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Tesla Faces Expanding Legal Fight Over Unmet Full Self‑Driving Promises

The cases challenge years of self‑driving claims that outpaced the technology, leaving early buyers paying for features their cars cannot fully use.

Overview

  • Tentpole case lead plaintiff Tom LoSavio won class‑action status in California covering roughly 3,000 owners, and Tesla is appealing the certification to the Ninth Circuit.
  • Plaintiffs seek refunds for buyers from 2016 to 2024 who paid for Full Self‑Driving and ask the court to bar Tesla from marketing cars as self‑driving.
  • Successive hardware changes left many older Teslas unable to run the newest software, while the current package sold as Full Self‑Driving (Supervised) costs $99 a month and still requires driver oversight.
  • Parallel efforts have surfaced abroad, including a class action in Australia and a European organizing push, as Dutch regulators approved FSD only on Tesla’s latest hardware.
  • Tesla is piloting a small robotaxi service in Austin and promoting a two‑seat Cybercab, yet even Elon Musk has said many vehicles will need new computers for true autonomy, leaving early FSD buyers waiting after paying up to $8,000.