Two lawsuits were filed last week in San Francisco federal court. In both class action suits, Tesla is being sued over claims that it has "designed its electric vehicles, warranties and repair policies to discourage owners and lessees from using independent shops outside of Tesla's control", reported Reuters.
The proposed class in both cases would include anyone who has paid Tesla for repairs or parts since March 2019.
It has been noted that Tesla defense counsel has not yet made an appearance in the cases.
According to one of the proposed class actions' plaintiffs lawyer, Matthew Ruan of Freed Kanner London and Millen, "damages could total hundreds of millions of dollars."
Reuters reported that Tesla's alleged restraints on service and repair, according to the new lawsuits, caused "exorbitant wait times" for drivers who otherwise would have gone to an independent repair shop.
The lawsuits call for Tesla's repair services and parts monopoly to be "dismantled" and for the company to be ordered to make its repair manuals and diagnostic tools "available to individuals and independent repair shops at a reasonable cost," noted Reuters.
The two cases are Virginia Lambrix v Tesla Inc, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 3:23-cv-01145; and Robert Orendian v. Tesla, No. 3:23-cv-01157.
