and reviewed about 100 incidents with no injuries or fatalities. Most incidents involved collisions with fixed objects, often due to obstructed cameras or limited visibility.
The NHTSA reserves the right to reopen the probe if warranted. Tesla pushed software updates to improve obstacle detection.
How Actually Smart Summon Works
Actually Smart Summon uses a vision-based system powered by vehicle cameras. This differs from the original Smart Summon which relied on ultrasonic sensors.
The feature is designed to navigate around obstacles in parking lots. Videos of Teslas awkwardly navigating went viral soon after release.
Causes of Incidents and Software Fixes
Either the person or the system failed to fully detect surroundings. Some incidents were caused by snow obstructing the camera.
Tesla issued over-the-air software updates to improve detection and response. The regulator noted the low frequency and severity of incidents.
Broader Regulatory Context
NHTSA continues to probe Tesla's Full Self-Driving system with at least nine crashes under review. The FSD probe was upgraded to an engineering analysis. Tesla has a rare regulatory win on Summon but multiple investigations remain open.