Seoul court dismisses lawsuit by Tesla owners seeking refunds for 'Full Self-Driving' tech


FILE PHOTO: A woman walks past a Tesla dealership in Hanam, South Korea, July 6, 2020. Picture taken on July 6, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo

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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