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NHTSA Closes Tesla Actually Smart Summon Investigation, but Does Not Clear the Feature

NHTSA closed its preliminary evaluation of Tesla Actually Smart Summon after reviewing 159 incidents and six software updates, while noting closure does not rule out a safety defect.
Entry317 Date Time4 min MechanicCarCody Team
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NHTSA closed its preliminary evaluation of Tesla’s Actually Smart Summon on April 3, 2026, after reviewing 159 reported incidents and considering six software updates. The agency cited low incident occurrence and severity, but explicitly said closure is not a finding that no safety-related defect exists. Its review found no reported injuries, fatalities, vulnerable-road-user incidents, or major property damage among the incidents it summarized.

What happened in NHTSA’s Tesla Summon investigation?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE24033 on January 6, 2025. It examined crashes during active sessions of Tesla’s Actually Smart Summon feature—not every Tesla driver-assistance system and not Summon in every possible use.

NHTSA’s January 16, 2025 information request asked Tesla about the feature’s capabilities and range, operation through a handheld app, connectivity delays or loss, stopping distance, the app’s camera view and line of sight, and possible use on roads or in other unintended settings. The agency framed its concerns around detecting and responding to surroundings, the operator’s situational awareness and reaction time, and app or connectivity problems. NHTSA’s information request for PE24033 details that scope.

What did NHTSA’s review find?

NHTSA’s April 3, 2026 closing resume covers an estimated 2,585,000 vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving (FSD): 2016–2025 Model S and Model X, 2017–2025 Model 3, and 2020–2025 Model Y. After eliminating duplicate reports received by the manufacturer, the agency recorded 159 incidents, including 97 categorized as crashes or fires.

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Measure in NHTSA’s closeout Reported figure
Estimated vehicle population covered 2,585,000
Total incidents after duplicate elimination 159
Incidents categorized as crashes/fires 97
Injury incidents and injury count 0 incidents; 0 injuries
Fatality incidents and fatality count 0 incidents; 0 fatalities

These are counts in the agency’s reviewed records, not a census of every event that may have occurred. NHTSA said that “Out of millions of Summon sessions, a fraction of 1% resulted in an incident.” Its summary gives neither an exact percentage nor a precise session denominator, so that wording should not be converted into a more specific rate.

The agency said nearly all reported crashes involved minor property-damage claims. It reported no incidents involving a vulnerable road user, an injury, a fatality, or major property damage; it defined major damage in this review by airbag deployment or the vehicle being towed away. Impacts most often involved parking gates, nearby parked vehicles, and short bollards.

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Scenarios described by NHTSA

NHTSA said incidents often occurred early in a Summon session, when the vehicle or app user did not fully detect or appropriately respond to surroundings. The app did not always give users a complete 360-degree view, limiting their ability to assess an imminent impact during early maneuvers such as reversing near an obstacle or curb.

  • In two crashes, snow partially or fully obstructed forward-facing cameras without Summon detecting the blockage; the vehicles struck unoccupied parked vehicles.
  • In another incident, the vehicle did not yield to a garage gate arm.

Those are specific scenarios described in the closeout, not proof that all reported incidents shared one cause. The agency’s findings and incident counts are in its PE24033 closing resume.

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Why did NHTSA close the evaluation?

NHTSA closed the preliminary evaluation on April 3, 2026, citing the low occurrence and severity of incidents and Tesla’s software updates. The agency said Tesla released six over-the-air updates during the investigation. The closeout describes January 2025 improvements to camera-blockage detection and reductions in false negatives involving snow or condensation; a February 6, 2025 update to improve response to dynamic gates using an occupancy-determination network; and a November 20, 2025 update adding object detections from a separate neural network. NHTSA said affected owners received all six updates and that Tesla also released them to production vehicles.

Closure is not a declaration that the feature is safe or defect-free. NHTSA stated: “The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding that a safety-related defect does not exist.” It also reserved the right to take further action if future circumstances warrant.

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Is Actually Smart Summon the same as Tesla’s other driver-assistance systems?

No. PE24033 concerned crashes during active Actually Smart Summon sessions. Its incident findings should not be treated as an investigation or verdict on every Tesla driver-assistance feature.

Tesla’s Model 3 manual distinguishes two Summon functions: Dumb Summon moves the vehicle straight into or out of a parking spot, while Actually Smart Summon can navigate to the user or a selected location. The manual says Actually Smart Summon is intended for parking lots and driveways on private property and is disabled on public roads. Feature names, availability, and instructions can vary by model, region, vehicle configuration, and software.

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What should an owner know before using Summon?

Tesla’s Model 3 manual describes Summon as supervised, not as a substitute for the user’s attention. It directs the user to monitor the vehicle and its surroundings continuously, remain ready to act, and maintain a clear line of sight. Releasing the app button may not stop the vehicle instantly because of a slight connectivity-related delay.

Check the surroundings and visibility

The manual warns that Summon may not stop for every object, including some low or high objects, and cannot detect obstacles in camera blind spots near the front fenders. Heavy rain, snow, fog, extreme temperatures, dirty or obstructed cameras, poor cellular coverage, unavailable GPS, and unpaved surfaces can impair performance or cause the feature to abort.

Use the applicable vehicle instructions

Before operating the feature, consult the current owner’s manual for the specific vehicle and configuration. Tesla’s Model 3 Summon instructions describe the supervision, visibility, camera, and environmental limitations; they should not automatically be assumed to match every Tesla model or software version.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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