Tesla has issued a software update for its EVs that prevents the Passenger Play feature from being used when the car is moving.
NHTSA found that playing games on the center display could distract drivers from the road and cause incidents. Interestingly enough, however, the association did not declare the issue closed when Tesla rolled out the software fix: investigation is still ongoing.
According to the association, the update that enabled Tesla passengers to play video games while the car was moving came out a year ago, replacing older software that required the EV to be parked for games to be accessible. However, no one had complained until a 59-year-old concerned owner of a Tesla car did a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, the man was worried that there was no safeguard against drivers playing games on the go.
A warning that came up on the screen when a game was launched explicitly stated that only front seat passengers were allowed to play, but it could be dismissed by the driver without any repercussions. The fix has now reverted Passenger Play to only be available when parked.
It remains to be seen what intentions NHTSA has in mind with its continued investigation of the matter. There is a chance that the automaker will be found in violation of traffic safety laws and fined. Autoevolution believes that Tesla may be eventually forced to roll out another update: in its current state, the software offers an option to circumvent the block.
As a side note, there have been no recorded road incidents so far connected with the use of the Passenger Play feature.