Tesla HW3 owners organize potential legal action in Europe over FSD rollout

Tesla’s approval of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in the Netherlands last week is already triggering backlash from some early adopters, with one owner launching a website to organize potential legal action over hardware limitations affecting older vehicles.

Dutch Tesla owner Mischa Sigtermans, who says he purchased FSD with his Model 3 in 2019, has created a new platform aimed at gathering other Hardware 3 (HW3) owners who feel they have been left behind by the latest rollout.

“Tesla owes me €6.800. And if you’re a HW3 + FSD owner, they owe you too,” Sigtermans wrote in a post on X. He claims Tesla originally promised that vehicles equipped with HW3 would be capable of achieving full autonomy through future software updates, yet seven years later that promise has yet to be fulfilled.

Growing frustration among early adopters

According to Sigtermans, the recent approval of FSD in the Netherlands, but currently only available to Tesla owners with newer AI4 hardware—has highlighted a growing divide between older and newer vehicles.

“Last week the RDW finally approved FSD here. And for HW3 owners? Nothing. Radio silence,” he said, pointing to what he believes is a lack of clarity from Tesla regarding support for earlier hardware.

The website, hw3claim.nl, was launched to collect sign-ups from affected owners and potentially build the foundation for legal action. Within the first 24 hours, Sigtermans says dozens of owners had already registered interest, even without promotion.

Initiative expands beyond the Netherlands

What started as a Dutch-focused effort is already expanding. The site has now opened registrations to Tesla owners across the European Union (EU).

“The hardware limitation isn’t Dutch. It’s European,” the website states, noting that Tesla sold FSD under similar expectations in multiple countries, including Germany, France, and Belgium.

The platform is currently focused on data collection rather than immediate legal proceedings outside the Netherlands. Organizers say information is being grouped by country so that potential cases can be pursued as FSD approvals expand across Europe.

Legal and technical questions

At issue is whether Tesla can fulfill the commitments it made to customers who bought Full Self-Driving on vehicles equipped with HW3. While Tesla has not publicly confirmed that HW3 will be excluded from FSD (Supervised) in Europe, it mirrors the rollout of FSD in Australia and New Zealand, where the company only made FSD available on AI4 vehicles, despite FSD being available on HW3 vehicles in North America.

This led to confusion among local HW3 owners as the option to subscribe to FSD was made available to them after the launch, even though it only gave them access to FSD v12, not the latest v14. Tesla appears to have learned from that situation, as HW3 owners have been left out of the FSD rollout in the Netherlands entirely.

Tesla owes me €6.800.

And if you're a HW3 + FSD owner, they owe you too.

2019. One of the first Model 3 owners in the Netherlands. Paid for Full Self-Driving.

The promise: same hardware, software updates will unlock full autonomy. Just wait.

I waited 7 years. SEVEN years!… pic.twitter.com/zpFW8MUdWp
— Mischa Sigtermans (@mischamartijn) April 14, 2026

No formal case yet—but momentum building

Despite the growing attention, the initiative remains in its early stages. The website makes clear that signing up does not initiate legal action or create an attorney-client relationship, and that no proceedings are currently guaranteed outside of a potential Dutch case.

Still, the timing of the effort, immediately following the first European approval of FSD, suggests the issue could gain traction quickly, particularly as more countries move toward allowing the system.

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