Tesla investigated by DOT for Passenger Play feature

The United States’ Department of Transportation’s (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into Tesla’s video game functionality. The government will be investigating the Passenger Play function, which lets you play video games while your car is being driven.

According to a December New York Times article, Tesla released an update that allowed users to play video while the car is in motion. Tesla Arcade has been playable via the car’s touchscreen since 2019, but previously only worked when the car is parked. The Tesla Arcade has all sorts of games — like classic arcade games and Cuphead — with others continually added; the original Sonic the HedgehogThe platform was launched in December. According to The Verge, a notification appears onscreen when games launch, asking the user to confirm they’re the passenger before playing.

“There’s little to prevent a driver from tapping the button and playing the games, however,” The Verge said.

The NHTSA estimates that 580,000 cars — the 2017 to 2022 Models 3, S, X, Y — are covered as part of the investigation.

This happens after an individual has filed a complaint with the regulator. There were no injuries or crashes. “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?,” the user asked in the complaint. “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.”

NHTSA also has Tesla under scrutiny for its Autopilot feature.

Tesla has not responded to Polygon’s request for comment. (The company “dissolved” its media department in 2020.)