The DOJ is Look Into Tesla’s Self-Driving Claims: Report – Robb Report

The US Department of Justice has reportedly turned its attention toward Tesla.

The EV maker is the subject of a criminal investigation by the agency over claims its cars and SUVs can drive themselves, according to a report published by Reuters. The probe was launched last year in the wake of more than a dozen accidents involving the company’s driver’s assistance system, Autopilot.

Since launching in the middle of the last decade, Autopilot has been one of the most talked about features of Tesla EVs. The company’s website states that technology, which comes standard on all the brand’s vehicles, “enhances safety and convenience behind the wheel,” reducing a driver’s “overall workload.” As Car and Driver points out, it is a Level 2 driver-assistance system, though the company has at times pitched it as something more. In 2016, Tesla’s chief executive, Elon Musk, said the technology was “probably better” than a human driver, and the company has dubbed the top Autopilot package “Full Self-Driving Capability,” even though it does not allow the car to drive itself.

Prosecutors at the Justice Department are now looking into whether Tesla has misled consumers, investors and regulators by making unsupported claims about Autopilot, three people “familiar with the matter” told Reuters. The investigation could end in criminal charges, civil sanctions or no action at all.

It’s hard to know what the investigation means for Tesla at this point. Musk and the company have talked up the technology, but specific language on its website says that drivers must still pay attention to the road while using it and that it can be overridden by “steering, applying the brakes, or using the cruise control stalk to deactivate.” These warnings could complicate a potential case against the company.

“Autopilot is a hands-on driver assistance system that is intended to be used only with a fully attentive driver,” the brand states in the Autopilot FAQ. “It does not turn a Tesla into a self-driving car nor does it make a car autonomous.”

Tesla, which has not had a dedicated media department since 2020, did not respond to a request for comment from Robb Report.

Either way, the investigation is just one currently focused on Tesla and Autopilot. In August of last year, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched a still-ongoing probe into a series of crashes involving Autopilot, one of which was fatal. This July, the California DMV accused Tesla of falsely advertising Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability. That investigation, which the company intends to defend itself against, is still in the early stages, but could see Tesla lose its license to manufacture and sell vehicles in the state.