— A Tesla odometer lawsuit that was filed in February 2025 and partly dismissed in September 2026 has been amended for customers in California.
The judge has allowed the two customers to amend their class action three times but has refused to entirely dismiss the lawsuit.
The Tesla class action focuses on the odometer, but the lawsuit also references the warranty problems caused by the alleged odometer fraud.
According to the lawsuit:
"This is a class action brought on behalf of all California consumers who purchased a new or used Tesla model 3, Y, or other Tesla vehicle that uses the same odometer system in the Tesla model 3 or Y between December 2022 and the date of class certification."
Tesla supposedly knew the odometers overstated the true distances traveled by the vehicles and knew it when the vehicles were first sold. The odometers allegedly not only misrepresent the true mileage but also manipulate the mileage.
The two plaintiffs complain the Tesla odometers employ "predictive algorithms, energy consumption metrics, and driver behavior multipliers" to manipulate the true mileage. The lawsuit says customers pay the price for Tesla's actions while the automaker uses an odometer scheme to benefit Tesla.
According to the class action, an inaccurate odometer overstates the mileage driven which affects when the warranty expires. Customers purportedly have vehicles that should still be covered by the warranties, but Tesla determines the expiration of the warranty based on allegedly overstated mileage.
The plaintiffs complain this is a huge benefit to Tesla with something like replacing a battery for an electric vehicle. Owners claim it can cost between $15,000 and $22,000 to replace a vehicle battery after the warranty has expired.
And by supposedly misrepresenting the true odometer mileage, the lawsuit says owners are more likely to purchase an extended warranty when the mileage limits near. According to the plaintiffs, a customer may pay between $2,000 and $6,500 for an extended warranty.
The odometer lawsuit also alleges an inaccurate odometer misrepresents the range a vehicle can travel between battery charges.
"When the miles traveled are overstated, consumers are less likely to notice that the range estimates in between charges are much lower than advertised." — Tesla odometer class action lawsuit
The two customers who filed the odometer lawsuit insist consumers have been fooled and harmed by Tesla and its inaccurate odometers.
The Tesla odometer lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California: Hinton, et al.,v. Tesla, Inc., et al.
The plaintiff is represented by Singleton Schreiber, LLP.
