A federal class action lawsuit accuses electronics giants Roku Inc. and TCL North America of marketing and selling smart televisions that stop working properly after receiving automatic software updates. The complaint, filed on behalf of affected consumers across the country, claims that these updates have turned otherwise functional devices into expensive paperweights by causing repeated system crashes, complete black screens, and total loss of operability.
The lead plaintiff, Terri Else, filed the case in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California under case number 8:26-cv-00748, according to a report from Top Class Actions. She seeks to represent a nationwide class of buyers as well as a separate subclass of California residents who purchased qualifying Roku-powered televisions on or after December 16, 2024. The suit targets Roku Inc. directly and TTE Technology Inc., which operates as TCL North America and manufactures many of the affected models. This is a second attempted class action lawsuit against Roku and TCL over its TVs, with the other lawsuit being over-reported screen malfunctions.
According to the allegations, the companies promoted their smart TVs as reliable entertainment hubs that would improve over time through seamless automatic software updates. These updates were presented as a key selling point, promising enhanced features, better performance, and ongoing compatibility with streaming services. Instead, the lawsuit contends that the software platform was rushed to market without adequate testing, leading to widespread defects that render the televisions unusable. Many devices experience persistent failures shortly after an update installs, leaving owners unable to access apps, stream content, or even power on the set in some cases.
Specific product lines named in the complaint include the Roku Select Series, Roku Plus Series, and various TCL 3-Series, 4-Series, 5-Series, and 6-Series models equipped with Roku…