Tesla Faces Class Action Lawsuit from Customers for False Ads Self-Driving Features

Tesla faces a class action lawsuit from customers. (photo: twitter @tesla)

JAKARTA – Autonomous car technology is said to be still not perfect. There are still many obstacles so running a vehicle without human supervision is still a big problem, which leads to accidents. This is also what makes autonomous car manufacturers several times demanded by their customers.

Most recently, Tesla Inc was sued on Wednesday, September 14, in a class action lawsuit filed for accusing the electric car company Elon Musk of misleading the public by advertising Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features.

The complaint accuses Tesla and Musk 2016 of defrauding by advertising the technology is fully functional or "just around the corner" despite knowing the technology doesn't work or doesn't exist, and makes the vehicle unsafe.

Briggs Matsko, the named plaintiff, said Tesla did this to "generate excitement" about its vehicles, attract investment, increase sales, avoid bankruptcy, raise its share price and become a "dominant player" in electric vehicles.

"Tesla hasn't produced anything even remotely to get close to a fully self-driving car", says Matsko.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, seeks unspecified damages for people who since 2016 purchased or leased Tesla vehicles with Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot, and Full Self-Driving features.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on the report. Instead, they disbanded their media relations department in 2020.

The lawsuit comes following a complaint filed on July 28 by the California Department of Motor Vehicles accusing Tesla of exaggerating how well its advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) works.

Repairs there could include suspending Tesla's license in California and requiring restitution to the driver.

Tesla says Autopilot allows vehicles to steer, accelerate and brake within their lane, while Full Self-Driving allows vehicles to obey traffic signals and change lanes.

It also said both technologies "require active driver supervision", with the "attentive" driver having his hands on the wheel, "and not making the vehicle autonomous."

Matsko, of Rancho Murieta, California, said he paid a $5,000 premium.