Tesla has removed Forward Collision Warnings (FCW) from the formula used to calculate its Safety Score, a key component of its insurance pricing model, following ongoing legal scrutiny. The update, rolled out quietly in the latest version of the Safety Score system, comes as the company faces a potential class action lawsuit alleging that the FCW metric led to unjustifiably high insurance premiums.
The Safety Score, introduced in 2021, is used by Tesla Insurance to assess driver behavior and determine monthly premium rates. It aggregates real-time driving data across several metrics, including Hard Braking, Aggressive Turning, Unsafe Following, and others. A higher Safety Score generally results in lower premiums.
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FCW has been a particularly contentious part of the scoring system. The metric was intended to capture instances where the vehicle detected a likely collision without driver action. However, many Tesla owners reported that the system frequently triggered false warnings, flagging potential threats where none existed. These repeated false positives raised concerns that drivers were being penalized unfairly through higher insurance costs.
The issue gained legal traction when a Tesla owner in Illinois filed a lawsuit, claiming that inaccurate FCW data led to inflated premiums for many customers. Although Tesla sought to have the case dismissed, a judge ruled in December 2023 that the suit could proceed. The company has until October 2025 to gather evidence for its defense.
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Version 2.2 of the Safety Score, released last week, now lists seven metrics: Hard Braking, Aggressive Turning, Unsafe Following, Excessive Speeding, Late-Night Driving, Forced Autopilot Disengagement, and Unbuckled Driving. FCW has been removed without public comment from Tesla.
The legal implications of this change remain uncertain. While the removal of FCW may reduce the plaintiffs’ ability to argue ongoing harm, the lawsuit could still focus on past financial impacts and whether Tesla should be held accountable for prior use of the metric. A settlement remains a possibility, though court records indicate the case is still active.
Source: Driveteslacanada