The ability to send information instantly is one of the best things about a connected car. This includes regular feature changes and simple recalls that don’t need a dealer visit. You can even buy upgrades remotely, though this opens up a new can of worms. However, one group of Tesla owners says it could be a double-edged sword. Several Model S and X owners sued Tesla last week after the company released an over-the-air (OTA) update that, they say, limited the range of their cars and, in some cases, forced them to buy a new battery. Software changes at Tesla are said to have significantly cut the range of the Model S and Model X cars involved in the complaint. According to the lawsuit, the choice has dropped by 20%. Some customers have had their high-voltage batteries fail, which cost them $15,000 to replace. The owners say that problems with the battery and a shorter range are due to changes made by Tesla. Several people said in the lawsuit that owners couldn’t refuse these upgrades once they connected their cars to WIFI. The case says that Tesla’s cars are “protected computers” covered by the Act. By constantly updating the software on these cars, Tesla is said to be violating the rights of their owners and, as a result, the Consumer Legal Remedies Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and the California Unfair Competition Law. Tesla has been sued before because of software changes that make batteries useless. In 2021, Tesla had to pay $1.9 million to settle a similar case brought by more than 1,700 people who bought Model S cars. As part of the complaint, the lawyers are asking for an injunction to stop Tesla from “unilaterally updating software or modifying the performance” of vehicles without the owner’s permission. This time, it needs to be clarified if Tesla will pay out. But the people who filed the case say that the carmaker should be responsible for any loss of range caused by its software updates, whether it was done on purpose or not.
