Enlarge
(credit:
Thomas Trutschel / Contributor | Photothek
)
The United States Department of Justice is investigating Tesla after a Reuters
report
revealed in July that the EV maker secretly created a team to divert customer complaints because it had
grossly exaggerated its vehicles' driving range
. Reuters' source confirmed that "the directive to present the optimistic range estimates came from Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk."
The driving range was so far below company estimates that many customers
assumed their cars were defective.
Three customers launched a class-action suit, alleging fraud and false advertising. This mounting backlash over Tesla's overly optimistic driving range estimates came at a tense time for Tesla following an unsuccessful launch of Tesla's Full Self Driving (FSD) Beta—a feature deemed so dangerous that
Tesla had to recall 362,758 cars
—and a
criminal investigation into its Autopilot claims
.
The DOJ appears to now be probing all of Tesla's recent missteps. According to a US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
filing
from Tesla on Monday, the DOJ has sent requests for information and subpoenaed Tesla for documents related to Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD features, as well as documents "regarding certain matters associated with personal benefits, related parties, vehicle range, and personnel decisions."