Tesla owners have filed a proposed class action lawsuit against the EV maker, claiming that automatic software updates have damaged batteries and decreased the overall driving range of their vehicles.

Owners of Tesla Model S and Model X owners filed the suit in California, claiming the updates violate state and federal laws, as the Tesla’s are classed as “protected computers” and therefore, automatically updates are illegal.

These updates and their effects violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the California Unfair Competition Law and the Consumer Legal Remedies Act, according to the suit.

“Tesla owners and lessors are uniquely at the mercy of the maker of their cars, and Tesla imposes software updates without consent whenever their vehicle is connected to Wi-Fi,” said Steve Berman, an attorney with Hagens Berman representing Tesla owners and lessors in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit said some owners were forced to pay third-parties between US$500 – US$750 to reverse these software updates in a bid to rescue their batteries.

Tesla has faced this issue before, and agreed to payA$2.8 million to settle a similar claim in July 2021, where a software update temporarily reduced maximum battery voltage in 1,743 Model S sedans.