NHTSA Complaint #11707282 — 2024 TESLA MODEL Y

Date & Time: December 25, approximately 6:00 PM Location: Northbound I-880 between the Mowry Avenue and Thornton Avenue exits, Fremont, CA Weather & Road Conditions: Heavy rain at the time of the incident. Road surface was wet with reduced visibility. Vehicle & System State: Tesla Model Y. Driver assistance / self-driving functionality was active at the time of the incident (traffic-aware cruise control / Autopilot functionality). Description of the Incident: While driving northbound on I-880 in heavy rain, the vehicle had been operating normally. Without warning, the vehicle appeared to incorrectly detect that it was drifting out of its lane and attempted to correct this perceived drift. Instead of a minor lane correction, the vehicle abruptly applied heavy braking and initiated a sudden and aggressive left steering maneuver. The car crossed approximately four lanes of traffic in the same direction of travel and continued rotating, ultimately performing an unintended U-turn while remaining on the northbound side of the highway. As a result, the vehicle came to a stop oriented against the direction of travel, facing oncoming northbound traffic. Immediately afterward, the vehicle unexpectedly began reversing at high speed without driver input, creating an additional imminent risk of collision with the outer highway wall (noise barrier separating the highway from adjacent residential areas). During this entire sequence of events, I was unable to regain control of the vehicle despite attempting to intervene. There were no vehicles immediately surrounding us at that moment. Had there been nearby traffic, this incident would likely have resulted in a severe or fatal multi-vehicle collision. Occupants: My wife and two young children were in the vehicle. The children were asleep in the back seat, secured in car seats. Outcome: No physical collision occurred. However, the incident caused extreme fear and distress, and we remain shaken by the event.