Tesla Model 3 Complaints (2021)

674 consumer complaints on file.

#11450154February 3, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING
Phantom Braking occurs often and cannot use the autopilot.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450134February 3, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
When using traffic aware cruise control or auto steer the car phantom breaks and issues warning chimes when it senses large vehicles approaching on undivided 2 lane roads. The car also phantom brakes when it misidentifies shadows on these same 2 lane roads. I have almost been rear ended by closely following traffic several times. This has been happening since new. We have been patient, hoping a software update would fix this very well known problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450133February 3, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I've had 2 incidents of phantom braking in 13 months of ownership. Both times when using cruise control. Scary stuff.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450127February 3, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
On several occasions, when the car was on cruise control and for no apparent reason, it suddenly braked from 70/65 mph to 30. Not only was this startling and frightening, it could have caused a rear-end collision, especially on Interstate 66 in VA where cars often follow too close. I contacted Tesla twice about the issue and set up a service appointment. Tesla cancelled the appointment the day before, saying they needed to have specific "time stamps" of the incidents. When I gave them a several day range, they said that wasn't specific enough, that I should drive the car and "time stamp" the next incident. Great idea, Tesla, for me to risk injury so they can get a "time stamp". In a word, they were dismissive and responded as if this were the first they'd heard of such a problem. It is a significant safety issue not only for the driver but for anyone in nearby cars.I have only had the car 4+ months and it terrifies me. The Washington Post had an article this week indicating this is a problem with many Teslas. Now I know I'm not alone. Would appreciate NHTSA's assistance in getting this safety issue resolved.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450117February 3, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
1. Vehicle brakes for no reason while on Traffic Aware Cruise Control 2. At night on come head lights appear to cause braking while on Traffic Aware Cruise Control. 3. Vehicle brakes for no reason when on Traffic Aware Cruise Control when on two lane road (one lane each direction) when on coming large vehicle approaching. 4. Vehicle brakes for no apparent reason while on Traffic Aware Cruise Control when light conditions cause high contrast shadows on the road.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450083February 3, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Phantom braking occurs about once every 15-20 minutes of long distance highway driving while using Tesla Autopilot. Specifically, for no apparent reason, with no obstacle in front or near the car, while driving highway speed on Autopilot, the car suddenly slams on the brakes on its own.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450070February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
On a recent road trip from CA to UT while driving on four lane roads whenever I had Traffic-Aware Cruise Control enabled and approached a large vehicle from the passing lane the vehicle would suddenly slam on the brakes, dropping 15-25 mph in seconds, it would also do this for zero apparent reason when there was no other vehicles or objects within sight. Several times it almost caused a collision when a vehicle was following to closely behind us. I had to disable and stop using the feature to avoid a possible rear end collision!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450068February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
The vehicle will unexpectedly slam on the brakes while using the Traffic Aware Cruise Control. I've noticed it happens mostly on two lane highways with oncoming traffic or heavy shadows on the road. It will also happen on interstates when a shadow is on the road or a dark patch. I'm afraid I will be rear ended if this continues.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450060February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
When using Autopilot and/or cruise control, the vehicle will brake hard for absolutely no reason. For example, when driving at highway speeds, the vehicle will drop from 70 mph to 45 mph in an instant. In my experience, it tends to happen when there are sudden changes in ambient light.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450052February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Phantom breaking has occurred regularly with this vehicle when using adaptive cruise control on two-lane roads. Oncoming traffic in the opposite lane will cause the vehicle to suddenly decelerate, which has led to moments where the vehicle was rear ended. This has most typically occurred during curves in the road. There has never been a valid reason for the sudden deceleration, and the car is apparently confusing the oncoming vehicle with a imminent danger.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450047February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
During a 144 mile trip, my late 2021 Model 3 "phantom-braked" 4 separate times in just one day. Meaning the car saw some imaginary object in front of it and proceeded to slam on the brakes with traffic behind me. The first two occurrences this day were due to what I'm assuming is the shadow of two Semis. The third occurrence was after driving past a van on the shoulder with the autopilot system off. The last occurrence, before I seriously began to feel unsafe in this car, occurred when about to cross below an overpass with nonexistent traffic in front of me. Up until this specific day, I've experienced 4 phantom braking events spread across 4 months and 4500 miles. After today, and an additional 4 occurrences of phantom braking added within a few miles, my model 3 feels unsafe to me
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450014February 2, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Our 2021Tesla Model 3, delivered in September 2021, has ongoing, repeated problems with sudden, unexpected braking, whenever cruise control or auto-steer is engaged. This happens regularly while driving on two lane highways, usually when a large sized vehicle is approaching in the opposing lane, but it also occasionally happens when there is no oncoming vehicle. Typically, an alarm also sounds and a warning light flashes in the car, warning of imminent collision risk. This happens every time we have used cruise control or auto-steer sometimes with nearly every large oncoming vehicle. This is unsafe because of the risk of a rear-end collision. The car dramatically slows. It also risks injury to the car occupants from being thrown forward unexpectedly. Along with the alarm and flashing signal, the braking is so dangerous and unnerving that it makes cruise control and auto-steer unusable. We have complained to Tesla of this problem. Tesla recently shipped the car to inspect more fully at its facility in Honolulu, but so far has reported that it is operating within "normal parameters." The rep suggested that the cruise control is not designed to work on a two lane highway such as we have on the Big Island of HI, although she says that it does not happen with every Tesla here. It occurs even on straight, level sections of wide, two lane highways with clearly marked lanes and wide shoulders. Tesla still has our car. When we read the Washington Post article explaining that many others are experiencing this problem, we felt we should report as well. We have advised Tesla that the cruise control and auto-steer functions in our car are unsafe and unusable in their current condition. We do not use cruise control or auto-steer except to test whether the problem has been fixed. We do not have full self-driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450004February 2, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, POWER TRAIN, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While driving the vehicle using autopilot or adaptive cruise control, the vehicle "phantom brakes" - meaning the vehicle abruptly applies the brakes to slow down even though there are no obstacles in the road. This happens almost every time either one of these systems is used.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449993February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The vehicle, while operating in autopilot mode, will automatically brake aggressively for no apparent reason. No physical object including shadows or potholes are in the way for this to occur. I have experienced this phantom braking on multiple occasions while using the driver assist mode on (autopilot). Being the attentive driver that I am, I quickly disengage the autopilot and manually take over to avoid a rear end collision. I have not had the vehicle inspected by Tesla or my insurance company as this is apparently a common theme with this car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449981February 2, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
When in Autopilot (Adaptive Cruise Control) the vehicle intermittently slams on the brakes at highway speeds. I have not been able to determine any pattern for when this will happen - it’s disruptive and potentially dangerous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449969February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
When adaptive cruise control is engaged the car brakes when it sees oncoming traffic even though the vehicle is clearly in it lane. This also happens when it sees a semi truck driving in the same direction but in the adjacent lane. Its at a minimum annoying but it is quite dangerous especially when cars are behind me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449948February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The car was running 2021.40.6 at the time of latest incident, but have noticed it with previous verisons as well. Car abruptly brakes HARD on the freeway when autopilot is being used. I have the non-FSD beta version, with just basic autopilot. I had to immediately intervene to prevent a car behind me from colliding. The driver assumed i was brake checking them. I've seen reports of this incident repeat with other Teslas owned by friends - have not gone to the service center as they aren't very helpful with software issues. The car has not been inspected I don't recall receiving any warning from the car - the car suddenly started braking hard on the freeway, so i had to disengage autopilot and accelerate immediately
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449943February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The problem I am having, when I use traffic-aware cruise control, is "phantom braking" This has occurred multiple times on two-lane highways when a large truck is passing in the opposite lane, and sometimes on a freeway when I pass a large truck that is in the right lane. The car suddenly slows or stops and the forward collision warning alarms sound. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This upsets everyone in the vehicle because it is so sudden that they are startled and frightened when the alarm sounds and the car abruptly brakes. My wife has asked me to not use the traffic-aware cruise control at all because of this problem. I have owned the car almost 9 months and my wife has not and will not drive it because of the this problem. It is also quite dangerous because a vehicle behind me would not be expecting me to slow down or stop when there is no apparent reason to do so and may crash into my car. I have not contacted Tesla because I have thought the problem would be fixed by now with a software update, but after a number of updates the problem persists. I know other Tesla owners are having the same problem. I will contact Tesla today.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449927February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Recently, at least it was noticed starting in Dec 2021, while driving on two lane highways under cruise control or self driving, the vehicle would brake hard at vehicles approaching in the opposite lane. Large trucks especially triggered the response. The braking response definitely put the safety of the occupants and following vehicles at risk. I have not taken it to a dealer or service center. There were no warning lamps, messages or any symptoms prior. I have stopped using those features while on two lane roads. I certainly am hoping for a software update to solve this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449907February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
When driving north on Highway 61 between St. Louis, MO and Hannibal, MO and using "autopilot" adaptive cruise control, the vehicle will slam on it's brakes even when nothing is on the road in front of it. It happens multiple times through the duration of this trip. It's absolutely terrifying, and I hope it doesn't ever take effect when vehicles are behind me. It's so scary that I've stopped using cruise control out of fear it will brake check for no reason and cause an accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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