By Heekyong Yang
SEOUL, Oct 29 (Reuters) – A South Korean court on Thursday rejected a lawsuit by dozens of Tesla owners seeking full refunds for money paid for “Full Self-Driving” driver-assistance software, ruling that the automaker had not breached its contractual obligations.
The Seoul Central District Court ruled against the 88 plaintiffs, finding that the FSD option did not promise fully autonomous driving without human intervention and that Tesla had already provided some of the functions included in the package.
The court said Tesla’s obligation to deliver additional features depended on technological advances and regulatory approvals, adding that buyers had been aware that some functions could take considerable time to become available.
It also found that Tesla had provided basic Autopilot and Enhanced Autopilot functions, while a recent software update had added traffic light and sign recognition, as well as city-driving capabilities, to older vehicles equipped with Hardware 3 (HW3) computers.
The ruling marks a victory for Tesla as the automaker faces similar legal challenges in other countries over delays in delivering self-driving capabilities long promised by CEO Elon Musk.
Tesla did not immediately comment on the decision.
($1 = 1,341.7500 won)
(Reporting by Heekyong YangEditing by Ed Davies)
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