U.S. opens safety probe into 580,000 Tesla cars over game feature

• NHTSA evaluating Tesla Model 3, S, X and Y manufactured between 2007 and 2022

• Tesla added three games in its cars over OTA update

U.S road and auto safety agency on Wednesday said it has opened a formal safety probe into 580,000 electric vehicles made by Tesla Inc over the carmaker’s decision to allow games to be played on the center touchscreen.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said its preliminary evaluation covers Tesla Model 3, S, X, and Y vehicles manufactured between 2017 and 2022 equipped with “Passenger Play.”

The agency said it “may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash.”

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NHTSA said it has “confirmed that this capability has been available since December 2020 in Tesla’ Passenger Play'-equipped vehicles.” Before then, the game feature “was enabled only when the vehicle was in Park.”

NHTSA said the regulators would “evaluate aspects of the feature, including the frequency and use scenarios of Tesla’ Passenger Play.”

Games in Tesla cars

Earlier this month, the New York Times reported about the game feature, prompting the agency to say it was in discussions with Tesla and expressed concerns regarding gameplay.

NHTSA also said that distracted driving claimed 3,142 in 2019 alone in the United States.

In its OTA update, Tesla added three games — solitaire, a jet fighter, and conquest strategy scenario — to which the carmaker is showing a warning saying, “Playing while the car is in motion is only for passengers.”

Though an on-screen button asks for confirmation that the player is a passenger, NYT reported that a driver could play simply by pressing the button.

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NHTSA issued guidelines in 2013 for automakers “to factor safety and driver distraction-prevention into their designs and adoption of infotainment devices in vehicles.”

The guidelines “recommend that in-vehicle devices be designed so that they cannot be used by the driver to perform inherently distracting secondary tasks while driving,” the agency said.

NHTSA in August opened a safety probe into Tesla’s Autopilot, its driver-assistance system after it recorded repeated collision instances with emergency vehicles in the first responder scenes reported involving the system.

Picture Credit: MotorTrend