California regulators said Tuesday they would not suspend Tesla’s license to sell vehicles in the state for 30 days, concluding the company had addressed concerns about its marketing of car-assistance features.
The action by the California Department of Motor Vehicles comes after the agency previously found that Tesla’s promotions overstated the capability of its driver-assistance systems, according to the department’s case history described in the report. The administrative process centered on Tesla’s use of the terms “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving,” which regulators said could mislead drivers about how completely the vehicles were able to operate on their own.
A judge in that administrative case had recommended that regulators suspend Tesla’s license for 30 days. Regulators, however, opted for a different remedy earlier in the process, granting Tesla a 90-day period to make changes rather than immediately imposing a suspension.
In Tuesday’s decision, regulators said Tesla’s changes were sufficient to correct the deceptive marketing. The department said Tesla had stopped misleading drivers about the safety of its cars, leading to the decision not to impose a 30-day sales suspension in California.
The report said Tesla revised the terminology it uses in California marketing. Tesla now uses the term “supervised” when referencing Full Self Driving and has stopped using “Autopilot” in its marketing in the state.
The case underscores how regulators are scrutinizing the language automakers use to describe advanced driver-assistance systems, particularly as such features become more common and consumers rely on marketing claims when deciding what vehicles can do.