Tesla owners are ‘incredibly at the mercy’ of the carmaker, lawyer says in lawsuit that says software updates drain or kill expensive batteries

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Elon Musk’s software expertise helps Tesla outperform other carmakers. While rivals have to bring hundreds of thousands of vehicles into stores for recall repairs, Tesla can often fix similar issues with an over-the-air software update. .

But according to a class action lawsuit Filed on Friday in California, software updates have depleted or rendered expensive batteries obsolete for some owners. The suit says:

“When car owners buy their cars, they can reasonably expect that unforeseen events—such as weather, accidents, or flat tires—can affect the performance of their vehicles. and lead to expensive repairs. But no reasonable consumer would expect the car manufacturer itself, through an automated system, to intentionally and significantly disrupt the performance of the car through software updates that reduce the operating capacity of the cars. But that’s exactly what Tesla is doing here. “

According to the suit, Tesla’s automatic software updates, without warning, drained the batteries of Model S and Model X vehicles, reducing driving range by at least 20%. “Car owners will be forced to pay a third party a significant fee ($500-$750) to reverse the software update so car owners can continue to experience the performance of the battery they had before the update,” the suit says.

In some cases, the software updates “will render the batteries unusable, and vehicle owners will have to purchase a new battery at a cost of up to $15,000,” it added.

In July 2021, Tesla agreed to pay $1.5 million to resolve claims that one of its software updates temporarily reduced the battery’s charging speed, maximum capacity, and temporary range for more than 1,700 Model S owners, according to CNBC.

Hagens Berman attorney Steve Berman, who represents Tesla’s owners and lessors in the current case, told Fox News“Tesla owners and lessors are incredibly at the mercy of their car maker, and Tesla imposes software updates without permission when their car is connected to Wi-Fi.”

The lawsuit added: “Tesla owners connect to Tesla directly via Wi-Fi from their homes or businesses, and Tesla can then push software updates to the vehicles, without the opportunity to agreeing to updates or asking about updates. And the Plaintiffs certainly did not agree to updates that would harm the performance of their vehicles.

Tesla says on its website: “Over-the-air software updates introduce new features and updates to your vehicle—making your vehicle safer and more capable.” at the time.”

luck Tesla reached out for comment about the lawsuit but did not immediately receive a response.

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