Why Critics Slam Tesla’s Full Self-Driving System and Is Lawsuit Near?

Why Trust Techopedia
Key Takeaways

  • Tesla faces legal scrutiny for allegedly misleading consumers about its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features.
  • Reports show only 2% of users bought the Full Self-Driving feature after a free trial.
  • Tesla's struggles include factory expansion protests, a significant revenue drop, and stock value decline.

Electric vehicle leader Tesla is now in the legal spotlight due to accusations of deceiving consumers about its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) features.

Despite the company’s long-standing promotion of a Full Self-Driving package, it has yet to deliver on this promise.

Recently, Tesla rebranded the package as Full-Self Driving (Supervised). However, critics argue that this name still does not accurately reflect the system’s capabilities. This has sparked criticism from both customers and regulatory bodies, who claim that Tesla’s promotional strategies are not only misleading but could also pose safety risks.

Reports indicate that only 2% of Tesla owners who trialed the Full Self-Driving feature for free chose to purchase it. This suggests that most Tesla owners remain unconvinced by the system’s current performance.

Moreover, Tesla’s ‘full self-driving’ is still a work in progress, with users reporting that the system often disregards speed limits and behaves unpredictably at intersections. These issues have raised safety concerns, leading the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) to open an investigation over multiple crashes involving Tesla vehicles with updated software.

Tesla’s Numerous Battles

This lawsuit is just one of a series of challenges that Tesla has faced recently. Last week, Techopedia reported that the company faced significant opposition due to its plans to expand its factory in Brandenburg. The expansion plans sparked protests from climate activists, some of whom attempted to storm the factory grounds. The situation escalated to the point where production at the factory was halted following a power outage, which officials suspect was caused by arson.

On the financial front, Tesla reported a 9% drop in first-quarter revenue, marking the biggest decline since 2012. This was largely due to decreased vehicle deliveries, partially attributed to disruptions at the Model 3 update in the Fremont factory and Giga Berlin. The company’s stock value also hit, losing 42% of its value since the beginning of the year.

Despite these hurdles, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk maintains a positive outlook, stating that the upcoming “Supervised Full Self-Driving” (FSD) software update will significantly improve the system’s performance. However, many in the industry remain doubtful, arguing that fully autonomous vehicles are still a distant reality.

While Tesla continues to innovate in the electric vehicle sector, it seems the company has a considerable journey ahead before it can fulfill its promise of full self-driving. As the lawsuit unfolds, it will be intriguing to see how Tesla addresses these allegations and what measures it takes to enhance its FSD system.