Tesla Owners Frustrated as Elon Musk’s Self-Driving Promises Remain Unfulfilled After a Decade

For more than a decade, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly assured the public that the company’s electric vehicles (EVs) would achieve fully autonomous driving capabilities by the following year. Yet, despite these promises, Tesla owners still find themselves in a position where they must remain ready to take control of the steering wheel at all times—even when the erroneously labeled “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) software is active.

In an effort to clarify the software’s limitations, Tesla recently rebranded the feature by adding the oxymoronic label “Supervised” to its name. However, the software’s shortcomings have done little to deter its high cost. In February, Tesla eliminated its one-time $8,000 purchase fee, replacing it with a recurring $99 monthly subscription, binding owners to a perpetual payment model.

Given that Musk’s promise of truly self-driving Teslas remains unfulfilled after 12 years, it comes as no surprise that existing owners are growing increasingly frustrated. The Wall Street Journal reports that Tesla has faced repeated lawsuits over Musk’s inconsistent—and often false—claims about the technology’s capabilities.

The latest legal challenge comes from retired attorney Tom LoSavio, who purchased a Tesla Model S in 2017 and paid an additional $8,000 to access the FSD software. LoSavio has since filed a class-action lawsuit, accusing Tesla of misleading consumers with false claims about self-driving capabilities. He is now demanding a refund for all affected owners. His case is just one of many ongoing lawsuits filed by disgruntled Tesla owners seeking to hold Musk accountable for his unreliable assurances.

While owners express outrage over being misled, investors continue to place heavy bets on Musk’s ambitious—and often unproven—visions. Even as Tesla shifts its focus from EV sales to robotics and a proposed robotaxi service, which is only now beginning to take shape, Wall Street remains undeterred. Despite a declining core business, Tesla’s valuation stubbornly hovers above $1 trillion.

Adding to the frustration, Musk himself acknowledged in January 2025 that the existing hardware installed in many Tesla vehicles—Hardware 3, which was installed in models produced between 2018 and 2023—will not be sufficient for fully autonomous driving. Despite earlier hints at free hardware upgrades, Tesla has yet to deliver on this promise, further exacerbating owner dissatisfaction. A recent collective claim was launched by a Dutch driver, who is demanding an $8,000 refund for FSD after never receiving the promised hardware upgrade. Tesla’s response, as reported by Electrek, was a dismissive: “just be patient.”

Rather than addressing owner grievances, Tesla has pivoted its focus toward launching a robotaxi service, dubbed Cybercab. Musk claims production could begin as early as this month, though he warns that initial output will be “agonizingly slow.” However, a public service akin to Waymo appears to be a distant prospect, leaving owners and critics skeptical of Tesla’s latest venture.