The United States has opened another formal investigation into Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), this time regarding drivers playing video games on their vehicles' consoles while driving. The gaming feature called "Passenger Play", is shown on a center screen and could contribute to the risk of a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"To date, the agency has received one owner complaint describing the gameplay functionality and has confirmed that this capability has been available since December 2020 in Tesla "Passenger Play"-equipped vehicles," the NHTSA stated via a spokesperson. "Before this time, enabling gameplay was only possible when the vehicle was in park."
The NHTSA probe was announced on Dec. 22 and covers all four Tesla models - the S, X, Y, and 3, years 2017 through 2022, roughly 580,000 vehicles. The purpose of the probe is "to evaluate the driver distraction potential of Tesla 'Passenger Play' while the vehicle is being driven." According to the announcement, investigators "will evaluate aspects of the feature, including the frequency and use scenarios" of the video game feature.
While there haven't been any accidents reported that were directly attributed to the "Passenger Play" system, the NHTSA investigation into the potential danger of the feature could lead to a recall.
The Tesla video game feature was first brought to the agency's attention in early November 2021 when a Tesla owner reported that drivers can access games and the internet while driving. The owner, Vince Patton, says he has nothing against Tesla but worries about the potential misuse of the Passenger Play system.
"NHTSA needs to prohibit all live video in the front seat and all live interactive web browsing while the car is in motion," Patton's complaint reads. "Creating a dangerous distraction for the driver is recklessly negligent."
"Somebody's going to get killed," Patton told reporters. "It's absolutely insane."
Tesla isn't alone facing the driver video game issue: early in December 2021, Mercedes-Benz (OTC: DMLRY) issued its own recall regarding a computer malfunction that allowed drivers to access the internet or stream television. MB's recall has put even more pressure on Tesla to take action.
"MB is following the regulatory rules as they are supposed to - in sharp contrast to what we've been seeing from Tesla," said professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University Philip Koopman.
According to Koopman, allowing the Tesla vehicles to slide by without a recall would mean that the NHTSA is holding that company to a different standard than all other manufacturers.
"Every motor vehicle manufacturer in the United States has the same responsibility to identify and immediately repair, for free, such safety defect in their vehicles," the NHTSA wrote in a statement on Dec. 10.
The NHTSA's prior investigation into Tesla looked at why the company's Autopilot system consistently crashed into emergency vehicles and why Tesla failed to issue a recall when the issue was addressed. An investigation is also underway into the functionality of the Tesla "Full Self-Driving" software.