In the United States, an inquiry into more than half a million Tesla cars with touchscreens has been initiated.
It comes after a customer complained about being able to play games while driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States is investigating 580,000 Tesla Models 3, S, and X vehicles produced between 2017 and the present.
The investigation has yet to get a response from Tesla.
Passenger Play is the function in question, and it allows customers to play games on their in-car touchscreen.
It does state that playing while driving is “just for passengers,” and it requests approval before authorizing games.
Passenger Play, on the other hand, “may distract the driver and increase the risk of an accident,” according to the NHTSA.
The functionality has been accessible since December 2020, according to the company. The game feature was previously only available while the car was in Park mode.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated earlier this month that distracted drivers were responsible for 3,142 road deaths in 2019.
In 2013, the EPA issued guidelines recommending that in-vehicle technologies be built such that the driver cannot use them “to execute intrinsically disruptive secondary tasks while driving.”
Tesla owner Vince Patton of Oregon saw a video on YouTube last month demonstrating how Passenger Play may be utilized by drivers.
After testing it in a parking lot and seeing that he could play numerous games while driving, he filed a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, calling the function “recklessly irresponsible.”
Mercedes-Benz issued a recall earlier this month due to an issue caused by a computer setup mistake that allowed drivers to access the internet or watch television while driving.
