Tesla Model S jerking problems

Filed Oct 25, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CA

While driving at freeway speed at about 9:15 PM with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) engaged, the car suddenly jerked and told me to take over. Several safety systems then failed at once: ABS disabled (ESP_a025), stability control disabled (DI_a222), traction control disabled (DI_a223), Automatic Emergency Braking unavailable (APP_w009), Vehicle Hold disabled (DI_a245, DI_a246), steering assist reduced (UI_a020), and lane departure avoidance unavailable (APP_w264). Steering became very heavy and regenerative braking stopped, so the car coasted freely and would only slow with the brake pedal. I exited the freeway and drove slowly home. The alerts stayed active after a reboot. The car was towed to the Tesla service center under warranty and is available for inspection. There were no warning signs before the failure. No crash or injury. This is the second event like this. In April 2026 the car showed safety fault alerts and, with automatic braking disabled, rolled forward twice at a red light. Tesla service reviewed the logs, called it a false sensor reading, and made no repair. A service advisor later acknowledged in writing that these were intermittent problems. My children ride in this car regularly. I no longer consider it safe to drive.

Filed Oct 15, 2025 · Driver assistance · MI

My car is equipped with Full Self Driving. When I use that mode the car drives over , on, or dangerously close to the middle yellow line. Basically it drives you into oncoming traffic every single time I use it. It also has erratic fluctuations in throttle control that would confuse other drivers and possibly cause an accident. It’s constantly increasing and decreasing the throttle and feels jerky going down the road. I took the car to the Tesla Service center yesterday and they confirmed the issue and checked the hardware associated with the system. They indicated that the hardware was all working and adjusted properly and that the issue is a software issue. They told me to not use it and that eventually maybe Tesla will put out an update that may fix the problem. Tesla has sold thousands of cars with FSD and continues to call the system in BETA. They have since moved on to 2 more versions of the software and not offered an upgrade to the thousands of early adopters with the original hardware and software. The system is dangerous to drivers and everyone on or near the roadways when these are activated. Tesla said that can upgrade these “older” 2015 and newer models but haven’t because it will cost too much for them. They charged over $8000 for the system and it has yet to work. They need to be forced recall the system and fix these cars for everyone’s safety. The service manager told me he has a similar issue with car and he just opts to not use it. So even the employees at Tesla know of the issue.

Filed Jun 8, 2025 · Transmission · CA

I wanted to bring a situation to your attention, report an incident and understand why model years 2012-2020 Tesla Model Ss have not been recalled for a defective drive unit. This is a known defect - known by Tesla. There have been no recalls for mine - VIN number [XXX] . On [XXX], my 2016 Tesla Model S suddenly lunged and jerked down to less than 5 mph from about 45 mph in 5-10 seconds as a result of a defective and failed drive unit, here in San Ramon , CA. NO WARNING. We forced the car to lunge and hop over to the median with traffic stopping, building up, honking, braking....truly a miracle no one got hurt. I later saw both front and back wheels turning in OPPOSITE directions, simultaneously, as the tow truck driver was pulling the car on his flat bed. The tow truck driver said he has never seen anything like this! The defective drive unit has been a known issue which they corrected in 2020. A Master Tesla mechanic states that this is not about IF the failure was to take place, but WHEN it was going to take place. Tesla refuses to own up to the problem despite emailing their Head, Tom Zhu. I came across this conversation on Reddit and it appears that a comment made by the Tesla mechanic below is relevant. They could have prevented this by recalling the cars and changing the coolant seal. Here is his quote: "Every single large Tesla Drive unit will fail unless it's a recent revision U replacement (~2022 or newer) or has been retrofitted by a 3rd party. This applies to all RWD Model S made between 2012 and 2020, and all Performance S/X made until 2020. The coolant seal will fail and destroy the motor. This is not an if, but a when. If you have a car with one of these motors, there are a variety of 3rd party shops who can fix this issue forever for a lot less money than a fully dead motor. An attorney on this thread commented on a 2015 Tesla Model S: "This is a known issue with older Model S/X cars, yes. A 2015 is HIGHLY at risk of that. Also, a INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

Filed Feb 26, 2025 · Driver assistance · CA

When turning right from [XXX] onto [XXX] using my blinker, it sounded three beeps and jerked the wheel left towards the pedestrians in the crosswalk and the turning cars coming from [XXX] onto [XXX]. I was allegedly driving manually, but the car decided to override my input autonomously. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Dec 10, 2024 · Driver assistance · CA · crash

While driving in Autopilot mode, approx 70 mph in light rain the vhicle began to drift side to side almost crossing over the lane dividing line. Upon grabbing the wheel to take control the vehicle entered multiple 360 degree spins crashing into "K" rail. In the past I have noticed when taking control of the vehicle from Autopilot the wheel jerks.

Filed Dec 6, 2024 · Driver assistance · CA

10:12am 12/6/2024 autopilot randomly and suddenly starts jerking wheel back amd forth erratically and swerves all iver road onto wrong side of road. When i grab wheel to disengage it sounds alarms and alleges im departing my lane and activates lane departure/ assist despite the fact i have lane departure assist disabled

Filed Nov 18, 2024 · Driver assistance · CA

3:17pm nov 18 2024 - I was driving manually and pulled into my driveway and subsequently my garage. I had the blinker on. As I went to turn into the garage, I heard three beeps and no message was displayed on the screen. The vehicle also jerked the steering wheel towards the wall. I have all lane departure warnings, and assistance settings turned off.

Filed Oct 31, 2024 · Driver assistance · CA

Oct 31 4:03pm blinker on turning into gus’ parking garage off noriega I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023.

Filed Oct 31, 2024 · Driver assistance · CA

Oct 31 9:48am my blinker on taking on ramp to highway and it jerks wheel forcing me straight I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023.

Filed Oct 31, 2024 · Driver assistance · CA

Oct 25 3:15pm blinker is on for right turn but vehicle jerks wheel left forcing me straight and sounds alarms I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this “safety feature” causes it to “jerk” the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023.