US Senate urges probe into Tesla’s autonomous‑driving claims

Democratic Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal urged the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to open an investigation into Tesla over “misleading advertising and marketing” of the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems.

Today @SenMarkey & I wrote to FTC Chair Lina Khan to express our serious concerns about Tesla’s marketing tactics. Their overstated claims give drivers a false sense of security & overblown confidence in their car’s capabilities—putting motorists & others on the road at risk. pic.twitter.com/6Mv1fKREq3

— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) August 18, 2021

“Repeated overstatements by Tesla and [CEO Elon] Musk about the capabilities of their cars—despite clear and frequent warnings—demonstrate a deeply troubling disregard for the safety of those on the road,” the senators wrote in a letter to the Chamber.

In their view, the company’s statements put drivers and passengers at risk of serious injuries or death.

Markey and Blumenthal also cited a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation, opened on August 16, 2021. The agency is examining a series of crashes between Tesla electric vehicles and other cars, in which at least 17 people were injured and one killed. The agency said that in all the cases under review the autopilot or cruise control was engaged on the vehicle at the time of the crash.

The Chamber did not comment on the senators’ letter.

Earlier in May, the California Department of Motor Vehicles began an investigation into Tesla for “misleading advertising” of the Full Self-Driving package.

In April Tesla, with no one at the wheel, was involved in a crash, which killed two people.

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