On July 26th, CNBC let slip that Tesla is facing fresh scrutiny from the California Attorney General’s office over the safety of its headline-grabbing Autopilot feature and allegedly misleading marketing.
Tesla Autopilot Under Investigation by NHTSA: Is Full Self-Driving Really Ready?
Ever since 2016, Elon Musk has been boasting that Tesla would offer full self-driving capabilities, claiming all new Tesla EV would come pre-loaded with the required software and hardware. However, Tesla has yet to make good on its promise, sparking fierce discontent among car owners stateside and overseas.
In California, Tesla is already up against it over Autopilot’s “phantom braking” defect, where Tesla whips unexpectedly hit the brakes for no good reason while in self-driving mode.
The California AG’s office recently reached out to former Tesla owner Greg Wester, asking about his 2022 complaint to the FTC concerning the phantom braking issue and his belief the company makes misleading claims about its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system.
“If customers aren’t happy with the product, Tesla should give them the option of a full refund for the Autopilot feature,” said Greg Wester earlier. He noted that when buying FSD, “owners paid up but didn’t get the experience Musk pledged.”
Tesla previously copped to getting “requests for information from regulatory agencies” in its Q2 financial filing. While Tesla confirmed it would cough up “documents related to Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD features as requested by the Department of Justice,” it didn’t let on that California’s top lawyer would start poking around too.
Related Posts: Tesla’s FSD: A Self-Driving Daydream or Potential Nightmare?