2018 Tesla Model X: adaptive cruise control problems

Filed Aug 16, 2026 · Driver assistance · MI

My vehicle intermittently and without warning disables Autopilot/cruise control while driving, most consistently during hard acceleration from a stop or low speed. The touchscreen displays "Take Over Immediately" and Autopilot becomes completely unavailable for the remainder of the drive. The system only resets after the vehicle is parked and allowed to sit. This has occurred repeatedly over multiple weeks, documented via the vehicle's own Service Mode diagnostic logs, showing the following recurring fault codes occurring together, dozens of times between approximatelyXXX and XXX: PM_w041_dasMIA – "Pedal Monitor Warning: DAS CAN node is missing" DI_w124_cruiseFault – "Drive Inverter Fault: Cruise faulted," user-facing message "Cruise control disabled" I brought the vehicle to a Tesla Service Center. Technicians stated they could not identify a specific cause, but acknowledged they were aware of similar cases from other owners of this vehicle model reported on Tesla's internal systems. No repair or resolution was offered. This vehicle is equipped with an HW3 (FSD Computer 3) Autopilot computer and Full Self-Driving Capability (purchased package). Tesla CEO [XXX] publicly confirmed on the company's Q1 2026 earnings call (XXX) that HW3 computers do not have sufficient capability for current and future Full Self-Driving software, and announced a remediation plan for affected owners. I have not been offered any remedy. I am concerned this represents a safety-relevant defect: the sudden, unpredictable loss of Autopilot/cruise control during active acceleration, particularly on-ramps or intersections, could create a hazardous situation for the driver and surrounding traffic. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Feb 2, 2026 · WA · crash

On 02/01/2026 at approximately 2:07 p.m., my 2018 Tesla Model X (VIN [XXX] , approximately 151,099 miles, software version 2026.2.3) experienced Sudden Unintended Acceleration while I was driving near [XXX] . I was [briefly describe what you were doing, for example: “slowing to a stop in traffic,” or “slowly pulling into a parking space,” or “braking to turn into a driveway”]. My foot was on the brake and I was NOT attempting to accelerate when the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly surged [forward/backward] with far more power than appropriate for the situation. I had to [firmly press the brake / shift to neutral / steer away] to avoid a collision. At or around the same time, a “Sudden Unintended Acceleration” warning/message appeared on the vehicle’s display. This acceleration did not match my pedal input and created a serious risk of a crash. [There was no contact, damage, or injury / or briefly describe any damage or injuries, if applicable.] The vehicle was operating on software version 2026.2.3 at the time. [Autopilot/Traffic‑Aware Cruise Control/Full Self‑Driving was ON/OFF at the time – please select what is correct.] I have reported this incident to Tesla and requested that they preserve and review the vehicle log data for this time and location. I am filing this complaint because I believe this is a safety‑critical defect involving sudden unintended acceleration, and I am concerned it could recur and/or affect other Tesla vehicles. *** If you tell me exactly what you were doing (parking vs in traffic, approximate speed, forward vs reverse, Autopilot on/off), I can fill in the bracketed parts precisely for you. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jan 6, 2026 · Electrical · CA

My 2018 Tesla Model X experienced repeated over-the-air software update failures starting in late December 2025. Each update attempt would run for hours and then fail with a timeout error. This pattern continued for several weeks with the same error every time. After these repeated failed update attempts, the Autopilot ECU (computer) completely failed. Tesla service diagnosed the issue on January 6, 2026 as a failed Autopilot ECU 3.0 requiring full replacement at a cost of $1,808. The failure has disabled Full Self-Driving, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking, and all driver-assistance safety features. I am concerned this represents a systemic defect where Tesla's software updates are damaging or exposing failures in Autopilot hardware. Multiple other Tesla owners have reported this same pattern in 2024-2025: update timeout errors followed by complete Autopilot computer failure requiring expensive replacement. Tesla is charging customers to fix problems created by their own update process. The loss of critical safety features occurred solely due to Tesla's software update attempts.

Filed Feb 27, 2024 · Driver assistance · CA

The vehicle was in cruise control and had a phantom braking event. The vehicle was going at 70 mph and suddenly braked even though there was significant distance between the car in front and nothing on the road. The sun was glaring on the road and possibly the car detected the shadow on the road as an object and braked because of it.

Filed Nov 15, 2022 · Driver assistance, Steering · AZ

After I started an update as requested on Tesla app, the car was giving error messages. I was able to drive but the errors were - 1. reduced steering assist 2. Autopilot and cruise control not available

Filed Oct 12, 2022 · Driver assistance · TX

About 224 miles N. of Los Angeles, on I-5, Southbound, the car aggressively braked while using traffic aware cruise control. Speed was around 75 when braking started. Speed dropped to 55 MPH at the end. There was a couple additional brakes on this southbound journey. I can't believe that Tesla thinks they can implement full self driving when they can't manage to maintain a constant and not jarring speed. This is a recipe for disaster.

Filed Jun 3, 2022 · Acceleration, Brakes · CA

While on cruise control (autopilot) on the highway, the vehicle occasionally violently slows down. The majority of the time, this happens near or just before an exit/entrance ramp and if the car is in the rightmost lane. It happens regardless of traffic conditions and even if there are zero cars around, it will still "hiccup" and hit the brakes. I've noticed that the cruise control system sometimes automatically changes the maximum speed for the cruise control to 35-45 MPH which explains the sudden braking. It is semi-replicable by setting the cruise control to a comfortable highway speed (say 65 MPH) while the car is in the rightmost lane, then driving past a (normally) heavily trafficked entry/exit merging area. If requested, I can probably find a safe time and area to replicate this and send in my dashcam footage of the incident.

Filed May 16, 2022 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CA

On May 15. 2022 at 4:25PM while traveling north on highway 395 about 14 miles south of Bishop Californa. While traveling with little to no traffic, using adaptive cruise control (NOT SELF DRIVING) the vehicle suddenly stopped for no apparent reason in the middle of the highway. Fortunately, there were no cars behind us otherwise I probably would not be writing this. I have registered a similar complaint back in March for the same issue. We have had a total of 4 “phantom braking” incidents since buying the car in October 2021

Filed May 2, 2022 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CA

Our Tesla has had the “phantom braking” on 3 occasions. The first incident happened on southbound interstate 5 near firebaugh. right after we purchased the car. The car suddenly stopped from 70 MPH to about 25 MPH in the middle of the freeway. The second event on northbound 395 at 2:45pm 3/20/2022The car went from about 60 mph to about 25 with out warning. It happened once again at about 4:03PM the same day. All of these events occurred while the car was in adaptaive cruise control, it in self driving mode. I have one event on video, that showed skid marks ahead at the same time the braking occurred.

Filed Mar 7, 2022 · Driver assistance · 41,200 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70-75 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the dealer could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,200.

Filed Feb 4, 2022 · Driver assistance · MN

Constantly phantom breaks. 30+ times on cruise control (not autopilot) in a 6 mile stretch. Started October 2021, occurs daily on two lane roads

Filed Jun 12, 2021 · Electrical · AZ

While driving on interstate highway at 75 mph, the instrument display and MUC display both go blank. The cruise control did not disengage. No display of vehicle speed, rear camera or other parameters. The display did not return after approximately 2 minutes. The driver then instituted a reboot while still driving. After another 1 to 2 minutes, the instrument panel began to redisplay information. The MUC subsequently displayed information. This is a first time event for this vehicle.