Tesla can no longer use “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) to describe its self-driving software in California, following the passage of a new law.
Tesla has repeatedly come under fire for its FSD, with the software falling short of customers’ expectations. Despite Tesla’s best efforts, FSD is still a ways off from being fully autonomous and California wants to make sure customers understand that.
According to Teslarati, California passed a law specifically to ensure Tesla’s description of its software is more realistic, after the Department of Motor Vehicles accused Tesla of “false advertising.”
Below is an excerpt from the legislation, provided by Teslarati:
“A dealer or manufacturer shall not sell any new passenger vehicle that is equipped with any partial driving automation feature or provide any software update or other vehicle upgrade that adds any partial driving automation feature, without, at the time of delivering or upgrading the vehicle, providing the buyer or owner with a distinct notice that provides the name of the feature and clearly describes the functions and limitations of the feature.”
“A manufacturer or dealer shall not name any partial driving automation feature, or describe any partial driving automation feature in marketing materials, using language that implies or would otherwise lead a reasonable person to believe, that the feature allows the vehicle to function as an autonomous vehicle, as defined in Section 38750, or otherwise has functionality not actually included in the feature. A violation of this subdivision shall be considered a misleading advertisement for the purposes of Section 11713.”