Driving [XXX] enroute to Houston from Peoria, AZ, on cruise control, the auto braking activated aka ghost braking, causing the car to extremely brake. No other cars or trucks near us and no signs in area that might affect cruise control. I thought this was fixed! Totally unsafe. Luckily no one was behind us. This happened a lot back in mid 2021 and to have it still happen is hazardous. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2021 Tesla Model Y driver assistance complaints
Page 4 of 22: complaints 71 to 100 of 630, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tesla FSD consistently ignores temporary lane closures, and will cheerfully try to drive over the barrier poles. The locale is the San Diego Pure Water Project construction zones. They set up lane closures that change every week or so. They use a line of red poles along the middle of the road to block off a lane and direct both lanes of traffic into one lane. Sometimes there is also a large CLOSED sign in the middle of the closed lane. Tesla never sees the red poles and often does not see the CLOSED sign. I attach several photos each showing both the Tesla screen and reality in the same image. (Unless Tesla fixes this soon) I can send you lots more photos if you wish.
Tesla removed the ability to use only cruise control, with adaptive following distance, and have forced the only option to now use full self driving instead (with a recent soft-ware update). I do NOT feel safe using full self driving (even supervised) and believe Tesla is being unsafe forcing full self driving use. We used to be able to just use cruise control-with adaptive following distance-a driving option in all other recent cars!!! , but cannot do that now in Tesla? Why would a company take away what I consider to be a safer option?? This is not an improvement (but a forced help-Tesla-improve-it’s-unsafe-full self-driving-software!)
Lane departure warnings activate briefly when driving straight ahead. Sometimes results in disablement of lane departure assistance feature. Tesla has attempted several repair attempts but issue persists: Calibrate radar Replace steering rack Correct steering angle
Vehicle not acting safely, speeding up to pass stopped school bus with stop sign out and yellow lights flashing. This is a generic VIN as it applies to the current software on all FSD cars.
Since December when Tesla did their software update to supposedly make my car safer, I have been BURIED in warnings to keep my hands on the steering wheel and my eyes on the road. It seems like every 25-30 seconds, if I even glance over at the speedometer, I get a red "keep your hands on the steering wheel" / "Pay attention" warning. This is ridiculous. These distracting notifications could cause an accident.
March 31 I received an email from Tesla that I had been selected to participate in a free Full Self Driving (FSD) trial. I have no interest in FSD, and there was no way to opt out of this trial. At some point FSD was downloaded on to my Model Y as part of a regular software update. I was not given the opportunity to accept or refuse this particular feature. While both of these events feel wrong to me, it did not rise to the level of reporting to the federal safety agency until I realized Tesla had also ENABLED FSD on my car. In other words they switched my configuration from Auto Pilot to Full Self Drive, presumably as part of the software update that downloaded the software on to my vehicle. One could argue that because two features on my screen were different I was able to figure out my configuration had changed, and manually change it back. One could also argue that not everyone would sort this out, and the next time they pulled the stalk down to engage cruise control they would unknowingly engage FSD. And that is not OK. I find the timing of all of this ironic given Tesla just settled out of court on a fatality related to their vastly overhyped FSD.
I often experience significant lag for rearview camera and the turn signal indicator lights. Sometimes it takes up to 10 seconds for the rearview camera view to come up. It's dangerous because it's hard to tell if the car is in reverse or not. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts to change gear. I have similar experience with the turn signal indicators. It takes multiple attempts for the signals to come up, or there is often significant delay on when I turn on the signal and when the lights actually come on.
The vehicle's primary Autopilot processor randomly and completely failed while in active use on February 10th, causing the vehicle to immediately change course towards a highway barrier at high speed. Since that moment, every time the Autopilot DAS computer is reset, the primary processor refuses to transition from the INIT state to the NOMINAL state and instead transitions to CRITICAL state. The vehicle had software update 2023.44.30.8 for recall campaign #23V‑838, recall number SB-23-00-008 applied 1 month ago, which was supposed to decrease the probable misuse of the DAS system. However, many individuals reported that the recall immediately and irreversibly damaged their DAS computer, so Tesla offered them a free replacement without hassle. However, I have been struggling to work with Tesla's Carlsbad, California service center for over a week to get the DAS computer replaced at no cost, since the computer was damaged after an update caused the computer to become irreversibly damaged after their software update was installed -- a software update which was supposed to have made the Autopilot system safer, but which has instead unfortunately irreversibly damaged the Autopilot computer, and caused my vehicle to randomly and immediately weave towards a highway barrier at high speed. I am wrongfully being asked to pay in excess of $2500 for a replacement computer as a result of the update damaging the DAS computer. They claim the catch-all diagnosis of a "short circuit" internal to the DAS computer caused the damage which would be out of warranty, except the computer has never been opened by myself. They confirmed to me that they chose that diagnosis after a process of elimination without actually probing the electrical system within the computer. The Carlsbad service center refuses to give me an accurate estimate for any further engineering analysis, claiming it could take multiple hrs/days at $245/hr. This is extremely unreasonable and presents unlimited risk.
I was driving to work this morning, February 7th, 2024 driving at freeway speeds. My Tesla touchscreen dropped out and went completely dark. The reset process is to press and hold for about 30 seconds and another 30 seconds for the full restart. I attempted this twice and proceeded to pull off the highway. During this period, I could not see how fast I was driving, whether my brake lights, turn signals, or headlights worked at this time to safely transit through traffic to get off the road. I put my hazard lights on, but again did not know if these worked or not. The screen finally came back online and seemed fine until I could get to work, this was an extremely scary experience and a perfect example as to why all cars should have a cluster driver screen mandatory, I will be getting rid of this car as soon as possible.
Rear ultra sonic sensors (USS) sliding into the vehicle. No impact or cause for rear sensors to move. Two of the four rear USS pieces are moving back in their housing and are no longer flush with the bumper.
Since installing the update for 23V‑838; TC2023-657 compliance, you guys have absolutely ruined autopilot. Your regulatory overreach has resulted in my task workload increasing while using any ADAS systems Tesla supplies, and multiple times I have reached task saturation from the number of nags, alerts, and prompts that have appeared since applying the 23V‑838; TC2023-657 update. In some cases I have engaged autopilot, been nagged, wiggled the wheel which disengaged, re-engaged, been nagged, wiggled the wheel which disengaged, re-engaged, 3 times in a row. I have benchmarked almost every other ADAS system on the market and you [XXX] have somehow regulated tesla auto pilot into a place where it has literally the most frequent nags, alerts, prompts, and annoyances of anything on the market. Ask yourselves whether you honestly think nags that audibly prompt and distract the driver for merely glancing at the autopilot set speed, briefly adjusting the map, or even daring to adjust vent position are really a wise tradeoff, or just something you cooked up because you have an axe to grind. Here's another one - as petty bureaucrats, would you rather have Autopilot or FSD on the road, or a hypothetically drunk driver? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The most recent recall and modifications to Autopilot have dramatically reduced subjective safety. I am more distracted by warnings and interventions by the system. The system is less able to adapt to changing conditions. It seemed to be far more effective from a safety standpoint prior to the recall. People were and are the problem with autopilot, not autopilot. As with people, it made/makes mistakes. But an attentive driver easily corrects. Full Self Drive is different, but if any driver has ever been under the illusion that autopilot does not require full attention, it is the driver's fault.
Tesla Autopilot lost control in rainy weather, swerved off the road on freeway at 80mph, swung back in the leftmost lane and then to shoulder, risking lives of driver and all passengers including 2 children. Impact resulted in broken wheel rims and bursted tires. This could have been fatal accident if there are other cars on the road at the time of incident. There were absolutely no warning on the screen and near zero time to react with vehicle wheels turning sharp left at 80mph. Footage though immediately visible on DashCam has disappeared from USB drive. Requested vehicle logs from Tesla but that too has gap in coverage exactly during time of accident. Tesla Service Center has not responded to request to get system log at the time of accident. Missing logs and camera footage exactly at the time of incident is suspiciously missing. Footage and logs are available for next day as well as several weeks and months in the past.
While driving on highways using adaptive cruise control, the vehicle will slow down quickly from highway speeds of 60 to 75 mph, down to 40 or 45 mph without the presence of an obstruction in front, such as a vehicle, or even a shadow, that could fool the vehicle’s camera. This puts us at risk of being rear-ended on the highway. The problem happens randomly. I have reported the issue to Tesla twice. It happened once while on the phone with a Tesla representative that had called me back regarding my reported complaint. The Tesla rep said they were aware of the issue and were working on correcting the issue via a software issue. Tesla has cancelled my requests for service appointments regarding this issue. In September of 2023 we attempted to use the cruise control to see if it had been repaired but it happened again. There were no prior warnings. The issue first appeared in September of 2021. It has happened many times since then. I first reported around Sep of 2022.
After the latest recall (campaign #23V‑838), the automated warnings while using autosteer becomes so frequently that it becomes distractingly dangerous. Even when i briefly avert my eyes while driving on an empty highway results in the warnings
Subject: Safety Concerns Regarding Recent Model y Autopilot Update To Whom It May Concern at the federal safety agency, I am writing to urgently express my concerns about the latest software update for the Tesla Model Y’s autopilot system, which, in my view, significantly compromises safety. As a Model 3 owner for over one year, I have generally found the vehicle and its features to be reliable and safe. However, the recent update has introduced an overly stringent hands-on-wheel detection mechanism that is not only inconvenient but also potentially hazardous. The new update requires frequent and often forceful interaction with the steering wheel to assure the system of driver presence. This change is drastically different from my previous experience, where I received only one hands-on-wheel violation in two years. The current sensitivity of the system disrupts the smooth operation of the autopilot, leading to frequent and abrupt disengagements. I have found myself struggling to maintain the system’s activation, inadvertently causing the vehicle to exit autopilot mode multiple times. This issue goes beyond mere inconvenience; it actively detracts from driving safety. The need for constant and sometimes aggressive adjustments to satisfy the system’s requirements is distracting and can lead to erratic vehicle behavior. The irony is stark: a system designed to enhance driving safety and ease is now a source of potential danger and stress. The unpredictability and over-sensitivity of the updated system could lead to dangerous situations, especially on highways or in heavy traffic, where sudden disengagement of the autopilot can be particularly risky. As a driver, I now find myself more focused on keeping the autopilot engaged than on the actual driving conditions and surroundings, which is surely contrary to the feature’s intended purpose. Thank you for your prompt attention to this serious safety concern. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORM
After Tesla software update 2023.44.30.2, the rear back up camera no longer works. It’s just a black screen. Failure first occurred on 12/20/2023. Also, Tesla “Auto pilot” no longer works (cruise control and lane assist). Support team could not fix both issues. Have a service appointment scheduled on 12/27/2023. Thank you and happy holidays.
The Regenerative brakes malfunctioned looks like and the car kept on spinning and we hit the side of the freeway and ended up in a ditch and the tow truck had to pull us out of the rubble. it was very scary and lucky we did not get hurt. I was reading some online reviews and looks like many people are having similar issues with Tesla Model Y and other Tesla Models. thanks
Phantom braking. We were going at around 45 miles per hour on route 30 and the car suddenly engaged brakes without anybody in front of me. Apparently it's a known issue called phantom braking and I wanted to report it
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Emergency Breaking in Autodrive mode. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My car auto breaked hard for no apparent reason when I was driving at 75 MPH on an open highway. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? There are plenty of articles online about Phantom Breaking. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, this happened yesterday morning on 11/18/2023. I plan to report this to Tesla today as well. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Not a single warning and this was the first time that this has happened to my vehicle. I was driving using auto drive at 75 MPH on highway at 8:45AM on 11/18/2023. All of a sudden, and for no reason, my Tesla Model Y slowed down within 3 seconds to around 45 MPH. This was completely unexpected as no other car, debris, person was near me. When I got. home that day, I read about phantom breaking with the Tesla. What happened to my car is yet another example of phantom breaking. This could have caused a major accident if there were more cars on highway at the time. Luckily no one was injured, but my daughter and I were in shock and shooken up.
My car has had a problem with TACC since the day I bought it. Brakes aggressively in what should be a normal driving situation. For instance, when I pass a semi truck on the interstate with my own lane in front of me, the car will slam on the brakes when it is beside the truck. Highly likely to cause a rear end collision.
Car will, without warning brake aggressively while in cruise control, without pressure applied to brake. No other factors on road, except cars behind. This occurs frequently when car is driven in autopilot. Car will, without warning accelerate to a high speed without pressure applied to the accelerator. This acceleration is stopped with pressure being immediately applied to brake.
The power steering stopped working. "Error UI_a020: Steering assist reduced," and "Error APP_w264: Lane Departure Avoidance features unavailable" appeared on the screen afterwards. I was driving home when suddenly I was unable to turn the steering wheel more than a quarter turn (even with all my weight and strength). I tried resetting my vehicle and the issue persisted. I also tried getting out of the vehicle, locking it and let it sit but the issue persisted when I got back in. Luckily, I had just entered my neighborhood and managed to get it parked in my driveway. After a couple hours of the vehicle sitting in my driveway, the issue stopped. I took the vehicle to the Tesla Service Center where it was inspected, they informed me this is a known issue with current firmware and an unknown future update will fix the issue.
While in cruise control, car will randomly suddenly brake without warning or visible obstacle. This has been an ongoing problem ever since buying the vehicle in 2021. Very dangerous as it has happened on the highway. Is startling and causes seat belt locking. I have reported the issue to Tesla and it's apparently a "limitation of software". We usually do not use cruise control in the Tesla because of the dangerous of this, but I decided to try again recently in hopes they had fixed it but to no avail.
driving from Albuquerque NM to Farmington NM, in approximately 1 1/2 hours of driving on hwy 550, 4 lane divided highway, encountered no less than 12 hard shadow breaking events. in all instances there were no vehicles, animals or debris in front of the vehicle. It was a cloudless day, starting around 9am, clear no fog, temperature in the 40's. high risk of being hit if a car was following close behind, incident has been reported to tesla, no inspection. there was no waring prior to all hard shadow breaking events.
When travelling with adaptive speed control enabled the car will suddenly and violently decelerate 30 to 50 MPH below the set speed. This happens frequently and does not appear to correlate with anything specific. Sometimes it happens when passing a large white truck. Sometimes there is no other traffic anywhere near me. At the very least I would like Tesla to give me the option of disabling the "safety" features so the car operates like every other car with adaptive cruse control. This is not just me. Search the internet for Tesla phantom braking and you will find many instances going back years. It seems to be getting worse with each software update.
Had my front windshield replace by dealership. While driving home on highway from dealership I turned on super cruise and the car no longer followed the center of the lane. It moved over to the left and nearly ran into a neighboring car before I over rode the lane following with the steering wheel. On an empty section of the highway later I tested and it was now driving with its wheels on the left lane line, body and mirror extending over the line into the next lane. Dealership should have checked that or at least warned me to look out for it when I picked up the car. Called Tesla roadside assistance and person on the phone told me to recalibrate camera, which I did and it fixed the problem. Calibration of the front camera was thrown off when it was remounted on the new windshield. Obvious to me in hindsight, but it did not occur to me at all when I picked up the car.
Driving with cruise control on the car would suddenly brake for no reason. Sometimes it was just a quick brake for a second or two but multiple times the car braked hard enough to have things in the car fly off the seats. These incidents happened on 9/5/2023. Needless to say we didn't use the cruise control after that, we are just glad no cars were behind us at the time. If this helps, we did use cruise control on a trip on 6/24/2023 with no issues.
Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Vehicle Fire - model y performance 2021, XXXXXXXXXXX Dear Tesla Customer Relations & CarMax, I am writing to express my deep concern and file a formal complaint regarding a serious incident involving my Tesla [model y performance ,, 2021, XXXXXXXXXXXXX], which caught fire on August 1st 2023 while in operation. This incident has raised significant safety concerns for me and my family and requires immediate attention and resolution. The vehicle fire occurred under normal driving conditions, and thankfully, no one was injured in the incident. However, the fire resulted in substantial damage to the vehicle and posed a significant risk to nearby properties and individuals. The incident has left me shaken and worried about the safety of Tesla vehicles. I have attached the following documents and information for your reference: I have been a loyal Tesla customer and have appreciated the innovative features and benefits that your vehicles offer. However, this incident has eroded my confidence in the safety and reliability of your products. I kindly request a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire and an explanation of the circumstances that led to this incident. Additionally, I request information on any recalls, technical bulletins, or potential issues associated with the model of my vehicle. Furthermore, I urge you to take immediate action to prevent similar incidents from occurring in other vehicles. Safety should be the utmost priority for any automobile manufacturer, and I hope Tesla will take swift measures to address any potential risks. I understand that accidents can happen, but it is essential that Tesla demonstrates transparency, accountability, and a commitment to ensuring the safety of its customers. I expect to be kept informed about the progress of the investigation and any steps that will be taken to prevent future incidents. I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and expect INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATI
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