Consumer group says Tesla misled Korean FSD buyers

A South Korean consumer group plans to complain to the Korea Fair Trade Commission that Tesla sold its Full Self-Driving software for years in cars that cannot legally use it, which Tesla's own data put at 99 percent of its Korean sales last year.

Why it matters: The commission already opened a probe into Tesla's FSD advertising this year, and a finding of deceptive marketing would expose Tesla to fines and a stop order in what is now one of its largest import markets.

Data as of Reuters reporting of November 4, 2026, read in full in this run, including the draft complaint it reviewed, Tesla data submitted to the National Assembly, and an on-record Korea Fair Trade Commission official. Single wire source so far, and Tesla did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Developing item.

A South Korean advocacy group, Citizens United for Consumer Sovereignty, plans to file a complaint on Thursday asking the Korea Fair Trade Commission to stop Tesla marketing Full Self-Driving (Supervised) for cars that cannot legally use it, impose fines, and refer the case to state investigators, Reuters reported. The software can be used in about 20 percent of Teslas registered in South Korea, the United States-built cars, while most Korean Teslas are built in China and lack the safety recognition that would allow it; Tesla has sold more than 170,000 Shanghai-built vehicles in South Korea since 2023 and charged 9.043 million won (about $6,726) as a lump sum for the software for years before moving to a monthly subscription in August. A commission official told Reuters the agency opened a probe into Tesla’s FSD advertising earlier this year and has received written responses from the company, and Tesla applied for Korean certification for the China-built cars only in late October, after its country manager testified that no formal testing request had been made.

Consumer group says Tesla misled Korean FSD buyers

Sources