National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Closes Investigation into Tesla Smart Summon Function
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the closure of its investigation into Tesla’s Smart Summon function. The reason was that the frequency and severity of incidents were deemed low. According to the regulator, only a fraction of a percent of the millions of function usage sessions resulted in any events.
Nature of Incidents and Manufacturer’s Response
Despite nearly 100 collisions being recorded, the vast majority of them had minor consequences. Typical scenarios were impacts with parked cars, gates, or parking bollards. According to regulators, incidents occurred because either the system or the user controlling it did not adequately respond to the surrounding environment.
Two cases were identified where cameras were blocked by snow, leading to collisions with stationary vehicles. In these situations, drivers also did not intervene to stop the vehicle. In response, Tesla released a software update in early 2025 that added a blocked camera detection feature and subsequently introduced other software improvements.
Further System Improvements
A separate incident occurred when the Smart Summon function did not stop before a gate at a garage exit, and the user did not issue a stop command. This also resulted in a collision. Following this, the manufacturer released another update aimed at improving the vehicle’s response to moving obstacles, such as gates or barriers.
In total, about 159 incidents were documented, including 97 collisions, although these figures may contain some duplicates. Given that approximately 2.6 million vehicles are equipped with Smart Summon technology, these rates are relatively low.
The closure of the investigation does not mean the function has become flawless. This story serves as a reminder that drivers must remain vigilant and be prepared to immediately intervene in the operation of any driver assistance system, especially in complex or changing environmental conditions. Continuous software improvement by manufacturers is key, but ultimate responsibility for safety still lies with the human at the wheel or with the control device.