2020 TESLA MODEL Y Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking Problems
44 NHTSA complaints on file
Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking Issues in the 2020 TESLA MODEL Y
44 forward collision avoidance automatic emergency braking complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 TESLA MODEL Y. Of these, 7 involved a crash, 0 involved a fire, and 3 resulted in injury.
44
Complaints
7
Crashes
0
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths
All Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking Complaints
The full self-driving (FSD) stopped working although it was fully paid for at the time of vehicle purchase. Along with that, the car stopped receiving/installing over the air software updates, the lane markings in the display disappeared, and the automatic cancelling turn signals stopped working (requiring me to manually cancel them). I took it to Tesla service and was told that the car needs a new computer at a cost of approximately $2,300. To answer the bullet points above: 1. The main vehicle computer malfunctioned. 2. I paid for FSD for the safety it provides - without FSD, the car is simply less safe in traffic. 3. The Tesla service center confirmed that the vehicle computer has malfunctioned. 4. There was no indication of any kind, until suddenly the FSD stopped working and I noticed subsequently that downloading/installing software updates failed, lane markings disappeared, and automatic cancelling turn signals stopped...
On Tuesday, [XXX], around [XXX] returning home and in my driveway when the following happened. Pulling into the left side of the driveway because a utility van was parked on the right side of the driveway with the rear door and driver’s side door opened with no one in the vicinity. There was not enough room to go forward into the garage. I was almost at a complete stop with the intention of getting out of the car to shut the drivers side door. That was when the car sped up at full speed and turned to the right into the van and continued in the right direction into the garage. The car was headed to the right back corner of the garage smashing into paint cans, a freezer, sink and cabinets. I had no control over the car from the time the car sped up and smashed into the...
On drives longer than 40 miles, camera faults cause cruise control systems to degrade in function and then when the faults are cleared, full functionality resumes without driver alerts. Side repeater camera feeds and rear camera feeds inconsistently load, or take an extended time period to load (10+ seconds). Tesla has confirmed that the autopilot computer (HW3) likely needs to be replaced, but this error/messaging is not directly accessible to the customer. The inconsistent failure behavior of the vehicle could easily lead less technical owners/drivers to incorrectly interpret how the car is behaving. The only message you receive while driving could be that 'cruise control is not available', and 'automatic emergency braking unavailable' with a message that the features may be restored later in the drive. My coworker has a 2022 Model Y and the same component failed on his vehicle and needed to be replaced under an extended warranty...
I am writing to formally file a complaint against Tesla, Inc. concerning a significant issue that has arisen following a software update issued to Model Y and Model 3 vehicles in early December. I am a Tesla Model Y owner, and following this update, I have experienced complete failure of critical vehicle systems including cameras, navigation, lane departure warnings, auto braking, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, windshield wipers, self-driving features, and car location data. The malfunction of these essential features not only compromises the safety and functionality of the vehicle but also indicates a severe underlying problem with the vehicle's computer system. The cost to replace the affected computer in my vehicle amounted to $2,400. However, upon reviewing discussions on Tesla forums, I have discovered that this is not an isolated incident; numerous other owners are facing similar failures, with some repair bills exceeding $3,000. Given the widespread nature...
The incident happened on October 23, 2023 at 3:02 PM. The car is being parked between two vehicles and the car triggered automatic emergency breaking, after the emergency breaking there were error on screen about “Automatic Emergency Breaking Unavailable, ABS disabled and Automatic vehicles hold disabled”. After seeing this error on screen the car did sudden uncontrolled acceleration which caused it to crash in to buildings. I have contacted Tesla to investigate this issue, provided error message and vedio recordings of the incident. After two months investigation, I have been told they did not find issue in the car and can’t go any further details to explain error on screen, sudden emergency stop and sudden acceleration on the car. The car has been deemed total by the insurance company. I would like to share my data with you so proper investigation can be done and prevent similar situation in future.
I had FSD engaged and the Tesla MY was navigating to my sister’s house in Falmouth, MA. My brother was in the passenger seat and witnessed the incident. The MY stopped on a road to wait to make an easy left turn onto another road. There was a vehicle in front of us waiting to make this same left turn. Another vehicle approached at high speed (my estimate is 60 mph) in the opposing lane. With the vehicle in front of me still waiting to turn, my Tesla abruptly pulled left and moved into the opposing lane about 10 feet before I managed to apply the brakes hard. The vehicle in the opposing lane swerved hard to their right to avoid a possible collision and continued on without stopping. It was overcast but not dark out. This is the worst I’ve seen during the past 3.5 years of driving this...
We’re getting errors for traction control, reduced traction, control, disabled automatic emergency, braking is unavailable, ABS disabled. This is a manufactures defect, and Tesla is requiring us to pay.
On a round trip from Albuquerque, NM to Tucson, AZ, we experienced 8-10 instances of phantom braking in our 2020 Tesla Long-Range Model Y. The occurrences happened when the car was in adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assistance. Highway speed was typically 75 MPH, weather was sunny, and roads were clear. Overall, an unnerving experience!
While driving in cruise control mode, not auto steer, and with no vehicle in or obvious obstruction in front, the brakes will be applied without warning (phantom braking). It has happened multiple time in the years of ownership. It has happened once or twice with a vehicle following resulting in near rear-end collision. In one case this resulted in the follower reacting with "road rage," passing with horns blaring and braking in front of my vehicle. I have this recent incident on video as it just requires me to honk the horn and the last 5-10 minutes of driving is recorded.
While driving with autopilot at 65mph, a vehicle 500 yards in front of me was turning left. My car suddenly braked to avoid it.
While driving at highway speeds (50mph-80mph), on 2 lane or 4 lane highways, in the day or night, in sunny conditions and overcast sky's, while using the cruise control (auto-pilot), the car will suddenly and unexpectedly apply the brakes. It happens between 8 and 10 times on every road trip, each way. Not only is it a shock to me as there is never a visual obstacle that seems to be causing the hard braking, but it is a dangerous safety issue to other motorists too. This has caused cars behind me to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision. Other motorists have mistaken this hard braking as me "Brake-Checking" them and very nearly cause a road-rage incident. I've had the car for about a year and have opened several service appointments with Tesla. Each time they close the case before the service appointment with a version of the reply...
On the last road trip, my car emergently braked for no reason when using cruise control and autopilot causing safety issues for cars behind my vehicle. This happened at least 6 times on my 500-mile round trip. I reached out to Tesla service and was told there is no fix at this time. in my opinion this is a dangerous problem that needs addressing in an urgent manner.
I enabled Tesla's auto pilot feature while driving on highway. Throughout the drive of ~200 miles, the car had sudden phantom breaks for four times. It was very dangerous situations and could have easily caused serious accidents.
While driving on interstate highways and using autopilot, the car would "phantom brake" unnecessarily in numerous instances. Once it caused a truck to swerve dangerously to the next lane when the car suddenly brake in front of the truck. Mirages and sudden dips on interstate highways seem to be one of the main factors, but other incidents were less obvious what the cause was.
Under clear conditions while traveling on the highway, if adaptive cruise control or self-driving is used, the car will randomly apply its brakes. The car will quickly lose 5-10 miles of speed, and poses a hazard to cars behind us. In the 7-8 times this has happened in the last two months, there has never been an obstacle in our path. Unfortunately, this has rendered cruise control unusable
We continue to experience phantom braking when adaptive cruise control is engaged on major highways. On a recent trip, it occurred three times on I-90 eastbound between Madison and Janesville, WI, and again in Indiana. Our car does not have “full self-driving.” Most of these were relatively mild, but one was so violent that objects in the cabin were thrown around. If a vehicle had been following relatively closely, a collision would have been likely. This seems most likely to happen as we approach an overpass.
I had a major accident on Sep. 24th 2022 when the car sped the traffic light and was hit by another on coming vehicle. This crash has caused a life changing changes to me & others involved in the accident. The vehicle suddenly sped without my control without stopping on the red light. I also had a major financial & vehicle loss with legal activities still pending. Tesla is not investigating and not taking responsibility of this accident and the nearest dealership is avoiding my claims. My auto insurance Allstate is handling this claim.
While driving on the highway at 59 mph using Tesla Autopilot functionality the vehicle braked so hard the wheels locked up and skidded without warning. There was no vehicle directly in front but there were two semi trucks on either side and vehicle directly behind me. The vehicle behind had to brake hard not to run into me. I took control of the vehicle and pressed the accelerator to regain speed and avoid an collision.
The autodrive features malfunctioned. The vehicle is "phantom" braking when a human could easily see there was no reason to brake. This is happening with autopilot (lane keep and adaptive cruise control) engage at freeway speeds (60-70mph). This is occurring randomly on a curve, in the day, at night, in a straight road, cars or no cars nearby. The solution being offered is Tesla service will check the tire pressure and they "remote educated" me by providing links to their autopilot description on their website which states that this can happen. These are extremely dangerous situations and these solutions are not sufficient.
On 9/11/22 at approximately 1:30PM I was driving north on I65 in northern Tennessee just before the Kentucky border. Conditions were heavy rain. Traffic was moving but heavy. I had autopilot engaged. I was traveling approximately 70 mph. Three lanes of traffic. I was in the far left lane. I had my hands on the steering wheel. Without any prior notice, I lost total control of the car. Seemingly all four wheels were autoplaning due to the wet pavement. I had zero control of the car. The car seemed to slow down, drifted into the full shoulder left lane, then rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise and hit the concrete center median. The car then rotated another 90 degrees counterclockwise and came to a full stop all in the left shoulder lane. The front airbags deployed. There were three people in the car. We were not injured and left the vehicle on...
At least 5 times in the last month, my Tesla Model Y will suddenly brake when there’s no obstacle in the way. This most often happens at highway speeds, a terrifying scenario. I believe it mostly (or exclusively happens) when I have cruise control on. I notice it happens when there’s a sudden change in the color of the road surface, like going from concrete to asphalt. It also happens when I’m cresting a hill - like it can’t see over the other side of the hill. I have not yet experienced it while having the “stay in the lane” feature, which also sets the maximum speed at 5mph over the speed limit. But it definitely happens when I have cruise control on. I have only had this problem for the past few months, so I wonder if there’s a bug in the most recent software version.
While driving cross-country on interstates, I've experienced multiple sudden braking incidents. Incidents occurred every day of a 3-day journey (so far). All have occurred between 12:00-14:00 local time on sunny days, dry roads, with no cars or other obstructions in front of the car--in some cases, with no cars in sight at all. Safety was not immediately threatened, but if in heavy traffic could have resulted in rear collision. I have submitted a service request to Tesla but will be traveling for the next two weeks so haven't spoken to a service rep directly--therefore no inspection, reproduction, or confirmation by deal or service center yet. No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms.
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds with the cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure would occur before crossing a bridge, or while a dark colored vehicle passed her vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to a Service Center and was informed that there was no fix for the failure. The contact was given tips on how to prevent the failure; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
I was driving in a "train" of vehicles at about 65 mph using "autopilot" when my Tesla model Y slammed on the brakes when the paving changed color. I was almost rear-ended by the unsuspecting car behind me. Emergency braking without a valid reason, or even an observable reason, has occurred several times since we took delivery of then car two years ago, but not as severely. I am reporting this 2021 incident now due to the recent publicity. I urge the NHTSA to clamp down on beta testing of vehicle automation by unsuspecting new owners. Vehicle automated driving on public streets is a threat to public safety.
The automatic braking came one while I was driving 70 mph on Hwy 86 through New York State as we approached 3 of the 5 or 6 overpass bridges. My speed dropped quickly to 50 mph, at which point I hit the accelerator to get back up to highway speed. A similar behavior happened several times on this trip when going though an S-shaped curve. Similar behavior also occurred at slower speed ( 30-40 mph) when a car turn in front of me when the car was about 1 block in front of me and turned safely and cleared my path easily. I would have not braked in this situation.
The car keeps phantom braking at highway speeds when there are changes in the color of the road surface or sometimes when overtaking a slower car or truck in the right lane.
Phantom Breaking - While utilizing cruise control (not even autonomous driving function) the car will randomly slow down/ apply breaks and decrease speed without warning. This has happened multiple times and there is no warning before hand 1) Looks to be the cruise/ automatic emergency breaking malfunctioning. Yes available 2) Dramatic slow down/ breaking on highways going ~70 MPH with cars behind threatens to lead to an accident 3) I have seen numerous corroborating reports but have not taken my car in yet as it does not seem like a solution has been found 4) No 5) No
Driving in auto pilot mode in the three lane highway between Whitestown lebanon . I was going in the middle lane on autopilot .In the far right lane one Truck is merging into the right most lane.so truck is in the right lane and we are in the middle lane , but auto pilot assumed that we are going to crash and it tried to jump to the left lane and the vehicle automatically wobbled for few seconds and then it became stable in the middle lane. Had there Been a car in the left lane it would have been a fatal accident. If they said that it’s an assisted driving rather than auto pilot I would be more cautious. I bought this car due to the promise of autopilot thinking it’s safer it has put my life in risk which could have lead fatal accidents today. Please refrain Tesla...
The model Y will randomly brake while at freeway speeds. I've seen it go from 80 mph down to 60 mph before I could react. In one instance a semi-truck had to swerve into the left lane to avoid hitting us. The problem has persisted for months and, when reported to Tesla, they denied that it had happened. Consumer received the report from Tesla stating no malfunctions or alerts present. Autopilot and cruise control will adjust vehicle speed for different reasons. Consumer could be override it with the accelerator pedal without canceling driver assistance features.
Phantom braking happens frequently. On March 24, 2022, the phantom braking was out of control. It was very difficult to continue safe driving. I have a video of the screen that shows a person in front of my car. The video is a minute long and shows at least 5 such occurrences. Each time the person occurred on the screen the phantom braking happened when the FSD or cruise control was on. I received contradictory information from Tesla when I requested the service. Finally they said that the issue would be corrected in the future probably via several software updates. How can I drive safely until then??????
At multiple occasions, there has been Phantom Braking occurring when on the freeway even when there is no-one ahead of me. Usually does occur when there is a truck next to me.
Periodically my car slams on the brakes for no apparent reason. This typically occurs on Interstate highways at normal highway speeds. Sometimes there are bridges or other objects observable but sometimes it's on the open road with no cars or visible reason to rapidly slow down. This is very scary especially for my wife that has back pain all the time. We have chosen to not use the automated driving feature FSD because this seems to be where it occurs most frequently. Although we don't drive that much it has happened enough times that we are very concerned that it could cause a rear end collision if we are in heavy traffic.
I saw the article today that other Tesla Model 3 and Model Y drivers were reporting phantom braking. My model Y has been doing this at a specific spot on the 5 Fwy south in the carpool lane in Santa Ana, CA. I now avoid that spot. I thought if it helps to be able to repeat this problem for investigative purposes I can duplicate it at this location. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
We experienced multiple (4-5) "phantom" braking events while driving cross-country using Adaptive Cruise Control & Lane Keeping Assistance on open Interstate highways during the summer of 2021. There were no vehicles or other obstacles in our driving lane ahead. Sometimes it seemed like it happened when we approached a shady underpass. Other times we couldn't see anything that might have confused the Adaptive Cruise Control. We did not have full Autopilot engaged during any of these times, only Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Assistance.
Phantom Braking constantly. Forward collision whole on Autopilot. Tried recalibrating the camera and the problems persist.
Whenever I have my car on cruise control on the highway it will randomly brake hard almost causing an accident behind me. I’ve noticed it does it more in express lanes with thin cone dividers / traffic on the other side. I worry it’ll cause someone to slam into me one day.
While using the autopilot the car will suddenly slow itself even though there is nothing in front of the car. It happens most often when approaching a large vehicle or truck that is in the lane next to the car. It seems as though the autopilot system is spooked by the truck even though it is staying in its lane. Similarly, there are 2 spots on I-25 in Colorado where the sudden braking happens regardless of what is around the car. It may to do with recent construction because in both places the car slows suddenly at the same point nearly every time I pass through. It was happening at one of these spots after the construction had moved the lanes. The lanes were marked very well and the car had no problem before or after this point. But when passing through the car suddenly slows. The danger is that...
The car was almost parked and the parking button was about to pressed when the car suddenly accelerated hitting a light pole in front on the passenger side and the car ended up on a lane in a four lane local road perpendicular to traffic flow. The accelerator was definitely not pressed. I have been driving the car for last year and three months and have 26000 miles on it. There was no warning of nearby obstacles or any beeps.
I installed the Full Self-Driving Beta on my Tesla Model Y the morning of 10/24/2021. Immediately after the update installed I began experiencing issues with the Autopilot and TACC systems, as well as spurious forward collision warnings. These warnings involved the standard warning beeps and red indicators on the driving display, and at one point included an unnecessary emergency braking incident when no obstacle was in front of me. As such, I had reverted to driving the car in manual mode, not on autopilot, but left the option to use the autopilot systems and associated safety features enabled. I was driving in full manual mode on an interstate in the left lane approaching a tunnel, with no vehicles or obstacles in front of me. The car indicated a forward collision warning with the loud beeps, and the car applied brakes and started to swerve into the lane immediately to my...
The car suddenly picked up the speed in the parking lot, went over the car stopper, curb and hit the Tree. The airbags never got activated, OR the sensors were nonfunctional. I received a call in less than 1 minute from Tesla Roadside if I was safe. Paramedics took me to the ER by 911. I had some injuries because of a malfunction of airbags, brakes, and warning systems. The car is towed to the nearby Tesla-approved repair place. I am somewhat concerned about the cause, and I believe Tesla knew what had malfunctioned in their car. I have been a safe driver without traffic tickets and accidents ever in the last 45 years.
My vehicle fail to stop when another vehicle was in the middle of the road. My 2020 TESLA MODEL Y did not stop and did not alert me in a upcoming collision incident. My vehicle fail to make a full stop with and without using autopilot.
I was driving East on May 7, 2021, on I-94 toward New Buffalo, MI, on a clear day; no rain. A semi-truck was going 60 mph in the center lane of three lanes. I moved to the left lane to pass as I was going about 70 mph, the posted speed limit. There were no cars ahead of me in my lane for as far as I could see. Another car pulled up behind me very close—way too close—tailgating me. I was passing the truck and was parallel to the truck when suddenly the Tesla automatically slammed on my brakes!!! The idiot who was tailgating me fortunately reacted quickly and also slammed on his brakes and simultaneously swerved hard left onto the shoulder—thereby averting what could have been a fatal accident!! My car could have been pushed into the wheels of the truck on my right and we could have...
MY 2020 MODEL Y LUNGED FORWARD WHILE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT BEHIND A PICKUP TRUCK. I DID NOT TOUCH THE ACCELERATOR ANS THE BRAKE WOULD NOT STOP THE CAR. I IMPACTED THE PICKUP TRUCK AND DAMAGED THE LEFT CENTER OF THE CAR FRONT SLIDING UNDER THE PICKUP BUMPER. IT WAS AS THOUGH THE CAR TOOK OVER ON IT OWN. THERE WAS NO REASON FOR ME TO HAVE MY FOOT ON THE ACCELERATOR AND I WAS STOPPED 6 FEET BACK FROM THE PICKUP IN FRONT OF ME. I AM NOW AFRAID SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE CAR CAUSING THIS TO HAPPEN AND IT SHOULD BE EVALUATED BY TESLA. I REPORTED THIS TO TESLA AND WAS TOLD I WOULD HEAR SOMETHING BACK IN 3-5 WEEKS. THE DAMAGE CAN BE FIXED TO THE CAR BUT I AM NOW FEARFUL OF DRIVING IT.
WE RECENTLY PURCHASE TESLA MODEL Y ON 29TH SEPTEMBER 2020. WE NOTICE MORE THAN TWICE WHILE DRIVING MODEL Y ON FREEWAY AT 65MPH AND THE CAR DECIDED TO RANDOMLY SLAM THE BRAKED (PANTHOM BRAKING) WHILE IN AUTOPILOT IN MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY. WE WERE ON GARDEN STATE PARKWAY IN NJ. WE DID REPORTED TO TESLA VIA VOICE COMMAND BUT NO WE BEEN SCARE DRIVING THE TESLA ON CRUISE CONTROL OR AUTO PILOT AND WORRIED ABOUT REAR END ACCIDENT. ITS VERY DANGEROUS AND SAFER ISSUE. THERE HAS BEEN NO RESPONSE FROM TESLA. WHILE RESEARCHING ABOUT PANTHOM BREAKING IN TESLA, I FOUND SO MANY TESLA CAR CUSTOMER HAVING SAME ISSUES. IT'S BEEN HAPPENING WITH ALL THE TESLA CARS SINCE 2016. SEEMS LIKE THERE HAS BEEN NO ACTION TAKEN FROM TESLA. WE NOTICE AUTO PILOT WILL BRAKE AT SAME SPOTS ON THE HIGHWAY NEAR SHADOW OF LIGHT IN NIGHT. THIS SEEMS TO BE...
Other 2020 TESLA MODEL Y Problem Areas
Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control
69 complaints
Unknown Or Other
50 complaints
Vehicle Speed Control
35 complaints
Service Brakes
34 complaints
Suspension
27 complaints
Steering
25 complaints
Electrical System
24 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings
19 complaints
Air Bags
17 complaints
Lane Departure Assist
16 complaints
Visibilitywiper
16 complaints
Structurebody
12 complaints
Lane Departure Warning
11 complaints
Seat Belts
11 complaints
Wheels
10 complaints
Exterior Lighting
8 complaints
Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection
7 complaints
Power Train
5 complaints
Seats
5 complaints
Back Over Prevention Warnings
4 complaints
Fuelpropulsion System
4 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance
2 complaints
Vehicle Speed Controlaccelerator Pedal
2 complaints
Visibilitydefrosterdefoggerhvac System
2 complaints
Air Bagssensoroccupant Classificationfront Passenger
1 complaint
Back Over Prevention Camera System
1 complaint
Back Over Prevention Sensing System Camera
1 complaint
Electrical Systemadas
1 complaint
Engine
1 complaint
Exterior Lightingback Up Lightsswitch
1 complaint
Lane Departure Lane Keep Automatic Steering
1 complaint
Latcheslockslinkages
1 complaint
Otheri Am Not Sure
1 complaint
Structurebodytrunk Lid
1 complaint
Structureinterior Panelsdoor
1 complaint