Phantom Breaking when using Traffic Aware Cruise Control. It's dangerous when it slams on the breaks in the middle of the freeway for no reason when traffic is moving at 70 mph. I'm afraid I'll get rear-ended. It mostly happens when going under overpasses and the car sees the shadow, freaks out, and thinks is a solid object, and slows abruptly. Happen every other day or so.
Tesla Model Y adaptive cruise problems
964 of the 4,374 owner complaints about the Tesla Model Y describe adaptive cruise control problems, most of them for the 2021 model year.
- owner complaints
- 964
- worst model year
- 2021
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,500
- typical mileage
- 3,500
By model year
Often reported together
Phantom braking 325Lane assist 72Collision warning 46Wipers 33Backup camera 32Jerking 19Headlights 19Battery drain 8
What owners say
The vehicle experienced a hardware failure of its primary Autopilot computer module (Hardware 3) while parked overnight. Upon starting the vehicle, all advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) were disabled, including Autosteer, Traffic-Aware Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), lane-keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring. The vehicle also completely lost its backup camera functionality, side-repeater camera feeds, and internal safety chimes. Vehicle Service Mode diagnostics showed that the primary processor (ECU Primary A) was stuck in a low-level boot loop, displaying a state of AP IN COREBOOT and a status of INIT. The vehicle gateway active fault code was PM_a041_dasMIA, indicating that the DAS CAN node is missing because the processor was non-responsive on the internal communication network. The failure also disabled the internal cellular modem network, preventing navigation from working unless connected to Wi-Fi. Tesla Service technicians diagnosed the failure as an internal short circuit within a sealed component. Because this module has no moving parts and failed while parked, it represents a premature electrical breakdown of a non-serviceable core component. The sudden loss of Automatic Emergency Braking, forward collision warnings, and the rearview camera creates a safety hazard during operation.
I recall Tesla Full Self-Driving (Supervised) being engaged throughout the trip. While negotiating the curved highway interchange, I experienced an unexpected, sharp steering movement toward the concrete roadway barrier that I did not intend. The vehicle collided with the barrier, multiple airbags deployed, and the vehicle sustained extensive damage, including apparent steering/suspension damage. The vehicle was rendered undrivable. I obtained the dashcam footage and Tesla's vehicle data export. The available records show self-driving features marked "Available" and "Unavailable" in the seconds preceding collision detection, with cruise control recorded as "Standby." A lane-departure/take-control warning was also recorded shortly before impact. These records raise questions about whether FSD unexpectedly disengaged, whether automated steering contributed to the vehicle's movement, and whether adequate warning was provided.
On 09/24/2026 at approximately 4:41 PM, my 2023 Tesla Model Y drifted toward the center divider. When I attempted to steer right, away from the divider, the steering felt locked and unresponsive, and the vehicle struck the divider at approximately 24 mph. Airbags did not deploy; no injuries. Vehicle data obtained from Tesla shows: cruise control was engaged approximately 7 seconds before impact and disengaged approximately 2 seconds before impact; about 1.5 seconds before my rightward steering correction, the steering wheel swung hard left (~24°) without driver input; I then applied rightward steering effort and the wheel turned right (up to ~91°) while I was braking; the vehicle displayed "Take control immediately — vehicle departing lane" at the moment of the event; after impact it reported "Automatic Emergency Braking is unavailable" and "Autopilot cameras unavailable." Damage was repaired at a cost of $11,467.75. I am reporting this because the steering behavior — the unexplained leftward swing and the unresponsive steering when I attempted to steer away — suggests a possible defect in the steering or lane-keeping system that could affect other vehicles.
While driving on Colorado state highways with Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (and/or Autopilot) engaged, the vehicle repeatedly and unexpectedly decelerates rapidly from highway speeds of 75–80 mph down to approximately 45 mph. This occurs with no vehicles, obstacles, or other hazards visible ahead that would justify the slowdown. The deceleration is abrupt and feels aggressive. It has happened on multiple occasions during normal highway driving. I am forced to immediately override the system by pressing the accelerator to regain speed and avoid creating a hazard for traffic behind me. The issue occurs even in clear conditions with good visibility. This sudden braking creates a significant safety risk of being rear-ended by other drivers who are not expecting a vehicle to drop 30+ mph without warning. I have experienced this repeatedly and am concerned it is a safety defect with the vehicle’s cruise control / driver-assistance system. The problem occurs specifically when cruise control is active and does not appear to happen in the same way when I am fully controlling the throttle manually.
While using cruise control, the Tesla- several times in the last two weeks- engages "curvature assist" on completely straight roads, slams on the brakes and attempts to steer the car, creating very dangerous situations. This is a very well-known issue with Tesla and they do nothing about it.
While cruising under cruise control in a 55 MPH zone, the car drops (reproducibly) to 30 MPH for absolutely no reason.
The suspected malfunction involved Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) and related automated steering, lane guidance, lane-departure avoidance and disengagement/warning systems. FSD was active before the event but changed to “Unavailable” approximately 1.35 seconds before impact as the vehicle began moving left toward a barrier. The exact cause has not been independently determined. The vehicle remains in my possession and is available for inspection, along with the EDR report and Tesla data files. My safety and the safety of others were placed at risk because the vehicle departed its travel path at approximately 65–67 mph. The warning and disengagement sequence provided only about one to one-and-a-half seconds before impact. The vehicle struck the barrier at highway speed, deploying the left side and curtain airbags. This created a risk of serious injury, rollover or collision with nearby motorists. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer because the vehicle was rendered inoperable. However, Tesla’s data confirms that FSD was active, became unavailable approximately 1.35 seconds before the crash, and that the steering angle moved sharply left immediately before impact. The data confirms the sequence but does not conclusively establish who or what initiated the steering movement. The vehicle has not received a technical inspection by Tesla or an independent defect specialist. Towing have handled it, but no one has technically evaluated the FSD or steering system. Crash data was retrieved from EDR. Earlier in the drive, the vehicle recorded “Autopilot features limited” and “camera blocked or blinded” warnings approximately 15 minutes before the crash. The vehicle later permitted FSD to engage. Approximately 1.46 seconds before impact, a hands-on warning was detected; FSD then changed to “Unavailable,” cruise control changed to standby and a lane-departure warning appeared less than one second before impact.
The Tesla will randomly when the Adaptive Cruise Control is engaged brake from highway speeds down to 30mph. This happens when you go by off ramps and at some intersections on the highway. 1) At the intersection of [XXX] and [XXX] in [XXX] it happens sometimes especially if there is a vehicle next to you 2) At the intersection of [XXX] and [XXX] 3) Off ramp on [XXX] and [XXX]. these are the places that it happens the most. It does very randomly do it at other locations. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On or about XXX my Tesla Model Y downloaded FSD version 14 Lite. One day after downloading the software, I used FSD and the new software caused the computer to overheat. This killed the car computer and made FSD, adaptive, cruise control, lane keep assist, reverse camera, and many other functions, including GPS and navigation inoperable. My car’s warranty expired in January of this year and Tesla will not cover the replacement car computer. There are hundreds of other complaints of this issue reported online on [XXX], Reddit, Facebook, etc. In the 2nd quarter Tesla Earnings Call, [XXX] declared that hardware 3 equipped Tesla vehicles would not be able to support autonomous driving with full self driving. He stated every hardware 3 vehicle will need to be updated with a hardware 4 computer and cameras. Since my hardware 3 computer failed, I requested the hardware 4 computer and cameras to be installed, but Tesla denied this service even though [XXX] said it was a requirement. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Related recalls
Back over prevention: software
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017, 2021-2023 Model 3, 2020-2023 Model Y, 2021-2023 Model S, and Model X vehicles operating software version 2026.8.6. The rearview camera image may be delayed when the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- A delayed rearview image reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 3, 2026. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-26-00-001.
Recall number 26V283000 · Recall details
Back over prevention: software
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Model 3, Model S, 2023-2025 Model X, and Model Y vehicles. The computer circuit board may short, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Tesla will also identify any vehicles that experienced a circuit board failure, or stress that may lead to a circuit board failure, and replace the affected computers, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 7, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-00-001.
Recall number 25V002000 · Recall details
Forward collision avoidance: warnings: external/pedestrian alert
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2013, 2018-2021 Model S, 2020-2021 Model X, 2018-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. A factory reset muted the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
- Risk
- Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are muted, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, release 2023.44.30.14, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 27, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-006.
Recall number 24V153000 · Recall details
Back over prevention: sensing system: camera
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2023 Model S, X, and Y vehicles equipped with full self-driving computer 4.0 and running a software release version 2023.44.30 through 2023.44.30.6 or 2023.44.100. Software instability may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying.
- Risk
- A rearview image that does not display while in reverse decreases the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 22, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-002.
Recall number 24V035000 · Recall details
Forward collision avoidance: sensing system: camera
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2023 Model S, Model X, and Model Y vehicles. The forward-facing camera may be misaligned, causing some of the active safety features such as emergency braking, forward collision warning, and lane assist to become unavailable without alerting the driver.
- Risk
- Safety features that are unavailable without any warning to the driver may increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla Service will inspect and adjust the pitch angle, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 12, 2023. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-23-17-006.
Recall number 23V489000 · Recall details
Forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Model 3 and 2021 Model Y vehicles. The fisheye and narrow camera cable terminals were incorrectly installed in the cable harness connector, resulting in swapped camera views.
- Risk
- Swapped camera views can prevent the vehicle's cameras from detecting crossing objects and high-curvature lane lines, impairing the Autosteer and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) performance, and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla Service will correct the swapped terminals and recalibrate the cameras, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 8, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-17-007.
Recall number 22V317000 · Recall details
Forward collision avoidance: warnings: external/pedestrian alert
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model S, Model X, Model Y, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
- Risk
- Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are obscured, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will disable the Boombox functionality when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse modes, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 5, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-003. Note: This recall has been superseded by Recall 22V‑235. Tesla's number for the new recall is SB-22-00-003.
Recall number 22V063000 · Recall details
Forward collision avoidance: sensing system: camera
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Model S, Model 3, Model X, and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles operating software version 2021.36.5.2. A communication error may cause false forward-collision warning (FCW) or unexpected activation of the automatic emergency brake (AEB) system.
- Risk
- Unexpected activation of the AEB system may cause the car to stop suddenly, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla Service has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. The recall began October 25, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-00-004.
Recall number 21V846000 · Recall details
Questions about the Tesla Model Y adaptive cruise
Which Tesla Model Y years have adaptive cruise control problems problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2021 (332 complaints), 2023 (251 complaints) and 2022 (249 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix adaptive cruise control problems on the Tesla Model Y?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,500 (median of 13 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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