This investigation is about statements made about the car's capabilities, not an issue with the capability itself. This is squarely on their marketing and executive teams.
In fact, some of their other departments are notable for contradicting the lofty claims of their marketing.
When the shit starts flying, the execs and marketing team are absolutely going to throw the engineers under the bus. "We were just repeating what we were told by the engineers." "We didn't know any better."
It happens every time. The best defense for the engineers is to have thoroughly documented the limitations of the system.
All of those limitations are documented and are even published in the owners manual, among other things. "Nobody told us" doesn't hold water in this scenario. Musk knows exactly what his car can and can't do, but he sells it with misleading marketing anyway.
There is a character that is a wonderful example in this category in "Going Postal" by Terry Pratchett - I'd suggest reading the whole book because it's fantastic but in particular Mr. Pony is the epitome of the pressed on engineer
> Pony looked around, a hunted man. He’d got his pink carbon copies, and they would show everyone that he was nothing more than a man who’d tried to make things work, but right now all he could find on his side was the truth. He took refuge in it.
In fact, some of their other departments are notable for contradicting the lofty claims of their marketing.