2021 TESLA MODEL Y Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control Problems

The vehicle brakes out of no where when on autopilot. Phantom braking

When cruise control (TACC) enabled the car will brake on 2 lane undivided roads when oncoming vehicle is a semi or other large vehicle. Vehicle may suddenly slow 5-15mph causing unsafe condition if being followed closely. Problem is easily reproducible on any 2 lane road. Will also occur when autopilot engaged as autopilot is simply TACC with lane keeping. The features otherwise seem safe on interstates and divided highways.

From June, 2019 to June, 2021 we owned a Tesla Model 3. We have had the Model Y since June, 2021. The current Model Y has a significant phantom braking problem. Worse than the Model 3 that we owned. Our Model Y relies on "Tesla Vision" without radar. Last week we drove 1,400 miles from Montana to Southern California. On more than a fifteen occasions phantom braking occurred, to the point that we were reluctant to use it. Driving on an Interstate at 80 mph, the car would suddenly brake. The 1st reaction is to overcome the braking with acceleration. On one occasion when there was no traffic behind, I didn't accelerate until 45 mph. From 80 mph to 45 mph suddenly. Dangerous. On city streets we also experienced phantom braking, yet not so dramatic. Some thoughts on what causes this issue: pavement glare, a change in pavement color, concrete...

Vehicle abruptly applied automatic braking as I was cruising at 40 mph. Went to an almost complete stop in a short distance. No one was behind me but if there were it would have been dangerous. Also, there were patches of ice in the road which made it even more dangerous.

When using AutoPilot, the car will without any basis or immediate need brake most abruptly without any due cause, as there is no traffic or cars around it. It’s usually when passing over overpasses but not always. This sudden deceleration has almost caused accidents. Only me being wary and cognizant has saved the car from being rear ended. Sometimes there’s no cars around but it still can be very dangerous. This has been happening over almost a year and Tesla has not done anything to address this widespread issue.

Tesla slams on brakes for no reason. Causes a safety hazard with cars behind me. Was almost hit when my model y applied the breaks for no reason.

Sudden, unexpected breaking multiple times while using autopilot cruise control.

phantom breaking issues on 2 lane roads.

Traveling at 70mph on a highway with no cars in front using Autopilot with steering assist. The car suddenly braked hard and came to almost 35mph before quickly regaining speed. Had a car behind me that could have rear ended me on the highway. This was one of many times has happened but this was the most severe.

Experienced "Phantom Braking" several times when cruise control is activated on a highway.

I was driving north on I-5 in southern Washington on a sunny Sunday morning with low traffic in October 2020. I had only had the car for a few days and was using the autopilot and cruise control for the first time. As I approached an overpass that was casting a shadow across the highway, the car suddenly braked hard. Fortunately there were no vehicles immediately behind me. If there had been, I likely would have been rear-ended. About 15 minutes later, while driving in the middle of the three northbound lanes, a motorcycle passed me on the left and then cut across my lane to get to an exit. Again, the car braked suddenly. When I next stopped to charge the vehicle, I went online and read on various Tesla user chatrooms that this was a widely experienced problem. I immediately stopped using the autopilot and cruise control. I...

Vehicle will randomly reduce speed when using the adaptive cruise control.

On numerous occasions while using cruise control the the Model Y brakes would be suddenly applied in the following situations. While in the inside lane of a curve in the road when several approached from the other direction the brakes would be suddenly applied when the front of the Model Y was pointing at one of the middle vehicles in the line of approaching vehicles. This sudden braking does not happing when traveling down straight sections of roadway or when traveling in the outside lane of a curve.

I just want to add my name to list to complain about phantom braking. You can't trust the adaptive cruise control to maintain correct speed as it will at random times brake hard when there is nothing in front of you. Maybe 20% of the times I use it.Sometimes it looks like a shadow on the road will cause it, maybe at night and when the weather is bad. It brakes hard too and you have to be ready to compensate. I think it is from using just cameras and no radar in my newer model

When driving on divided interstate highways using adaptive cruise control the car would suddenly without warning brake heavily. This is happening up to five times a day on long trips. Weather was clear, no other cars in front and no obstacles on the road. The only recourse was to slam the accelerator to the floor and hope no one was tailgating. This has also been happening on two lane roads when a truck or other large vehicle approaches. This was so dangerous we can no longer use the feature on two lane highways.

(1) My car dangerously and aggressively applies the brake dropping the speed of the car between 3 to 30 mph within a second or two (phantom breaking) EVERY SINGLE TIME I drive the car in adaptive cruise control or auto steer. This happens on 2 lane roads, on divided highway, driving on straight and curvy roads, when there are shadows, frequently when a truck or car is coming toward me, and even on overcast days when driving on a freeway when there are no shadows and no traffic in either direction. The car seems to be sensing an object that is going to cause a collision and applies the brake even when no object, threat, or shadow is anywhere in view in any direction. I frequently have to immediately step on the accelerator to keep from getting rear-ended in what could be a severe or fatal accident. (2) On a...

I drive on the highway from Dallas to Austin to Houston every week. Every trip I have about 2-4 phantom braking incidents at full speed. It seems to occur at similar points every time. It is incredibly alarming and I have to slam on the accelerator to not cause an accident. This needs to be repaired.

When using cruise control. My car will phantom brake. Most of the time it is when oncoming traffic is present… but a few times there are no cars around me… a few weeks ago, the car phantom brakes on an ice patch almost causing a wreck.

Automatic Emergency Braking. Known also as "phantom braking." Tesla is aware of the problem. Regardless of whether or not I'm using the standard cruise control or the more advanced full self driving feature, the car routinely hits the brakes even when there is no obvious obstruction in front of it. If the car suddenly brakes on the highway with another car behind it, it risks a rear end collision. No other warnings appear. The car simply brakes for no reason. This automatic emergency braking system should be removed for standard cruise control. It's more of a hazard than a benefit.

While using adaptive cruise control the vehicle will suddenly brake. I thought it would get better after it’s system learned but still happens when a large vehicle or even a pedestrian is in an adjacent lane. Car has 3940 miles on it now. Last highway trip of 100 miles it happened five times. I don’t know how badly it brakes now because I keep my foot on the gas pedal while in adaptive cruise control so I can react quickly to it. We previously owned a 2018 Tesla 3 with radar enhanced “auto pilot” and did not experience this problem.

Multiple times we have been on empty open roads traveling at 60-70 mph only to have the vehicle slam on the brakes and slow down to approximately 30-50 mph. There are no obstructions on the road or oncoming vehicles when this happens. This has been reported multiple times to Tesla and I have been told their are no issues and the the car “must have seen something on the highway”. This is totally untrue. The vehicle will also slam on the breaks in 2 lane highways if a large truck or semi is traveling in the opposite direction.

When using auto pilot our car will suddenly slam on the brakes usually for no reason. Sometimes it will if there is a large vehicle in the oncoming lane. Other times it will do this if we are the only car on the road. It will also do this even more frequently at night. It does this even if emergency braking is turned off. It causes us to panic and search around for a problem. At minimum they need a way to turn this "feature" off and offer normal cruise. This system is not ready for road use. This happens multiple times every time we use the car.

My 2021 Tesla Model Y has a huge problem with phantom braking. It even occurs when I am only using cruise control. Sudden stops and slow downs. I clearly has problems with large vehicles approaching in adjacent lanes. Not only does it scare the daylights out of my passengers, but it is a major safety issue is someone is following closely behind. The answer I get from Tesla Mobile service is to keep reporting it as a "bug". The answer I get from my Tesla Service center is "what to you expect...Tesla Vision is still in Beta mode". I am selecting a date below because your form requires it, but the problem has been occurring since I took delivery in July of 2021

The full self-driving mode in my tesla does not react correctly to speed limit changes in small towns. I will be driving with the FSD at 65 MPH when I get to a small town and the speed limit changes to 45 and then down to 25 for residential area the cars speed does not decrease quickly enough to be at the correct speed limit by the time the car reachs the speed limit sign. Based on the speed limit laws I was taught was the car you are driving and are slowing down you must be at that limit when you reach the speed limit sign or else you can be ticketed for speeding. The Tesla FSD is not in compliance with that specific rule of the road.

This car is continually slamming on the brakes when in cruise or autopilot I have reported this to Tesla and tried to have them repair it but they say it’s normal. My 2019 didn’t hav3 this issue. One time I’d did this my wife started to chock on her gum when it slammed the brakes on so hard it dropped about 40mph in a few seconds.

I have a 2021 Tesla Model Y. Washing Post reported an increase in phantom breaking recently. It's not just recent. I took delivery of my car in May 2021 and quickly learned that when in cruise control this car will randomly apply the brakes - at times going from 70's to 30's very quickly. In a simple drive from Las Cruces, NM to Albuquerque, NM with no traffic on the freeway the system will throw on the bakes while in cruise control at least 6 times. And it's repeatable. You simply cannot use cruise control on the free with any traffic for concern of the system engaging and causing an accident.

Since delivery the vehicle has experienced several "phantom braking" incidents in situations where no threat was evident, including some in which braking was initiated on clear, straight highways with no other traffic anywhere in sight. The events are aggressive and result in immediate profound loss of speed, making the threat of a collision an issue.

When using Autopilot, I experience multiple, repeatable phantom braking issues on a regular basis. While it is worse on two lane highways, I've also experienced the issues on separated freeways and interstates. The phantom braking varies from a minor throttle response to decrease speed to full emergency braking that drastically reduces the speed at a rapid pace resulting in unsafe driving conditions for occupants of my vehicle as well as those who might be following behind me. Situations that seem to trigger the phantom braking include cresting a hill with oncoming traffic, navigating a turn with oncoming traffic, a larger than average vehicle (commercial truck/tractor trailer) approaching in the opposite late, shadows cast by large trees or overpasses, and changes in pavement color - for example, transitioning from gray concrete to black asphalt.

A well known phenomenon of "phantom breaking" occurs frequently and without warning with the Traffic aware cruise control engaged. This occurs not only on 2 lane highways, but even on undivided and divided highways. On the 17 mile commute to work everyday, this will occur 5-10 times, which results in rapid, unanticipated deceleration. At the time of these deceleration events, there is no visual cause to the driver that would have resulted. Often it appears to be activated by oncoming traffic lights, lights on the side of the road at businesses, when cresting the road, and when the road naturally has a bend or swerve in the traffic pattern. These rapid deceleration events place the occupants at risk of rear end collisions and also are uncomfortable as you must immediately place your foot on the acceleration pedal, which results in a jerking movement to the occupants. Telsa needs to either...

On a recent trip to Minnesota when adaptive cruise control was engaged there were several ( >10) episodes when the car would suddenly decelerate for no apparent reason. On a two lane highway it might occur if a large vehicle such as a truck was oncoming in the opposite lane. On the interstate, the common scenario was traveling in the right lane going up a slight upgrade with a car passing in the left lane. Often the sudden speed reduction was 25 mph or more. On occasion even on a flat section the car might suddenly brake for no apparent reason. On one occasion this happened in the afternoon going west with the sun glinting off some shiny asphalt crack filling. No accident occurred, but if a car were following closely, sudden braking could cause a crash. Because of this erratic behavior I don't use adaptive cruise control except for...

My Tesla Model Y seems to be suffering from what is called "phantom braking". My vehicle was produced shortly after the radar was removed and Tesla went to a camera only system. My car has the lasted updates installed. It is not a Full Self Driving vehicle. Since I purchased the vehicle it has had a problem during low light or sunny conditions with suddenly braking when using the cruise control. The situation has been reported to Tesla multiple times and "bug reports" were recorded and reported to the service center. During one morning drive of about 35 minutes I reported 8 occurrences. Sometimes the vehicle will sound the emergency avoidance braking. The car will suddenly slow from 60 to 30 mph. On multiple occasions the vehicle behind me had to take evasive action to avoid rear ending me. During one of my service visits the vehicle was taken on...

I have experienced several instances of the phantom braking in my Tesla model Y. it primarily happens when I’m on a two-lane road and there is a large truck approaching on the opposite lane. However it will also phantom brake on a highway where there are two lanes going in one direction separated by a median with two lanes going the opposite direction. It seems to happen when it’s coming up on a slight hill, where you cannot see over the hill. The car will slam on the brakes in the middle of the freeway, which when going at speeds of 65 to 75 miles an hour when traveling with other vehicles going the same speed, it can be especially dangerous in Texas where the giant pick up trucks like to tailgate electric vehicles. In one instance the pick up truck behind me thought I was brake checking him and...

I’m experiencing “Phantom Braking” in my Tesla Model Y. I live in a rural area where 2 lane roads (1 lane each direction) are the only roads around. Larger pick up trucks, pickups with trailers, busses, semi trucks, dump trucks, sprinter vans, and other vehicles of that size in the opposite lane trigger my vehicle, when in cruise control, to slam on its brakes. This happens when it’s sunny, cloudy, any type of weather condition. Occasionally, when in cruise control, I notice the car makes slight braking attempts, even when there is no traffic in the other lane. It’s as if it’s sensing a ghost it doesn’t want to hit… This has happened ever since we purchased the vehicle. I do not use auto pilot because I do not see the point where I live. This issue happens when using the adaptive cruise control. I have not noticed it when...

The vehicle driver assist system frequently has phantom braking in situations it should not be, especially when there are vehicles behind putting us at risk for a collision due to unexpected braking behavior of the car. This happens especially in setting of 2 lane roads with oncoming traffic, and guaranteed with a truck in the vicinity. On major highways it is less so, but does still happen occasionally. On local roads even if straight and no obstruction the automatic braking without notice occurs when least expecting. Also the lane departure system disables automatically for the remainder of a drive if you veer off a lane even once and didn't take the corrective action the vehicle thinks should have happened. That's not how a safety feature should work... It should remain on regardless. As much as I do enjoy this car, these quality issues definitely make you second guess and keep...

-Tesla autopilot phantom emergency braking, multiple times makes using the autopilot useless, can't even set it to just cruise control. Yes. -Hard, unexpected, emergency braking at highway speeds from 75mph to immediate 35mph. Dangerous to passengers and other motorists due to the sudden, unexpected high deceleration speed. -Yes. Reported the problem to Tesla service center Spokane on 11/15/2021. They performed a remote investigation and told me I had used the car in a manner/location that was outside the current limitations of the software. No further action until the software system is updated sometime in the future and remotely closed the service appointment without any further input from me. - No. Phantom braking started the day I picked it up 9/24/2021 and continues to this day.

This car has had numerous phantom braking incidents. It is unusable on 2 lane roads. It breaks suddenly for trucks in the opposite lane. It can also begin to brake for cars in the opposing lane. The only remedy is to press on the accelerator to turn off the Autopilot. It also slows down periodically for shadows (for example when going thru an underpass). It was reported to Tesla service and evidently nothing can be done since it seems to be a software issue. I am unsure of that since this car no longer has the radar that previous versions of this car did have.

The Tesla adaptive cruise control has been malfunctioning for the past 12,000+ miles (since new). Yes, it is available for inspection upon request. When the cruise is set, there are a significant number of phantom breaking events, making it a real hazard for anyone following our vehicle. The breaking can happen as often as 3 times every minute, and can decelerate 10-15 mph within seconds before I am able to react and override the cruise. The vehicle has been inspected 2 times by the manufacturer and has been found to have no hardware failure. There is no warning prior to the phantom breaking. However, periodically there are warnings during the phantom breaking events in the form of alarms sounding.

Sudden braking while passing semi-trucks on a 2-lane highway while using Autopilot and Traffic-Aware Cruise Control. I made a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW-nrsR1Bg0

The adaptive cruise control system is very dangerous due to constant "phantom braking" problems. With cruise control enabled, the car will randomly slow down, sometimes gradually and others times rapidly. Sometimes the deceleration happens when passing a large truck, or a car on the other side of the road. Sometimes it is in response to shadows on the road. Sometimes there is no discernable reason. Instances of rapid and unexpected deceleration make it likely we will be hit by another car or otherwise cause an accident. This problem is prevalent throughout all Model Y cars and detailed online. Dealers say that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle and they hope it can be fixed in the future by software. However, in the meantime, the dangerous situation exists. My vehicle has not been inspected by anyone for this purpose, at least not yet. There are no warning lamps or messages...

I have written to you before on my Tesla automatic emergency braking (phantom braking) problem. I am updating you on the issue. Please see the enclosed file.

75 MPH on interstate with FSD 10.9. 6 separate phantom braking events over 350 miles. Very dangerous in traffic.

I was driving on the 7 mile bridge in the Florida Keys with the Adaptive cruise control set to 58 mph. There was no traffic in my lane for about a mile ahead of me. As an oncoming Semi approached me, remaining in his lane, my car applied emergency braking. I had to immediately add throttle to avoid a collision with the truck behind me. This “ Phantom braking “ has occurred on multiple occasions to me. There is no way to engage cruise control without the adaptive feature which uses cameras instead of radar on these new Teslas. I did not have this problem on my 2018 Tesla that did use radar.

When using cruise control or autopilot the vehicle will suddenly slam on the brake which almost caused an accident on multiple occasions. The lack of lasers has caused the cruise control and autopilot to become very dangerous to myself and others in road as the phantom braking it does for no reason is very powerful.

Vehicle constantly experience phantom braking. Will randomly brake for shadows, vehicles in the opposing lane, and when it feels like it. Chance for rear collision is higher due to autopilot.

The cruise control and auto pilot functions failed while driving in the rain. The car would not disengage from auto pilot and continually would engage back into auto pilot and eventually locking tires and spinning out across all lanes of the freeway. My safety and all the drivers around me are put at risk when something that dramatic occurs. The car spun out completely out of control and after doing a complete spin the car continued to spin losing all control and ended up inches from the center median and was facing oncoming traffic. Unknown- I instantly called tesla and removed my memory stick from the vehicle, they are still conducting their "investigation". Took it into the dealer and had them look into the issue. They are currently remotely working on what caused the issue with their engineers. No warning lamps or messages appeared prior to the occurence.

Several times now the car has done a phantom braking event where the car brakes for no reason when using adaptive cruise control on two lane highways. Mostly it's when large vehicles like a semi truck or RV passes in the other lane. Sometimes it appears to be due to shadows like overpasses or trees. The car slows down so quickly sometimes that if someone were following me it may cause a rear end collision. Most of the time the slowdown happened without warning. I have submitted a service ticket with Tesla about this but this seems to be a systemic problem on the TMC forums: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/phantom-braking-in-my-new-model-y.253378/#post-6301315 https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/phantom-braking-and-active-safety-features.248184/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/possible-to-deactivate-tacc-and-use-regular-dumb-cruise-control-phantom-braking-unexpected-slowdowns.235813/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/27-phantom-brake-in-10-miles-how-often-should-i-press-camera-button-to-report-10-6-1-fsd.250396/

The car's adaptive cruise control system will suddenly and dangerously brake in random situations on multiple occasions. It presents a very dangerous condition should there be cars behind that can't brake in time

When driving on a two lane road and approaching an oncoming 18 wheeler the cruise control consistently slams on the brakes and I am concerned about the well-being of my 5 and 4 year old in the back seat. It whips them forward. I am also concerned about cars following me and getting rear ended with the force it is applying this phantom braking. I called Tesla and they said this is expected behavior and it might be fixed in a future firmware but no guarantees. I think this is an unacceptable answer regarding the safety of my family.

Traffic Aware Cruise Control is just about useless on 2 lane highways. Once enabled it is plagued by frequent decelerations for absolutely no obvious reason. What is more concerning is the application of emergency braking when meeting an oncoming truck, even on a well marked highway where the truck is centered in it’s lane. Fortunately this has not happened to me while I was being followed by a vehicle, but it is highly likely that a large truck or inattentive driver would have rear ended me in this scenario. Tesla service has looked at my car, and told me that everything was working properly, that it was a common complaint and they did not have a fix.

When cruise control or Autopilot systems are active, the car will often slam on the brakes and sound an alarm as if there going to be an imminent collision, even thought the lane is clear in front of the car. This happens most likely often when cresting small hills or on curves. There may be a car in coming in the opposing lane, but there is no danger as the opposing car is fully in their lane. The adapative cruise control or Autopilot system decreases the speed very quickly, often reducing the speed by 10-20mph within seconds. This causes panic for the driver and any cars behind us have to suddenly slam on their brakes, creating a dangerous situation. I own both a 2021 Tesla Model Y and a 2021 Model 3 that both have the Tesla Vision Camera based cruise/Autopilot/collision detection system. This problem has gotten worse as Tesla...