NHTSA Complaint #11474629 — 2021 TESLA MODEL Y

On July 16, 2022 I was traveling west on I-40, east of Tucumcari, NM. I was using Traffic Adaptive Cruise Control (TACC). There were no cars within a mile of me, front or back. The weather was clear, the road was flat. The car suddenly braked without warning. The objects stored in the back of the car flew forward, striking the two front seats. The wheels did not lock up. I immediately stabbed the accelerator. I saw the power line bar graph indicator go fully to the right. I contacted Tesla to request a service appointment. Tesla initially set an appointment but then cancelled it, explaining there was nothing wrong with the car. I was reminded that TACC (along with virtually all other Tesla driving aids) is "beta" and may therefore not function as intended or expected. It was the responsibility of the driver to assume the risks implied. Prior to this event, I had already decided not to use any technology more advanced than the speed control (TACC) as they behaved poorly. I thought that adaptive cruise control (Tesla: TACC) was a such a common technology that it wouldn't exhibit phantom braking. I was wrong.