California Targets Tesla Autopilot and Puts Sales on Notice

Tesla can keep selling cars in California—for now. But the California DMV says Tesla violated state law with marketing around “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving,” and the company is basically on a clock to clean up the language or prove a level of autonomy it doesn’t currently sell.

What Tesla Has to Change (and the Deadline Pressure)

The DMV adopted a judge’s proposed decision that called for a 30-day suspension of Tesla’s dealer and manufacturing licenses. Reuters reports the DMV then stayed enforcement—90 days for sales, and indefinitely for manufacturing—to give Tesla a final chance to fix the issue.

A dealer-license suspension is the state’s bluntest leverage because it hits Tesla where it lives: the ability to sell and deliver vehicles under its direct-sales model. California isn’t claiming the cars suddenly got more dangerous overnight—it’s saying the words Tesla used to sell the tech crossed a legal line by implying autonomy that still depends on a fully responsible driver. That’s why the remedy is so specific: either walk back “Autopilot/FSD” language into plain driver-assist terms, or stand behind a claim of hands-off, eyes-off capability that the current system simply doesn’t match.

To avoid the suspension, the DMV says Tesla must either stop using “Autopilot” or submit a statement confirming the cars can operate without active human monitoring. That’s the whole fight in one sentence: you can’t call it Autopilot if the driver still has to do the piloting.

If you’re shopping Tesla, the practical takeaway is simple: the car isn’t suddenly different today, but the sales pitch is about to get less dreamy. Expect more “driver assistance” language, more disclaimers, and fewer vibes-based claims about what the system “basically” does.

Primary sources here matter, so start with California DMV’s release, then see Reuters’ update on the stayed suspension. For how Tesla describes the feature today, read Tesla’s FSD support page. California is demonstrating that word matter.

My Verdict

Buy the car if you like the car. Just don’t buy the fantasy. If a feature needs your hands, eyes, and attention, it isn’t “self-driving”—it’s an assistant, and you’re still the adult in the seat.