Tesla will have to work through Autopilot false claims case in California

Tesla is going to have to work through a case in California that claims the company overstated some of the capabilities of Autopilot, according to a Judge.

Judge Juliet Cox of the California Office of Administrative Hearings said the state’s DMV has accusations against Tesla that would support an enforcement action if they are found to be true.

Two years ago, the California DMV said Tesla misled consumers by overstating the capabilities of Autopilot. Based on promotional materials, the DMV claimed that Tesla vehicles “could not at the time of those advertisements, and cannot now, operate as autonomous vehicles.”

The DMV also went as far as attempting to suspend Tesla’s license to sell vehicles in the state and requiring the company to pay restitution to vehicle owners.

Tesla has tried to have the case dismissed on several occasions. In May, it tried to have it dismissed at the federal level, but a judge rejected Tesla’s request.

Those prosecutors on the federal level are trying to determine whether Tesla’s claims about Autopilot and its capabilities constitute fraud because they could be considered misleading to investors.

Tesla has never stated that Autopilot or the company’s Full Self-Driving suite are fully autonomous.

Judge Cox believes it would be “premature” to throw the case out without a formal hearing being performed first, according to Reuters.

The intense scrutiny of Tesla Autopilot, Tesla Full Self-Driving, and other autonomous and semi-autonomous driving functionalities is proof the new age of driver assistance programs is here. With safety in mind, these suites are being criticized and examined as much as possible because of what is at stake.

Tesla has had far from an easy road when it comes to Autopilot and FSD. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has also launched investigations into how Tesla monitors drivers when they use the suites.

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