Another Reason For People To Hate Tesla
Tesla is facing a class action lawsuit alleging that the company artificially manipulates odometer readings on its electric vehicles to speed up warranty expiration, which would shorten the duration of the company's repair obligations to owners.
Key Points
- A proposed class action alleges Tesla inflates odometer readings to prematurely void warranties and increase repair revenue.
- The plaintiff claims his Model Y's odometer overestimated daily mileage by as much as 260%, leading to early warranty expiration and a $10,000 repair bill.
- The lawsuit, now in federal court, could affect over 1 million California-based Tesla vehicles if class status is approved.
The suit, brought by California resident Nyree Hinton, claims Tesla’s odometers incorporate data beyond distance traveled, such as energy usage, driver behavior, and algorithmic predictions, resulting in inflated mileage figures.
Reuters reports Hinton purchased a 2020 Model Y in December 2022 with 36,772 miles on the odometer. He alleges the odometer reading increased at a rate inconsistent with his actual driving habits—the vehicle’s system logged as much as 72 miles per day, despite Hinton typically driving no more than 20.
As a result, the car's basic 50,000-mile warranty allegedly expired well ahead of schedule, leaving him responsible for a $10,000 suspension repair.
The lawsuit claims Tesla uses this system to reduce its warranty liabilities, increase repair revenue, and push customers toward extended warranty purchases. Hinton is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of California Tesla owners, which could potentially involve over one million vehicles.
Tesla has not publicly commented on the case and did not respond to media inquiries. The company, which does not operate a dedicated media relations department, has previously denied similar allegations. The lawsuit was recently moved from California state court to federal court in Los Angeles.
This case follows separate legal action accusing Tesla of inflating its EV range estimates. In that instance, a federal judge ruled that claims must be pursued individually through arbitration rather than as a class action.
The news comes at a challenging time for Tesla. The company has become a lightning rod for anger directed towards CEO Elon Musk's role within President Trump's administration, which has been stacked on top of tariff woes—even though Tesla vehicles assembled in the U.S. contain the most American content of any cars on sale today—and stiff global competition from Chinese EV makers.
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An experienced automotive storyteller and accomplished photographer known for engaging and insightful content. Michael also brings a wealth of technical knowledge—he was part of the Ford GT program at Multimatic, oversaw a fleet of Audi TCR race cars, ziptied Lamborghini Super Trofeo cars back together, been over the wall during the Rolex 24, and worked in the intense world of IndyCar.
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This doesn't ring true as being actual fraud - I don't think any car company would try to over report mileage by this degree to speed up the warranty expiration - by doing so to this magnitude would mean they surely would be found out quickly - this sounds like a legitimate error -
Not impressed by the lack of facts and the consistent over abuse of supposition. Don't like your Tesla deal with it. Don't like Elon Musk and what he is exposing because of his political relationships, time for you to educate using truth as your guide.. The truth can be tough, take a couple of aspirin.
couldn’t happen to a more deserving xenophobic racist;