Not strictly political but because it involves Elon Musk, Tesla and the claim of fraudulent business practices, I’m putting this here.
Tesla has been accused in a lawsuit of manipulating its cars’ mileage readings so that the warranties run out earlier.
If true, the move would save the company millions in repair costs.
Tesla driver Nyree Hinton alleges in the lawsuit that Tesla odometer readings are based on energy consumption, driver behaviour and “predictive algorithms” rather than actual miles the car has driven.
Based on his other vehicles and driving history, he says the odometer on the 2020 Model Y he bought in December 2022 with 36,772 miles on the clock ran at least 15% fast.
For a while, he says, the car recorded 72 miles a day when he drove at most 20.
Mr Hinton, a financial analyst based in Los Angeles, said this caused his 50,000-mile basic warranty to expire well ahead of schedule, leaving him with a £7,500 suspension repair bill that he thought Tesla should cover.
His lawsuit adds: “These systemic inaccuracies and fraudulent business practices undermine the value of Tesla vehicles and their warranties, erode consumer trust and suggest intentional practices designed to financially benefit Tesla Inc. at the expense of its customers.”