Washington – Tesla Inc. presented a partial response to an NHTSA information request as part of an investigation into a decision by an electric vehicle manufacturer to allow video games to be played in infotainment systems while its vehicles are in motion.
NHTSA said Tesla’s response “has been received and is being considered.” memo dated March 7th published Tuesday on the agency’s website.
Tesla has requested “confidential business information for the entire request for information,” the note said.
NHTSA in December opened an investigation approximately 580,000 Tesla Model 3, Model S, Model X and Model Y cars from the 2017 to 2022 model years are equipped with the “Passenger Game” feature, allowing the gameplay to function on the front central touch screen while the car is moving.
The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation has opened an official safety probe to assess the potential of a feature that could distract the driver.
Soon Tesla pulled function and told NHTSA it would stop allowing games to be played on the central touch screen while the car is moving.
In January, NHTSA sent a letter to Tesla looking for more information to assist in the investigation, including any consumer complaints; reports of accidents, injuries or deaths; and lawsuits that may be relevant to this function.
The agency also asked Tesla to provide a chronology of events and research confirming its decision to deploy and then cancel the in-car gaming capability.
Tesla had to respond by March 4, otherwise it could face civil fines of nearly $ 115 million.
