Tesla was quick to respond to NHTSA’s investigation of dashboard gaming while the car was moving. The Guardian reports that Tesla will provide a software update that will disable games while the car is in motion.
An NHTSA spokesman said Tesla promised the changes after discussing the matter with officials. It is not stated when the software update will arrive. NHTSA stressed the investigation would continue despite any updates. The investigation covers about 580,000 Tesla EVs between the 2017 and 2022 model years.
NHTSA says the Vehicle Safety Act prohibits companies from selling cars that pose a significant safety risk. These risks include features that make the driver distracted.
Tesla no longer operates a public relations team and could not be reached for comment. However, the feature changes are not surprising. The sluggishness of response could exacerbate the consequences if NHTSA finds Tesla negligent on the matter.
Tesla’s competitor Mercedes-Benz recently fixed a bug that allowed mid-drive video playback — wouldn’t look good if Tesla refused to fix.
