Tesla Fined After Bad Software Update on Older EVs

Kiana Justice
· 3 min read
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Tesla
is a very popular electric vehicle (EV) brand. The company's innovative models have made Tesla one of the leaders of the auto industry. They even have their own brand of
car insurance
.
However, recently, according to
Car and Driver
, owners of older Model S cars found a battery drain issue after a software update. Here are more details about the bad update, the potential consequences for Tesla, and what you can do if you notice an issue with your car.
Older Tesla models are having battery drain issues | Twenty20

What problems did Tesla owners in Norway experience?

After the 2019 update, Tesla owners in Norway noticed that their 2016 Model S P85D sedans were taking longer to charge and losing range. The issues also affected the 2016 Model X P85D. Norwegian officials said that the new software was intentionally slowing down the hardware on older models.
Tesla's software updates are sent and installed automatically for every car. Norway’s Consumer Disputes Commission is ordering that Tesla pay around 10,000 owners whose vehicles were impacted by the update.
How much will the bad software update cost Tesla?
Tesla's faulty update will likely cost the company $16,000 for every Norwegian owner who had issues with their Tesla vehicles. The P85D didn’t reach the 691 horsepower that was advertised when it was released. So in 2016, Tesla was already forced to pay around $8,000 to these owners.
As reported by Car and Driver, Norwegians buy EVs and Teslas at some of the highest rates in the world. Tesla could be looking at paying out around a total of $160 million to the owners affected. This bad update is similar to the ones that Apple owners saw on their old iPads and iPhones, which cost the company $113 million to settle.
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How can you report car issues or faulty products?

If you installed a software update on a car, phone, or any other device, and noticed it’s caused issues, you can contact the
Federal Trade Commission
(FTC). You might not be overthinking it, and it’s possible that you’ve received a bad update. You can record the evidence and send a fraud claim to the FTC.
For the most part, you probably won’t see malicious updates on your devices. But it’s good to stay on top of news about the brands you like, so you can make informed decisions before you buy a product.
That’s also one of
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