2026 Tesla Model Y: brakes engage by themselves (phantom braking)

Filed Aug 23, 2026 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · NC

Phantom braking while using the TACC on the tesla

Filed Aug 17, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 13,001 miles · CT · crash

The contact owns a 2026 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the Full Self Driving Mode activated, the vehicle struck the garage wall, damaging the rear passenger’s side door. No injuries were sustained. The contact stated that the dealer had previously provided mobile service to replace the camera and that a second dealer, Tesla White Plains (250 Tarrytown Rd, White Plains, NY 10607), had performed a hard reset on the vehicle due to phantom braking; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was made aware of the failure but canceled an upcoming appointment and informed the contact that there was no failure found. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,001.

Filed Jul 29, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · FL

2026 Tesla Model Y (VIN [XXX]) running FSD Supervised v14.2.2.5 / software 2026.14.200 experienced two unintended phantom braking events while FSD was active. Incident 1: XXX, approximately 9:16 AM, XXX southbound off-ramp at [XXX] exit heading [XXX]. Vehicle braked abruptly and without warning at highway approach speed with no obstacle present. Incident 2: XXX, approximately 2:08 PM, [XXX] westbound atXXX northbound on-ramp [XXX]. Same abrupt, unwarned braking with no obstacle present. Tesla service performed diagnostics XXX, at the Delray Beach service center. No hardware fault was found. Vehicle has been unable to receive OTA software updates. A nearly identical vehicle, a 2026 Tesla Model Y in the same household (VIN [XXX]), is currently running software 2026.20.6.11 and FSD v14.3.6, several versions ahead of the affected vehicle. Tesla confirmed the software disparity is due to VIN batch rollout scheduling and cannot be manually accelerated. Tesla regional management and engineering review team have been notified. While children were not in the vehicle at the time of these specific incidents, they are frequent passengers in this vehicle and this braking behavior represents a serious safety concern for our family. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Dec 8, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · TX

On several occasions, my Tesla Model Y has braked for no reason while using Traffic Aware Cruise Control as well as when using Autopilot. I can re-create this situation on the same parts of the highway. The sudden, uncommanded stopping creates a hazardous situation with the cars being me as I may get rear ended. At this point, I do not feel safe using Autopilot or TACC. I submitted a ticket to Tesla but they declined to work on it.

Filed Nov 28, 2025 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · CA

Incident date 11/27/25 Incident Location: CA State highway 101between San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles. Driving Conditions: Daylight/dry roadway. Description of Safety Defect / Complaint: During a single approximately 400-mile highway road trip, while using Tesla’s Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (TACC) feature enabled, the vehicle abruptly and forcefully applied the brakes on at least six (6) separate occasions without any apparent cause. On each occurrence: • No vehicle ahead was braking or decelerating, • No vehicle was merging or cutting in front of my vehicle, • No stationary or moving obstacles (including overpasses, road signs, or debris) were present in or near the travel lane, • The forward roadway was clear and unobstructed for a considerable distance. These sudden, un-commanded braking events were severe enough to cause significant deceleration, requiring me to immediately intervene by pressing the accelerator pedal to override the system. Due to the frequency and unpredictability of these phantom braking events, I no longer feel safe using Traffic-Aware Cruise Control or any Tesla advanced driver-assistance features that rely on the same sensor suite and software. I am filing this report because repeated uncommanded braking in highway traffic constitutes a serious safety hazard that could lead to rear-end collisions, particularly when closely followed by other vehicles or commercial trucks. Additional Information (if applicable): • Software version at time of incident: v12 (2025.38.9 fe 714a33a545) • Full Self-Driving Capability package: No. Enhanced Autopilot: No. • Any dashcam or Sentry Mode footage available: No I request that the federal safety agency investigate this recurring phantom braking issue in Tesla vehicles equipped with Traffic-Aware Cruise Control and Autopilot systems.

Filed Oct 26, 2025 · Driver assistance · VA

TESLA FSD Issues: 1. Phantom braking sudden to a full stop for no known reason in the middle of the road, throwing my dogs into the floor and the car stopped completely on the highway. If an infant had been in the car Ina car seat, their neck could have been broken 2. Sudden jerkiness when making turns 3. In one case the car suddenly changed lanes and was a close encounter. 4. FSD system is now completely non-functioning. 5. These issues started about about 1 month ago and worsened in the past 1 week after the latest software update. TESLA Premium Connectivity Navigation Issue 1. Instead of taking me on main roads to my destination, it has been taking me down rural, isolated dirt roads. In one case I was directed to a dirt, logging road, isolated and dangerous terrain. I had to turn around in a secluded area and the navigation system kept directing me to dirt roads, although main roads were close by once I opened my iPhone for directions. 2. In Lynchburg, VA the navigation directed me towards an exceptionally steep downgrade to the river and would have been a catastrophe 3. These issues started this weekend [XXX] Door Locks 1. Door locks respond occasionally and there have been times I left the car assuming it would lock but it had not. There is no rhyme or reason to this. 2. This issue started [XXX] I am following up with Tesla next but thought you should be made aware. I did the recent Tesla software update and things just got worst. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jul 15, 2025 · Acceleration, Brakes · TX

While driving along a few roads using Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC) or AutoPilot (AP), the car will suddenly brake for no reason at all. Speeds reduced from 75 to 50 in 2 seconds. Had there been a car close behind me, we may have collided. I am able to reproduce this on several other roads as well. I have not yet reported this to the manufacturer, but a review of internet forums shows this to be a relatively common occurrence among owners. They refer to this as Phantom Braking.

Filed Jun 27, 2025 · Brakes · FL

We just took delivery of our 2026 Tesla Model Y Juniper yesterday. Today, my wife was driving to work at around 40 mph when the car suddenly performed a hard brake (phantom braking), coming to a complete stop for no apparent reason. The driver behind her nearly rear-ended her. Importantly, she was not using Autopilot or Full Self-Driving at the time of the incident.

Filed Jun 16, 2025 · Driver assistance · MN

Phantom braking on the highway. We were the only car and without warning the car slammed on the brakes. There was nothing for the vehicle to hit in the road or cross traffic.It did this 3x in 35 miles. This has happened both while just cruise control and when the full self driving was on. We are too worried to use either of there is any traffic around us. We have not been to dealership yet. Fast beeping when it hits the breaks. Have not seen any alarms.