US probes 2.6 million Tesla vehicles over remote driving feature

Investing.com -- The US has initiated an investigation into 2.6 million Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA ) vehicles following reports of accidents linked to a remote driving feature named Actually Smart summon. This feature was launched in September and enables users to remotely beckon their vehicle to their location or another designated spot via a smartphone application.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is conducting the probe, citing reports of Tesla vehicles not detecting objects such as posts or other parked cars when utilizing the feature. The agency noted that the users had insufficient reaction time to prevent a collision by releasing the app button, which halts the vehicle's motion. A minimum of four crashes has been reported in connection with this feature.

This recent investigation follows a separate probe by the NHTSA into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with full self-driving software. This earlier investigation was triggered by four reported collisions, one of which was a fatal accident that occurred in 2023.

Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, who is also a close advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, has previously expressed criticism towards the actions undertaken by the NHTSA. Following the news of the investigation, Tesla shares dropped 3% in Tuesday morning trading on the stock exchange.

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Source: Investing.com