A class action lawsuit has been filed against Tesla over “allegedly misleading the public regarding its Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot, and Full Self-Driving Capability (‘FSD’) technology.”
California-based buyer Briggs Matsko revealed that he purchased a $5,000 premium for his 2018 Tesla Model X to get ‘Enhanced Autopilot’, which has been sold as a precursor to FSD software that now costs $15,000 but is still in the Beta phase.
Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, announced it’s filing of the class action lawsuit, claiming that Tesla has been misleading its customers with its claims regarding autopilot and full self-driving package and then delivering a faulty product.
In a press release, they stated:
The lawsuit filed today alleges that Tesla has yet to produce a fully self-driving car. Tesla owners receiving the latest “updates” to Tesla’s Autopilot software and FSD beta software have reported myriad problems, such as cars having difficulty making routine turns, running red lights, and steering into oncoming traffic. There have also been numerous collisions involving Tesla’s purportedly cutting-edge software, including vehicles crashing at high speeds into large stationary objects such as emergency vehicles and an overturned box truck.
The lawsuit alleges that Tesla has repeatedly claimed since 2016 that it’s within a year or a few months of perfecting its self-driving car.
However, according to the lawsuits, these promises have “proven false time and time again.”
Now, with six years having passed, Tesla “has yet to produce anything even remotely approaching a fully self-driving car,” one of the cases argues. In fact, the suit says, former employees and investigations have revealed: “damning information” indicating that Tesla has never even come close to achieving that goal.
The Gateway Pundit’s report offered additional details:
The New York Times later reported that the demonstration wasn’t a realistic representation of real-world use and that the car had crashed into a barrier during the making of the video.
The release also said Tesla’s “self-driving” technology has caused people to lose their lives and suffer serious injuries.
In fact, there have been enough deaths and injuries that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board and other regulating bodies have opened investigations into the matter, the release said.
In addition, the California Department of Motor Vehicles has filed a complaint against Tesla accusing the company of making false and misleading statements about its Autopilot and FSD technology.
If the state DMV’s claims are found to be valid, Tesla’s vehicle dealer and manufacturing licenses could be revoked and the company required to pay restitution.
Matsko said Tesla’s motive for misrepresenting its technology was to “generate excitement” about its vehicles.
It was also allegedly intended to draw investors, increase sales, avert bankruptcy and inflate Tesla’s stock price so that the company would appear to be a “dominant player” in the electric vehicle industry.
Additional problems that Tesla owners have reported in connection to the “self-driving” software include vehicles failing to make routine turns, running red lights and veering into oncoming traffic.
Sources: TheGatewayPundit, The New York Times, Reuters
