Class action lawsuit filed by 10,000 Tesla customers: "Imagine driving on the highway with Autopilot engaged and having it brake for no apparent reason."

Some 10,000 Australian drivers have joined a class-action lawsuit against US automaker Tesla seeking compensation for an automatic braking problem, according to law firm JGA Saddler, which is handling the case.

"To date, approximately 10,000 Australians have signed up for the class action lawsuit. The proceeding seeks compensation for alleged defects in Tesla vehicles sold in Australia since May 2021," law firm attorney Rebecca Jancauskas told EFE.

The class action lawsuit was filed in February in the Federal Court of Australia, and lawyers representing Tesla are expected to present their arguments in July. The lawsuit centers on the company's "defects" and "false promises" regarding vehicle automation and autonomy.

The main problem with cars is known as "phantom braking," which occurs when an automatic braking system or driver assistance system brakes unexpectedly and without any real obstacle present.

“Imagine driving down the highway in your high-speed electric vehicle with the cruise control, or so-called autopilot, engaged and having it brake for no apparent reason,” the attorney noted in the original complaint, noting that this “dangerous” defect could lead to a fatal accident.

Tesla maintains in its advertising that Autopilot is designed to make driving safer, although it warns drivers to always keep their hands on the wheel.

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Other complaints in the claim include that some Tesla vehicles don't achieve the 75% range the company advertised or that promised self-driving features haven't been delivered.

The lawsuit alleges that Tesla was aware of these problems and has failed to address them or compensate customers, demanding that the manufacturer assume its responsibilities and protect consumers.

From 2021 to the end of 2024, Tesla sold around 115,000 vehicles in Australia, according to data from the Australian Electric Vehicle Council.

The American car manufacturer is also facing class-action lawsuits for similar problems in the United States. There, several accidents have been reported there apparently caused by the aforementioned phantom braking. In fact, a couple of years ago, one of them caused a multiple collision on Thanksgiving Day near the entrance to a tunnel on Interstate 80 in San Francisco (United States). According to the driver of the white Model 3, he was driving with Autopilot engaged when his car unexpectedly decelerated and changed lanes. This sudden maneuver on a high-speed road left no room to avoid the collision with other road users.

Ongoing investigations

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Spanish equivalent of the DGT, is conducting investigations to clarify some of the safety issues Tesla cars have encountered. In early 2025, it opened an investigation into 2.6 million vehicles from the electric car manufacturer Tesla, following several reports of accidents related to the autonomous driving function of the "Actually Smart Summon" models.

In China, fatal accidents have also been reported due to uncontrolled behavior of a car's autopilot. For example, a Model Y accelerated out of control while parking. Despite hitting the brakes, the driver was unable to stop the SUV, which sped off for several kilometers. The incident resulted in two deaths and three injuries. Several weeks later, another example of the same model also caused two deaths after running a red light and driving out of control in Taizhou, China.