NHTSA Complaint #11485749 — 2020 TESLA MODEL 3

SERVICE BRAKES issue reported to NHTSA

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Complaint Details

ODI Number 11485749
Vehicle 2020 TESLA MODEL 3
Component SERVICE BRAKES
Date of Incident
Date Filed
Mileage N/A miles
Crash No
Fire No
Injuries 0
Deaths 0
Vehicle Towed No
State CA

Consumer Description

I was driving on a deserted highway on Interstate 395 heading from LA to Mammoth Lakes. There were no cars behind or in front of us. I first put the Tesla into Auto Steering mode, and things were fine for a while. Then I experienced "phantom braking" with no warning. The car started to brake on its own, and then I disengaged auto steer and drove manually. About 30 minutes later, I put the car into simple "cruise control" and things were fine for a while. Then again with no warning, the car started to hit the brakes. I disengaged the cruise control and took over again. In both cases, there was nothing around us. The weather was clear and sunny. This shouldn't be happening. There was a recent Tesla software update where Tesla apparently discontinued its use of 'radar" for the auto steer and is only relying on the car's cameras. I don't know if this is the cause of my recent phantom braking, but this is concerning to me as it is a safety problem especially if there were any cars behind me.

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