NHTSA Complaint #11493884 — 2017 TESLA MODEL S

On 10/25/2022 at approximately 2:54pm I was traveling north on I-5 through Salem Oregon in the middle lane. Autopilot was engaged as I approached slower traffic 1 block in front of me in the middle lane. A pickup was approx 1 block behind me in the left lane. I activated the left turn signal. The vehicle initiated the transition from middle to left lane. Halfway between both lanes the vehicle applied hard braking action while continuing forward halfway between lanes. I tried to take over with application of the accelerator and force on the steering wheel to return to the middle lane. The steering wheel fought against me and the vehicle made a series of s-turns while braking. I tapped on the brake pedal and the system deactivated. The vehicle decelerated from 65-70mph to what I would guess to be 20-25mph with maximum braking (objects in the cockpit flew forward). The pickup behind me was very close when I regained control. If any vehicles had been closer or had the roadway been slick, the incident could have caused a major accident. I filed a ticked with Tesla and they advised this was known as a "phantom braking" event. There is no known fix, timeline for a fix, or mechanism to advise when there is a resolution. Tesla closed the service request. I'm a commercial pilot (former Part 135 Captain) and former flight instructor. I've been driving for 38 years with zero accidents. I have not used the Tesla autopilot since this incident. It is not safe in the current configuration. Tesla tech characterized the vehicle response as "conservative". There is no reason for maximum braking when nothing is in front of the vehicle. I would like Tesla to provide me with updates on resolving whatever is causing this. I would like Tesla to provide notification when the software patch is applied. Until such point in time when I'm notified the trouble is resolved, I will not be using the autopilot. Tesla charged several thousand dollars for this system.