Tesla Allegedly Speeding Up Odometers To Avoid Potential Warranty Claims

Elon Musk’s Tesla is being accused of speeding up odometers. A new lawsuit claims the electric vehicle maker purposely inflates the mileage readings in an alleged effort to skip out on potential warranty claims.

According to the plaintiff, Nyree Hinton, the odometer does not display the real mileage, but rather measures energy consumption, driver behavior, and “predictive algorithms.” Compared to his other vehicles, Hinton estimates the odometer in the 2020 Model Y he owns runs 15% fast at a minimum.

Hinton claims that there were days he drove about 20 miles, but his EV’s odometer reading increased by 72 miles. The inaccurate measurement led to the 50,000-mile warranty expiring sooner than it should have, leaving him with a $10,000 repair bill that Tesla’s warranty would have paid for.  

“By tying warranty limits and lease mileage caps to inflated ‘odometer’ readings, Tesla increases repair revenue, reduces warranty obligations, and compels consumers to purchase extended warranties prematurely,” the lawsuit stated, per CNBC.

Hinton is asking for compensation as well as punitive damages. Potentially, the class action suit could involve more than 1 million Tesla EVs. The automotive company has not officially commented on the lawsuit as of yet.

Other Tesla owners have apparently noticed suspicious discrepancies in odometer readings. Reddit users going back as far as two years ago have complained about odometers allegedly running faster than actual miles driven.

Tesla’s Other Alleged Deception — Battery Range

A 2023 investigation by Reuters found that Tesla was also allegedly inflating the range its EVs could drive before the battery went dead. It was reported that vehicle owners were getting far fewer miles on a single charge than what the EV maker advertised.

Reuters even discovered that Tesla had a special “diversion team” dedicated to thwarting customer complaints about the shorter driving range. Employees would tell customers that a remote scan determined their batteries were fine and service was not needed. Customers who purportedly tried to bring vehicles into the company’s dealerships to look into the issue had their appointments inexplicitly canceled.

Last year, Tesla claimed its Cybertruck could go 320 miles before needing a charge. Kyle Conner, a YouTube influencer, tested the range and found that the EV fell short of the claim. The truck tested — the Cyberbeast model — only lasted for 254 miles.