Class action lawsuit brought against claims about Tesla’s Full Autonomous Driving, Fully Self-Driving features
An owner is suing Tesla false advertising of Autopilot, Advanced Autopilot, and Full Self-Driving – the system is still in beta but available to about 100,000 owners with high safety scores.
The lawsuit today was filed in a federal court in San Francisco and is seeking unspecified damages on behalf of people who purchased a 2016 Tesla or later equipped with Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot or Full Self-Driving.
Briggs Matsko, the plaintiff named in the case, claims Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk misled the public by saying that the technologies are either fully working or “just hanging around” even though they know otherwise.
In the lawsuit, Matsko said, “Tesla has not yet produced anything even when remotely approaching a fully autonomous vehicle.”
He went on to say that when software updates are installed, owners are “effectively acting like untrained test engineers”. Issues identified by owners include cars driving into oncoming traffic, running red lights and failing to turn properly.
Matsko said the company hyped its driver-assist technology to “create excitement” about its cars in order to attract investors, boost stock prices and improve sales. It also helps the automaker stave off bankruptcy and become a “dominant player” in the electric vehicle market.
In early November, Musk say on Twitter: “The closest we have [to bankruptcy] is about a month. The Model 3 ramp was extremely stressful and painful for a long time – from mid-2017 to mid-2019. Hell of production and logistics.”
The controversial Tesla Autopilot vehicle is classified as Level 2 self-driving systemmeans the car can drive itself but it needs the care and supervision of the driver.
Today’s lawsuit follows on from a case filed in early August of the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) against Tesla alleging “false or misleading statements” about its Autopilot and Fully Self-Driving technology.
The DMV said the company’s website promotes “long and short distance trips where no action is needed by the occupant of the driver’s seat” while a disclaimer later contradicts this stating the turmeric “[requires] actively monitor drivers and do not catch homemade vehicles”.
As part of the filing, the DMV is seeking to suspend or revoke the company’s license to sell cars in the state, as well as compensate parties for financial damage or loss.
To date, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened 38 special cases related to Tesla’s advanced driver assistance features, 19 related to deaths.
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