Tesla Faces New Investigation In California Over Autopilot Complaints

Tesla is once again facing unwanted scrutiny, this time from the California attorney general over complaints from EV owners about its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems. Details about the alleged investigation first surfaced from CNBC, which claims that it received information from a disgruntled Tesla owner who had filed a complaint with the FTC in August 2022. That complaint reportedly resulted in the California attorney general's office reaching out months later to request information about the matter. A voicemail left by the office was shared with CNBC, which wasn't able to secure confirmation from the California AG about whether an investigation is, indeed, taking place.

The initial complaint involves a Model 3 that, according to its owner, experienced phantom braking while on the highway. This issue is the result of the driver assistance system seemingly perceiving a reason to brake that isn't valid, and could potentially be dangerous if the EV were to rapidly brake in unexpected locations, such as on a freeway. In fact, hundreds of complaints about the issue spurred an investigation by the NHTSA in early 2022. Tesla has even been sued over the phantom braking issue, but a solution to the problem remains elusive.

In addition to contacting the driver who filed the FTC complaint, the California AG investigators also reached out to others, including a former Tesla employee, CNBC claims. This employee isn't named but is said to have previously made public comments expressing Autopilot/FSD concerns. Though the duration of the alleged investigation is unclear, the report claims that the aforementioned driver was contacted in the second quarter of this year and that the former employee was contacted this month, indicating the investigation is actively underway.

Tesla hasn't commented on the allegations, but this wouldn't be the first time the automaker has faced such actions in California. Notably, the California DMV has been investigating Tesla's Autopilot technology for years and formally accused it of using deceptive marketing practices in 2022. The troubles don't end there, though. In January 2023, a senior Tesla engineer alleged that a promotional video for Autopilot published in October 2016 was staged. Rather than using Autopilot to intelligently drive itself, the Tesla was supposedly driving through a pre-programmed route. That information was shared as part of a testimony given in a lawsuit filed against Tesla over a fatal car crash that happened in 2018.