Tesla’s vehicles often struggle with something called “phantom braking” while the Autopilot advanced driving assistance is triggered, causing the vehicle to brake suddenly at high speeds without the driver triggering the brake pedal and without nearby vehicles. Sometimes this is caused when driving under an overpass or some sort of shadow is picked up by the Autopilot cameras.
One Model 3 owner in California is suing Tesla over its issue with phantom braking and is seeking class-action status for the suit, as Automotive News reported on Monday.
The suit, filed on Friday by Jose Alvarez Toledo in Northern California, is seeking compensation and punitive damages for expenses to have vehicles repaired. Toledo is also looking to see affected owners receive a refund for the added price of Autopilot.
“When the sudden unintended braking defect occurs, they turn what is supposed to be a safety feature into a frightening and dangerous nightmare,” said Toledo in the lawsuit.
Tesla Owner that Autopilot Nearly Saves from ‘Pedal Error’ Speaks Out https://t.co/ZxbAXrYUts
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) August 27, 2022
The lawsuit alleges that Tesla hid safety risks associated with Autopilot, which breaches warranties and unfairly profits from the driver assistance system, despite it not working as intended.
Increased phantom braking complaints from Tesla owners caused the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to open an investigation into the phenomenon in February.
The investigation was to probe 416,000 Tesla vehicles thought to be affected and the NHTSA required an initial response from Tesla by June 20.
