US ends probe into Tesla remote driving feature

The US National ⁠Highway Traffic ⁠Safety Administration has closed a probe into nearly 2.6 million Tesla vehicles over a feature allowing users to move cars remotely after finding it was linked only to low-speed incidents.

The ‌agency opened the probe into the "Actually Smart Summon" ‌feature ‌in early 2025 after reports of several crashes. ‌

The system allows users to move vehicles over ⁠short distances in parking areas or on private property, using a smartphone app.

The agency concluded that the feature was linked primarily to low-speed incidents resulting in minor property damage and said it had ​reports of about 100 crashes but no injuries or fatalities.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Most ⁠reported incidents involved vehicles striking obstacles such as parked cars, garage doors or gates, often early in a Summon session when visibility or situational awareness was limited, NHTSA found.

No incidents were reported that involved a major crash, air bag deployment or a vehicle being towed away, it said.

The agency said the low frequency and severity of the incidents did not warrant further action. 

Tesla addressed issues through a series of ​software updates aimed at improving obstacle detection, ⁠camera blockage identification and vehicle response to dynamic ⁠objects such as gates, the regulator said. 

The updates also sought to reduce errors caused by environmental ​factors such as snow or condensation affecting cameras.

NHTSA last month separately upgraded ‌a probe into ⁠Tesla's Full Self-Driving system to an "engineering analysis," a more advanced stage that typically precedes a potential recall and expanded the review to about 3.2 million vehicles.

Tesla's driver-assistance and self-driving ‌features remain under regulatory scrutiny over concerns about crashes, visibility limitations and whether the systems adequately warn drivers in real-world conditions.

In October, NHTSA opened an investigation into 2.9 million vehicles equipped with its Full ​Self-Driving system over more than 50 reports of traffic-safety violations and a series of crashes.

The auto safety agency said FSD has "induced vehicle behavior that violated traffic safety laws." NHTSA ‌and Tesla have ⁠had a series of meetings ​over the issue in recent months.