The owner of a Tesla Model 3 from California is suing the automaker in a proposed class action case over the issue of phantom braking.
Reports of the condition, in which a vehicle’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) mistakenly identify a nonexistent obstacle in front of the car and starts an emergency braking event, have risen since Tesla decided only to use cameras for its Autopilot and other ADAS systems.
Adding to a growing chorus of complaints against the automaker’s technologies, Jose Alvarez Toledo of San Francisco launched the lawsuit, claiming that Tesla rushed its ADAS systems to market with unsafe technology, reports Reuters.
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“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’s lawsuit.
The suit further accuses Tesla of hiding safety risks associated with Autopilot, breaching its warranties, unfairly profiting from Autopilot, and violating California’s unfair competition law. Indeed, earlier this month, the California Department of Motor Vehicles accused the automaker of false advertising relating to the names of its Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” systems.
Reports of phantom braking in Teslas date back to around the time when the automaker removed the radar sensors from its vehicles in favor of a camera-only road monitoring system. In February, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched an investigation into the matter.
The administration reported that the issue could affect around 400,000 vehicles, including the 2021-2022 Tesla Model 3 and Y.
Toledo’s lawsuit, therefore, seeks compensatory and punitive damages for expenses to repair vehicles, diminished value, and a refund for the added cost attributed to the Autopilot feature.
