I was driving eastbound on I-8 from San Diego, AZ towards Yuma, AZ and making use of my Tesla Model 3's adaptive cruise control feature when my vehicle suddenly and without warning slammed on its breaks. No warning or error messages were displayed on my screen – it's as if the vehicle thought I was on a collision course even though I was not. I was in the left-most lane and the vehicle behind me was dangerously close to colliding with me, but I was luckily able to step on the accelerator pedal and regain enough speed to avoid an accident. Though there was no accident, this incident has severely under-minded my trust in the feature.
2022 Tesla Model 3 driver assistance complaints
Page 7 of 20: complaints 161 to 190 of 559, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Phantom braking while using Autopilot caused quick and static loss of speed on the interstate, which could easily have resulted in an accident.
Phantom braking caused by Autopilot. Car slowed down quickly and could have potentially caused an accident.
Phantom braking on the interstate. Autopilot causes the car to slows down significantly and quickly, which could potentially result in an accident.
Full Self Driving does not perform as advertised. Will not take Interstate exits, nor will it safely merge into traffic. There have been numerous phantom braking occurrences. This feature has been misrepresented numerous times by Tesla.
My car will randomly slam on the brakes when I’m driving on adaptive cruise control even when there is not a car/truck/anything in front of me. Seems consistent in description to what others have termed “Phantom Braking”
Ghost forward collision warnings appear from time to time even tho there is no one in front of the vehicle. Sometimes when the vehicle in front of me is turning left/right the collision warning will alarm me of possible impact even tho there was no real threat for anything to happen. Also, it happens when you want to park behind a parked vehicle (it happened to me today) and alerted me of a possible crash, while i was crawling to park. I wouldn't mind these ghost warnings, but since I am using Tesla Insurance which gives monthly insurance premiums based on the safety performance of the driver (FCW is one of those and the most important one) this is always impacting me financially at the end of the month. Tesla should be forbidden to use a technology that is not perfect in order to determine the price of the insurance.
Phantom braking repeatedly occurring while using normal adaptive cruise control (Autopilot). This has even occurred with no near traffic and no shadows or other irregularities in the road ahead.
On a recent trip (December 22, 2022) from Twin Falls, Idaho to Boise, Idaho, my Tesla model 3 braked without warning or any other reason while driving on the Interstate. The Tesla was in adaptive cruise control at the time and appeared to brake for no apparent reason. The braking was significant enough that it would have caused someone traveling behind me to collide into my rear-end without siginficant avoidance (and attention). This occurred three seperate times until I deactivated the cruise control. I felt it was not safe to operate with moderate to heavy traffic. I love my Tesla and feel it is one of the best vehilces I have owned; however, phantom braking is a significant problem. It needs to be corrected by reintroducing radar or some other technology. I have never experienced this with my other vehilce (Toyota Tacoma).
We have regular phantom braking issues. This has been happening since we got the car new. I have videos. We have nearly been rear ended twice and this has happened before n almost a daily basis. The problem has been reported to Tesla and of course they say “nothing is wrong with the hardware” and won’t fix anything. This is a well known issue. It’s gotten worse. Slamming on the brakes for what appears to be a shadow or perhaps a tar strip and sometimes nothing but concrete pavement. It’s really scary and dangerous.
Driving across Texas, cruise control with traffic assist was enabled in the 2022 Tesla model 3 long range sedan. The vehicle suddenly braked and went from 84 mph to 68 mph in a matter of seconds. There were no cars in sight, no weather conditions or obstacles around the highway. Unsure of what or why that happened the first time, cruise control was re-enabled and the same thing happened very shortly after re-engaging cruise control.
To Whom It May Concern: Been meaning to submit this complaint for a while but have not had the time until now. My issue regards ‘phantom breaking’ related to Tesla’s TACC (Traffic Aware Cruise Control). Whenever I take long road trips on the highway and attempt to use TACC, the car will invariably hard brake on its own without reason or warning, even when there are no cars, animals, or other objects nearby in either direction. When this occurs, it is incredibly scary. If there had been cars close behind me, I have no doubt they would have rear ended me. It also causes panic to my family and baby, as the breaking is sudden and hard. As a result, I do not use the system when driving which means a tired foot for long trips. I know this is an ongoing issue, and the federal safety agency is aware of it. I’d like to ask that the government REQUIRE Tesla and (and perhaps other car companies with similar challenges) to offer standard ‘old fashioned’ cruise control as an option for those customers that want it. Because Tesla’s TACC doesn’t work, I personally would just prefer to be able to set the speed on highways and then be responsible for slowing down and taking it off when I deem it to be appropriate. Being forced to rely on a Tesla’s faulty system is paternalistic and removes an important choice from drivers. Ultimately it is not safe. Please help change this. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact leased a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving approximately 70-80 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 38,000.
Suffering from phantom braking even when all safety options turned off. This occurs even when just using standard cruise control. Very dangerous to the point do not feel safe using cruise control.
Tesla model 3 year 2022, making too much noise while driving noise.
While driving the car suddenly the car applied sudden breaks & moved opposite road. luckily no traffic opp side otherwise we are having the same day as last day.
while driving on north on I79 with auto cruise / steering on, the car tried to stop by itself at a speed of 70mph....almost causing the cars behind me to re-end me...this is the 4th time the car has had a phantom brake issue at speed...very scary and very dangerous
During cruise control on straight highways with no other cars nearby, the car would brake for no reason. Very scary.
We have experienced many instances of ‘phantom braking’. On a recent trip from St George, UT to Salt Lake City, UT (about 250 miles) we had eight instances going 65-80 mph. We finally discontinued using cruise control or auto pilot. We began keeping a log stamps, which I will now include. Tesla Log - 2022 Sudden breaking (on its own) 1. 8/20 at 1504 hours - on I-15 2. 8/21 at 1050 hours - 3. 8/21 at 2005 hours - 4. 8/30 at 1148 hours in cruse control brakes were applied for no apparent reason 5. 8/30 at 1734 hrs. In cruse control brakes were applied 6. 8/31 at 1029 hrs. In cruse control. 7. 9/11 at 6:30 pm In auto pilot 8. 10/25/22 - 1803 hrs - abrupt braking - no apparent reason. 9. 10/25/22 - 1835 hrs - abrupt braking - no apparent reason - 10. 11/10 @ 2:21 pm in auto steering - severe braking 11. Three times - 11/11 @ 2:20 pm, 2:21 pm, and again at 2:22 pm in auto steering and the in cruise control, the car abruptly and very seriously applied brakes (on I-15 traveling at 80 mph!!) 12. 11/11 @ 3:56 pm in auto pilot - brakes were applied strongly. 13. 11/11 @ 4:23 pm on cruse control 3 dramatic braking instances in a row. 14. 11/11 @ 4:42 pm on cruise control brakes applied abruptly. 15. 11/21 @ 2:10 pm on auto pilot brakes were applied. 16. 11/21 2:32 pm on autopilot brakes were applied. 17. 11/22 8:35 am on cruise control brakes were applied. 18. 11/22 11:47 auto pilot brakes were applied 19. 11/22/22 @ 1655 hrs Severe braking for no apparent reason We have had one service visit with Tesla and we thought the issue had been addressed - the Phantom Braking continues. We have another appointment on 12/5/22. We hope Tesla has a solution now.
I did not have cruise control on but do have the full self driving car simulation on. I believe that had I cruise control on that a rapid speed change could have occurred. While driving in Indiana, the car recognized state highway signs as speed limit signs. For example, on a couple of occasions, it changed when seeing a highway 25 sign but changed a few seconds later when it recognized the 55 mph sign. While in Illinois, it changed its notion of the speed limit for speed limit signs that were only valid when flashing. The firmware number of the car is 2022.36.20
I was driving on US interstate I-44 in Missouri at 74 miles per hour. I was using adaptive cruise control and not autopilot, when for no reason at all the car slammed on its brake and started slowing down at a fast rate. I had to push the accelerator to the floor to make it stop slowing down. If there would have been someone behind us we more than likely would have been in a serious accident.
After purchasing my Model 3, I have experienced numerous times of what they call "Phantom Braking" and have tried to have it repaired and have been told that there is not anything Tesla can do at this time, but inform the driver to be aware! I was never told/informed/warned about this issue when I ordered and picked up my car. I have almost been in accidents at least 3 times while using my cruise control on the interstates.
Phantom braking. Driving down 395 going the speed limit, no other cars or any obstacles in the road whatsoever, the car would slam on the brakes hard to the point I almost lost control of the vehicle. This happened 3 times in a row before I turned off adaptive cruise control. This is the most glaring obvious example of a vehicle safety hazard that should be recalled that I’ve ever seen on a new car. If someone was driving behind my car I have no doubt this would have caused a rear and accident.
While driving with Adaptive Cruise control on a two lane highway, as I was entering a curve in the highway and there was another car in the opposite lane, my Tesla rapidly decelerated to the point that it almost caused an accident. The car following me had to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting me. I just learned that there is ongoing deceleration problem with Tesla's and don't feel it is safe to drive with this technology on.
Regardless of which cruise control function you are operating in the system will suddenly brake for no reason, sometimes slowing down by only a few miles an hour and sometimes by as much as 30 or 40 miles per hour. This can potentially lead to a rear end accident. System has far fewer failures at night than during the day and far fewer if there is traffic in front of the car than if there is an open road in front. This cruise control is almost unusable during the day on an open road. This has happened within 45 miles of owning the car to present 5000 miles + and has happened at every speed we have used it at This has been an on-going issue since the day we bought it and not something the Dealership tells you about in advance
Experiencing phantom braking at high speeds when there is nothing there. This has happen 5-6 times during a recent road trip of 1000 miles
since ownership phantom braking has occurred while the adaptive cruise control, autosteer and/or autopilot have been engaged. IT is completely random and occurs at both high speeds and during local street speeds. It doesnt matter the terrain either. It has happened while on a straight and even road as well as curvy and rolling hills. It also doesnt matter if its daytime or night. The applications will also disengage (turn off) if the rolling hills are frequent.
While driving back from San Antonio TX, I engaged autopilot on the hwy. Multiple times my vehicle would experience phantom braking with no other cars on the road and would slow down drastically from 75mph to 20mph. This sudden braking for no reason could have caused an accident if there was another vehicle behind me. This phantom braking has also negatively affected my safety score for my insurance.
Multiple times traveling on Interstate 70 at 75 mph the car would brake itself without warning while the “Autopilot” (driver assist) was engaged. This probably happened 4 times over the course of 1 hour. I recalibrated the cameras after the 3rd event, but it did not help. This was very dangerous and unsettling. I verified no-one was close behind when engaging the autopilot in case the system “decided” to brake unexpectedly. If someone was behind me traveling at interstate speeds, they would have hit me.
My car is brand new. When in Autopilot mode (not full FSD), the vehicle does u expected braking apparently randomly. There are no road obstructions or potential road obstructions visible at all to me as driver. Yet, the vehicle will brake suddenly. It does this so frequently that I no longer use Autopilot unless I know the road has no other vehicle driving behind me and is very clear ahead of me. I never, ever use it on the highway. In one incident, I was using my Autopilot and a motorcycle was traveling at a much too close distance behind me on a curve on a busy roadway, with a large RV driving in the lane next to me. As all three of our vehicles approached the curve in this cluster, my vehicle suddenly braked and the motorcycle behind me almost crashed into my vehicle’s rear end. It was terrifying. After that incident, I severely limited my use of Autopilot and take pains to ensure my foot is resting on the accelerator in case I need to apply a little pressure to counteract the unexpected braking while in Autopilot mode.
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