Anti-trust lawsuit against Tesla dismissed
By Lowery Lurah
on June 16, 2025
Legal
The plaintiffs in an anti-trust class action lawsuit against Tesla have voluntarily dismissed the case.
A group of California Tesla owners sued the OEM in 2023claiming they were “forced to pay supracompetitive prices and suffer exorbitant wait times” to maintain and repair their vehicles.
Thelead lawsuit, filed in California by Virginia M. Lambrix of San Francisco, claims Tesla’s monopolistic parts and repair practices financially burden vehicle owners. It was later consolidated with four similar suits. The plaintiffs live in California, Colorado, Florida, and Maryland.
The lawsuit claims the OEM restricts its repairs and Tesla-compatible parts by:
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- “Designing its vehicle warranties and related policies to discourage Tesla owners from obtaining parts or services anywhere other than Tesla;
- “Designing its vehicles so that maintenance and repairs require access to diagnostic and telematic information accessible only through remote management tools exclusively accessible by Tesla; and
- “Limiting access to its manuals, diagnostic tools, vehicle telematic data, and original equipment manufacturer (‘OEM’) replacement parts.”
In June 2024, U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson granted Tesla’s motion to dismissin part, denying six of the eight claims made.
The plaintiffs stated in the suit that those with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles have multiple maintenance and repair options after purchase, including doing the work themselves or going to a dealership or independent repair shop. They also can choose to use OEM or aftermarket replacement parts, but Tesla owners and lessees don’t have those options, according to the suit.
“Tesla owners, by comparison, effectively have only one option: use the Tesla ‘app’ to schedule service with Tesla itself or, if body work needs to be performed, within the limited network of Tesla-Approved Collision Centers,” the suit states. “Either way, their electric vehicles (‘EVs’) will be maintained or repaired using only Tesla OEM parts. This is because Tesla has substantial market power in the United States electric vehicle market (‘EV market’) and leverages that power to monopolize and restrain the aftermarkets for Tesla Repair Services and Tesla-Compatible Parts.”
Tesla noted in its response that, originally, some of its service manuals required purchasing an annual subscription, but that they’re now available online for free, and that certain diagnostics software is available for purchase by independent operators.
Thompson granted the dismissal with prejudice last week. The order and accompanying court documents don’t provide any details about why the dismissal was sought.
Matthew Ruan, the plaintiffs’ attorney, told Repairer Driven News that he isn’t permitted to discuss the case. Tesla’s attorneys didn’t respond to RDN’s request for information by the publication deadline.
Images
Featured image: Tesla repair and service center in Rocklin, California. (Credit: Chris Allan/iStock)
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