Tesla is accused of falsifying odometers in order to avoid repairs

Thousands of drivers in California are impacted by a new class action lawsuit alleging that Tesla inflated mileage in order to avoid paying for repairs.

A proposed class action lawsuit accuses Tesla of falsifying odometer readings on its cars, which could shorten warranty coverage and result in significant repair costs for drivers.

Nyree Hinton, a resident of Los Angeles, filed the lawsuit, claiming that Tesla’s odometers employ algorithms that are based on driving habits and energy consumption rather than actual kilometers traveled. Hinton claims that the mileage monitoring on the 2020 Model Y he bought ran around 15% faster than it actually did. His warranty ended sooner than anticipated as a result, and he had to pay for a $10,000 repair out of pocket.

According to the lawsuit, Tesla profits monetarily by inflating mileage to cause early warranty expirations, encourage users to purchase additional coverage, and boost maintenance costs. On behalf of Tesla owners in California, Hinton is pursuing damages that might amount to more than one million cars.

The matter was recently transferred by Tesla to a federal court located in Los Angeles. The business has disputed similar claims in the past but has not made any public comments on the matter.

Tesla has previously run afoul of the law over vehicle data. Additionally, the business is addressing allegations that it overestimated battery range estimates; early this year, the case was sent to individual arbitration.