Tesla May Have Committed Securities, Wire Fraud With Exaggerated Autopilot Claims

So folks, it’s looking like U.S. prosecutors’ probe into Tesla and Autopilot will be going well beyond whether the systems actually work or not.

Regulators are now looking to see if Elon Musk and Tesla committed securities or wire fraud by misleading investors and customers about the self-driving capabilities of their cars, according to . Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems are currently capable ofLevel 2 autonomy. That means they can assist with steering, braking and lane changes, but they are not fully autonomous.



The Austin, Texas-based automaker has warned drivers to stay ready to take over in case things get hairy, but now the Justice Department is examining contradictory statements by Tesla and CEO Elon Musk that suggest the cars can drive themselves. Separately, regulators are investigating hundreds of crashes — some of them fatal — that have occurred while Autopilot was engaged. It’s resulted in massive recalls for the EV maker.

Here’s what investigators are looking for at , according to : An archived video from 2016 on Tesla’s website that demonstrates the tech says “The person in the driver’s seat is only there for legal reasons. He is not doing anything. The car is driving itself,” reports.

Here’s the thing, though. That’s just a blatant lie. A Tesla engineer said in 2022 while testifying in a lawsuit over a fatal Autopilot crash that the video was meant to show the tech’s potential in the future.

Despite this, Musk posted it.