Tesla Model 3 Complaints

2,178 consumer complaints on file.

#11474990July 20, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving approximately 8 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated and jumped the curb. The contact depressed the brakes pedal to the floorboard; however, the vehicle continued to accelerate and crashed into a wall where the vehicle came to a stop. There was no warning light illuminated. The seat belt was on and the driver's air bag deployed, however, the contact head hit the windshield, and it shattered. The air bag was not covering the contacts face completely. The police arrived on the scene and filed a report. There were injuries to the contact's left wrist, neck, hip, and back, and a fracture to the right foot. The contact started receiving medical treatment the same day. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The damage was to the front of the vehicle. The contact stated her personal phone was connected to Tesla, and an inoperative alert message illuminated. The manufacturer notified the contact at the time of the accident. The approximate failure mileage was 13,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11474918July 20, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
When driving at highway speeds on open roads with light traffic with the adaptive cruise control ON the car would severely brake at random. I have seen this referred to a "Phantom Braking" in other reports. This happens several times an hour and the brakes are severely applied automatically, reducing the speed from 70-80mph to 40-50mph before I can intervene by stepping on the accelerator pedal. It is a frightening experience and can throw the driver and passengers up against the seat belts. This is a critical safety issue because it can result in a rear end accident if a car is following too closely. I have not taken the vehicle for inspection yet but I see there are many reports of this same problem on social media and the NTSB has already opened an investigation on this problem. The vehicle is only a few weeks old and it became noticeable during a long distance open road trip through the open highways in Utah, Idaho and Nevada.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474754July 19, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The adaptive cruise control system consistently phantom brakes in situations where there is no traffic in front of the vehicle while cresting rolling hills. Sometimes this braking is relatively minor (<5 mph) while other times it is aggressive enough the passengers lurch forward. At the worst, this happened approximately 10 times in 30 miles while going the speed limit of 80mph.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474644July 19, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
My Tesla slowed from 70 to 50 on the freeway in under two seconds for no apparent reason while on autopilot. There was a concrete barrier a few feet away on the shoulder, which I had been driving next to for about a quarter mile before the incident. There was no other traffic within 50 yards of me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474626July 18, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Problems with phantom breaking while driving on the highways at speeds over 65mph. There will be no reason for breaking (I.e. the automatic breaking system picks up a truck driving on the opposite side of the road/direction and slams on the break aggressively) which can be a cause for a rear collision and whiplash for driver/passengers.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474596July 18, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
While driving on the highway with the "cruise control' on, the car automatically braked two times during my travels. No other cars were around me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474563July 18, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
Ever since I have had this car.....Dec 2021; phantom breaking is a real problem. I am just driving along with out autopilot on, it will slam on the brakes and I nearly got rear-ended numerous times. This has happen so many times that it is very frustrating. I reported this to you back months ago and nothing has been done. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS! WILL THIS EVER GET RESOLVED? [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474490July 18, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Phantom braking at highway speed nearly caused an accident. Happened several times over a 400 mile trip. Tesla's "Navigate on Autopilot" feature apparently confused other vehicles on the highway for hazards, and slammed on brakes, creating a collision risk for cars behind me. It also happened when the painted line on a highway ended and the road split. The car may have confused this for the road ending altogether, and it slammed on brakes while I was going at 65 mph. This is a new car (3 weeks old).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474357July 17, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While using Tesla adaptive cruise control on the Ohio Turnpike on a sunny day, the brakes engaged , causing the vehicle to slow quickly. There were no obvious obstructions, other vehicles, road conditions, or formations that should have caused the system to brake. There was a large green and white reflective road sign along the right side of the road. I was able to press the accelerator and return to speed. If I hadn't been able to return the car to speed quickly, a large truck behind me would have had to brake hard to avoid a collision.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474222July 16, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I engaged the cruise control while driving on the highway. I let go of the accelerator and it correctly kept the speed I had requested. It warned me that the car would not break. As the car passed another car (probably a police cruiser) that was parked in the ditch separating the two directions of the highway, the car suddenly applied the breaks and decelerated substantially. A pickup truck towing a trailer that was driving behind us was forced to swerve onto the right shoulder to avoid rear-ending our car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474215July 15, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Under Adaptive cruise control, the car slowed from 80mph to 55mph on the highway. There were no cars or objects in front of us. We tried to hit the "gas" pedal but the car would not let us override it. The car behind us came extremely close to us and flashed his lights at us. Bug report submitted to tesla. We were traveling downhill with a slight right curve.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474120July 15, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I'm looking for an update to the reported Tesla "phantom braking" issue when on Autopilot. We experienced this at least 5 times during an April 2022 road trip from SLC to Vegas, so bad we didn't feel comfortable enabling Autopilot (cruise control) on the drive home to SLC. This made for a very difficult 6 hour drive as Tesla's are very hard to keep a consistent speeding since they are so quiet/powerful...w/out some sort of auto speed regulation. I didn't know where to report this and was simply waiting for an over-the-air update for this to be addressed by Tesla and have seen none and no follow up news reports. I'm assuming this must be affecting 100's of thousands of Tesla owners.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474080July 15, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
May 29,2022, while I was parking in front of La Fittness in Escondido, Ca, I was in zero speed, adjusting my parking to make sure I was in right spot, suddenly car accelerated with unbelievable speed and struck the car located in the parking lane on the other side of my car which in turn struck another car and that car struck another car in front. I suspect the sudden unintended acceleration was due to a defect in the electronic system, thankfully no body got injured and the other cars involved in the accident were parked and unoccupied. I reported this problem on May 31, was promised Tesla will investigate the problems and report back to my within 3 to 4 weeks, after many follow up emails and phone calls, I have not received any response from Tesla, two cars was totaled and I am having nightmares since accident with no car, since we got solar to buy electric cars, nothing is available to buy right now.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474035July 15, 2022
SEAT BELTS, SEATS
When seat is wet or damp (from a wet water bottle or sweat), passenger restraint light comes on and system is confirmed to not work properly when that happens.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11474007July 14, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
"Phantom braking" occurred on multiple (30 or more) occasions while the adaptive cruise control was engaged. These phantom events happened during a long road trip across west Texas. These events seemed to occur whenever there were few or no cars visible in front of my vehicle and as I was cresting over small rises in the highway, meaning the brakes would engage just after the car reached the high point and started to descend slightly, perhaps because the cameras briefly lost visibility of the road and could not register any oncoming traffic. ALL of these events happened during daylight hours and, on more than one occasion, there were drivers traveling behind my car. Also, there is no way to engage the cruise control without also engaging the "adaptive" feature that uses the cameras to brake in case of emergency. This is a very dangerous flaw in the technology. It causes the passengers within the car to be lunged forward unexpectedly and is very unpredictable for drivers who are traveling behind the car. These phantom braking events most often occurred when the road was completely clear and visibility was at or close to 100%. Tesla needs to do better.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11473965July 14, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Hello, I purchased a Tesla Model 3 in March 2022. The car will randomly brake while on cruise control and the auto pilot on the highway , there is nothing on the road in front of me when this happens. I am very concerned that I may get into a car accident or cause others behind me to brake abruptly in response to my car resulting in potent accidents.I feel this is quite unsafe. The phantom breaking has happened multiple times. I am driving from Texas to NC where the cruise control is crucial but am worried about the braking problems. I have not had the opportunity to take it to the dealer yet about this problem. It’s unknown to me if the manufacturer inspected this component. There were no warning signs of any type prior to the phantom braking happen. Any insight or guidance you can provide would be appreciated. I appreciate you taking the time to read this. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Autopilot navigation and cruise control, yes it is available for inspection upon request How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Vehicles behind have to brake every time the phantom breaking happens putting everyone at unnecessary risk to avoid a crash. Again, there is no need for the sudden breaking when it occurs. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11473938July 14, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Since purchasing this vehicle new, I have experienced no less than 40 different incidents of Phantom Braking where, while using Tesla's adaptive cruise control (and ONLY adaptive cruise control), my car has suddenly and violently applied the brakes while traveling at highway speeds (between 65-75 mph) on interstate highways where there were no obstructions or other vehicles that posed any risk. I have extensive experience driving other (non-Tesla) vehicles with adaptive cruise control, so I understand some of the potential limits regarding when radar/cameras might mistake an obstruction or a gap in observations for something that would require braking, but that is not what is happening with my current Tesla. Instead, on wide-open interstates, with no other cars for hundreds of yards around me, the vehicle with suddenly violently apply brakes, forcing me to have to take protective and corrective actions to avoid swerving or becoming a hazard to other vehicles, all of which are also driving at highway speeds. I have NOT had a crash due to this, but the sudden braking and deceleration has forced other cars around me to have to suddenly brake and swerve.This has happened about 10 times on EACH of the following dates, each of which was a one-day leg of a drive anywhere from 500-800 miles: (5/26/2022, 5/30/2022, 7/1/2022, and 7/5/2022). I am just going to add one of these dates below, but I am happy to be contacted to provide more details.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11473804July 14, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
While driving in Highway, Interstate or Freeway with cruise control enabled with or without autopilot the car suddenly breaks for no reason. It is a clear phantom break. It happened many times in different occasions even on the I40 with no car around in the middle of the Desert. In a couple of times a big truck was following and I was almost rear ended because this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11473709July 13, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The autopilot feature suddenly braked without any alerts (visual or audio.) This happened multiple times (about 10-15) on a two thousand mile road trip. The phantom braking occurred only at high speeds on expressways. It seemed to occur more frequently when driving up a hill. It may also have been triggered by shadows. It created a dangerous driving environment in that the speed decreased drastically without warning for the Driver as well as other drivers on the road.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11473584July 12, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Car breaks heavily without warning or cause. No cars in front view yet applies breaks like avoiding an accident. Almost caused me to get rear ended multiple times.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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