The "Autopilot" feature has been linked to accidents, prompting U.S. regulators to launch an investigation into Tesla (TSLA).

Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla (TSLA.US) is under investigation by the US safety regulator over issues with its "Advanced Summon" feature.

The probe involves approximately 2.585 million Tesla vehicles, including Model S, X from 2016 to 2025, Model 3 from 2017 to 2025, and Model Y from 2020 to 2025 equipped with full self-driving software.

Smart Summon and Advanced Summon are features on some Tesla vehicles that allow users to remotely move their vehicle to a user or another designated location using a mobile app.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received one complaint alleging that the "Smart Summon" feature caused a crash and reviewed at least three similar crash media reports.

All four accidents involved a Tesla vehicle operating in "Smart Summon" mode that failed to detect a guardrail or parked vehicle, leading to the crash.

ODI has begun a preliminary evaluation to investigate the Advanced Summon features, as they relate to the subject and similar crashes, including the operation and field performance of the system in vehicles equipped with FSD (full self-driving) and those provided with free trials.

Last October, NHTSA had already opened another investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD software, following four accident reports. In one such accident, a Tesla struck and killed a pedestrian.