Tesla Model 3 Complaints

2,178 consumer complaints on file.

#11472431July 5, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Recently, while traveling on the freeway with light traffic conditions (no cars near me to the front, sides or rear -- possibly no cars even visible) the car automatically applied the brakes causing the speed to drop by more than 30 miles an hour. This happened three times over the course of two minutes, with one of the incidences being particularly severe (throwing me forward in my seat as the brakes were applied). Had a car been behind me, I'm sure I would have been rear-ended. At the time, the weather was clear, and the time was near noon, putting the sun nearly overhead. I did not detect any shadows or unusual road patterns at the time of the incidences, nor was I near any overpasses. At the time of the incidents, the car had its "traffic aware" cruise control engaged with the lane following feature active. Later that same day I experienced a similar incident with heavy, unexpected braking (same freeway, now heading in the opposite direction, about one hour from sunset), with traffic aware cruise control engaged but without lane following engaged. I have experienced milder versions of unnecessary automatic braking about 6 times. They were annoying, but not a safety issue. In at least one of the incidences described above, the braking was so severe, I do think it could have gotten me killed if a vehicle had been close behind me. I'm now afraid to use the feature in moderate traffic, which is a shame, because it is in under exactly that circumstance that the feature is most useful.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472383July 5, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Driving on I8 between San Diego and Phoenix with no obstacles or vehicles around with cruise control on, vehicle was brake hard for no apparent reason. This happened multiple times. Disabled it as we were concerned we would get rear ended.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472284July 4, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I engaged cruise control on my 2022 Tesla model 3 at 70 mph while traveling on flat level terrain, and after about 1 to 2 miles in cruise, braking automatically occurred slowing my speed down to 50 mph in less than 2 seconds. I've read that this is considered phantom braking which is considered common on the newer 2022 Tesla model 3. There were no warning signals and no visible objects on the road, and the time of day was about 4:30 pm. I took the vehicle to the dealership for another issue, but they didn't have time to take it for a test drive. I was thrown forward in my seat when the incident occurred, and fortunately there were no other drivers immediately behind me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472168July 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
When driving using cruise control on highway, car suddenly applied brakes with no other vehicles or obstructions present ahead or beside us. Car went from 80mph to 60mph. Had there been a car behind us, there may have been a rear-end accident
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472111July 2, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While the car is in Auto Cruise control, especially in the 72 mph and above range, the brakes engage for no reason. This happens repeatedly on long travel days. There is no notice of the slowdown. It can be abruptly and be extreme. The accelerator has to be used to disengaged the braking. We see it called phantom braking. It certainly is not safe.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472038July 1, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
While driving on a two lane road, I was utilizing Tesla Autopilot to maintain speed and keep the vehicle centered in the lane at 60mph when the vehicle slammed on the brakes for no apparent reason. No error messages, beeps or chimes went off to indicate to me why it was slowing down very quickly. I have had this happen several times in my first 3 months of owning this vehicle and there have been times that the car has slammed on the brakes when another vehicle was following closely which could have resulted in me getting rear-ended. Tesla Autopilot can be extremely helpful, but at the same time it is not reliable and may result in an accident at some point.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471987July 1, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Numerous times, my Tesla Model 3 has randomly slammed on the brakes or rapidly reduced its speed while on Autopilot. This has happened several times even when driving on flat level ground and no vehicles around me nor was there any debris in the road. It has also happened numerous times within several minutes while on the same flat road. The car also has a tendency to brake or turn off Autopilot when coming up to a hill that it seems to interpret as a car or object in the road. This can be very jolting and scary and if you aren’t ready on the accelerator pedal to speed back up there is a very real chance to get rear-ended.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471920June 30, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I was on auto pilot and cruising at 75 mph and car breaks automatically without any car in front of it(Phantom Breaking)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471825June 30, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at high speeds with the cruise control engaged, the Forward Collision-Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking System engaged without warning. The local dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471714June 30, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Car brakes while using adaptive speed control. In one incident the car was traveling at 71 miles per hour and braked to 25 mph. In other situations the car braked by at least 5 mph, on some situations this happened while speed control was engaged and I was traveling at 50 mph or less. In all these situations, there was not another vehicle in front of me that posed an immediate threat of collision. The adaptive self dimming headlights do not work properly while driving at night. Lights do not always dim for approaching vehicles or when approaching another vehicle from behind. On some occasions the bright lights engage when approaching other vehicles OR dim when not approaching another vehicle. Other times the light repeatedly switch from bright to dim when following other vehicles. I reported these issues to TESLA. The response was that their engineers are aware of the problenms and it is related to a firmware update and that will be coming. I worry about being struck from behind when the brake suddenly engages. I also worry that the headlight situation can cause a crash by blinding drivers.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471563June 29, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH with the self-driving feature activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there were no other vehicles nearby in the lane. Additionally, the contact was unaware of any shadows or anything else in the lane. The contact stated that the vehicle slowed down and then resumed a higher speed. The contact stated that he disengaged the self-driving feature and manually drove the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that he attempted to notify the manufacturer thru the vehicle App but was unable to leave a full detailed report. The approximate failure mileage was 10,445.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471367June 28, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
We are on a trip from California to Indiana and have had 9 instances so far of the car suddenly stopping while the cruise control is on. The last incident we are doing 75 mph and car stopped suddenly and car following us almost hit us and driver was pissed to the extent of road rage. This needs to be addressed!!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471333June 28, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Taking two 300+ mile trips, last Friday (June 24)and yesterday Monday (June 27), while on Auto Pilot with the cruise at either 80 or 85, the car had multiple phantom braking issues. The car would decelerate between 10-20 miles instantly with no obstacles or other cars around. This happened at least 10 times total with both trips. So much so that I have no confidence in using this feature again. It's horrifying when it happens.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471249June 27, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
At least 6 times on a trip today the traffic aware cruise control cut out and slowed the vehicle dramatically for absolutely no reason. If there was a vehicle close behind me, there would likely have been a collision. The weather was clear with no vehicles remotely close to me. About 1/2 the incidents were on a two lane road in the California desert. Other dramatic events were on interstate highway when my vehicle had just passed an off-ramp, I was in the right hand lane. Tesla has been notified via a bug report each time it happened. Tesla is aware of the problem and says we don't need to take the vehicle to a service center.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471110June 27, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Phantom braking at interstate speeds when vehicle was in autosteer. On a recent 600+ mile day trip I experienced 5 separate instances of instant phantom braking when the car was travelling between 70 and 75mph with autosteer on. The car would brake violently from 70mph to around 50mph in milliseconds without any observable obstacles and no visual or audible warnings from the car. The driver notification log does not show any instance of the event.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471056June 26, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
while driving from Arlington, VA to Haymarket, VA on Interstate 66, i was using Tesla Autopilot (adaptive cruise control) and experienced several instances of sudden braking for no obvious reason. Depending on the location, the car braked suddenly, without any warning, from 65 MPH to 42 MPH, again from 65 to 45, 65 to 38, and 65 to 49. In each case, I was driving in the right lane (of 4 lanes). In these cases, the cars in front of me were a long distance away, perhaps a quarter of a mile. There were no cars in the lane adjacent to me. The braking was sudden and severe, dropping form 65 to 42 in one second. This was both scary and dangerous. Twice there was a car behind me, following at a safe distance that had to swerve out of the right lane to avoid an accident. During this same drive, there were 2 other instances of braking that appeared to be correct: once while driving under an overpass and once in an area of construction where the extreme right part of my lane has a raised section that caused the car to tilt significantly. These 2 instances were what I would have expected.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471015June 26, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I’ve only had my car for 2 days and have had 6-7 phantom braking issues. First day I was driving home from KC, MO after picking up my new car. 4 random stops with the brakes. Some as we approach a (under) bridge, some the top of a hill. Is it falsely detecting radiant heat as an object? Second day same thing, but on new software update (6-25-22). Shorter trip, so fewer incidents. I recall one where no cars were in from of us and there was some asphalt patches on concrete highway. This triggered emergency brakes again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11470998June 26, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I was driving on the Interstate in Montana I-90 at 75 MPH using the adaptive cruise control when suddenly the car began full braking nearly resulting in my loss of control of the vehicle. I noticed no warning sounds or lights. Fortunately, there was no one immediately behind me or the car would have been rear-ended. It happened when the road was curving to the left and there was a tractor-trailer parked in the right breakdown lane. I suspect the car’s adaptive program assumed the parked truck was stopped on the road in front of me and applied the brakes.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11470996June 26, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
My car continues to slam on the brakes completely at random while using cruise control. This is unsafe because it could easily cause a collision from the vehicle behind me. It also causes road rage because people think I am brake-checking them. Someone waved a gun at me after my car braked randomly in front of them on interstate 10 in Phoenix. Tesla service center says this is currently normal behavior for Teslas without radar and nothing can be done. They offered troubleshooting options which I tried, but there has been no change. My car has no warning lights present.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11470993June 25, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, WHEELS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
While backing out of my garage the car accelerated uncontrollably and climbed the curb of my driveway. I tried braking without any success. A message saying, to the best of my recollection, "Automatic Braking Disabled" appeared on the dashboard. After climbing the curb the vehicle came to a stop and "Hazard Lights" came on. There were less than 50 miles on the odometer at this time. After waiting for a few minutes I gently pulled the car off the curb and slowly drove it back into the garage. I discovered broken lug nut and what appeared to be its casing lying in the driveway. Tesla Service Center sent tow-truck to tow the vehicle away to its service center. I handed over the broken lug nut and and its casing to the Tesla Tow-Truck Person. While towing my car suffered even more damage as the passenger side front wheel became almost horizontal and it considerably damaged the front bumper. The photos of all these are uploaded with this incident report.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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