An international backlash is mounting against Elon Musk’s Tesla as car owners allege the company charged thousands of dollars for autonomous driving technology that never materialized.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Tom LoSavio is a typical example of the Tesla loyalists that are now turning on Elon Musk. LoSavio bought his Tesla Model S in 2017 for over $100,000, paying an additional $8,000 for lifetime access to the vehicle’s most advanced driver-assistance features. Tesla CEO Elon Musk had assured customers that the hardware would eventually enable full autonomous driving.
“My wife and I talked about what a great thing it would be if we could just get in a car and have it drive us places,” LoSavio told the Journal.
Nine years later, LoSavio believes Tesla deceived him. The 80-year-old retired attorney now serves as lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit alleging that Tesla charged customers thousands for upgrades to a product that did not exist at purchase and still does not function as promised. The suit accuses Musk and Tesla of making repeated false claims about self-driving capabilities and seeks refunds for customers who bought or leased new Tesla EVs between 2016 and 2024. It also aims to prevent Tesla from marketing its products as self-driving.
LoSavio won class-action status in September, representing approximately 3,000 people in California, a figure that excludes many owners who signed arbitration agreements. Tesla is appealing the certification, leaving a Ninth Circuit judge to determine whether LoSavio can represent the class.
The discontent extends globally. A law firm in Australia has assembled a class-action case accusing Tesla of marketing and selling defective vehicles incapable of supporting fully autonomous driving. In the Netherlands, Tesla owner Mischa Sigtermans launched a campaign last week to organize European buyers. Sigtermans paid 68,000 euros in 2019 for a Model 3 Performance plus 6,400 euros for Full Self-Driving capability, but still cannot use FSD because Dutch regulators only approved it for Tesla’s latest hardware.
“Why did I buy it? Because I believed they would make it happen,” Sigtermans said. “I just didn’t think it would take them seven years, and still they wouldn’t deliver.”
These developments raise questions about Musk’s decade-long marketing narrative. Tesla’s stock price remains near record highs with a market capitalization exceeding most other automakers combined, even as its share of the EV market has declined. Wall Street analysts estimate that millions of Teslas on the road contain outdated hardware no longer capable of running the most advanced FSD software. Tesla and its legal representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Tesla vehicles use cameras and onboard computers, and previously ultrasonic sensors and radar, to automate steering, braking, and acceleration under human supervision. Tesla’s most advanced driver-assist features are currently sold as a $99 monthly subscription called Full Self-Driving (Supervised), which it claims can navigate most streets, change lanes, and park while supervised by a driver.
Tesla began including early versions of this technology in 2014. By 2015, Musk claimed Tesla vehicles could drive themselves entirely within two years. In 2016, Tesla announced all newly built cars would include hardware required for full self-driving, and Musk told the press a Tesla would drive itself from Los Angeles to New York City by the end of 2017.
“I feel pretty good about this goal,” he said. “We’ll be able to do a demonstration drive of full autonomy all the way from L.A. to New York.”
That prediction did not materialize. Between 2020 and 2021, Tesla began offering upgrades to the third edition of its computer and camera system (Hardware 3). Customers like LoSavio who paid upfront received complimentary upgrades; others paying monthly could pay $1,000. In 2023, Tesla upgraded its hardware a fourth time, once again leaving earlier customers with outdated equipment.
The company appears closer than ever to its autonomous driving goals, with a limited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, and planned production of the Cybercab, a two-seat vehicle Musk says will not require a steering wheel or pedals. But for drivers like LoSavio, it remains unclear when Tesla will fulfill its promise that most Teslas on the road will eventually achieve full autonomy.
“You want to believe that you’re not a fool,” LoSavio said.
Meanwhile, Tesla EVs capable of running its “full self-driving” software don’t seem to be faring much better. Breitbart News reported in March that a viral video showed a Tesla in FSD busting through railroad crossing barriers, risking the lives of its passengers:
Read more at the Wall Street Journal here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of AI, free speech, and online censorship.
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