A Small Win Amid a Huge Investigation
Tesla remains under scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), particularly over its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system and a series of crashes tied to its behavior in real-world conditions. That wider probe is still ongoing, with regulators digging into how the system performs in complex environments.
Amid all this, Tesla gets a small break. The NHTSA has officially closed its separate investigation into Actually Smart Summon – the feature that lets you move your car remotely with your phone. That probe had been running since early 2025.
This doesn’t mean Tesla is in the clear, but it does take one item off the long list of questions regulators have about its driver-assist tech. It also shows that not every feature gets the same level of attention – some draw more heat than others.
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What Triggered the Probe
The investigation, labeled PE24033, was opened in January 2025 after reports of low-speed crashes during Actually Smart Summon use. According to the NHTSA’s findings, the feature is classified as an SAE Level 2 system and is primarily intended for use in parking lots or private property.
At the center of the probe were incidents where vehicles made contact with nearby objects while being remotely operated. These weren’t high-speed collisions. Instead, they typically involved parking gates, bollards, or adjacent vehicles.
In total, regulators reviewed 159 reported incidents, including 97 classified as crashes. Notably, none involved injuries or fatalities.
The reports kept circling back to a few common problems. Sometimes, users just couldn’t see enough through the app to judge what was around the car. Other times, things like snow covering the cameras made it harder for the system to spot obstacles.
There were also moments when the system didn’t react well to moving objects, like gate arms. In a few cases, drivers didn’t step in quickly enough, even though the app showed something was in the way.
Why the Case Was Closed
NHTSA closed the case after Tesla pushed out several over-the-air updates that tackled the main problems. The updates made the system better at spotting blocked cameras, recognizing objects, and handling things like gates.
Regulators pointed out that, compared to how often Actually Smart Summon gets used, the number of incidents was low – a fraction of 1% out of millions of Summon sessions – and most were just minor scrapes. No one got hurt, and there were no cases involving pedestrians or cyclists.
Still, the agency chose its words carefully. Closing the probe doesn’t mean they’re saying the system is flawless. It just means that, for now, the fixes and the data are enough to pause any further action.
For Tesla, this is a small but welcome win. It proves that sometimes, a few targeted software tweaks are enough to keep regulators satisfied. But with the bigger FSD investigation still hanging over the company, Tesla’s self-driving tech is far from out of the spotlight.
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