Tesla Under NHTSA Scrutiny Over New Feature That Lets Users Play Video Games While Car Is In Motion

Tesla Inc TSLA is in discussion with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over a possible distraction issue due to video-gaming access inside the car, Reuters reported.

What Happened: The federal agency is reportedly looking into a new software update that allows Tesla users to play video games on a touch screen mounted on the dashboard on whether it could distract drivers and lead to a crash.

The software update allowing the feature was released in summer. 

The safety agency is concerned about the potential distraction, particularly due to an “array of convenience technologies such as entertainment screens” in certain vehicles, as per Reuters.

The Elon Musk-led Tesla offers a warning that says "Playing while the car is in motion is only for passengers."

The warning is in addition to a confirmation seeking if the player is a passenger, though there is no way to confirm the authenticity of the user’s response.

See Also: Tesla Autopilot Probe Expands As NHTSA Asks Other Automakers For Data

Tesla's full self-driving software (FSD) is an advanced driver assistance system, while the autopilot is part of all its vehicles. The electric vehicle maker says its current Autopilot features “require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.”

Price Action: Tesla shares closed 1.64% higher at $1,068.96 a share on Wednesday.