The EV maker could launch the full self-drive technology in 2023. Credit: Bram Van Oost on Unsplash.

Tesla has won a lawsuit after a state court jury in California found that the electric vehicle maker’s driver assistant system, called Autopilot, was not responsible for a car crash in 2019, reported Reuters.

In the lawsuit filed in 2020, Justine Hsu of Los Angeles alleged that when her Tesla Model S veered into a curb while in Autopilot, the airbag was deployed “so violently [that] it fractured the plaintiff’s jaw, knocked out teeth, and caused nerve damage to the plaintiff’s face.”

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

Hsu demanded more than $3m in damages and alleged that there were flaws in the design of the airbag and the Autopilot.

Denying the liability for the crash, Tesla argued that Hsu deployed Autopilot on city streets despite a user manual advising against doing so.

In Los Angeles Superior Court, the jury gave Hsu no damages. Additionally, it was found that the airbag performed as it should.

Tesla made it quite clear in its warnings that the software for partially automated driving was not a self-piloted system and that driver distraction was to blame, the members of the jury said.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

While the trial’s outcome is not legally binding in other cases, the verdict is being viewed as a big win for Tesla.

This was the first case involving Tesla’s Autopilot feature, and the report said that the company has been preparing for a flurry of additional trials involving this partially automated driving system.

Tesla’s win comes after last week the company’s CEO Elon Musk said the EV maker could launch the full self-drive technology in 2023.

“I hesitate to say this but I think we will do it this year,” Musk was quoted as saying in a press conference.