Tesla owners sue, claim software updates reduce range by 20%, break batteries

WASHINGTON — A group of US Tesla Model S AND Model X the owners have filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the electric vehicle manufacturer in California on Friday for automatic software updates that reportedly reduced range or cause drums failures.

The lawsuit argues TeslaThe upgrades and their effects violate state and federal laws because they can reduce range by up to 20% and may require some owners to replace batteries at a cost of $15,000.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in San Francisco, argues that the affected Tesla vehicles are “protected computers” as defined in the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and that the automatic updates violate consumers’ rights under the law .

“Tesla owners and lessors are solely at the mercy of their creator carif Tesla enforces software updates without consent whenever their vehicle is connected to Wi-Fi,” said Steve Berman, a Hagens Berman attorney who represents Tesla landlords and lessors in the lawsuit.

Owners’ lawyers say automakers generally notify customers when they want to perform a software update, but Tesla can issue automatic updates whenever the vehicle is connected to Wi-Fi.

The lawsuit alleged that some Tesla owners paid third parties $500 to $750 to roll back battery-related software updates.

The lawsuit alleges that Tesla’s upgrades and their effects violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the California Unfair Competition Law and the Consumer Legal Remedies Act. Lawyers say Tesla is denying reimbursement to Models and Model X owners and lessors experiencing reduced battery capacity following a software update.

In July 2021, Tesla agreed to pay $1.9 million to settle claims that a software update temporarily reduced the peak battery voltage in 1,743 Model S sedans, including approximately $400,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs.

The owners of the vehicles each received $625 — “many times the proportional value of the temporarily reduced maximum voltage,” according to a court filing.