Tesla battles claims it misrepresented self-driving system

The family of a man killed in a 2023 collision while using Tesla’s Autopilot system is suing the company, accusing the electric vehicle manufacturer of misleading its customers on the ability of its self-driving software. 

Genesis Giovanni Mendoza Martinez died in a crash involving a Tesla Model S sedan in California. The car collided with a parked fire truck at high speed while the 31-year-old was using Tesla Autopilot, killing him and severely injuring his brother. 

Attorneys for the Martinez family allege that Tesla and CEO Elon Musk overstated the capability of its self-driving system to generate hype around the technology. In their complaint, which shifted from state to federal court this week, the plaintiffs point to statements and claims made by the EV giant’s representatives that implied drivers wouldn’t need to pay full attention while the car drove itself. 

Tesla firmly disputed claims that it misled customers, blaming Martinez’s actions for the collision. The company reiterated its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving safety policy, which states that drivers must pay full attention to the road while the systems are engaged and must have their hands on the steering wheel. 

The Martinez case is the latest among similar lawsuits that seek to punish Tesla for claims it made concerning Autopilot and FSD. More than a dozen similar lawsuits are in progress, with most sparked by a serious or fatal crash involving a Tesla. Most of the lawsuits claim that certain Tesla promises and statements led customers to believe that the vehicles operated like fully autonomous vehicles. 

Plaintiffs in these cases haven’t been wholly successful. In October, the same month the Martinez family filed against Tesla, the company defeated a class action lawsuit brought by customers that alleged the same about Autopilot and FSD. A federal judge dismissed that case, agreeing with Tesla that many of the statements singled out by the plaintiffs were “corporate puff.”

Still, on top of consumer lawsuits, Tesla is dealing with a handful of federal investigations into its self-driving claims. In 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the company’s FSD program after a series of highly publicized collisions. After Tesla changed its FDS and Autopilot programs this year, the NHTSA opened an additional investigation to gauge its effectiveness.