Tesla is under scrutiny for its Autopilot feature allegedly failing to work, which led to a fatal accident in 2019 where a woman lost her life. The trial began on July 14, 2025, at a Miami Federal Court and will determine whether it was a technical error by the Tesla vehicle.
A Bloomberg report stated that Mary “Missy” Cummings, an engineering professor at George Mason University and a former safety adviser for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), testified in the court that Tesla was not using the geofencing function, which does not allow the person behind the wheel to activate additional assistance features, which they are not allowed to use.
Cummings testified in the court that Tesla’s owner’s manual does not provide easy access for the vehicle owner to ‘the critical warnings about how the system works’.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Brett Schreiber, questioned Cumming, “Do you have any opinion as to why Tesla chose not to geofence its tech in 2019 and create a safe operational domain when other manufacturers were?” The senior adviser at the NHTSA replied, “I believe they were using that as a way to sell more cars.”
According to Bloomberg, Tesla has refused to comment on the testimony of Cummings.
George Brain McGee had activated the Autopilot driverassistance system while he was driving the Model S. McGee’s phone accidentally fell on the car floor, and as he was searching for his phone, the Autopilot failed to recognise there was a Tjunction ahead and drove straight on into a parked SUV. The crash resulted in the death of Naibel Benavides Leon and left her partner, Dillon Angulo, seriously injured.
The New York Times stated that McGee testified in the court that he had his eyes on the road, but the Autopilot failed to recognise the road conditions and didn’t apply the brakes. The plaintiffs believe that Tesla is also responsible for the accident, while Elon Musk’s company’s lawyers have already stated in the court that McGee is fully responsible for this accident.
