Tesla Model 3 Complaints

2,178 consumer complaints on file.

#11450169February 3, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
When driving at low speeds (below35) we have had 2 instances of the car braking with no obstacles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450166February 3, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
When using the adaptive cruise control on the vehicle, which is the only cruise control there is, the car will often brake hard for no reason, or inappropriate reasons. This most recent incident was a two lane highway (one lane each direction) where oncoming cars who were in their lane would cause the car to think a collision was imminent, start beeping, and brake hard. Another incident appeared to brake for shadows, but I am unsure! Overall the experience, and experiences of many other Tesla owners facing similar problems has caused me to just be unable to use cruise control at all as I fear it could cause an accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#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
#11450145February 3, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
When using cruise control (TACC) with or without using lane centering (Autosteer), my vehicle will often brake suddenly (and harshly) for no reason at all. It's worse on undivided highways (with no median). I've noticed the phantom braking occurs most often when an oncoming tall vehicle (18-wheeler, RV/motor home) approaches, or I approach an underpass, or I approach a large shadow on the road (from a building or large tree). During a 90-mile trip last weekend, my car phantom braked almost a dozen times, sometimes severely. Fortunately, no one was following close to me. I feel this is a safety hazard and should be fixed.
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
#11450109February 3, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Cruise control is completely unusable on two lane roads. Automatic braking ensues every single time a car is in the opposite lane. Sometimes it only slows 5-10 mph but other times the car gives the warning for an imminent collision and tries to brake to zero. This is exceedingly dangerous on the highway when other cars are behind me. It generally functions fairly well on the interstate but it does happen occasionally there as well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450093February 3, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Vehicle frequently brakes hard to prevent a collision with an object that does not exist. Also known as phantom breaking that is a commonly known issues with Teslas autopilot.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450090February 3, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING:SOFTWARE
I was driving on a two lane road using auto pilot. I was going 55mph when all of a sudden my car slammed on the brakes down to 32mph as a school bus approached us. There was no reason to brake. The school bus never entered my lane. If a car had been following me closely I would have been rear ended for a system malfunction. Very scary.
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
#11450076February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
On multiple occasions, my car has slammed on the brakes while using adaptive cruise control when nothing is in front of my car. It’s concerning because drivers behind me have almost rear-ended me and have gotten road rage at me because they think that I am brake checking them.
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
#11450057February 2, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The vehicle is having a very serious problem with phantom braking whenever the cruise control is engaged. The problem occurs randomly regardless of road conditions or traffic conditions. While driving at any speed with cruise control engaged the car with randomly brake hard and sound an alert. The road has always been clear of obstructions and debris. It will also engage braking abruptly when a large truck or bus is coming towards me in the opposite lane on a two lane road. At first I thought it was an anomaly. But now after 3400 miles of ownership I fear for my safety while driving because of the conduction. To the point that I have stopped using the cruise control and auto pilot because of the issue. Considering that autopilot was one of the main reasons for me to purchase the vehicle, it seems like I have been missled and sold a vehicle that is unsafe for public roads.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450054February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
While driving on an undivided highway at night using either traffic aware cruise control or autosteer, about every minute the car would aggressively decelerate up to 15mph. Every time a car would pass in the other direction, the deceleration would be abrupt and would slow to ~10mph below the speed limit. This occurred at least 3 times within a ~7 minute window. The road was straight, unlit, with a 50mph speed limit, and was sufficiently wide to safely pass oncoming cars. Random deceleration with no oncoming cars would be less severe but frequent. I contacted Tesla about this and they confirmed these occurrences but stated it was in response to a curve in the road or a vehicle being detected. They claimed the system performed appropriately. Despite being alert, these decelerations are startling in the absence of visible explanation to the driver. If I was being tailgated, a rear end collision would have been highly probable. I owned a 2018 Tesla Model 3 and have driven the same road at night and never experienced this.
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

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