According to German “Der Spiegel” reported on Friday, a Munich court has ordered Tesla to repay most of the 112,000 euros paid by owners for the Model X SUV. The reason is a problem with the Autopilot feature.
A technical report revealed that the vehicle was unable to reliably identify obstacles such as tight spots on construction sites, and sometimes applied the brakes unnecessarily. The court ruled that it could create “great danger” in the city center and lead to crashes.
Tesla’s lawyers reportedly argued that Autopilot wasn’t designed for urban traffic, and the court said drivers couldn’t be asked to manually turn the feature on and off in different environments because it would distract them from driving.
Tesla had no immediate comment, and the court had no immediate comment. U.S. safety regulators are investigating Tesla’s Autopilot feature after reports of 16 accidents, including seven injuries and one fatality, involving Tesla’s Autopilot system. Vehicles struck stationary first responders and road maintenance vehicles.
Tesla has previously said that Autopilot allows vehicles to automatically brake and steer in their lanes, but does not allow them to drive themselves. Musk said in March that Tesla could launch a beta version of its new FSD software in Europe later this year, subject to regulatory approval.
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