Car was being driven into a car wash. Driver went to put car into neutral and car lurched forward and crashed into car in front of it without gas pedal being engaged. Vehicle has not been inspected by manufacturer or others. No warning lamps or other messages. May have been related to recently installed full self driving software that was automatically installed but was not requested by vehicle owner. Vehicle owner did not intend to engage any sort of self driving or automatic acceleration systems.
2023 Tesla Model Y driver assistance complaints
Page 7 of 19: complaints 161 to 190 of 549, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tesla recently rolled out an update that gives everyone in the US a trial of FSD. After this update I've had numerous situations where the car would panic and act like I was about to collide with a parked vehicle both while driving down a residential street in daytime and when coming around corners. This never happened in previous version. Also the auto windshield wipers no longer work when its raining but will turn on when its dry and cause dirt to smear on the window, mainly when the sun is facing the driver which makes it very dangerous. The last issue is pretty big, the car has been exhibiting severe phantom braking when on the highway using adaptive cruise control (FSD I guess now?)
Vehicle: Tesla Model Y Blue Purchased in Oct’ 23 Tesla setting: Regenerative braking (single pedal driving) Issue: Brake Pedal/Acceleration Pedal Malfunction I was pulling my car out from the parking lot to pick up my mom, from the hospital entrance. I just turned right and had to take an immediate left to leave out of the parking lot. The Tesla was driving at approximately 5 miles an hour at that point. I lifted my foot from the gas pedal for the car to stop with its regenerative braking. However, instead of coming to a stop, the Tesla started rapidly accelerating, with my foot not even on the pedal. When I slammed the brakes, the car was unresponsive and continued accelerating. I started honking madly to warn people that I had no control over the car I was driving. The vehicle continued accelerating over 100-150 meters in 4-5 seconds and banged a parked car (Lexus SUV) at the end of the parking lot. It continued accelerating while pushing Lexus over the curb, destroying road sign poles and landscaping shrubs; crossing the street, and the middle curb. At the end of the street was a tree and a ditch. Lexus couldn’t move any further and Tesla stopped. All airbags deployed. One of the emergency response detection systems called 911 immediately. The first thing the police asked me was if I pressed the emergency brake. I said the car doesn’t have one. I can’t even turn off the vehicle while it is moving. The parking button takes care of it. I used to love my Tesla but I can’t trust it anymore. What I want from them at this time is: Investigate all the incidents thoroughly instead of blaming these as a user error. a) Think about adding the redundancy system. Something mechanical where the driver reacts within a couple of seconds. Software bugs are hard and sometimes it is impossible to find the root cause. Logs may not contain everything that you need to debug the problem. Consider it as a P0 issue. b) Compensate for the damage and property loss.
You have no doubt heard the news that Tesla has deployed Full Self Driving to all its vehicles as a "free trial." My Tesla received this update in the past few days. Last night I was driving on an expressway and engaged what has up until now been traffic-aware cruise control by pressing down one time on the right stalk. I expected regular cruise control but the car started steering for me. Tesla has changed the default behavior of the cruise control activation (one single downward press on the stalk) to instead activate Autopilot. My attempt to regain control caused me to jerk the wheel side to side in a way that could have led to an accident had I been in heavier traffic. This was unexpected behavior from the vehicle and I find it unacceptable that Tesla has changed a default function in this manner. I had to hunt around on the screen to find the setting to change the behavior back to regular Traffic Aware Cruise Control from one downward press. Furthermore, on the same 20 mile trip I had three phantom braking incidents while the car was on Traffic Aware Cruise Control mode. This is more than typical and these events can be dangerous if they happen in traffic. Tesla should not be allowed to deploy changes, especially without notice, that modify basic functionality of a car in motion from what the driver has become accustomed to.
Forward collision with a deer. The deer jumped out in front of the vehicle, very close to the vehicle, at night. The vehicle failed to detect large object obstacle in front of it and apply emergency braking.
I want to report what I think is a very dangerous issue with my Tesla Model Y. We have experienced numerous times that the car brakes without warning. I have talked to Tesla about this "phantom braking", and they say it is "normal". The Traffic-Aware Cruise Control cannot be disabled to create a normal manual cruise control. I gave them a hypothetical situation where this could be life-threatening, but they dismissed it. Two weeks later, that very scenario happened, thankfully not ending in tragedy. I was driving at 65 mph on a wide, two lane paved highway (near Dove Creek, CO). A car going in the opposite direction was stopped on the shoulder on the other side of the highway. A large semi truck, also going in the opposite direction, pulled into my lane to pass the parked car on the side of the road. I saw what was happening, let off the accelerator, and steered over onto the paved shoulder (wide shoulder) to avoid the oncoming truck. My car's Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, using the car's cameras, interpreted the situation as an apparent collision danger and automatically braked hard. In this situation there was a large pickup doing what most pickup drivers do.... tailgating close behind me to get me to drive faster. Neither the driver of the pickup, nor me, were expecting my car to brake hard, as we had all assessed the situation correctly as not being dangerous. I responded as quickly as I could by pushing on the accelerator to cancel the cruise control, but the pickup almost rear ended me. At that speed, it could easily have turned into a fatal accident. Tesla says I can't disable the cameras, so I just don't use the cruise control now. I was told you can disable the "traffic-aware" part of cruise control on older model Teslas, but not 2023 and newer. Often the phantom braking occurs with no apparent reason (although the car's cameras and computer would probably disagree). Do many people have to be killed to take a safety hazard seriously?
I rear ended to another car when I blacked out for a few seconds in the city driving around 20 miles an hour. The AEB, based on TESLA manual and instructions should have kicked in, but it never did. After the accident, a friend of mine told me about AEB function and the fact that it works in those type of conditions, I tested the car in my driveway (I have a pretty long driveway to do this). AEB did not kick in until I turned off the function and I turned on the function again. Then, it kicked in immediately, and on the screen "A" showed, which means AEB kicked in. That was the first time AEB worked and that sign appeared on the screen. Later in the day, when I tested the car again under the exact same conditions,, AEB stopped functioning again like the way it has been since I bought the car. I read all the information/instructions regarding AEB. I understand that in certain conditions like, if the driver is accelerating or putting pressure on brake pedal or steering wheel, AEB does not kick in. I talked to another TESLA owner, he said his does not kick in either unless the car is on auto cruise or autopilot. Mine is the same. This is definitely malfunction. The issue is that the car, on the screen shows that AEB is always turned on, but it never kicks in and the car does not give any error regarding this issue. Again, I tested it after turning off and on AEB function, and I now know the difference. Under the same conditions of that testing, the AEB does not function at all. The accident I had was 100% preventable if AEB worked properly. TESLA Service Center has been dismissive. They send me snippets from the TESLA manual, which I already have and read many times. They say they cannot test it. All they can do is to check remotely to see if the function is on, but that's where the issue is. The function is always on, but it never kicks in. Again, It did work for me for a few minutes when I turned it off and on, but that was it.
While using Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, the vehicle unexpectedly slows down due to phantom braking. During my recent 800+ mile road trip, this occurred twice without any obstruction in view, causing the car to brake abruptly.
This car does not have Full Self Driving, and I do not use Auto Steer. I experience multiple phantom braking events every time I use the "Traffic Aware Cruise Control." Sometimes I can see that the cruise control set speed has been reduced from the speed I set, and I have to cancel and reset it to resume the original speed. Sometimes the cruise control set speed is unchanged, and pushing the accelerator will cause the car to resume the set speed. Yesterday I drove 320 miles and had about 6 of these events. I'm concerned about these events causing an accident from the sudden speed reduction, or getting into a road rage situation because the person behind me thinks I am brake-checking them. Internet research indicates that these complaints are very common during the past few years. If Tesla can't - or doesn't want to - solve the problem, they should at least allow us to choose basic cruise control to avoid this problem. Adaptive cruise control would be more reliable with radar, but Tesla is doing everything it can to make the cars cheaper, and radar was eliminated. Personally, I think trying to do everything with cameras is a fatally flawed approach - especially considering cars travel at night and in varied weather and lighting conditions.
The falcon braking system kicks in automatically, and the windshield wiper does not turn on automatically as it would in any basic car now a days. The available autopilot/ adaptive cruise control only gives unteliable cruise control. There were times where in the middle of a freeway the cruise control starts braking, luckily there were no vehicle behind us so there were no collisions so far. The price tag on this car and the way it keeps fluctuating is un-acceptable so i ended up paying a lot for the car than the actual value from tesla directly and the basic features like auto wiper and cruise control is a huge disappointment
Driving on a two lane highway at 70 mph, the vehicle has applied the breaks extremely abruptly without reason, three times in the past week. Slamming on the breaks suddenly reduced our speed from 70 to 45 mph before I could return to the speed limit. I came very close to being rear-ended last time. The drivers behind me were angry as well, assuming that I was “break-checking” them. I am extremely concerned for my family’s safety.
The car suddenly engaged the automatic emergency braking system when it perceived a glare on the road to be an obstacle. Passenger experienced mild whiplash discomfort from the severity of the braking. No other cars were around so no accident occurred.
Phantom braking has occurred on 4 different occasions nearly causing a rear end collision during one of them. On all occasions it occurred with no other car in front of us. Tesla Service was contacted through their app for service and we were told this is a known issue and to simply apply pressure to the accelerator. No warning lights or other was given before the incident. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by Tesla or independent service center?
I am writing to express my serious concerns regarding the recent enforcement that leads to Tesla's Auto Steer being disabled after three warnings, deemed "strikes," within a certain period. This policy, which I understand may have been implemented with safety intentions, paradoxically compromises my safety and potentially that of others. My experience with the system has shown that the warnings are overly sensitive, activating even while I am fully attentive and engaged with the driving process. The result is the Auto Steer feature—a tool I rely on for enhancing my driving safety—being disabled for an entire week after these strikes. This blanket punishment is applied universally across all driver profiles, disregarding individual driving contexts and histories. The logic behind this stringent measure seems counterintuitive. The Auto Steer function, in my experience, significantly increases safety by aiding in maintaining lane integrity, adjusting speed, and managing distance from other vehicles. Disabling it not only diminishes my vehicle's capability but also impacts my confidence in the vehicle's safety features, which I have come to depend on. I urge the federal safety agency to reconsider this mandate and recommend adjustments. Possible improvements could include making the warning alerts more prominent to aid drivers in real-time, allowing for a more interactive and educational approach to enhancing driving habits. Alternatively, revisiting the policy to provide drivers with more control and flexibility over the use of Auto Steer could be beneficial, ensuring that it serves its intended purpose of augmenting safety without unwarranted restrictions. The overarching goal should be to enhance safety while also respecting the drivers' ability to utilize technology responsibly. I hope for a revision of this policy that aligns more closely with the practical needs and safety interests of Tesla drivers. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
On [XXX], I was at [XXX] waiting for green light, as soon as the light changed. I hit the drive but the car suddenly lost control and speed up and I couldn’t stop. I try my best not to hit any people or any cars and ended up hitting the board on the right. I never smoke or drink alcohol. never did any drugs, I didn’t hold phone. It was absolutely an uncontrollable incident very unfortunate but totally out my control I wish this never have happened as I have good driving record. Thank you, your honor ! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Car stops suddenly for no reason while on cruise control
The car autopilot system does VERY Hard brakes when coming to stop at red lights ( when there is a car in front of it) very unsafe. Also while driving in the street or freeway, mostly when passing under a bridge, all of a sudden the car pushes brake automatically which is truly dangerous and unsafe. Also when the auto pilot is on it, disengages whenever close to a curb or anything else and you have to take over control very last second to avoid any accidents. This is a safety issues. safety issue. Please fix. I took the car to dealership and both times they say it’s something called phantom braking and that they wouldn’t be able to fix the issue.
Tesla model y automatically and incorrectly brakes and alarms when on two lane road with large truck approaching in other lane. Adaptive cruise control is engaged. This has occurred multiple times.
On a trip to and from New York to Canada between February [XXX], the car came to a sudden stop on the interstate when there were NO VEHICLES OR OTHER OBSTRUCTIONS IN FRONT OF THE CAR. However there WERE several vehicles behind me on 2 of these occasions and I was extremely concerned that I was going to be hit from behind. It was just like the events described here - [XXX] . Why isn’t the federal safety agency doing anything about this? There is no way to use cruise control without this technology which is extremely DANGEROUS. We would NEVER have bought the car had we known about this. Who wants a car where they can’t use the cruise control without fearing the safety of themselves and those behind them??!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My vehicle beeps liberally when parking in tight spots, anywhere near a line of any sort, etc. A few weeks after getting my vehicle in late November (I don’t remember the exact date), I was driving through construction at night and without warning, the steering “corrected” itself and I hit a cone causing 2 scuffs on my new vehicle. The steering locked, but thankfully I was able to get the vehicle back into the lane. When I called Tesla a few weeks later they asked for a specific date and time which I didn’t have. They said they were unable to help without that. Thankfully there was nothing more serious, but I would like my scuffs and steering fixed.
On almost a daily basis, with the cruise control set to maintain speed (vs the option of advanced speed control that will adjust to signs), the car will inexplicably and quite randomly decelerate aggressively at highway speeds. On four separate occasions just today (although it happens at least once or twice a day), with the cruise set to 70 MPH, the car will randomly decelerate aggressively or even change the max speed of the cruise to 55 MPH. On all occasions, the posted speed limit is 65 or even 75 mph. This is dangerous, particularly in DFW traffic during rush hours, with traffic flow moving at similar and often higher speeds in close proximity. Having my car aggressively decelerate without warning to 55 MPH has caused me to be tailgated and honked at. This has been happening since I've received my car. At first, I tried to use the advanced features of the cruise, but whilst driving on the Dallas Tollways, where the toll road has a speed limit of 75 MPH and the regular highway paralleling at 65, the car is unable to differentiate and would often interpret the wrong speed limit and aggressively brake. Going from the flow of traffic (close to 80 MPH) to 65. This is why I switched the cruise to absolute speed rather than any sort of posted adaptive. It's seems to have gotten progressively worse. So much so that I only use the cruise where traffic is light because of this issue's unexpected and random nature. Besides being dangerous, it's also very scary as it's completely unexpected and aggressive. I did make a service support call, but the Tesla technician said it's a known issue and no data available if/when it may be fixed. Currently, car is running software v11.1 2024.2.3
The Facts of the Incident: On [XXX], at approximately [XXX] PM, [XXX] , was driving our 2023 Tesla Model Y on Arizona State Route [XXX] ), a two-lane highway, enroute from Orange, California, to the Grand Canyon South Rim. The vehicle carried a total of four passengers, including my wife, myself, and another couple from San Diego. During our journey, an alarming and life-threatening situation unfolded. Without warning, our 2023 Tesla Model Y abruptly veered to the left, dangerously encroaching into oncoming traffic. Despite my immediate attempts to regain control by steering the vehicle away from the oncoming traffic, the steering wheel became unresponsive, effectively locking in place. This mechanical or software malfunction prevented me from correcting the perilous situation, resulting in a head-on collision with a large Ford 350 Truck, which was also traveling at a high speed, estimated to be more than 60 miles per hour. Fortunately, while there were injuries, there didn’t appear to be any life threating injuries. Because of the resources required to further investigate and do an analysis of the vehicle, as well as the challenge of dealing with Tesla Inc., law firms have declined to pursue further investigations. Morgan and Morgan initially started an investigation with Knott, LLC, Arizona, but then dropped the pursuit due to costs. The vehicle is still on-hold by my insurance company, USAA, but they may not hold it much longer before placing it on auction. However, it is urgent that the federal safety agency take possession and complete further analysis of this vehicle. Your assistance and consideration are appreciated, and I look forward to assisting with this investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
When on Autopilot, the car engages in "ghost braking" for no valid reason. This has happened a couple of time. The last incidence happened today, 02/16/2024, at about 10:38 a.m. while on a freeway. I was lucky that there was no cars immediately following me, otherwise a chain accident with pile up would had happened. This was a very risky and scary incident.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Slowed down entering a driveway when car sped up on its own , Forward Collision Warning/Emergency Automatic Breaking did not warn or do any breaking. NO SOUND or WARNING on the computer screen. I brake but the car still hit the post. I do not know what speed it accelerated to. I am not sure if Autopilot kicked in but the car accelerated when I have already released the accelerator. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? YES - injuries sustained. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? When calling Tesla on Dec 23, 2023 - was told by the rep that ticket has to be filed but I was disconnected and I was not able to get through the lines. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes - Car was totalled. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? I never saw any warning lamps come on as I always driven with distance. The camera was worked was worked on due to the wiper going on even when not raining on October 24 but the fix did not work. Once at the Emergency room, trying to call tesla or texting the no that responds when buying the car no longer accepting my text. The promise that when we get car accident, Tesla will call - no phone calls. All I received was text alert car suffered failure and was deactivated. I was in pain and not able to follow up and try to do report and look at pictures.. Today I just received a letter dated 2/8/2024 about Recall no 23V‑838 in the mail. BUT the car is gone... The software version it had is 2023.27.7. The tech guy came here to the house on Oct 25, 2023 and checked everything.
Driving 30 mph on a two lane road at night, the car suddenly sounded a warning sound and slammed on the brakes, hard enough to make the tires skid. There was nothing in front of us on the road nor on the sides of the road. Road was clear and dry. No cars ahead of us or (fortunately) behind us.
Phantom braking when cruise control is on and when I have the right away and cross traffic is stopped at a stop sign. Also with no cars present in front or any side, the car will suddenly brake with cruise control on and I have no reason why? Shadows, sun?. Sometimes it brakes easily. Sometimes it brakes very hard like to avoid a crash, but there are no cars around. We hope no car is behind when this happens as the car behind us make run into our car. We live in country. On our drive to our town south of us when we are heading north the car does not brake at the county highway intersection, we have the right away. Heading North the car brakes every time at this intersection. I either have to immediately over ride this action by stepping on the accelerator or turn of cruise control. We also have had this happen on a curve when we meet on coming traffic. Occasionally the car will begin braking when meeting the car during and left bend in the road. Not always, but way too many times.
I was driving my normal route utilizing the autosteer functionality of the Tesla that I purchased and it suddenly jerked and crashed into a parked vehicle, which resulted in a total loss of my vehicle by the insurance company. Thank god nobody was injured during the accident but it was scary, dangerous and a major inconvenience. Once the accident happened (on 12/6/2023), I submitted this claim over the phone on December 7th 2023 with Tesla and Geico, my insurance company. I spoke with the Tesla representative for over an hour giving details of the accident and have yet to hear back. My insurance premium has gone up significantly and I need Tesla to agree that it was not the driver but the software's mistake that caused the accident.
I am experiencing sudden braking, without me using any of the braking system. Scared my wife and I. Our safety was at risk 3 times, when this sudden braking happened. Sent a message to Tesla but did not get an answer yet. The warning lights were activated when the sudden braking happened. my first sudden braking happened on January 17th 2024, and then 2 more the following two days of the same month. Now we are driving the car, but we are deactivating the automatic braking system anytime time we get in the car,
Ongoing issue of phantom braking while driving with cruise control. I have documented numerous instances with Tesla and they are refusing to acknowledge and resolve the problem
Vechile started skidding and didn't respond to steering wheel control, ultimately failed to a make a turn and fell off road into a ditch. Also emergency braking wasn't triggered to prevent vechile from falling off road and furthermore upon impact airbags weren't deployed. The driver sustained grevious injuries and was transported away by EMS.
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