Elon Musk-led electric automaker Tesla (TSLA) is known for many technological oddities and curiosities. However, one aptly named feature takes the cake for a “quality of life” upgrade.
In September 2024, the EV maker launched a new feature that gave its owners a sneak look into its autonomous goals.
Dubbed Actually Smart Summon, or “ASS,” the feature allows Tesla owners to remotely move their cars from a fixed location to wherever they are standing using nothing but the smartphone application.
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In a demonstration video of the feature, a Tesla Model 3 is seen being used in a grocery store parking lot. Here, it backs out from a parking space away from the store and navigates the aisles of spaces to meet the owner waiting at the front, all while yielding to and avoiding other carts, pedestrians, and cars.
Though this feature may sound like the future, a new federal probe exposes that there may be some smoke and mirrors behind this seemingly clever feature.
A Tesla electric vehicle is driven past a a Vay remote driving Kia electric vehicle parked ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 6, 2025.
PATRICK T. FALLON/Getty Images
Feds’ probe suggests Tesla’s Actually Smart Summon isn’t so smart
Introduced last fall as a successor to the Smart Summon feature, which only allowed owners to move their Teslas in and out of a parking space using the Tesla app, the aptly named ‘ASS’ has caught the eyes of regulators.
According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Tesla vehicles following reports of several crashes linked to the Actually Smart Summon feature.
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation said it had received one direct complaint of a crash that occurred when said feature was in use and that they viewed three media reports of similar incidents.
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In all cited incidents, the NHTSA’s ODI noted, the Teslas involved failed to detect obstacles or parked vehicles and drivers failed to stop their cars in time.
“The ODI is aware of multiple crash allegations, involving both Smart Summon and Actually Smart Summon, where the user had too little reaction time to avoid a crash, either with the available line of sight or releasing the phone app button, which stops the vehicle’s movement,” it said in a statement.
The regulators said its probe will look at certain parameters regarding Actually Smart Summon, including how fast Tesla vehicles go while using it, how often it is used on public roads, as well as if using the feature requires a Tesla vehicle’s sensors to detect objects at a minimum distance.
In addition to the reports regarding Actual Smart Summon, the ODI revealed that it received 12 separate crash reports related to its predecessor — which is charmingly now called “Dumb Smart Summon.”
The ODI also revealed that Tesla has failed to report any Smart Summon or Actually Smart Summon crashes, which goes against the “Standing General Order for crashes involving ADS or Level 2 ADAS,” which requires “reporting of crashes on publicly accessible roads.”
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Tesla’s Smart Summon is not popular with Tesla owners
Since its release in late 2024, Tesla’s Actually Smart Summon has been documented in videos circulating on social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok in situations where it causes accidents, as well as in instances where it works smoothly.
In one video released in September 2024, TikToker Nathan Espinoza said that “he couldn’t stop using” the feature in a video demonstrating it, noting that the only drawback is that “Everyone around you stares.”
In a thread on the r/TeslaLounge subreddit asking owners if they actually use the feature, some Tesla owners aired similar grievances.
“I used it at the mall. It was fine.” Reddit user u/ectomobile said. “Felt like an a–hole.”
Another user noted that the feature has a ways to go before it’s perfected.
“After 6 or so attempts, I’d say it’s pretty inconsistent still,” Reddit user and self-reported Tesla Model 3 owner u/notasausage said. “I really like the feature, and it has legitimate use cases (car picks you up at store entrance because it’s raining or you have a heavy item), but it hasn’t worked all that well for me.”
In a similar thread on the r/TeslaModelY subreddit, user u/r3dt4rget aired that from a more nuanced perspective, the technology has more drawbacks than advantages.
“It’s simply faster to walk to your car, and it’s better for your health to get your steps in,” they noted. “The scenarios where [Actually Smart Summon] would be useful are there I’m sure (pouring rain for example), but for 90% of parking situations, just walk lol. If it’s not faster or more efficient then what’s the point?”
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