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A Tesla lawsuit alleges a software update drains the battery and causes a “BMS_u029” error code letting the driver know the battery has drained.
The class action includes Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles which allegedly suffer from drained batteries and BMS_u029 error codes
The Tesla class action lawsuit, filed in 2023, has been settled but not on a nationwide class basis.
According to the Tesla lawsuit, Model S and Model X owners must pay third-party companies up to $750 to remove the Tesla software updates and BMS_u029 battery codes. The owners who sued assert removing the software update is the only way to prevent drained batteries.
Additionally, the class action says the software update can damage a Model S or Model X battery to the point it must be replaced at a cost of about $20,000.
The owners who filed the class action complain they were forced to accept the vehicle software updates followed by BMS_u029 error codes. Some owners claim Tesla didn’t tell them what the purpose was for the software update.
One Model S plaintiff complains he had to pay $500 to reset the software and remove the BMS_u029 error code, and another Model S plaintiff contends his car’s battery drained following a software update.
Then another plaintiff complains he wasn’t warned any software update would decrease the range of the battery, and a separate owner claims a software update left him with a dead battery. A Tesla service center allegedly told him the fix would cost him $20,798.56.
The class action lawsuit says the plaintiffs want a nationwide recall of the vehicles or for Tesla to buy back all affected Model S and Model X vehicles.
Although a settlement has been reached between Tesla and the owners who sued, the agreement is on an individual (non-class action) basis. Judge Jon S. Tigar ordered the removal of all scheduled deadlines and hearings and told the clerk to close the case.
The Tesla drained battery class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California: Lucas, et al., v. Tesla, Inc.
The plaintiffs are represented by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, and Attorney West Seattle.