Tesla yanks Autopilot features from used car because 'they weren't paid for'
Tesla often boasts it can deliver features to its cars via a software update, but some owners are complaining it's taking features away too.
Auto news site Jalopnik details the experience of one buyer of a used 2017 Tesla Model S who experienced just this after purchasing it from a third-party dealer in late 2019.
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The vehicle was sold with Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self Driving enabled, which were listed as part of the car's additional features. The features functioned in the car after it was bought, but, according to Jalopnik, a software update in December disabled Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self Driving.
The actual complaint to Tesla from the owner was about the removal of the Summon feature, which requires Full Self Driving to function.
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The vehicle was originally sold by Tesla to the car dealer at an auction. Tesla sold it at an auction because the dashboard screen was suffering from a yellow border.
According to the report, it was sold by Tesla as having Summon enabled. After the driver installed an update in December that removed the features, he was told by Tesla support that in mid-November Tesla conducted an audit for vehicles where Autopilot had not been paid for. The new owner's Tesla was one of them, so the feature was removed.
The incident illustrates one of the additional uncertainties that comes with buying a used Tesla, or any other car for that matter, which can have features added or removed via a software update.
This example appears to suggest that Tesla has tied the capability to the driver rather than the vehicle, which should retain whatever features it was sold with.
The owner also reportedly asked a Tesla used vehicle sales adviser to see if Autopilot and Full Self Driving could be removed from a used vehicle under the pretense that he wanted to save some money. He says he was told by the adviser that if it is added, Tesla will not remove it.
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Tesla enthusiast user forums are also filled with complaints about Tesla removing Full Self Driving. In some cases, where users could provide an invoice showing the feature was purchased, the company did reinstall it.
ZDNet has asked Tesla for a comment and will update the story if it receives a response.
UPDATE February 14: The owner of the Tesla in question says the company has restored all the missing software options. He said a Tesla customer experience representative had apologized, blaming the incident on a miscommunication.