Tesla Accused of Inflating Odometer Numbers to Avoid Repair Payouts

Tesla is inflating odometer numbers to avoid paying for under-warranty repairs, according to a class-action lawsuit filed in California.

Plaintiff Nyree Hinton argues that odometers rely on “predictive algorithms, energy consumption metrics, and driver behavior multipliers that manipulate and misrepresent the actual miles traveled,” IEN reports.

Hinton purchased a used 2020 Tesla Model Y in December 2022 with 36,772 miles on the odometer. Six months later, the odometer read 50,000 miles, an increase of 13,228 miles. With the same driving routine in previous years on different vehicles, one Chevy and one Mercedes, Hinton only drove around 6,086 miles, suggesting a 117% increase with the Tesla.

Hinton noticed an “abnormal spike” in the odometer reading as the vehicle’s basic warranty (four years or 50,000 miles) approached, despite his vehicle sitting in the repair shop for long periods around this time. This led Hinton to believe Tesla had “devised a scheme to increase profits and retain the revenue from the purchase” of additional, extended warranty agreements. Tesla offers several of these packages, which drivers can add on when their basic warranty expires.

After the warranty expired, the odometer’s rate of increase slowed, Hinton says, even though he started driving more at the time, commuting multiple days a week from Irvine to Los Angeles, a roughly 100-mile trip.

Other Tesla drivers have noticed similar issues, with some posting concerns on Reddit and Tesla forums. One person says Google Maps estimated their trip was 70 miles, but their Tesla odometer showed 90, a 22% difference. Another recommended tracking miles driven with a third-party app like Tessie.

Tesla has not commented publicly on this case. Like other EV makers, it has also come under scrutiny for potentially inflating its range numbers. In 2024, it lowered them in response to a change in the EPA calculation.

About Emily Forlini

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I’m the expert at PCMag for all things electric vehicles and AI. I’ve written hundreds of articles on these topics, including product reviews, daily news, CEO interviews, and deeply reported features. I also cover other topics within the tech industry, keeping a pulse on what technologies are coming down the pipe that could shape how we live and work.

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