A Los Angeles jury found Tesla Inc. not to be at fault after hearing a drivers' claim that the Model S's's Autopilot feature caused her to wander into the middle median of cynical traffic.
Justine Hsu, who was hurt in the 2019 car accident, filed a 2020 lawsuit alleging ignorance, fraud, and breach of contract.
The decision favors the automaker in what appears to be the first case of its kind to go to trial, ending year of debate over the driver-assistance feature's's safety record and ongoing federal investigations into whether Autopilot has flaws.
According to Michael Brooks, senior director of the Center for Auto Safety, a customer advocacy organization, there is still uncertainty regarding the safety of that technology and whether it is safe to permit customers to encourage it in certain situations.
Tesla argued that Hsu disobeyed the 2016 Model S's's guide, which stated that the pilot must always be in control of the vehicle and refrain from using the auto-steer feature on city streets. Her street shifted to the right as her car crashed through an intersection. Hsu failed to correct the program of the car because she didn't had her hands on the steering wheel, according to Tesla.
Before using Autopilot, the pilot must acknowledge and agree that the vehicle is not intelligent. They are also reminded that every time they activate the aspect, a pop-up message appears on the instrument panel behind the steering wheel, according to Tesla.
According to Brooks, he wonders if the jury thoroughly considered the case's's problems.
Tesla has the solutions as a connected engine embedded in every ride to effectively prevent owners from turning this concept on on city streets, he said, and they are aware that people will use Autopilot there, where they warn people not to. However, they decide not to do it. They decide to do that in order to permit the anticipated use.
Requests for comment were not promptly answered by lawyers on both flanks of the case.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started making data on accidents involving automated driver-assistance systems public last year, and the company mandated that manufacturers self-report. Tesla reported the vast majority of these incidents, but the governor issued a warning that there wasn't enough information to determine security.
In order to determine whether Autopilot is flawed, NHTSA is currently conducting two examinations. In June 2022, the company launched the second phase with a focus on how Tesla Autopilot handles accident scenes with first-responder vehicles. Four months earlier, it started the some investigation into unexpected driving.
Testing for a number of complaints that hold Autopilot responsible for crashes, including fatalities for drivers and passengers, may take place in the upcoming months.
Since Autopilot was first introduced in eight years ago, Tesla and its chief executive officer, Elon Musk, have also come under fire for failing to keep their promises that the company had quickly advance its solutions.
In October, Bloomberg News reported that US prosecutors and securities authorities were looking into whether the company had misrepresented its automated-driving potential.
The Los Angeles ruling was previously reported by Reuters.
The situation is Hsu five. Tesla Inc., 20STCV18473, Los Angeles County Superior Court of California.
