Korean complaint accuses Tesla of misleading tens of thousands over driver-assistance program
Key Facts
A consumer advocacy group plans to file a complaint with Korea’s consumer protection agency on Thursday, accusing Tesla of misleading tens of thousands of customers in its marketing of the FSD driver-assistance program, Reuters reported on November 4, 2026. The group says the program cannot legally be used in most of the company’s cars in South Korea, making the scope of its availability central to the complaint. The group said, in wording cited by Reuters, that it plans to file a "complaint with a consumer protection agency on Thursday." The move puts the program’s marketing and its actual usability before Korea’s consumer protection agency. The available facts included no details of Tesla’s response to the allegations.
The complaint centers on how the company presented the feature last year. According to the complaint as reported by Reuters, Tesla promoted FSD as "coming soon" and also posted a demonstration video filmed in South Korea. The group says the presentation did not make clear that the technology was available for use in only a small portion of Tesla’s cars in the country. The complaint thus links the marketing message customers received with the restrictions that determine which cars can legally run the program. The gap is especially significant for buyers who encountered a promise that the feature would soon be available while its use remained limited to a small segment of the fleet.
The restrictions are tied to where the car was manufactured, according to the Korea Times report on scrutiny of FSD’s status. The program is currently available only on Tesla cars made in the United States, the newspaper reported. In October 2026, the newspaper estimated that about 45,000 U.S.-made cars equipped with the feature were on Korean roads. By contrast, it said more than 70% of Tesla Korea’s sales were cars made in China, including the Model Y. This means the brand’s reach in the market does not necessarily match the number of cars able to use FSD, a disparity that helps explain part of the consumer group’s objection to the marketing.
The matter came under official scrutiny in October. The Korea Times said Tesla had not asked the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport or the Korea Transportation Safety Authority to conduct an official test of the feature. The newspaper quoted a company official as saying: "We have not requested any tests from the authorities." The report added that the company said it would seek official approval. This regulatory process makes access to the additional functions subject to procedures by the relevant authorities, as well as the requirement that the car be made in the United States. The new complaint comes in this context, as the dispute shifts from approval and testing to the messages buyers received about the technology’s imminent availability.
The Seoul Central District Court had previously rejected, on October 29, a lawsuit brought by 88 Tesla owners seeking a full refund of the amounts they paid for FSD, according to a Reuters report via Investing.com. The court found that the FSD option does not promise fully autonomous driving without human intervention. It also found that Tesla’s commitment to deliver additional features depended on technological progress and regulatory approvals. The report said buyers knew that making some functions available could take a long time. The planned complaint is separate from the refund lawsuit, but addresses the broader dispute over customer expectations, the program’s usability and the functions the company promised.
The case comes as Tesla’s presence in the Korean market expands in 2026. The company registered 89,148 new cars in South Korea between January and September, up 104.4% from the same period in 2025, according to the Korea Times. This growth gives the group’s allegations about FSD marketing a wider scope than the individual dispute considered by the court, as the complaint refers to tens of thousands of customers. The group said it intends to file the complaint with Korea’s consumer protection agency on Thursday; the available facts provided no details about the agency’s steps after receiving it. The complaint’s filing date remains the next specified development in the case.