A Utah woman is suing Tesla, saying her Model S crashed into another car while it was in Autopilot mode earlier this year in the city of South Jordan.
The Tesla Model S, which the woman bought in 2016, is advertised to have “enhanced Autopilot,” including 360° of visibility and 250 meters of “forward protection,” the woman’s attorney wrote in a news release. At some point, an auto repair shop replaced a sensor in her Model S, according to the lawsuit.
The woman was using the car’s Autopilot mode back in May when the car approached traffic that had come to a complete stop. But the lawsuit says that the safety features did not engage, and the vehicle did not stop when the other cars blocked its path. The Tesla rear-ended another vehicle, and the woman suffered “severe and permanent injuries” and incurred at least $3,000 in expenses, the lawsuit says.
Tesla representatives provided a South Jordan police report that said the driver “admitted that she was looking at her phone prior to the collision.” The woman was issued a citation for failing to keep proper lookout while driving.
“When using Autopilot, drivers are continuously reminded of their responsibility to keep their hands on the wheel and maintain control of the vehicle at all times," a Tesla representative wrote in a prepared statement. "Tesla has always been clear that Autopilot doesn’t make the car impervious to all accidents.”
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Source: The Salt Lake Tribune
