Tesla 'phantom braking' lawsuit moves forward, but only in part
Yesterday at 02:34 PM
A case against Tesla regarding phantom braking in its electric vehicles (EVs) will officially move forward, after a judge this week dismissed parts of the suit while giving the green light to plaintiff claims that the company intentionally concealed the issue from consumers.
On Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Georgia Alexakis removed certain parts of a proposed class action lawsuit, while saying the case could move forward under allegations that Tesla concealed the phantom braking issue, according to a report from Reuters. Other parts of the lawsuit were thrown out, including claims that Tesla owners were forced to overpay for car insurance premiums from the company due to issues with the EVs’ collision monitoring system.
The suit, as initially filed and proposed as a class action lawsuit in 2023, has to do with Tesla’s forward collision monitoring system, which plaintiffs claim was falsely alerting to collisions ahead, even in times when there isn’t a safety risk ahead at all. Tesla requested that the entire lawsuit be thrown out, going on to deny claims that it was aware of the braking issue when selling a Model 3 to one of the plaintiffs in 2021.
As a result of the unintended braking, plaintiffs claimed that Tesla insurance premiums were being increased due to the false collision warnings, and they added that the automaker knew about the issues since as early as 2015. In response, Tesla’s lawyers argued that plaintiffs didn’t point to any specific communications that concealed such information.
According to Alexakis, the suit “successfully connects the dots” between allegations of Tesla’s withholding of the information on its website, and the company’s front-facing online presence that most buyers use to make purchases. The judge has also said plaintiffs will be able to file an amended complaint if they want to revive the insurance claims piece of the suit.
Following the suit, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a preliminary investigation into 416,000 Model 3 and Y units regarding the unintended braking issue, citing 354 complaints. There were no reported accidents or injuries related to the issue and the agency has not escalated the investigation since it was opened.
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