US traffic safety regulator ends its probe into Tesla
What's the story
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has closed its investigation into Tesla's "actually smart summon" feature. The tech allows drivers to remotely move their cars over short distances in parking lots, using a smartphone app while keeping continuous supervision. The NHTSA found that the feature, used in some 2.59 million vehicles, was mainly associated with low-speed incidents causing minor property damage but no injuries or fatalities.
Investigation findings
NHTSA considered software fixes and low incident severity
The NHTSA's decision to close the investigation was based on the low frequency as well as severity of incidents related to Tesla's "actually smart summon" feature. The regulator also considered the software fixes implemented by the EV maker as a factor in its decision not to take further action at this time.
Steps
How Tesla addressed the issues
The US-based car company had previously addressed the issues flagged by NHTSA through a series of over-the-air software updates. These were aimed at improving obstacle detection as well as camera visibility.