Tesla is facing an investigation by NHTSA following reports of crashes involving its ‘Actually Smart Summon’ feature, electrek reports. This system lets Tesla cars drive through parking lots without anyone behind the wheel.

‘Actually Smart Summon’ is an upgraded version of Tesla’s earlier ‘smart summon.’ It allows vehicles to navigate parking lots by themselves, which CEO Elon Musk has described as a “mind-blowing feature.”

However, its launch has been delayed multiple times. Musk had promised it would be ready by September 2022 but as of January 2025, it still hasn’t officially launched.

This feature can be useful in tight parking spots where opening doors is difficult. It’s also used in commercial lots to bring cars to their owners, though many use it mainly to show off, as the process is quite slow.

In Tesla’s demo video, they sped up the footage to make the feature seem faster than it actually is. The system requires the car owner to hold a button on the app to keep the vehicle moving, as they remain responsible for it even without being inside:

When the vision-only version of Actually Smart Summon was released, many Tesla owners got to try it for the first time, which led to several accidents. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has now opened a probe after learning about several crashes where drivers didn’t have enough time to stop the car to avoid collisions.

ODI has recorded 16 incidents involving the system and noted that Tesla hasn’t reported any of these accidents, despite a requirement to do so for crashes involving autonomous or driver-assistance systems. Tesla has been lobbying to remove this reporting rule, and reports suggest Trump’s transition team is considering that change.

NHTSA will test various aspects of the system, including its top speed, the conditions under which it operates, and the effectiveness of the phone app used to control it. They will also check how delays in app connectivity might increase stopping distances.

Tesla is also under scrutiny for other features of its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems. Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!