Judge orders Tesla to make major change or halt sales in California

Last year, Tesla finally admitted that Full Self-Driving was not the Level 4 autonomous driving experience, as had been previously claimed when it added "Supervised" to the official FSD moniker, Benzinga reported.SAE International (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers) considers advanced driver assistance systems, such as GM Super Cruise and Tesla Full Self-Driving, to be Level 2 automation, which requires the driver to remain engaged.Tesla global deliveries by year2024: 1.79 million2023: 1.81 million2022: 1.37 million2021: 936K2020: 499K2019: 367K Source: Statista Anything Level 3 and above is considered truly “autonomous.” This means no human intervention is required when the system activates features such as lane assist and automatic braking. However, the system must be enabled by a present driver who must take over when asked to. J.D. Power lists Mercedes’ Drive Pilot as a Level 3 system.Robotaxi providers, including Waymo, Tesla Robotaxi, and Zoox, are considered Level 4, as their vehicles are equipped with steering wheels, brakes, and gas pedals, but can safely navigate the road without driver input and don’t require the driver to be alert and ready.The California Department of Motor Vehicles filed an accusation against Tesla in July 2022 for making misleading statements about FSD and Autopilot. Back then, the California DMV threatened to pull Tesla's vehicle dealer and manufacturing licenses.On Tuesday, a California court ruled on that motion. A California judge has ruled against Tesla, indicating it deceived customers when marketing FSD technology.Photo by The Washington Post on Getty Images California judge rules against Tesla in deceptive FSD advertising caseOn Tuesday, Dec. 16, Administrative Law Judge Juliet E. Cox for the California Office of Administrative Hearings ruled that Tesla was deceptive in its marketing of Autopilot and Full-Self Driving, ruling in favor of the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which brought a complaint against the company in 2022.The judge ruled that Tesla should face a 30-day suspension of its selling and manufacturing licenses in the state. However, California DMV Director Steve Gordon stated on Dec. 16 that his agency has adopted the judge's order with a modified penalty.Related: Tesla hits huge Robotaxi milestone, but questions in Austin remain“A reasonable consumer likely would believe that a vehicle with Full Self-Driving Capability can travel safely without a human driver’s constant, undivided attention,” the judge wrote in the proposed order. "This belief is wrong — both as a technological matter and as a legal matter — which makes the name Full Self-Driving Capability misleading."Tesla has 60 days to fix any deceptive or confusing claims about Autopilot and FSD. If it doesn't, the DMV will go ahead with the 30-day suspension. "This was a 'consumer protection' order about the use of the term 'Autopilot' in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem. Sales in California will continue uninterrupted," Tesla said in a statement. NHTSA opens probe into Tesla FSD system after series of crashesADAS technology is still in its infancy, and government regulators are continually working to ensure its safety.Tesla is already popular at the NHTSA. The electric vehicle maker had ranked third in open NHTSA investigations, with four. Ford and Honda were ahead of it with eight and five, respectively.Related: Elon Musk celebrates victory over $45 billion rivalIn October, the NHTSA initiated another investigation into 2.88 million Teslas equipped with Full Self-Driving, following more than 50 reports of traffic safety violations and a series of crashes.The agency says its investigation will focus on “whether certain driving inputs within the control authority of FSD forestall the driver’s supervision when they are unexpectedly performed.”Even though Tesla says FSD requires drivers to pay attention and intervene when necessary, the NHTSA says it has received reports that the technology has “induced vehicle behavior that violated traffic safety laws.”Those reports fall into two categories, according to the agency, “The first…scenario involves a vehicle …proceeding into an intersection in violation of a red traffic signal. The second…involves FSD commanding a lane change into an opposing lane of traffic.”The agency has received 18 reports and seen one media report alleging that a Tesla, operating at an intersection with FSD engaged, failed to remain stopped at the red light for the duration of the traffic signal, failed to stop fully, or failed to accurately detect and display the correct traffic signal state in the vehicle interface.The NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation also identified six crash reports in which an FSD-engaged Tesla ran through a red light. Four of those accidents resulted in one or more reported injuries.Related: Tesla driver shares FSD safety flaw in a concerning video on X