Tesla hit with warning over potentially misleading claims about vehicle features: 'Clearly constitutes false advertising'

Tesla has found itself in hot water in France after being accused of purposefully misleading customers regarding the full self-driving capabilities in many of its vehicles.

As reported by Autopost, France's General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control issued a warning to Tesla over the company's marketing of its FSD technologies. The agency has accused Tesla of overstating the capabilities in advertisements throughout France.

"The marketing language overstates the actual functionality and clearly constitutes false advertising," reads the announcement from the DGCCRF. As a result, the agency will now require Tesla to comply with its order within the next four months. If the company fails to do so, it would then face a fine of up to 50,000 euros per day, or just under $60,000.

As a Level 2 system, FSD allows the advanced driver-assistance system to handle steering, accelerating, and braking. However, the driver is ultimately responsible and must be ready to take over, meaning they must keep their hands on the steering wheel. This is why officials view the marketing campaign as deceptive.

When this occurs, it can also erode consumer trust and ultimately discourage the adoption of electric vehicles, which help reduce our reliance on dirty fuels and lower transportation-related carbon pollution.

In addition to concerns over Tesla's FSD marketing efforts, the DGCCRF addressed the company's sales practices, which it also viewed as problematic, per the report.

The DGCCRF took exception with Tesla's willingness to issue sales contracts without specific delivery destinations, history of requesting payments in violation of cancellation rights, and failure to issue receipts for cash transactions.

The compliance order in France is just the latest roadblock that Tesla has faced in recent months. Amid a string of controversies surrounding CEO Elon Musk, the EV manufacturer has seen a continued decline in car sales throughout many key automotive markets.

Stateside, Tesla is also facing a class-action lawsuit after a Model Y owner accused the company of artificially inflating odometer readings. The owner who sparked the suit alleges the extra mileage prematurely voided the car's warranty and left them with a substantial repair bill.

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