The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH in inclement weather with no other vehicles nearby, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. The contact stated that the brakes were applied without driver input. The contact stated that the emergency stop message was displayed during the failure. The contact stated that on another occasion, while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stopped. The contact had since stopped using the Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 50,320.
2022 Tesla Model S: adaptive cruise control problems
19 of the 141 complaints about the 2022 Tesla Model S describe adaptive cruise control problems.
- owner complaints
- 19
- of this car's complaints
- 13%
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 4 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Adaptive cruise control problems by model year
What owners say
Car without obstacle will without warning execute a hard slowdown/stop. We have received the latest OTA update and have disabled auto steering and fsd. These unplanned stops are incredibly dangerous when driving in traffic. They charged a substantial fee to enable FSD and we are afraid to use it which sucks but the fact that basic cruise control is so dangerous is criminal.
Tesla, in multiple cars that I own, has repeatedly changed user-preferences of user-selections, without warning, or update notes, for a variety of functions. This seems to be a consequence of sloppy software coding and seems to coincide with new software releases. In recent months, Tesla has attempted to inform people of new software update functionality with ‘release notes’. However, these notes seldom, if ever, explain that a user’s preference is getting discarded (though could be restored -- if the user were aware). One example, is the operation of ‘Traffic Aware Cruise Control’ was changed from a double click of a scroll wheel to a single click. No release nor or manual page was called out to indicate the change — at least prior to this driver’s noticing and diagnosing the problem. Nor was any pop-up message explaining the new, and surprising functionality of a ‘double-click’ — which was to momentary activate and deactivate TACC. Other functions that get changed, without notice: 1) operation of automatic windshield wipers is deactivated (and set to ‘manual) — from the user-preference of ‘auto’; 2) Auto park chimes sounds are turned off — despite a user-preference setting them to 'on'. These changes to the UI, necessitating guesswork using the large glass screen, prove to be highly distracting to a driver in the midst of driving. In addition, these undocumented and un-communicated changes lead the consumer to contact Tesla and even setup ranger service to make a repair for what ends up being a sloppy manual — to the detriment of Tesla’s effectiveness of their Service Department. If Tesla cannot make the user interface operate in a coherent manner day-to-day, there is no hope that any alleged full self driving will avoid reverting to some unknown configuration on unknown time scales. Perhaps Tesla should repurpose engineers that make video games for the car to the purpose of regression testing to avoid surprises like these.
When using traffic-aware cruise control at normal highway speed, on regular, clear days — including when there is no glare — the system often brakes abruptly, despite the absence of obstacles or even shadows that could be misinterpreted as obstacles. This is extremely dangerous, and it has happened (1) when there are no other vehicles on the road, and (2) when the only other vehicle on the road is directly behind me. The latter scenario is particularly dangerous. Notably, the only cruise control available is traffic-aware cruise control. There is no ‘basic’ cruise control, which means there is no way to avoid this scary phantom braking other than by not using cruise control at all. I have tried disabling all ADAS automatic braking features, yet this phenomenon still occurs. This has been occurring with all software up to date. I am scared that my car is going to kill me.
While utilizing the car’s cruise control (TRAAC) and the advanced autopilot features, the car brakes often, unexpectedly and without warning when there are no hazards or vehicles in its path. This is a well documented problem called “phantom braking” involving Teslas. My experiences include traveling on straight open highway with no other vehicle’ within hundreds of yards. Scary and unsafe.
We had the adaptive cruise control, turned on and the car braked violently on I 90 in Washington state heading east. The brakes slammed on so hard that the tires screeched. We were in the fast lane and it was fortunate that no one was directly behind us or there would’ve been a serious accident. It happened again about 5 miles later, but not as violently.
Sudden braking while using Adaptive Cruise Control. Multiple “Phantom Braking “ incidents during a long road trip.
The Traffic Aware Cruise Control disengaged suddenly and unexpectedly multiple times during highway driving and rapidly decelerated from 70 mph to 35 mph. This occurred several times on a clear freeway without any obstructions or any basis for disengagement and placed vehicles behind at risk due to the sudden deceleration.
The adaptive cruise control will erroneously do a hard stop for no reason. This could cause an accident if someone is following me. The owners manual has a disclaimer / warning and Tesla states this feature is beta. They (Tesla) need to step up and fix this issue.
Driving midday on interstate 90 at 78 mph. The car was in cruise control. Four passengers. No other cars in front of me. Luckily there were no cars directly behind me. The car violently slammed on the brakes. My passengers thought I had hit a dog. Very scary. I am glad no one was hurt. But it is dangerous. I think the car had a recent software update. I have heard that the phantom braking issue can be worse right after a software update.
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed with the ADAS Adaptive Cruise Control activated, the vehicle experienced Phantom Braking with an unknown warning light intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,236.
PHANTOM BRAKING: I was driving northbound on the I-5 highway south of Sacramento, California using cruise control and traveling at the 70 MPH speed limit on September 14, 2022. At approximately 2:50 p.m., I moved from the right lane into the left lane by using the turn signal to execute the lane change. Once in the left lane, the car immediately began violently applying the brakes. There was a car behind me that appeared as if it was going to rear end me. I pressed on the accelerator pedal which allowed me to regain control over the vehicle and avoid being hit by the vehicle behind me. The weather was clear and visibility was excellent. There was no apparent reason for the emergency braking system to become operative.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Back over prevention: software
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017, 2021-2023 Model 3, 2020-2023 Model Y, 2021-2023 Model S, and Model X vehicles operating software version 2026.8.6. The rearview camera image may be delayed when the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- A delayed rearview image reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 3, 2026. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-26-00-001.
Recall number 26V283000 · Recall details
Forward collision avoidance: warnings: external/pedestrian alert
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model S, Model X, Model Y, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
- Risk
- Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are obscured, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will disable the Boombox functionality when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse modes, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 5, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-003. Note: This recall has been superseded by Recall 22V‑235. Tesla's number for the new recall is SB-22-00-003.
Recall number 22V063000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2022 Tesla Model S adaptive cruise
Is adaptive cruise control problems a common problem on the 2022 Tesla Model S?
19 of 141 owner complaints about the 2022 Tesla Model S (13%) mention adaptive cruise control problems. The model year with the most reports is 2017.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2022 Tesla Model S?
There are 2 recalls and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2022 Tesla Model S
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