Tesla's Summon Feature Scrutinized After Model S Crash

CARS.COM — Tesla and a Tesla Model S owner are playing the blame game over why the car allegedly started on its own and rear-ended a semitrailer.

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Model S owner Jared Overton of Utah County, Utah, was showing off the car to someone and then left the car parked on the roadside. When he returned, he found the Model S wedged under a semitrailer.

"We were trying to figure out how on earth the vehicle started on its own," Overton told KLS-TV. "What happened with this kind of rogue vehicle?"

Tesla's answer: The Model S' Summon feature, which allows the car to handle all parking maneuvers and even drive itself to the driver's location, was "initiated by a double-press of the gear selector stalk button, shifting from Drive to Park and requesting Summon activation," Tesla said in a letter after the automaker reviewed the car's logs.

Overton said he didn't trigger the Summon feature, but if he did so inadvertently, it should have started self-parking while he was standing next to it or walking into a nearby business. 

"[Tesla] can tell me what they want to tell me with the logs, but it doesn't change what we know happened here," he said.

In a statement to KSL-TV, Tesla said the Summon feature is in beta testing.

"This feature will park Model S while the driver is outside the vehicle," Tesla said in its statement. "Please note that the vehicle may not detect certain obstacles, including those that are very narrow (e.g., bikes), lower than the fascia, or hanging from the ceiling. As such, Summon requires that you continually monitor your vehicle's movement and surroundings while it is in progress and that you remain prepared to stop the vehicle at any time using your key fob or mobile app or by pressing any door handle. You must maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle when using this feature and should only use it on private property."

Overton isn't satisfied with Tesla's stance and wants the automaker to continue to investigate the incident in case this wasn't user error.

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