Tesla faces a new legal storm: a class action lawsuit has been filed in the U.S., accusing the EV maker of manipulating the mileage counters or odometers of its electric vehicles in order to artificially shorten the warranty period. This manoeuvre would allow Tesla to limit the number of costly repairs it has to cover.
The initial plaintiff, Nyree Hinton of Los Angeles, claims that the odometer of his 2020 Tesla Model Y — purchased in December 2022 with 36,772 miles on it — is showing higher mileage than he has actually driven. He estimates that the odometer runs at least 15 percent faster than it should, based on his driving habits and other vehicles he owns.
Up to 72 miles per day… while driving 20
Specifically, Hinton claimed the system showed up to 72 miles (116 km) traveled in one day, while he had only driven about 20 (32 km). As a result, he said his basic 50,000-mile warranty expired prematurely. He thus found himself with a $10,000 bill for suspension repairs, which he thought would and should have been covered by Tesla.
The lawsuit alleges that Tesla links its warranties and mileage limits to inflated readings based on energy consumption, driver behavior and “predictive algorithms”, rather than actual distances traveled.
A class action involving a million vehicles in California?
Hinton is seeking compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of California drivers, an action that could involve more than a million Tesla vehicles. The case was transferred this month from the California State Court to the Federal Court in Los Angeles.
Tesla has not responded to requests for comment but has denied all allegations in court documents. The Austin, Texas-based company does not have an official media relations department.
A history of similar litigation
This is not the first time Tesla has found itself in court over practices deemed deceptive. In 2024, a federal judge in Oakland ruled that drivers accusing Tesla of exaggerating the range of its vehicles had to sue individually, rather than as a class action.