Tesla is once again under fire with a surprising accusation. A Model Y owner claims that the manufacturer is manipulating its cars' speedometers. This complaint could once again have significant consequences for the company.
This is not Tesla's first controversy. The company specializing in electric vehicles has already been singled out for statements deemed misleading regarding the safety or autonomy of its cars. While its sales have seen a sharp decline since the beginning of 2025, a new case has further complicated its situation: the company is now accused of manipulating the mileage displayed on its vehicles.
A Model Y owner in California accuses Tesla of deliberately falsifying his car's odometer to shorten the duration of its warranty. According to the complaint, his vehicle's odometer readings were significantly higher than the actual mileage, causing the basic warranty, which was set at 50,000 miles (approximately 80,500 kilometers), to expire prematurely. The buyer, Nyree Hinton, claims that his SUV logged more than 13,000 additional miles (approximately 21,000 kilometers) in six months, a figure that is out of line with his past driving habits, despite similar usage.
Tesla allegedly used predictive algorithms to artificially increase the mileage of its vehicles
According to Hinton, Tesla would use predictive algorithms integrated into the odometer to artificially adjust mileage data. These calculations would take into account energy consumption, driving style and other behavioral parameters to anticipate a distance traveled rather than relying solely on actual data. After her vehicle's warranty expired, Nyree Hinton claims the odometer suddenly recorded fewer miles per month, despite an increase in her daily commute. This discrepancy between the warranty and post-warranty periods is at the heart of the lawsuit. Nyree Hinton's lawsuit could affect many California Tesla owners, but its outcome remains uncertain. In other recent cases, including those related to inflated range, U.S. judges have ordered individual arbitration, preventing class action lawsuits. At the same time, several testimonies from other owners reporting similar anomalies are circulating on Reddit. The company has not yet publicly responded to these new accusations, which risk increasing the legal pressure weighing on the manufacturer at a critical time for its sales and its image.
Source: classaction.org
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