Buying a second-hand car is nothing new anywhere across the globe. Normally, the features one would get from a vehicle would still be the same. But in the cast of Tesla, it appears that may not always be the case.
A customer, known only as Alec, bought a used 2017 Tesla Model S back in December from a third-party dealer who acquired the vehicle via auction. The original owner equipped the EV with the "Enhanced Autopilot" version of Tesla's driver-assistance package and the "Full Self-Driving" package. Three years later, Tesla performed a remote audit and flagged those features for removal, Jalopnik reported.
The thing here is that the features were never removed from the Tesla vehicle. When the vehicle was up for grabs, the original owner stressed that it came with the Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving feature, both displayed on the Monroney sticker of the car. In short, Alec paid for them when he got the car. And here is where the confusion started to set in.
When Alec took the car to a Tesla service center, he was informed that the features were removed. Further, if he wanted to have these features, he would have to purchase an upgrade. Now, a report from The Verge reveals that it was all a matter of miscommunication and that features have been restored.
Normally, Tesla would remove features from used cars but before the car is sold to a new owner. But the funny thing about this case is that the company pulled out the feature after the car was sold to the dealer and again when it was sold to Alec. Now, there are fears that Tesla could be hinting that they can easily yank out features via remote means.
Technology has made this possible, something that they can digitally perform with the help of some over-the-air software. Though Tesla admitted it was in the wrong in this one, it has now raised some concerns for future buyers, especially when it comes to buying a second-hand hybrid plug-in.
Of course, this could be just one case unless there are others that have not yet been reported. Either way, it does send off a disturbing signal. Tesla could be thinking of preserving bought features, safeguarding original owners in cases where new ones may not want them, and pay extra. However, a proper protocol may be needed in doing so to avoid sending mixed signals in the future.
