It could be a crucial victory for the electric vehicle maker, as it tests and rolls out the partially automated driving software and its more advanced "Full Self-Driving" system.

Los Angeles resident Justine Hsu was seeking $3 million in damages from Tesla after her Model S swerved into a curb while on Autopilot in 2019.

She said an airbag was deployed so violently, it "fractured (her) jaw, knocked out teeth, and caused nerve damage to her face."

But on Friday, the Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded Hsu zero damages.

It found that Autopilot and the airbag had not failed to perform safely.

After the verdict, jurors told Reuters, Tesla clearly warned that the software was not a self-piloted system, and that driver distraction was to blame.

Jury foreperson Olivia Apsher said:

"The technology is something that's assisting you and we want that message to be clear.

Drivers should understand that before they sit behind and take control of the vehicle using those features."

An attorney for Hsu said while he understood the jury believed his client was distracted, she only received a warning to put her hands on the wheel less than a second before the curb strike.

A Tesla representative could not immediately be reached for comment.

The EV-maker is bracing for a spate of other trials linked to the semi-automated driving system, which Chief Executive Elon Musk has claimed is safer than human drivers.

Experts say the jurors' decisions in this trial will serve as a bellwether, as Tesla -- and other plaintiffs' lawyers -- hone their strategies in the coming cases.