Tesla’s autonomous features are under attack again. This time the challenge came from the owner of the Model X who sued the car manufacturer for falsifying the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving technology capabilities of the car.
Briggs Matsko claims Tesla is promoting the autonomous feature as either working or coming soon, though doesn’t know which one is correct. He said Tesla engaged in the pretext of “generating excitement” about its EV lineup, to attract investment, raise stock prices, sell more cars and avoid bankruptcy.
“Tesla hasn’t produced anything close to a fully self-driving car,” said Matsko, who paid $5,000 at today’s exchange rates, to augment his 2018 Model X with the Enhanced Autopilot option.
Reuters reports that a lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco seeks damages for drivers who buy or rent Tesla vehicles equipped with Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot or Full Self-Driving packages. Tesla has previously publicly stated that its autonomous features still require the driver to be present but attentive and ready to take back control of the car.
Matsko also criticized the way Tesla rolled out software updates that essentially turned their owners into “untrained test drivers,” some of whom have found that their cars will be steered into heavy traffic or fail to turn when they should be operating independently.
This legal challenge is just the latest attack on Tesla’s self-driving technology. Earlier this year the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) filed a complaint accusing Tesla of overestimating its self-driving capabilities. And NHTSA, which has opened 38 investigations into Tesla crashes allegedly involving autonomous features since 2016, is currently investigating a spate of accidents in which Tesla vehicles hit parked emergency response vehicles.
Tesla continues to roll out further software upgrades to a small number of owners selected to test the FSD Beta, and last month claimed the self-driving feature would be unlocked to any Tesla driver who wanted it by the end of 2022.
NHTSA seeks information from Tesla on in-car camera intended to monitor driver
