2021 TESLA MODEL Y Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings Problems
100 NHTSA complaints on file
All Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings Complaints — Page 2
Traffic aware cruise control frequently hard brakes / emergency brakes on 2 lane roads when large vehicles such as semis and dump trucks approach in the opposite direction even though all vehicles are properly in their respective lanes. This presents a serious risk of being rear ended as well as heart attack for startled passengers. TACC is so bad it's not just unusable it is unsafe.
Please see attached pdf complaint letter regarding relentless phantom braking in my 2021 Tesla Model Y. Let me know if there is a problem reading this letter. Thanks
When using the cruise control (and, by extension, Autopilot) feature, the car often brakes unexpectedly and in some cases dramatically for no obvious reason. I often use cruise control on single lane undivided roads that have speed limits between 35-50mph. When using cruise control in this scenarios the car will often automatically apply the brakes for no obvious reason, often applying the brakes hard enough that the car slows down quickly. Many times the forward collision warning sound is played but there is nothing in front of me in my lane or in the opposite lane. Other times this happens when a car is approaching me in the opposite lane. There have been several cases where the car applied the brakes for no obvious reason so hard that had I not intervened (by pressing the accelerator) the car behind me would have been at risk of hitting me. It has...
First, the car was not in auto pilot mode or cruise control. The car was driven into the garage, 22 inches from the landing and put in park. The “P” was lit so it was in park when it suddenly lurched forward and hit the landing and the four way flasher came on. Damage has been repaired but was $2500. Per Tesla, the car was not at fault and the car functioned as intended but it was driver error. With all the safety features that this car has, why did it not sound a warning or apply brakes to prevent this from happening. I have read about hundreds of thousand’s of incidents of sudden unintentional acceleration but yet nothing has been done about it. There is another problem with phantom braking when the car suddenly stops if you use the cruise control. I do not use cruise control because of...
PHANTOM BRAKING When cruise control is engaged (not auto steer or full self driving) the vehicle will intermittently slow down or apply corrective braking when no hazard exists. This happens more frequently on 2 lane roads but also happens occasionally on multi-lane freeways. On a 2 lane road, my vehicle will either slow down, brake or break HARD when anything larger than a SUV is coming from the other direction at normal speeds and in his lane. I have also experienced this when there is nobody for 1+ mile in front of behind me. If there are cars behind me, I find myself covering the accelerator and ready to floor it in case my car suddenly slams on the breaks. This make cruise control very unsafe and stressful. I have another Tesla vehicle doing the same thing and will post separately on that one. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT...
The vehicle will randomly brake with no traffic in broad daylight (shadows cast by trees?), or always at the same area (e.g. when entering or exiting Sumterville, FL from the south), or when a large vehicle is approaching from the opposite direction (such as a semi rig), often producing an audible alert but at times without any warning. My previous vehicle, a Model 3 equipped with radar and the old software still relying on it for input, would also produce phantom braking events, but only in small numbers. The new Model Y with vision only is unreliable and dangerous, and practically useless when adaptive cruise control is engaged. This has been occurring since day one. Never before have I experienced such dangerous behavior in any prior vehicle, let alone one as modern and expensive as a Tesla.
blind spot warning on the lower left corner of the screen, which is covered by the right hand when driving. With the turn signal, it is impossible to the blind spot warning video without taking the right hand off from the steering wheel. A dangerous situation trying to turn the vehicle with one hand! Also Tesla model Y phantom breaks every time I used autopilot on interstate. Fortunately, no vehicles were behind me. An accident waiting to happen.
FSD, the design of FSD using the safety score is designed to defeat failure reporting to government agencies. If you allow the FSD system to drive on its own, it will crash, run into things, fail to stop, or stop at green lights constantly. What the driver score system does is force human beings to manage and mitigate its failures leaving a on paper result that the system is more safe than drivers driving on their own. This is 100% false, if you allow FSD to drive, it will fail almost 100% of the time in very quick succession. From lane change mistakes, to turning mistakes, not staying within its lane in a consistent manner, not putting the car into left turn lanes or stopping at green lights, which in itself is dangerous. The safety score system MUST be eliminated as it cherry picks those drivers willing to spend the...
The Tesla has been doing phanton breaking. For example on the highway using dynamic cruise control or autopilot. When a truck is merging to the right lane it will apply quite the break force. Almost got rear ended cause of this on the highway. Observed this a few times on drive from Ga to NJ. I also noticed going up and down hills with dynamic cruise control it will sometimes trigger the front collision warning or phanton break. This seems to be sporadic and doesn’t like one lane back roads. Last and it least I also noticed that using auto pilot the car forces you to use auto high beans. On the highway at night it will go off and on a lot to the point drivers on opposite side of the road would flash their lights to let me know about the high beans. The model teslas doesn’t use...
Phantom braking
When cruise control is active, the car slams on the brakes for no apparent reason. This happens basically every time I drive the car. I’m always concerned it will cause me to be rear-ended.
The car experiences phantom braking when adaptive cruise control is engaged. Happens most often when going under an overpass but has happened on clear open roadway as well (no cars around).
Phantom braking. I can’t use the cruise control at all because it constantly brakes and swerves when nothing is in front of the car. I took the car to the device center and was told they can’t do anything.
When driving with Adaptive Cruist Control on, the car will randomly slam on the brakes (phantom braking) for no reason. It can be with a shadow on the road or, VERY commonly, when any car or large truck passes on a 2-lane highway or road. It's extremely dangerous to any cars behind and to myself.
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.
Frequent phantom braking when in cruise control. The vehicle unexpectedly brakes often while in cruise control when there is an oncoming vehicle in the oncoming traffic lane, despite the fact that both my vehicle and the oncoming vehicle are in their respective lanes (in other words there is no apparent danger of collision). The phantom braking also sometimes happens apparently at random, in other words when I can't see anything in the vehicle pathway that could be interpreted as dangerous. I am entering a date under "Additional Details" below, but this has happened repeatedly on many different dates.
phantom breaking issues on 2 lane roads.
Unexpectedly slamming on my brakes in response to imagined hazards, such as oncoming traffic on two-lane roads. This happens often and I have to shut off this feature to avoid a spin out on icy roads. Very hazardous. overly sensitive to trucks in the opposite lane. Car lurched from 50 mph to a near-stop in response to a large truck. Is this phantom braking?
(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...
In short: Phantom Braking While driving on single lane highways with Autopilot enabled my car slams on the brakes and alerts whenever a semi is safely approaching. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - I assume the Tesla Vision System + Autopilot are what fail in this scenario. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Immediately this puts us in risk of a rear end collision. Alert fatigue from false alarms creates a long term risk as drivers are trained to ignore / cancel alerts. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Not explicitly. We have mentioned it to a dealer and said it was a common complaint. Also it is a well known (under addressed) issue amongst Tesla owners. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the...
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.
Phantom braking!! It's happening almost everytime I engage autopilot and it's unfortunate because this system would be amazing if it wasn't do this issue. Anytime I'm in a 2 way highway and I have a semi or a large vehicle coming my way on the opposite lane it decides to slow down from the speed limit around 75mph in Texas all the way down to 35mph, which makes for a dangerous condition and puts me at risk of getting rear ended. I have reached out to Tesla Service and they said they can't do nothing about it. I have videos of these incidents but it seems like I can't upload on these Forms. Please reach out to me so I can send you these videos of the phantom braking.
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
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.
Driving down the highway/interstate when autopilot is on and the brakes are automatically applied for no reason. This happens frequently, especially on two lane roads to the point where I am not able to use autopilot anymore of fear of the car behind me crashing into me when brakes are applied suddenly for no reason.
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.
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...
On 2 occasions within the last month my Tesla Y experienced a radical but brief stopping response. This happened on a freeway while passing a large truck in an adjacent lane. The car suddenly slowed down and then immediately speeded back up. This happened a second time on a freeway but I am unsure of the specific circumstances. I got delivery of the car in Oct 2021 and both of these incidents happened in Jan 2022. It has only happened those 2 times. Thank You [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
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...
-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.
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
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.
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.
On Monday November 22 at around 6:15 PM CST, I was driving my model Y and had Tesla's Full Self Driving Beta software engaged. A right banked curve on a two lane road in a rural area came up with a vehicle coming around the curve the opposite direction. The Model Y slowed slightly and began making the turn properly and without cause for concern. Suddenly, about 40% of the way through the turn, the Model Y straightened the wheel and crossed over the center line into the direct path of the oncoming vehicle. I reacted as quickly as I could, trying to pull the vehicle back into the lane. I really did not have a lot of time to react, so chose to override FSD by turning the steering wheel since my hands were already on the wheel and I felt this would be the fastest way to avoid...
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...
When traveling down a clear road with no obstructions, the Tesla will unexpectedly put the brakes on, sometimes mildly and sometimes severely when the Speed Sensitive Cruise Control OR the Autopilot is engaged. This is not Tesla full self driving, just standard cruise. This is a known problem that Tesla is aware of and has not addressed. The problem has become much more pronounced in recent software updates. This happens frequently and sometimes causes an unsafe condition causing me to not want to use this feature while driving at all.
Every time I drive on a two lane undivided highway with traffic aware cruise control or AutoPilot engaged, the car will slam on its brakes when a large vehicle is passing in the oncoming lane, even if the passing vehicle is safely passing. Phantom braking with vision only.
Car is frequently emergency braking when autopilot is enaged and large trucks or semi tractor trailers merge from the right. Car will also unnecessarily and prematurely emergency brake when cars are climbing a hill. The unexpected braking has nearly caused several accidents and we have discontinued use.
When driving on cruise control the car will suddenly and randomly decelerate and/or break for no reason. I have had this happen on empty two lane highways and on 4 lane highways with cars around me. It's incredibly stress full and if cars are following too close very dangerous.
Repeated automatic breaking in the assisted driving mode when the road is clear and there are no other drivers or obstacles. The other day my speed was dropped from 55 to 45 mph. It was fortunate no one was behind me.
I have 13987 miles on the car. 2 times in 1 month on a 2 way highway that has lane markers on the left side of the road. While using cruise control once and the second time was in auto drive mode going about 60. Hard braking with no notice, good thing no one was right behind me. I took control with no issue but this is really a safety issue. I see others reporting it maybe cars coming toward you. But in one case I was alone no on coming cars. Like I said the road has safety markers that are about 3 ft high.
Very often when "autopilot" or "traffic aware cruise control" are activated on two lane roads (county or state highways) and there is oncoming traffic the system will alarm and brake hard as though the car is about to have a head on collision. This is a safety hazard because if anyone is following me when this happens it would be very easy to get rear-ended. This problem has been happening since I purchased the car and has been reported to Tesla 4 times along with videos of the incidents and they refuse to fix it.
This is our second Tesla, so I am familiar with the function of adaptive cruise control and autopilot. Vehicle frequently initiates hard braking events without warning or cause on the highway. I have contacted Tesla service, and they are stating that the car functions normally, and that this is normal behavior. If this is normal behavior, it is definitely unsafe. I have almost been rear ended several times.
I had 2 accidents both caused by the wheel forcefully turning and not letting me take over. First incident: On 8/31/21 I was driving on the right lane of the palisades pkwy S (NJ) the car was on “autopilot” my hands where on the steering wheel. It was raining, there was no car around me for at least a few hundred feet. Suddenly the “forward collision warning” started beeping, and I felt the steering wheel is forcing itself very sharply to the left, I tried turning back to the right, but I couldn’t. Fearing that the car will end up in the lane of the opposite traffic, I slammed the breaks. The car ended up doing a 180 hitting the dividing guardrail against oncoming traffic. The car was towed to a shop where it was until oct 18 when it was ready for pickup, damage costed about 15k to repair....
This 2021 Tesla Model Y struck and killed a motorist who was outside of his disabled vehicle with the hazard flashers functioning on the motorist's vehicle. I represent the wife of the deceased. You are already investigating this accident as part of a larger investigation. See article below. The wife of the deceased, [XXX] , was on the phone with him when he was struck and killed and is a witness who you would likely want to interview as part of your investigation. I also am in possession of the disabled vehicle in an unaltered state and available for your Investigators to inspect. Please contact me on my cell phone at [XXX] . [XXX] Sincerely, [XXX] , Esq. [XXX] , P.C. New York, New York INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Adaptive cruise control is unusable on small 2 lane hwy. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Car would brake hard by itself without any obstacle for miles in front of the car. It also brakes randomly following another car or if it detects traffic on the opposite lane. Car would also brake randomly if there was another vehicle behind which almost caused an accident. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Problem was acknowledge by Tesla customer support via the issue reporting app. They downloaded my trip data. However I was told that it wasn't a hardware issue but a software issue. They will issue a fix however it has been 4 months with no fix insight. Has the vehicle or component...
I purchased the Tesla Full Self-Driving capability via subscription for my 2021 Tesla Model Y on Saturday, July 17, 2021. On Sunday, July 18, 2021 at approximately 12:40pm CT. while activating the Smart Summon feature in a private residential parking lot, the car drove itself into a tree damaging the front of the car resulting in a total cost of $1,799.32. Tesla is refusing to refund me the $200.00 for the Self-Driving subscription after their software malfunctioned. This is a dangerous feature that is available to millions of drivers. Video footage of the incident is here: https://vimeo.com/580859343 This is the description of Smart Summoned directly from Tesla’s website: https://www.tesla.com/support/autopilot#usingautopilot Smart Summon is designed to allow your car to drive to you or a location of your choosing, maneuvering around and stopping for objects as necessary. Like Summon, Smart Summon is only intended for use in private parking lots and driveways....
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT DETECT A STATIONARY OBJECT ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE ON "AUTOPILOT" THE CAR WAS TRAVELING STRAIGHT WITHIN THE LANES OF THE HIGHWAY WITH NO OTHER OBSTRUCTIONS OR OBSTACLES AND CRASHED RIGHT INTO THE OBJECT RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE FRONT BUMPER. VIDEOS AND IMAGES AVAILABLE
THIS IS THE 2ND TESLA MY MOM OWNED, SHE DROVE A MODEL 3 WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS FOR MANY MONTHS. SHE PICKS UP THIS MODEL Y ON NOVEMBER 19 2020, AND DRIVES HOME FROM THE DEALER WITHOUT ISSUES. NEXT DAY NOVEMBER 20, 2020, DRIVES TO HER WORK, PULLS INTO A PARKING SPOT AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. APPROX 5-10 SECONDS LATER THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD, HOPS OVER THE PARKING CURB, OVER SOME GRASS AND INTO A BRICK WALL AT FULL ACCELERATION. LUCKILY NOBODY WAS HURT, BUT SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING AND THE CAR. THIS CASE OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION NEEDS INVESTIGATION. MY MOM DOES NOT FEEL SAFE GETTING BACK INTO THIS MODEL Y.
Other 2021 TESLA MODEL Y Problem Areas
Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control
397 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking
318 complaints
Service Brakes
175 complaints
Vehicle Speed Control
152 complaints
Unknown Or Other
123 complaints
Electrical System
105 complaints
Steering
76 complaints
Suspension
50 complaints
Lane Departure Assist
43 complaints
Visibilitywiper
40 complaints
Power Train
27 complaints
Seat Belts
24 complaints
Lane Departure Warning
23 complaints
Air Bags
19 complaints
Structurebody
18 complaints
Seats
17 complaints
Back Over Prevention Warnings
15 complaints
Engine
14 complaints
Wheels
13 complaints
Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection
12 complaints
Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslatch
12 complaints
Electrical System12v24v48v Battery
11 complaints
Exterior Lighting
9 complaints
Fuelpropulsion System
9 complaints
Structurebodydoorhandleexterior
8 complaints
Back Over Prevention Sensing System Camera
7 complaints
Electrical Systemadasautonomousself Driving
6 complaints
Visibility
5 complaints
Service Brakes Hydraulic
3 complaints
Tires
3 complaints
Air Bagssensoroccupant Classification
2 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Controlsoftware
2 complaints
Latcheslockslinkages
2 complaints
Service Brakes Electricsoftwareprogramming
2 complaints
Suspensionfrontcontrol Arm
2 complaints
Visibilitydefrosterdefoggerhvac System
2 complaints
Air Bagsfrontaldriver Sideinflator Module
1 complaint
Back Over Prevention
1 complaint
Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking
1 complaint
Chest Clip Buckle Harness
1 complaint
Child Seat
1 complaint
Electrical System Instrument Clusterpanel
1 complaint
Electrical Systemadas
1 complaint
Electrical Systemadasautonomousself Drivingsoftware
1 complaint
Electrical Systemadasdriver Monitoringcamerasensor
1 complaint
Electrical Systemalternatorgeneratorregulator
1 complaint
Electrical Systemhorn
1 complaint
Equipment Adaptivemobilityvehicle Controlsbraking
1 complaint
Forward Collision Avoidance
1 complaint
Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Steering
1 complaint
Lane Departure Lane Keep Steering Assist
1 complaint
Power Trainautomatic Transmission
1 complaint
Structure
1 complaint
Suspensionsubframemounting Bracket
1 complaint
Tether Lower Anchor On Car Seat Or Vehicle
1 complaint
Tirespressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems
1 complaint
Tirestreadbelt
1 complaint
Vehicle Speed Controlaccelerator Pedal
1 complaint
Vehicle Speed Controlcruise Control
1 complaint
Visibilityglass Siderear
1 complaint