Tesla

Complaints & Reviews on USAComplaints

USAComplaints currently maintains 1 historical complaint about Tesla, published in 2013. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources below.

• Bumper and window tint work delayed with no communicationPublished Jul 9, 2013 · Historical consumer allegation

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

Contacts

• Official website: https://www.tesla.com/
• Tesla customer line, U.S. (warranty booklet; recall owner contact in NHTSA records; energy products : 1-877-798-3752
• Powerwall 2 recall support (CPSC recall notice): 877-961-7652
• Written dispute notice (Tesla Agreement to Arbitrate): [email protected]
• California warranty notices (repurchase or replacement requests): [email protected]
• Powerwall 2 recall support (CPSC recall notice): [email protected]
• VIN safety-recall search: https://service.tesla.com/en-US/vin-recall-search
• Support center (service appointments, ordering, warranty): https://www.tesla.com/support
• BBB-listed number: 888-765-2489

Locations

Dealing with Tesla? Practical steps from Tesla's own pages

This page is about Tesla, Inc., the Austin, Texas company that sells Tesla vehicles, a Full Self-Driving (Supervised) software subscription and energy products such as Powerwall and solar. The points below come from Tesla's own support and legal pages and from government sources, all read on 2026-10-03. Complaints and lawsuits described on this page are allegations unless a court or agency says otherwise.

• Contact channels. Tesla's support page says "Tesla Assist in the Tesla app offers personalized support for your vehicle and energy products" and that you can alternatively "sign in and use our web form"; that form sits behind a Tesla Account sign-in, so I did not open it. The U.S. warranty booklet (effective 2026/09/01) gives "Tesla, Inc. Attention: New Vehicle Limited Warranty P.O. Box 15430 Fremont, CA 94539 Phone: 1 877 79 TESLA (1 877 798 3752)", and NHTSA's recall records give the same number for recall questions. For Powerwall, solar and other energy products Tesla's contact page says to call (877) 798-3752 and "select option 4, then option 2" (option 3 for Wall Connector and other home charging products). BBB lists a different number, (888) 765-2489 (BBB-listed).
• Orders and cancellation. Tesla's ordering page says "When placing your order, you will pay a one-time, non-refundable order fee with a credit card." To cancel an order in the Tesla app: open the app, tap "Vehicle Details" > "Manage" > "Request to cancel", select a reason, then tap "Submit Cancellation" > "Yes, Cancel." Tesla's page for the Motor Vehicle Order Agreement returned "Page Unavailable" when I tried to open it, so this page does not quote that agreement's terms; read the agreement you signed. In the Tesla support pages I opened (ordering, taking delivery, delivery day, financing) I did not find a page describing a return window for a vehicle after delivery.
• Warranty coverage. Tesla's warranty page lists a Basic Vehicle Limited Warranty of "4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first", a Supplemental Restraint System warranty of 5 years or 60,000 miles, a Body Rust warranty of 12 years and unlimited miles, and Battery and Drive Unit coverage of 8 years with a mileage cap that depends on the model (150,000, 120,000 or 100,000 miles) and "minimum 70% retention of Battery capacity". It adds: "To receive service covered by a Tesla limited warranty, you will need to take your vehicle to a Tesla Service Center", while non-warranty repair may be done at another shop. The page says the authoritative terms are those "provided with your vehicle". It also says the warranties it lists apply only to vehicles purchased directly from Tesla on or after the date printed on the warranty, that earlier vehicles are subject to the applicable limited warranty "effective as of the date of purchase", and that for vehicles purchased before February 1, 2019 "there is no Body Rust Limited Warranty coverage". The booklet (effective 2026/09/01) adds Zero-Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) warranties that apply only to model year 2026 and later, including a High-Priced Propulsion-Related Parts warranty of 7 years or 70,000 miles, and an Emissions Performance Warranty of 8 years or 80,000 miles that applies only to model year 2027 and later.
• Service visits. Service is booked in the Tesla app (Service > choose a topic > follow the prompts). Tesla's service page says "All types of service appointments require you to review and confirm a cost estimate before service can be performed on your vehicle", and the warranty page says repairs expected to be covered "should appear as $0 on the estimate" while some need an in-person inspection first.
• Written notice before a warranty or lemon-law claim. The warranty booklet says that, "to the fullest extent allowed by the law of your jurisdiction", Tesla requires "written notification of any defects you have experienced within a reasonable time to allow Tesla an opportunity to make any needed repairs before you pursue any remedy under these laws". For California it names [email protected], or certified mail to "Tesla, Inc. c/o CT Corporation, 330 N Brand Boulevard, Suite 700, Glendale, CA 91203", for a repurchase or replacement request. California's Department of Consumer Affairs summarizes the state lemon law this way: "If the dealer or manufacturer is unable to fix a warranty issue after at least two or more attempts, they must either replace the vehicle or refund its purchase price." That is a short summary; the statute is more specific. California Civil Code section 1793.22(b) (the Tanner Consumer Protection Act; I read its text on Justia because leginfo.legislature.ca.gov could not be opened) says it "shall be presumed that a reasonable number of attempts have been made to conform a new motor vehicle to the applicable express warranties if, within 18 months from delivery to the buyer or 18,000 miles on the odometer of the vehicle, whichever occurs first, one or more of the following occurs": the same nonconformity "likely to cause death or serious bodily injury if the vehicle is driven" has been subject to repair two or more times; the same nonconformity has been subject to repair four or more times (in both cases the buyer must have directly notified the manufacturer at least once); or the vehicle is out of service by reason of repair "for a cumulative total of more than 30 calendar days since delivery of the vehicle to the buyer." The statute calls this "a rebuttable presumption affecting the burden of proof". The Department's New Lemon Law Procedures page also describes optional manufacturer procedures under AB 1755 and SB 26; Tesla did not appear in the Department's list of manufacturers that opted in, as read on 2026-10-03. Other states' rules differ, and this is not legal advice.
• Tesla's dispute programs. The booklet describes an optional program run by the National Center for Dispute Settlement (NCDS), P.O. Box 515541, Dallas, TX 75251-5541, 1-866-629-3204, "free of charge to you"; a request must be filed "within 60 days (or 6 months in certain jurisdictions) of the expiration of the applicable warranty period", and "NCDS's decision is binding on Tesla but not on you." The booklet states what the program does not award: "NCDS decisions do not include attorney fees or punitive, multiple, or consequential damages, except incidental damages as required by applicable law." California residents are pointed to the California Dispute Settlement Program at the same address and number.
• Arbitration clause and opt-out. The booklet reproduces Tesla's Agreement to Arbitrate: a written notice to [email protected]; if not resolved within 60 days, disputes go to "a single arbitrator in an arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules"; "We will pay all AAA fees for any arbitration, which will be held in the city or county of your residence"; class and representative claims are barred; and "If you prefer, you may instead take an individual dispute to small claims court." It also says: "You may opt out of arbitration within 30 days after signing this Agreement by sending a letter to: Tesla, Inc.; P.O. Box 15430; Fremont, CA 94539-7970, stating your name, Vehicle Identification Number, and intent to opt out." The fee wording differs between documents. The vehicle booklet says "We will pay all AAA fees for any arbitration". The FSD (Supervised) Subscription Agreement, the Premium Connectivity Subscription Agreement and the Tesla Assist terms on tesla.com/legal/additional-resources (read 2026-10-03) also provide for AAA arbitration, but say: "To initiate the arbitration, you will pay the filing fee directly to AAA and we will pay all subsequent AAA fees for the arbitration, except you are responsible for your own attorney, expert, and other witness fees and costs unless otherwise provided by law. If you prevail on any claim, we will reimburse you your filing fee." The FSD agreement's opt-out letter asks for your name, Vehicle Identification Number and intent to opt out. Which terms apply to you depends on the document you accepted.
• FSD (Supervised) subscription. Tesla's FSD page says "You can subscribe to FSD (Supervised) for $99 USD per month" and "Full Self-Driving (Supervised) is not available for outright purchase and is only available as a subscription." On refunds it says "Refunds are not available for subscriptions. You can cancel your subscription at any time and you will continue to have access to FSD (Supervised) features for the remainder of the current billing period." The subscription agreement says you can cancel "through your Tesla Account" and "your subscription payment won't be prorated", and that FSD (Supervised) "requires active driver supervision with eyes on the road and does not make the vehicle autonomous." The page also states that the FSD (Supervised) Transfer Program "ended on March 31, 2026."
• Recalls. Tesla's VIN Recall Search page (data as of October 3, 2026) asks for the 17-digit VIN and says: "If you have questions or want more information on a recall, please contact your preferred Tesla Service Center. If your questions are still unresolved after contacting a Tesla Service Center, please go to this form and select the 'Recalls' topic." NHTSA takes safety-problem reports online and by phone at 888-327-4236 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET per its page). Recent recalls are summarized in the government-actions section below.
• Powerwall 2. On November 13, 2025 the CPSC announced a recall of about 10,500 Powerwall 2 AC battery systems. Its notice says to "ensure their Powerwall 2 system is online and check the Tesla App for a notification about whether their unit is included in the recall" and gives [email protected] or 877-961-7652 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT). The notice lists the remedy as replacement and says: "Tesla has remotely discharged (or removed energy from the battery of) affected Powerwall 2 systems that are online, to prevent overheating, until the replacement is installed."
• Supercharger idle-fee settlement (California). In Shenkman v. Tesla, Inc. (Alameda County, No. RG21102833) a proposed settlement covers certain California owners of vehicles bought before December 16, 2016 with free lifetime Supercharging. The settlement site gives a claim and objection deadline of September 25, 2026, which has passed as of 2026-10-03, and a final approval hearing on 12/2/2026 at 1:30 p.m. PT; I found no final approval order in the sources read, so the non-cash relief depends on that approval. Its notice says class members who do nothing "will still receive the non-cash benefits." Questions go to [email protected] or (833) 421-7344.
• If a problem is not resolved. Options named by the sources above: a written notice to Tesla and the NCDS or arbitration routes; a safety report to NHTSA; for a Tesla-arranged lease or loan, a complaint to the CFPB (consumerfinance.gov/complaint accepts complaints about financial products and services); and a complaint through BBB. Keep the order number, VIN, service estimates and dated messages.

Government actions: California DMV, NHTSA and recalls

California DMV: advertising of "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving Capability". On December 16, 2025 the California DMV "issued its decision in the Tesla administrative case (Case Nos. 21-02188 and 21-02189), adopting the administrative law judge's (ALJ) proposed decision, which concludes that Tesla's use of the terms 'autopilot' and 'Full Self-Driving Capability' to describe its vehicles' Advanced Driving Assistance Features (ADAS) is misleading and violates state law." The DMV's release says the ALJ's proposed decision (issued November 20, 2025, after a hearing on July 21-25, 2025) ordered 30-day suspensions of Tesla's manufacturing and dealer licenses, and that the DMV adopted the findings but reduced the penalties, "immediately imposing a permanent stay of the suspension of Tesla's manufacturer's license and giving Tesla 60 days to take action regarding its use of the term 'autopilot.'" The release also says Tesla "subsequently discontinued use of the term 'Full Self-Driving Capability,' instead specifying that the system requires driver supervision by using the term 'Full Self-Driving (Supervised).'" On February 17, 2026 the DMV said Tesla "successfully took the required action to stop using the term 'Autopilot' in the marketing of its vehicles in California" and therefore avoids having its dealer and manufacturer licenses suspended for 30 days. These are findings about advertising terms, not about how the software drives. Press reports dated February 23, 2026 (Electrek) say Tesla then filed a lawsuit against the DMV challenging the ruling; I did not find the complaint or a docket, so that suit is not described further here.

NHTSA investigations (opening documents read on 2026-10-03). NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) publishes a resume when it opens or changes an investigation. An investigation is not a finding that a defect exists. For each item below I opened the ODI document named. NHTSA's investigation lookup (nhtsa.gov, read 2026-10-03) lists PE25012, EA26002, RQ24009, PE25010, AQ25002 and AQ26002 each as "OPEN INVESTIGATION"; I did not find a later ODI document changing the status of PE25012, RQ24009 or PE25010 in the sources checked.

• PE25012 (Preliminary Evaluation opened 10/07/2025): "Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ('FSD') is engaged"; estimated population 2,882,566. ODI says reports "appear to most commonly involve two types of scenarios": a vehicle with FSD engaged proceeding into an intersection against a red signal, and FSD commanding a lane change into an opposing lane. The resume adds that, for a Maryland intersection with repeated incidents, "NHTSA understands that Tesla has since taken action to address the issue at this intersection." Source: static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2025/INOA-PE25012-19171.pdf.
• EA26002 (Engineering Analysis opened 03/18/2026, upgraded from PE24031 opened 10/17/2024): "FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions"; estimated population 3,203,754; nine crashes listed, one of them fatal. ODI describes the concern as "Failure of the FSD's degradation detection system, when encountering reduced roadway visibility conditions, to detect a degraded state and to warn the driver appropriately." The resume also records that Tesla's analysis "indicated that the update to the degradation detection system, had it been installed on the vehicles at the time, may have affected 3 of the 9 incidents identified by ODI." Source: static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2026/INOA-EA26002-10023.pdf.
• RQ24009 (Recall Query opened 04/25/2024): evaluates "the adequacy of Recall 23V838, including the prominence and scope of Autopilot controls to address misuse, mode confusion, or usage in environments the system is not designed for"; estimated population 2,031,220. Source: static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2024/INOA-RQ24009-12046.pdf.
• PE25010 (Preliminary Evaluation opened 09/15/2025): "Electronic door handles become inoperative" due to low 12-volt battery voltage, 2021 Model Y, estimated population 174,290; ODI had nine owner reports when it opened the case and notes that vehicles have manual interior releases. Source: static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2025/INOA-PE25010-18817.pdf.
• AQ25002 (Audit Query opened 08/19/2025): timeliness of Tesla's crash reports under NHTSA's Standing General Order; the resume says the timing "was due to an issue with Tesla's data collection, which, according to Tesla, has now been fixed." Source: static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2025/INOA-AQ25002-18184.pdf.
• AQ26002 (Audit Query opened 09/03/2026): "Tesla Cybercab FMVSS Certification", about 1,000 vehicles. The resume says Tesla "notified the Agency that it certified those Cybercab vehicles as compliant with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)" and that NHTSA will examine "the process and technical data on which Tesla relied"; the resume notes the vehicles "lack permanently attached, conventional manual controls, such as a brake pedal, gas pedal, steering wheel, and mirrors." It describes an audit of Tesla's certification process and does not announce a recall or a stop-sale. Source: static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2026/INOA-AQ26002-17078.pdf.

Tesla's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 says it regularly receives requests for information from regulators including NHTSA and the NTSB, SEC and DOJ, and states: "To our knowledge no government agency in any ongoing investigation has concluded that any wrongdoing occurred." That is Tesla's statement; the filing does not list the individual investigations.

Safety recalls (a selection, not a complete list). The dates below are NHTSA's "report received" dates from its recall data; each recall covers only the model years and conditions NHTSA lists, and NHTSA records the remedy as free of charge.

• 26V558 (September 1, 2026): certain 2026 Model Y; front suspension lateral link fasteners may not have been properly tightened. 26V507 (August 5, 2026): certain 2017-2023 Model 3 and 2020-2023 Model Y; low-beam headlights may exceed the maximum light output (FMVSS 108). 26V445 (July 7, 2026): certain 2026 Model Y and 2024 Model 3 "originally built for a foreign market" that lack required U.S. equipment; NHTSA records that "Tesla will repurchase noncompliant vehicles currently registered in the United States, free of charge," with contact at 1-877-798-3752 or [email protected]. Other 2026 campaigns include 26V315 (certification label), 26V283 (rearview image delay, over-the-air update) and 26V255 (Cybertruck with 18-inch steel wheels, wheel stud separation).
• Driver-assistance software recalls: 22V037 (January 27, 2022; FSD Beta "rolling stop" function disabled by over-the-air update); 23V085 (February 15, 2023; FSD Beta behavior at intersections and around speed limits, over-the-air update); 23V838 (December 12, 2023; Autosteer, where NHTSA's record says "the prominence and scope of the feature's controls may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse of the SAE Level 2 advanced driver-assistance feature," over-the-air update). Tesla describes its FSD (Supervised) as requiring "active driver supervision".
• Other examples: 25V690 (October 10, 2025; battery pack contactors may fail, causing a loss of drive power, 2025 Model 3 and 2026 Model Y) and 24V276 (April 17, 2024; Cybertruck accelerator pedal pad).
• CPSC: recall 26092 (November 13, 2025) of about 10,500 Powerwall 2 AC battery systems; the CPSC notice says the firm had received "22 reports of overheating, including six reports of smoking and five reports of fire, resulting in minor property damage. No injuries have been reported." The remedy is replacement, and the notice says Tesla "has remotely discharged (or removed energy from the battery of) affected Powerwall 2 systems that are online, to prevent overheating, until the replacement is installed."

To check a specific car, use Tesla's VIN recall search or NHTSA's recall lookup; do not assume a current model is affected by a recall listed here.

Who Tesla is and what it sells

Entity. SEC EDGAR lists "Tesla, Inc." (CIK 1318605) with state of incorporation Texas, business address 1 Tesla Road, Austin, Texas 78725, and the ticker TSLA on Nasdaq. Tesla's Form 10-K for 2025 says the company "was incorporated in the State of Delaware on July 1, 2003 and converted to a Texas corporation on June 13, 2024." EDGAR also lists a former name, Tesla Motors Inc, from 2005-02-17 to 2017-01-27. A Form 10-K/A filed 2026-04-30 amends only Part III of that 10-K, so legal-proceedings quotes on this page come from the Form 10-Q filed 2026-07-23 (Note 11, "Commitments and Contingencies"). BBB lists "Tesla", "Tesla Motors" and "Tesla Energy Operations, Inc." as alternate names.

What it sells. Tesla's 10-Q says it has "two operating and reportable segments: (i) automotive and (ii) energy generation and storage." Tesla's ordering page says "Design your Model 3, Model Y or Cybertruck"; its Model Y page also lists a "Model Y L Premium", and its warranty page lists the Model Y L Premium Launch Series, Model S and Model X. Tesla also offers the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) subscription and, per its contact page, energy products including Powerwall, Solar Panels and Solar Roof. Orders are placed "online or visit a Tesla store", and financing options on Tesla's financing page are leasing over "24 to 36 months", financing "with a Tesla financier or a third-party financier over the terms of 36 to 84 months", or paying cash. On September 3, 2026 Tesla began commercial deployment of a small number of Cybercab vehicles in Austin, according to NHTSA's audit resume (see the government-actions section).

Related entities. Tesla Finance LLC and Tesla Lease Trust are named with Tesla, Inc. as defendants in the two federal driver-assistance class actions described below. The federal court's class definition refers to "any entity it directly or indirectly owns or controls, including but not limited to Tesla Lease Trust and Tesla Finance LLC." CFPB complaints filed under the company name "Tesla, Inc." are mostly about vehicle loans and leases (see the complaint-record section).

Locations. Tesla's contact page lists its headquarters at Gigafactory Texas (1 Tesla Road, Austin), an engineering headquarters at 1501 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, California, and a factory at 45500 Fremont Boulevard, Fremont, California. Tesla's warranty booklet gives P.O. Box 15430, Fremont, CA 94539 for the New Vehicle Limited Warranty contact.

Other legal matters, briefly. Tesla's 10-Q lists a California Civil Rights Department suit filed February 9, 2022 in Alameda County Superior Court alleging race discrimination, hostile work environment and pay equity claims, with "the first phase of the trial ... currently set for September 21, 2026" (wording as of the 10-Q filed July 23, 2026), and an EEOC suit filed September 28, 2023 in the Northern District of California alleging race harassment and retaliation, which "is in discovery with no trial date set." Tesla says it "intends to vigorously defend itself in these matters." After the 10-Q, a September 11, 2026 ruling by Judge Peter Borkon in the Alameda County case (published on DecisionDepot) refers to the hearing as "a few weeks before trial", and Electrek reported on September 21, 2026 that a bench trial before Judge Borkon began that day in Oakland and was expected to run through October 30, 2026, and that Tesla said it "does not tolerate discrimination." I did not find a decision in the CRD case on 2026-10-03, and I could not open the Alameda court's own docket, so the trial is described here only as underway and scheduled through October 30, 2026 according to Electrek, with no outcome stated.

Complaint and review record (as displayed 2026-10-03)

The snapshots below were read on 2026-10-03 from separate sources and are not combined or averaged.

• USAComplaints: 1 approved post is linked to this page: a 2013 post titled "Tesla Service, University City, MO" (offender field "Tesla Motor") describing a car left for a bumper and window tinting and no communication about the delay. A January 2013 Patch article reported a Tesla Motors service center at 8664 Olive Boulevard in University City. Posts about Tesla Consulting, Tesla Power Tools and Teslasecret.com concern other businesses and are not linked.
• BBB: BBB profile for Tesla, Inc., 1 Tesla Rd, Austin, TX. "This business is NOT BBB Accredited." The rating is shown as "Not Rated" with the reason "The business is in the process of responding to previously closed complaints." The Complaints tab shows "3,566 total complaints in the last 3 years" and "1,215 complaints closed in the last 12 months"; the Reviews tab shows 1.09 of 5 stars, "Average of 275 Customer Reviews". The BBB file was opened 2021-02-25 and BBB gives a business-start date of 2011-08-26. BBB's profile carries a "Pattern of Complaints" alert, in BBB's words: "In 2026, BBB began reviewing Tesla, Inc.'s business practices. This review was prompted by a large volume of complaints and customer reviews received by BBB... BBB's file conditions indicate this business has a pattern of complaints concerning delayed repairs and service appointments, difficulty reaching customer support representatives, warranty-related disputes, delivery delays, billing concerns, and unresolved refund requests." BBB also states it contacted Tesla in May 2026 and that "The business responded BBB but failed to address the concerns." A separate BBB advertising review of Tesla's "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving" marketing says that "As of May 2026, Tesla, Inc. issued a response to BBB's request but failed to substantiate or discontinue the advertised claims"; the same BBB text notes that Tesla "does include disclaimers on portions of its website stating drivers must remain attentive". BBB says it does not verify information from third parties. I did not read Tesla's response.
• Trustpilot: the profile for tesla.com shows a TrustScore of 1.7 from 2,084 reviews, with 372 reviews in the last 12 months (star shares shown: 5-star 21%, 4-star 3%, 3-star 2%, 2-star 6%, 1-star 68%). It is a claimed profile (January 2023). Trustpilot states "This company hasn't invited customers recently, so reviews may not be representative" and "Hasn't replied to negative reviews". A separate Trustpilot profile for www.teslamotors.com (categorised "Car Accessories Store", shown as "Unclaimed profile") displays 3,130 reviews and a score of 1.6; it is a different profile and is not combined with the figures above.
• ComplaintsBoard: its Tesla page ("Updated on May 18, 2026") shows a 1.0-star rating from 3 reviews and 121 complaints and a "Claim Your Business" prompt.
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: for the company name "Tesla, Inc." the database shows 708 complaints received between 2019-06-25 and 2026-09-28, of which 192 were received from 2025-10-03. By product, 437 are "Vehicle loan or lease", 70 "Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports", 52 "Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports" and 49 "Debt collection". Top issues: "Getting a loan or lease" (169), "Managing the loan or lease" (116) and "Problems at the end of the loan or lease" (95). Company responses: 674 "Closed with explanation", 18 "Untimely response", 16 "In progress". The CFPB covers financial products; it does not cover vehicle defects or FSD.
• NHTSA owner complaints: NHTSA publishes vehicle-safety complaints; I did not count them for this page.

Counts differ by source because each source collects different kinds of reports; none of these figures measures how many Tesla customers had a problem. BBB, Trustpilot and ComplaintsBoard entries are posted by people who chose to write them, so they are not a sample of all customers, and the counts on those pages change from day to day.

Lawsuits and court records

The case rows on this page were chosen for consumer relevance and read from court dockets and the settlement site on 2026-10-03. A court's class-certification order or a jury verdict is not a final resolution of every claim, and Tesla disputes the claims in these cases. Its 10-Q says: "The Company intends to vigorously defend itself in these matters; however, we cannot predict the outcome or impact."

FSD and Autopilot marketing. In re Tesla Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Litigation (N.D. Cal.) alleges that Tesla's statements about full self-driving capability misled buyers. In May 2024 the court dismissed all warranty claims but let fraud-based, negligence-based and related statutory claims proceed in part; in August 2025 it certified two California classes, and the Ninth Circuit accepted Tesla's appeal of that order. Waller v. Tesla, Inc., filed June 4, 2026 in the same court, is a separate proposed class action about statements on driver-assistance capabilities. A securities class action filed August 4, 2025 in the Western District of Texas concerns statements to investors about Autopilot, FSD and Robotaxi; it is brought by people who bought Tesla stock, not by vehicle buyers.

Injury verdict. Benavides v. Tesla, Inc. (S.D. Fla.) is a wrongful-death and injury case from a 2019 crash involving Autopilot. A jury returned a verdict against Tesla on August 1, 2025; the judgment against Tesla, stated in the court's February 19, 2026 order as $242,570,000.00, is stayed pending Tesla's appeal to the Eleventh Circuit (No. 26-10858; opening brief filed July 2, 2026), and Tesla says the facts and law do not justify the damages awarded. The amounts: the jury awarded $129,000,000 in compensatory damages in total ($59,000,000 for the estate side and $70,000,000 for Dillon Angulo, per the court's minute entry) and found Tesla 33% responsible for the injuries; the Final Judgment against Tesla applies that 33% share, giving $11,550,000 and $7,920,000 for the two parents of Naibel Benavides Leon (together $19,470,000) and $23,100,000 for Mr. Angulo, plus $200,000,000 in punitive damages. The court's February 19, 2026 order states the judgment as $242,570,000.00 in total. The $129 million figure is therefore the gross jury figure, not the judgment amount.

Cases Tesla won or settled. Two California state-court Autopilot injury cases ended in defense verdicts after jury trials, as reported by Reuters (Hsu) and by Bloomberg Law and KTVU (Molander); I did not open the courts' dockets or verdict forms. In Hsu v. Tesla (Los Angeles Superior Court) the jury on April 21, 2023 awarded the plaintiff no damages, and in Molander v. Tesla (Riverside County Superior Court) a jury on October 31, 2023 sided with Tesla in a 2019 fatal-crash case. Mendoza v. Tesla (N.D. Cal.) was dismissed without prejudice on September 2, 2026 after the parties told the court they had reached a settlement; under the order the dismissal becomes with prejudice if no request to reinstate is filed within 60 days (about November 1, 2026), and the order does not state the settlement terms. Verdicts in individual cases turn on their own facts and do not decide other cases.

Supercharger fees. Shenkman v. Tesla, Inc. (Alameda County) has a proposed settlement for certain California owners with free lifetime Supercharging; its claim deadline of September 25, 2026 has passed and the final approval hearing is set for December 2, 2026.

Tesla's position and favorable rulings: the Ninth Circuit granted Tesla's petition to appeal the class certification, the certified classes are limited to California purchasers who opted out of or pre-date Tesla's arbitration agreement (the court cited at least 3,595 and 212 people in the two groups), and Tesla's 10-Q says of the Benavides verdict: "Although we believe that the facts and law do not justify the damages awarded, the Company has recorded an immaterial accrual." Workplace discrimination suits by the California Civil Rights Department and the EEOC are summarized in the background section above; the CRD trial was reported underway on September 21, 2026 and no outcome is stated here.

The rows below give the dockets, dates and current status. I opened no sealed filings and did not search arbitration proceedings or state-court dockets other than those named here; Tesla's agreements contain arbitration and small-claims provisions (see the practical-steps section), and this page does not say in which forum any share of consumer disputes is heard.

Is Tesla Legitimate?

What can be confirmed: Tesla, Inc. is an SEC registrant (CIK 1318605) that files annual and quarterly reports, with a Form 10-Q filed 2026-07-23 and a Form 10-K filed 2026-01-29; its Form 10-K describes a Texas corporation headquartered in Austin, and EDGAR lists the ticker TSLA on Nasdaq. The California DMV's December 2025 and February 2026 releases refer to Tesla's manufacturer's and dealer licenses in California, and Tesla's warranty booklet and support pages give named channels for service, recalls and disputes. SEC filings and licenses identify a company; they do not show how any particular customer was treated.

What the record also shows. The California DMV adopted a decision that Tesla's use of "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving Capability" was misleading, and Tesla later stopped using "Autopilot" in its California marketing (see the government-actions section). NHTSA has opened investigations of FSD and other items (statuses as of the opening documents; see the government-actions section). BBB says Tesla is not BBB Accredited, shows no rating, and carries a "Pattern of Complaints" alert. A jury returned a verdict against Tesla in an Autopilot injury case that is on appeal (Benavides, with a $242,570,000 judgment against Tesla that is stayed pending an Eleventh Circuit appeal), while juries in two 2023 California Autopilot cases, Hsu and Molander, returned verdicts for Tesla according to news reports (see the litigation section). Tesla disputes the claims in the litigation, appeals the verdict, and says in its 10-Q that to its knowledge no agency in an ongoing investigation has concluded that any wrongdoing occurred.

Not verified here. I could not open Tesla's Motor Vehicle Order Agreement, the sign-in-only contact form, a docket for Tesla's reported suit against the DMV, or any ODI document after the opening resumes cited above. NHTSA recall data and BBB, Trustpilot and CFPB figures change daily.

How to check for yourself: read the warranty booklet and order agreement you received, search your VIN at service.tesla.com/en-US/vin-recall-search, and check NHTSA's recall and investigation pages for your model year.

Court & Public Records

Company Relationships

• Affiliated with: Tesla Finance LLC
• Affiliated with: Tesla Lease Trust
• Formerly known as: Tesla Motors, Inc.

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