Now, thousands of Australian Tesla drivers have united to launch a class action. They are warning their customers about continuing problems with phantom braking in their cars. Retinoblastoma survivor Dominic Yin is one of them. Though he purchased his Tesla two years ago, as of late, unexpected braking has happened to him several times. So, as he drove along the state highway between Sydney and Melbourne, a truck kept tailgating him. That day turned out to be one of those big moments. The class action seeks to make an entire class of driver whole again. They maintain that their vehicles have been adversely affected in resale value due to these shocking events.
The class action has attracted huge interest—with nearly 10,000 Tesla drivers signing up to join the case. Though Tesla Australia’s scary steering wheel email is something we’ve found complaints about in a lot of different places, it has not returned calls seeking comment on those claims. The case is scheduled to come back before the Federal Court later this year.
Phantom Braking Incidents
Dominic Yin, who discussed his frightening experiences with phantom braking. He told NPR about the constant feeling of anxiety while driving, saying, “You’re just waiting for when (it’s) going to occur again. To underscore the abruptness of these events, he used examples to show how they can give the sense of careening off the road. Suddenly you’re like, oh my god, somebody else is driving me and (giving) you this really terrifying roller coaster ride,” said Yin.
Rebecca Jancauskas, a class action attorney with JGA Saddler, put the seriousness of these events in context. She stated that “the issues that have been reported to us are that vehicles can be driving along on the highway at 100 or 110kph and all of a sudden the brakes are applied suddenly and without reason.” This erratic behavior creates significant safety issues. Drivers have described being scared for their lives when their car unexpectedly slams to a stop, and some encounters have led to crashes.
Jancauskas pointed out that hundreds of drivers have joined the class action. They encountered terrifying predicaments even as wide awake and in command of their cars. “We’ve had many reports of people who registered for this class action, telling us that they’ve been driving with their hands on the vehicle, fully alert, and these issues have occurred nonetheless,” she explained.
Safety Concerns Raised
Peter Khoury of the National Roads and Motorists’ Association (NRMA) has a very important message to all Tesla drivers out there. If you encounter phantom braking, report it immediately! If you’re dealing with a similar problem in your car or truck, go to the manufacturer immediately. All of this is a breathtaking safety hazard. His testimony brought to light the threat that’s caused by unexpected hard braking episodes. These issues can lead to dangerous conditions for drivers.
Curiously, many drivers filed reports about unexpected braking with Teslas. When it comes to these issues, the federal infrastructure department has only received six official complaints of such issues in the past two years. This difference begs the question of whether the communication channels available are sufficient to report something so grave.
Tesla’s Response and Future Implications
To combat the naysayers and ongoing skepticism, Tesla has extensively demoed – often live and through social media – its technology. Last week, the company released a video showing it successfully completed its first test drive using the company’s newly developed semi-autonomous system on Melbourne’s streets. For all these advances, a lot of drivers are still understandably wary about the reliability of these systems given what they’ve personally experienced with phantom braking.
Given these allegations, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has yet to comment publicly on these calls. The lack of engagement from Tesla Australia regarding driver concerns raises further frustration among those affected by phantom braking incidents. This class action continues forward, and it’ll be fascinating to see how Tesla responds to these customer-class pressures. If true, this response would have far-reaching consequences for Tesla’s future business in Down Under.
