Tesla Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over 'ghost Brakes'
Tesla Model 3 owners in California have sued Tesla in a proposed class action lawsuit over the vehicle's "ghost braking" problem, in which the brakes are activated unexpectedly by the Autopilot assist system, Reuters reported on 29 local time.
The owner alleges in the suit that "Tesla used unsafe technology to quickly bring its self-driving cars to market, including a driver assistance system the company calls Autopilot or Full driving, and an emergency braking system."
The owner also claims that "when accidental braking defects suddenly occur, they turn what should be a safety feature into a terrible and dangerous nightmare."
The lawsuit reportedly seeks class action status for all owners or leaseholders of Tesla vehicles in the U.S. that have suffered sudden accidental brake defects.
The report notes that it also intensifies public and regulatory scrutiny of Tesla's driving assistant technology, despite Tesla CEO Musk's promise to make fully automated driving available by the end of this year.
In February, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into 416,000 Tesla vehicles following reports of unintended brake activation of its Autopilot system.
Tesla did not yet respond to Reuters' request for comment.
