Hyperdrive
Tesla Faces US Criminal Probe Around Self-Driving Claims
- Statements about ability of driver-assistance system are focus
- SEC is also conducting an investigation into the matter
A Tesla Model S, equipped with the Autopilot driver assistance system, in Palo Alto, California.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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US prosecutors are investigating whether Tesla Inc. made misleading claims about the capabilities of its Autopilot driver assistance system, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Justice Department’s Washington and San Francisco offices are probing statements by the electric car company and its executives about Tesla automobiles’ ability to drive themselves, said the person who asked not to be named discussing the investigation. The Justice Department declined to comment and Tesla representatives didn’t respond to requests to comment on the probe, which was first reported by Reuters.