— A Tesla class action lawsuit alleges the touchscreens develop yellow borders around the screens manufactured by Innolux. The lawsuit says the allegedly defective touchscreen yellow bands appear around the screen perimeter from simple ordinary use.
According to the Tesla class action, the automaker allegedly ignores its warranty requirements regarding the touchscreen yellow borders. And even if the touchscreen is replaced for free, Tesla installs the same Innolux touchscreens that turned yellow in the first place.
The plaintiff who filed the lawsuit alleges Tesla owners may be forced to pay $2,500 for replacement touchscreens that develop yellow bands.
North Carolina plaintiff Chad Sasso purchased a 2016 Model S 60D online in November 2016, receiving the purchase agreement by email later in the day.
The lawsuit alleges the email did not contain any warranty document but instead said:
“You will receive the Tesla Motors New Vehicle Limited Warranty at or prior to the time of Vehicle delivery. You may also obtain a written copy of such warranty from us upon request or download it from your MyTesla account.”
The plaintiff picked up the car on December 15, 2016, but he says at no time did he receive the warranty.
The plaintiff says Tesla provides copies of its owners’ manuals and purchase agreements exclusively through each customer’s MyTesla account.
But access to these documents is not provided prior to a vehicle purchase and it is Tesla’s policy to "not provide its consumers with any warranty document in any preserved or static form such that it may be reliably accessed and referred to after purchase and across time."
The plaintiff said he noticed the touchscreen yellow border in June 2018 which got thicker and darker over time.
In July 2018 he took the Tesla Model S to the service center which kept the car for at least a week as the touchscreen was replaced. However, the plaintiff says the touchscreen yellow band reappeared about six months later.
The Tesla class action lawsuit alleges the plaintiff scheduled an appointment with the automaker on March 20, 2019, but Tesla cancelled the appointment. The plaintiff received a text message that said Tesla was working on a fix for the touchscreen yellow borders and the fix would soon be released.
The alleged fix was for Tesla to use an ultraviolet light to “mitigate” the yellow bands on the touchscreen instead of replacing the touchscreens with non-defective screens.
Tesla Touchscreen Yellow Border Warranty
According to the class action lawsuit, Tesla violates its warranty by not repairing the touchscreen because “the UV treatment is actually not a permanent fix.”
The plaintiff alleges he was repeatedly told the UV light treatment tool was busted and couldn't be used, then in January 2020, the plaintiff was told the yellow border defect “would be covered under the entirety of your four-year warranty.” But after that the automaker would charge $35 per treatment.
To date, the plaintiff's Tesla Model S touchscreen remains unrepaired, and the Tesla touchscreen class action lawsuit alleges the vehicles have diminished values due to the yellow bands on the screens.
The Innolux G170J1 specifications allegedly rate the touchscreens to a maximum operating ambient temperature of 80 degrees Celsius and a maximum storage temperature of 90 degrees Celsius.
Based on court documents, the Tesla touchscreens that develop yellow borders are Innolux G170J1-LE1 models that lack the ability to withstand ordinary and expected vehicle temperatures.
The Tesla touchscreen yellow border class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina: Sasso, et al., v. Tesla, Inc.
The plaintiff is represented by Williams & Ray, PLLC.
