Tesla has settled a lawsuit with the family of Walter Huang, an Apple engineer who died in a crash near San Francisco while using the company’s Autopilot semi-autonomous driving software in March 2018. The lawsuit alleged that Tesla, along with CEO Elon Musk, had exaggerated the capabilities of its self-driving technology, misleading consumers into believing that constant vigilance while driving was unnecessary.
The settlement was reached Monday, April 8, before the trial was set to begin this week. The terms have not been disclosed.
The incident, which occurred during Huang’s commute to work, has raised significant safety concerns regarding Tesla’s autonomous driving features. Tesla had contended that Huang was distracted by playing a video game on his phone at the time of the crash.
This settlement comes amid broader scrutiny over Tesla’s technology and a Justice Department inquiry into the company’s marketing of its self-driving capabilities.
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has investigated over 956 crashes reportedly involving Tesla’s Autopilot, along with more than 40 specific investigations into Tesla automated-driving system accidents that led to 23 fatalities.
Tesla won two prior California cases about Autopilot by arguing that the drivers did not follow the company’s guidance to stay alert while using the system.
