My car when it’s on cruise control will all of a sudden have phantom breaking issues causing it to decelerate very quickly almost causing many crashes with cars behind me. This issue needs to be addressed quickly before someone is injured or even killed
2022 Tesla Model 3 brakes complaints
Page 6 of 7: complaints 131 to 160 of 169, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Driving on a two lane highway with adaptive cruise control on, the car sometimes decelerates and sometimes even comes to a quick stop with brakes when a vehicle approaches from the opposite direction. Although it does not happen every time, tractor trailers turn red and the car slows from 55 mph to 10-20 mph rapidly. Cars behind me have nearly hit me in the rear because of the fast stop where none was expected (or needed). On occasion, the car slows when no car is coming, but there is a rise in the road, or a curve. In Rochester, at Tesla Service, I was told that the adaptive cruise control was "performing within specifications." If that is correct, the specifications are dangerous and need to be modified. The only remedy, I was told, was not to use adaptive cruise control.
Driving on the highway, traffic is slowing in front of me and automatic braking kicked in and made the vehicle come to a full complete stop. I can normally override the brake by pressing on the accelerator, but it continued to stop, with several vehicles behind me slamming on the brakes because my vehicle wouldn’t move. Vehicle in front of me was a quarter mile ahead before I could move again.
When driving on highway with “autopilot” engaged…. Vehicle brakes for no apparent reason at random times. Super dangerous especially if someone is following you. Vehicle brakes hard and is not safe
Phantom Braking. Yes my safety and the safety of cars behind me were put at risk by the sudden braking. I have not contacted the dealer yet. There was no warning prior to the issues occurring. I sure wish I'd known about phantom braking before I set off on a road trip across I-70 recently. Very dangerous indeed. I drove my 2022 Model 3 from Denver to KC round trip last weekend and phantom braking occurred about 30-40 times total. I was using TACC cruise control and going about 75 MPH during these times. I didn't want to turn off TACC cruise control because the roads were straight and it was a 9 hour drive, but I did drive with my toe on the accelerator to be safe and was always on guard, especially when cars were directly behind me. It would suddenly brake when the pavement texture changed, under an overpass shadow, after a bridge and randomly when I had no idea it would occur. I was afraid of getting rear-ended and it made for a pretty tense trip. I sure hope it gets fixed or I won't be taking it on extended road trips. It would be a shame to not be able to safely use cruise control. Also, makes me aware of other Tesla's out there that might phantom brake as well so we need to be careful. Unacceptable and dangerous.
Phantom braking on open roads. Occurrences: Twice on February 16, 2022 Twice on February 17, 2022
On cruise control, on a 2 lane highway when a tall truck is coming in the opposite direction, the car breaks as if it was going to be a head on collition. I reported to Tesla service and I was told not to use cruise control in a 2 lane highway.
Vehicle brakes on cruise/autopilot for no reason occasionally
The vehicle suddenly brakes quite significantly and without warning periodically when cruise control or automatic steering is in place. It happens most often on two lane roads when a truck or a vehicle with headlights on approaches in oncoming traffic. There is no warning and it is so startling that it causes the driver to overcorrect or worry that the car will completely stop with traffic moving behind us. It is totally unpredictable and unanticipated. Once the vehicle has passed, it rapidly resumes speed. It feels as if the car has total control, not the driver. I have not notified Tesla, but plan to. Very dangerous and unnerving.
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60-70 MPH, the vehicle independently stopped without warning. Also, while driving approximately 80 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently to 20 MPH abruptly. The contact stated there was an abnormal beeping alert prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where they informed him, they were waiting for a firmware update. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Tesla (9140 E Independence Blvd, Matthews, NC 28105. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 7,826.
I was driving on the highway with cruise control activated at 60mph. The vehicle randomly broke and slowed. No other car was on site and no other person or object was around us. This has happened several times. This random braking on cruise control. This is dangerous. Please help with this issue and let me know what the next steps are. Thanks.
When I drive this car in cruise control, I never know when it will suddenly brake without warning, trying to bring the car to a stop whether I am going 65 or 30 mph. It will see a shadow in the road, a pedestrian on a sidewalk, an oil spot on the pavement, and will abruptly throw the car and me into rapid deceleration. If it is sees a car in the oncoming lane, driving appropriately in its own lane, my car in the opposite lane will suddenly brake like I am about to have an accident. It will brake if it sees a vehicle coming around a bend in the opposite lane. Not only is my vehicle's braking uncomfortable and alarming, it is exceedingly dangerous. On urban and semi-urban highways, multiple times someone has almost rear-ended my car. Only because I was hyper-alert to the situation was an accident averted. I am an excellent and conscientious driver, with both hands on the wheel, not using my phone. I am not using the "self-driving" mode and never have. It is an option I paid $10K for but have never used. My main concern is for the safety of my current vehicle and for the other cars on the highway around me.
While driving with either cruise control or autopilot my car constantly brakes or “phantom brakes” for no apparent reason or brakes VERY hard when semis are approaching in opposite direction. This happens mainly on one lane country roads. On the freeway it’s less but it has braked for absolutely NO reason ( no cars around) at least a few times per month. My wife will not use cruise control due to this happening so often. I drive it most of the time and since I use cruise control or autopilot it “phantom brakes” every single day.
Have had several phantom braking espisodes when driving with cruise control on both at 45 mph. It brakes by itself and there is nothing in front of me that would of caused this
Sudden unexplained braking while in cruise control on an interstate. Unexplained very, very loud warning alerts out of the blue. Usually happening when there was a an adjacent white truck in daylight conditions.
When using the autosteer function and also the adaptive cruise control, the vehicle seems to have a phantom braking issue. The car will apply brakes in an aggressive manner when the vehicle is faced with oncoming traffic in the opposite lane headed the other direction on a 2 lane road. This seems to occur when a large truck such as UPS or semi tractor trailer is approaching in the other lane headed the other direction - the vehicle seems to recognize that as an imminent forward collision and begins to aggressively brake the vehicle, which could cause a following vehicle to rear end me. This has happened on several occasions with varying degrees or severity (how hard it applies the breaks)
There are two problems with our new 2022 Model 3. 1) The car randomly "phantom brakes". I counted on Monday-- 5 times in roughly 50 miles including twice from 75 MPH to under 40 MPH with maximum braking. All events were on a wide open freeway in a rural area with very light traffic and no movement or vehicles that would possibly explain it. The phantom braking is so bad that the car isn't safe to drive. 2) ABS malfunctioned resulting in a very slow speed impact. A car stopped abruptly in front of me, I hit the brakes where ABS kicked in, the car also automatically braked, but the deceleration was no more than just lifting my foot of the throttle. The ABS was chattering audibly and pulsing through the brake pedal so the ABS was definitely triggered but it appears it was falsely sensing wheel lockup when there was none. If I had been able to just lock the tires up or modulate the brakes myself to prevent lockup, the accident would not have happened. For ref, I'm 52, I've been driving since I was 15, and I have roughly 1,500,000 miles of driving experience. I ride motorcycles and am also a commercial pilot. This is the first accident involving another car I've ever had (never been hit or hit anyone). Tesla has refused to provide the crash data recorder info stating that they are not required to do so in Texas. Based on a conversation in person with a Tesla technician, it appears this is a very new policy with Tesla. At the risk of being accusatory, there are very few reasons Tesla would refuse to provide this data and most if not all of those reasons are to prevent owners from getting data that shows the car malfunctioned. I do have the camera video showing the accident and you can see at 20-25 MPH, I was in full ABS roughly 3 seconds before impact. This was on a dry, clean roadway. I'd guess I should've stopped in 1-2 seconds easily and my 8,000 truck can stop much shorter than what the Tesla stopped in.
Phantom braking on highways, multiple times on full self driving (auto pilot)
Using the Autopilot cruise control for the first time, the vehicle was traveling at the speed limit when it suddenly began braking at an aggressive rate. Since the vehicle is brand new to us, and this being our first Tesla, my wife and I thought that maybe we did something to cause the braking. We tried the autopilot cruise control again later that evening and the vehicle did the same thing. Luckily, there was not a vehicle behind us on either occasion or else we would have been rear ended. This is extremely unsafe. How can you feel confident enough to drive on cruise control when the vehicle randomly brakes at an aggressive rate? This is going to get someone killed, if it hasn't already.
Driving on I-26, 4:30am, no cars around and my car aggressively brakes causing me to react quickly and disable smart cruise control. Making a return trip 1 week later on I-95, the car at various times brakes for no reason multiple times on a700 Mile trip.
My mother was driving my brand new 2022 M3P from Garfield, AR, to S. Coffeyville, KS, on a two lane highway when we experienced a major AEB event while in cruise control (if not w/ autosteer engaged). On the way there and back to Garfield, we must have experienced 5-10 AEB events where the traffic aware cruise control thought that the hard shadows from trucks were actually objects in our lane. This is a horrible and dangerous design flaw. Why are we not allowed to go back to dumb cruise control like we used to have where it doesn't cause an accident risk due to the possibility of a rear impact from another vehicle? In one of these events there was a truck behind us, and my 70-year-old mother had no clue how to protect us from being rear ended. We desperately need an option to disable TACC at the very least. I don't care about what laws may be in place for these systems, until it is perfect, we should be allowed to have full control over our vehicle without unpredictable events occurring. Trying to teach a 70-year-old how to drive differently isn't a proper solution when they've driven vehicles their entire lives that let them do what they want. Demand that Tesla allow permanent disablement of these systems, not just turning off AEB every time you get in the car! And I'm not convinced that AEB is even related to TACC braking. Regardless, fix it!
On my daily commute to work on the interstate while in cruise control the car will slam on the brakes fro no apparent reason. This abruptly takes my car from 70 mph to 40. Happens multiple times in cruise control every day.
Multiple times while driving using adaptive cruise control while approaching a semi(both oncoming and overtaking) the car will slam on the brakes(phantom braking).
When driving on two lane highways and using the "autopilot" cruise control, the car will occasionally panic brake for no valid reason. This occurs almost every time an oncoming semi passes in the oncoming lane as well as going over bridges with raised sides or when there is crack seal on the road that is slightly more reflective. This has happened several times when crossing a bridge with cars following closely, almost causing several accidents. Tesla service was contacted immediately and I was told that it was a "software issue" and that there was nothing I could do. I tried disabling emergency braking in the car interface however it had no effect on the issue.
Phantom braking issue. Usually occurs on two lane roads, sometimes there is a vehicle in the opposite lane, other times there is nothing in front of the vehicle in either lane. I have reported to Tesla, they say they’re aware but have no solution. I have kept a log of when it happens since the first time I reported it to Tesla and was told there is no solution. I commute 128 miles a day and the below log shows it happens on daily basis multiple times a day. 1/5/2022 5:32pm 1/5/2022 5:35pm (multiple times) cruise set at 65, speed got down to 45 1/5/2022 6:30pm 1/6/2023 5:59pm 1/6/2023 6:01 1/6/2022 6:33pm 1/6/2022 6:34pm 1/6/2022 6:37pm 1/10/2022 6:37am 1/10/2022 5:11pm 1/12/2021 7am 1/12/2022 5:49pm 1/12/2022 5:50pm 1/12/2022 5:53pm 1/12/2022 5:55pm 1/13/2022 6:13am 1/13/2022 6:15am 1/13/2022 6:16am 1/13/2022 6:18am 1/13/2022 6:21am 1/13/2022 6:09pm 55 to 38 1/13/2022 6:11 pm 55 to 44 1/13/2022 6:13 pm 55 to 46 1/13/2022 6:14 pm 55 to 42 1/18/2022 6:09 am 55 to 41 1/18/2022 5:39 pm 1/18/2022 5:43 pm 1/18/2022 5:44 would not resume speed on cruise control 1/18/2022 6:17 55 to 42 mph 1/18/2022 6:18 55 to 44 1/19/2022 6:14 55 to 37 1/19/2022 6:47am 70 to 32 1/20/2022 6:10am 55 to 47 x2 1/24/2022 7:32pm 70 to 53 1/26/2022 6:33am 1/26/2022 6:07pm 55 to 45 1/26/2022 6:06 55 to 48 1/26/2022 6:15 55 to 49 1/27/2022 6:48 55 to 47 1/27/2022 6:50 60 to 43
Phantom braking is real. The car slams on brakes randomly while in cruise control. So much so that I will not use cruise control when another car is behind me.
Our Tesla is experiencing a Phantom Braking that appears to be a known issue. We drove the car from eastern KS to western CO and experienced multiple occurrences (more that 10) of unexpected braking while using either the adaptive cruise control or the auto pilot feature. The car would dramatically slow from 75 to perhaps 65 and then accelerate back to 75. My wife also takes the car to work on a 20 mile commute and she has also experienced this. I have not discussed this with Tesla Service yet, but have read many posts about this and that we should report. So....here it is!
On February 2, 2022 at approximately 8:00 a.m., MST, I was driving north at 50 mph on a stretch of two-lane highway with moderate traffic. Adaptive cruise control was engaged. A large truck was approaching, traveling in the opposite direction. Suddenly, and without warning, my vehicle’s brakes were applied, without my involvement, slowing my vehicle to approximately 20 mph and causing the driver of a vehicle traveling behind me to slam on its brakes to avoid a rear-end collision. No collision occurred and no one was injured. It could have been a lot worse, but this problem needs to be identified and fixed.
I was driving on a two lane road using auto pilot. I was going 55mph when all of a sudden my car slammed on the brakes down to 32mph as a school bus approached us. There was no reason to brake. The school bus never entered my lane. If a car had been following me closely I would have been rear ended for a system malfunction. Very scary.
Sunday, January 2nd, on the way back from Vegas back to Sacramento, on the highway with Lane assist driving, the car suddenly braked going from 70+ miles to almost a complete halt. I was able to steer it into the oncoming lane to avoid the pick up truck from hitting us from behind. The braking system again slowed the car down significantly a few more times on this trip and wee have not used this feature since. Car was bought on December 26th and we are fairly new owners of a Tesla.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2022 Tesla Model 3?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history