NHTSA Complaint #11709512 — 2024 TESLA MODEL Y

Incident Description (in my own words): We were driving southbound on [XXX] from New Hampshire back to Boston in our Tesla Model Y. Traffic became increasingly congested and slowed to a crawl. My wife was driving, and I was in the front passenger seat working on my laptop. As traffic built up, my wife became momentarily distracted and did not apply the brakes in time. I noticed, in my peripheral vision, the vehicle ahead of us—a truck—suddenly filling the windshield. At that point, I heard the forward collision warning alert, but it activated extremely late, essentially at the moment of impact. The vehicle did not automatically brake or stop, despite the low speed, close proximity, and clear visibility of the truck ahead. We collided with the truck in front of us. Damage was minimal (license plate damage and a small dimple on the front of the vehicle), but the safety concern is significant. Both of our Teslas are configured with forward collision warning set to “Early.” Under normal circumstances, this alert triggers frequently, sometimes conservatively. In this incident, however, the warning activated far later than expected, and there was no automatic braking intervention prior to impact. The front camera appeared clean and unobstructed. I am filing this complaint because this behavior undermines my confidence in the vehicle’s collision avoidance and automatic emergency braking systems. I am also filing a similar complaint for our Tesla Model 3. I am now anxious about whether the software will perform as expected in situations where driver attention lapses briefly—precisely the scenario these safety systems are designed to mitigate. I am requesting that NHTSA review this issue, as the system did not behave in a manner consistent with its intended safety function. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)