— Update: Tesla sent over-the-air software updates to the vehicles the day after the Passenger Play investigation was announced by the government.
The updates will disable the Passenger Play feature, but NHTSA says it will continue its investigation.
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December 22, 2021 — A Tesla Passenger Play investigation has been opened by federal regulators to determine how much a driver may be distracted by the ability to use the internet and play games on the touchscreen while driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation was opened after regulators learned the Passenger Play feature has been available since December 2020.
An estimated 580,000 Tesla vehicles are part of the investigation, including all 2017-2022 Tesla Model 3, Model S, Model X and Tesla Model Y vehicles.
NHTSA received an owner complaint about the ability to play games on the touchscreen while driving. The Passenger Play feature was available prior to December 2020, but games were disabled unless the vehicle was in PARK.
The Oregon Tesla Model 3 owner found it was possible to play games and use the internet while the vehicle was in motion.
"Why is a manufacturer allowed to create an inherently distracting live video which takes over 2/3 of the screen which the driver relies on for all vehicle information? Tesla has no gauges above the steering wheel. NHTSA needs to prohibit all live video in the front seat and all live interactive web browsing while the car is in motion. Creating a dangerous distraction for the driver is recklessly negligent." — Tesla Model 3 complaint
Documents on NHTSA's website don't indicate any crashes or injuries have been reported related to Passenger Play, but safety investigators say they will, "evaluate the driver distraction potential of Tesla 'Passenger Play' while the vehicle is being driven."
CarComplaints.com will update our website with results of the Tesla Passenger Play investigation.
