NHTSA Complaint #11689122 — 2020 TESLA MODEL S

On 09/18 , I was using the Smart Summon feature of my Tesla Model S in the parking lot of Costco, Greenwood (Indianapolis, IN). The intent was to have the vehicle autonomously navigate from its parked spot toward my location, as designed and advertised by Tesla. During the Summon operation: 1.The vehicle failed to correctly detect and avoid a fixed obstacle (the cart return stand where shopping carts are housed). 2.Instead of stopping or rerouting safely, the car collided with the structure, causing visible damage to the front of the vehicle. 3.While there was no damage to public property or injury to people, the incident demonstrated a serious safety risk, since pedestrians or nearby vehicles could have been struck had they been present. 4.The Smart Summon system did not provide sufficient warning or correction during this event, despite being marketed as capable of safely maneuvering in such environments. This failure shows that the Smart Summon feature did not perform as intended and behaved in an unsafe manner in a real-world public parking environment.