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DMV threatens to pause Tesla sales over ‘autopilot’ advertising
Los Angeles Times
|December 19, 2025
The California Department of Motor Vehicles will suspend Tesla sales in the state if the electric vehicle company continues to mislead consumers about its driving assistance features, the agency said this week.
Elon Musk’s Tesla has 90 days to comply before facing a 30-day suspension of its manufacturing and dealer license. The use of the terms “autopilot” and “full self-driving capability” to describe Tesla’s Advanced Driving Assistance Features, or ADAS, is false advertising and violates state law, an administrative judge ruled last month.
According to Tesla’s marketing materials for autopilot and Full Self-Drive mode, “the system is designed to be able to conduct short and long-distance trips with no action required by the person in the driver's seat.”
However, Tesla vehicles cannot operate autonomously and are safe only when used with an alert human driver, the DMV said Tuesday. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
This story is from the December 19, 2025 edition of Los Angeles Times.
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