The widow of a man who died after his Tesla drove off the road and crashed into a tree while he was using the carmaker’s partially automatic driving system is suing the company, alleging that its marketing of the technology is dangerously misleading.
According to Nora Bass’s complaint filed in state court on May 3, the Autopilot technology prevented Hans Von Ohain from keeping his Model 3 Tesla on a Colorado road in 2022. As per the lawsuit, Von Ohain died after his car crashed into a tree and caught fire, but a passenger was able to escape.
A Colorado State Patrol report states that Von Ohain was drunk at the time of the crash. The Associated Press emailed Tesla’s communications department on Friday requesting comment.
Tesla offers two partially automated systems, Autopilot and a more complex “Full Self Driving,” although the company claims neither can drive itself, despite their names.
The complaint, which was also filed on behalf of Von Ohain and Bass’s only child, claims that Tesla launched its Autopilot technology before it was suitable for real-world usage. It also argues that the company has shown a “reckless disregard for consumer safety and truth,” citing a promotional video from 2016.
The video said, “By showcasing a Tesla vehicle navigating traffic without any hands on the steering wheel, Tesla irresponsibly misled consumers into believing that their vehicles possessed capabilities far beyond reality.”
