California's DMV files complaint against Tesla for misleading self-driving advertisements

The California DMV files a formal complaint against auto maker Tesla.  (Xiaolu Chu/Getty Images)

The California Department of Motor Vehicles is calling Tesla's self-driving car claims into question, leading the agency to file a complaint against the electric car giant. 

The complaint alleges that Tesla uses the terms 'auto pilot' and ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ as labels suggesting a car can completely drive and operate on its own. The complaint points to some of the company's marketing ads between 2021 and 2022 using that vocabulary. 

"Instead of simply identifying product or brand names, these ‘Autopilot’ and ‘Full Self-Driving Capability’ labels and descriptions represent that vehicles equipped with the [Advanced Driver Assistance System] ADAS features will operate as an autonomous vehicle, but vehicles equipped with those ADAS features could not at the time of those advertisements, and cannot now, operate as autonomous vehicles."

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The actions could lead to a temporary suspension of its manufacturers license the complaint said. Tesla has 15 days to respond to the complaint. 

You can read the complaint here.