Tesla Model 3 Complaints

2,178 consumer complaints on file.

#11469862June 17, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle suddenly braked randomly while using cruise control. This happened many times driving from Colorado Springs to Albuquerque on I25. No identifiable cause or roadside hazard. It would brake slow down in a dangerous rapid manner. Cars behind had to avoid hitting us. It became so bad I had to stop using cruise control for the majority of the trip. It is unsafe and scary.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469703June 17, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Got in vehicle in driveway and upon turning on there was a large thump in rear of vehicle, proceeded by a message to pull over safety indicating rear drive unit failure. Tesla replaced the rear inverter unit. Vehicle only had 3k miles. Similar experience have been documented globally see attached article https://www.autoevolution.com/news/tesla-recall-for-127785-model-3s-in-china-due-to-rear-motor-inverter-defect-185844.html
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469565June 16, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The car has been phantom braking when in cruise control and auto pilot for no reason. This has happened multiple times where it throws the driver into the dash, and it brakes hard. This can cause an accident on the roadways and also the driver if throwing the driver into the dash. This has been going on since we have gotten the brand new car earlier this year. There have been multiple updates to the car but none of the updates have not resolved the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469457June 15, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Phantom Braking. Both in Cruise Control and Auto Pilot (I do not have self driving). The car brakes suddenly for no apparent reason. Often it is to a full complete stop very quickly, occasionally it is a half stop. I have documented occurrences, honked so that the vehicle has a computer recording and I have taken it to the dealership in Las Vegas Nevada where I purchased it. They worked on it for several hours (2/7/22) and said it is nothing physical, must be a computer issue, they will let me know when they have a fix for it. They gave me a number to text to see if there are updates. I texted regularly, only got one response, and it said "that's the way the car is designed to work". No. It feels like it is only a matter of time before someone rear ends me. So no using cruise control, which I paid for and they won't fix. It has happens since the day we brought it home, and at all speeds
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469405June 15, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Using Tesla Autopilot April 13 and April 15 on CA 395 between Los Angeles and Mammoth Lakes the car repeatedly had "phantom braking" incidents with no cars or obstacles in sight.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469391June 15, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
During a recent road trip to another state, Auto Pilot was engaged and the emergency braking system forced the car quickly to a stop on many occasions. To the human eye, there should have been no reason for the brakes to engage. Luckily no one collided with us, but the Auto Pilot system is not to be trusted. The incidents mostly occurred on two-lane roads, however, noticeable hesitation was evident many times during freeway cruising. Tesla repair will not review my case because I don’t have a specific time(s) of incident and they will not tell me how to properly log this information into the car’s software when an incident does occur. I feel helpless and am very nervous to take this car on a trip.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469304June 15, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Was traveling on auto-pilot on an uncrowded 2-lane highway, 1 lane in either direction, about 65-70 mph. Car suddenly braked quite drastically for no apparent reason except that perhaps there was a truck in the distance. However, the car had "seen" plenty of trucks before and after and didn't respond in this way. Note that this happened 3 times, possibly 4, on 2 separate days, and only on AUTOPILOT. Note also that the autopilot was functioning as a cruise control because I had 2 hands on the wheel and was not really allowing autopilot to steer. I stopped using autopilot after that.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469272June 14, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Two separate times today the car automatically braked hard when there was nothing in front, nor around us, when we were using cruise control.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469224June 14, 2022
ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Driving on freeway, very little traffic, no cars near me. Speed 73 mph. Sudden loss of power, coasting to stop making a lane change and seeking shoulder space. At about 30 mph power was regained. Sudden loss of power. ( electric motor, motor controller, battery or software failure ) Difficult rapid maneuver to get to side of road. Dealer has made an appointment. Nor warning lamps or warning sounds. There was another incident 2 days earlier when the cruise control would not engage. Two trips no cruise control. yellow warning symbol with "Cruise control unavailable" Made an appointment with Tesla, they cancelled saying that the car did not do that, and my appointment cancelled. Tesla or vehicle software lies.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469095June 14, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES
While driving at approx 80 MPH along a major highway at approximately 11:30 PM, and while utilizing cruise control, my Tesla Model 3 applied brakes when no vehicle or object was around. My hands were on the wheel and I was focused on driving but the force of the braking caused passengers to move abruptly forward in their seat belts and startled me as the driver. The speed abruptly went from approx 80 down to below 60 MpH. This has happened multiple times. I contacted Tesla support and was told that this is a known issue called “phantom braking.” Since I have NOT used this feature and was told that there is currently not a fix or estimated software release.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468788June 11, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I had 2 phantom braking incidents one one trip today. The situation was similar- a car broken down on the shoulder. In both cases i slowed down and moved a bit left to give them room. I had cruise control on but as I braked, it came off. In both cases, once I passed the cars, the Tesla brakes hard. In one case I was almost rear ended by the guy behind me. In both cases, i was in full control of the car and was slowing down and giving way. The phantom braking occurred as I was abreast or past the hazard - in other words, too unnecessary and too late to help anyway. It scared the heck out of me - twice. The car is unsafe at any speed
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468770June 11, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES
When driving on the interstate this morning our Tesla suddenly and aggressively applied the brakes. This happened many times. There was absolutely nothing near us. These were empty stretches of highway, These incidents were jarring, both emotionally and physically. We were fortunate that there were no cars near us, especially behind us. This has happened before driving around town but it was less dramatic because our speed was slower than on the highway, We thought maybe we had to get used to the car, This is our first highway trip. We’ve been on the road for 3-4 hours and it has occurred 8 or 9 times. We called Tesla to report it. They said they rarely hear this complaint, upon researching it we see that this is a known issue with our year and model but nothing is being done. The research says you are “investigating”. Tesla owners need to be told that this issue is under investigation. I’m Sure it is hugely underreported. Will it take personal injuries to get some action? At the very least Tesla owners need to told to be aware and to report any incidences of this random extremely dangerous breaking out of the blue. I am requesting a personal reply to this concern and compliant: [XXX]@yahoo.com and [XXX]@gmail.com. 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
#11468746June 11, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I purchased and received my Tesla Model 3 earlier this year. On 6 occasions, while using Cruise Control, the car automatically and unexpectedly braked when there was not a car within a 100 meters in front of me in my car lane. The unnecessary and sudden automatic braking surprised the vehicles behind us which increased risk for a crash and also minor whiplash to the passengers in the car. The Tesla's incorrect breaking seemed to be tied to when the car mistakenly through there was a vehicle immediately in front of me. One example was when the Tesla automatically started breaking when the shadow of a big rig was in the same lane as me. To be clear, the big rig was in the lane to the right of me, but it's shadow was in my lane. Another example is when there was a darker spot on the road in front of me. Overall, this is a significant safety issue and must be fixed by Tesla. Thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468695June 10, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
On a trip to Northern California, I used the "traffic-aware cruise control", and there were several episodes of sudden hard braking for NO REASON. With no vehicle ahead for 20 car-lengths, no curves, no vehicles moving into our lane from the side, we had no clue to why this jarring experience occurred. I thought it might have been caused by gentle inclines in the road ahead, but there were plenty of these that did NOT cause this violent slam of the brakes. So, I dismissed that explanation. The final time it occurred, there was no incline, no impediments of any kind. Just a clear, flat lane ahead and no vehicle to the right, plus an unusually wide shoulder to the left. Not even a center divider wall or K-rail. The car is now scheduled to be taken to Tesla on June 29, but having obtained the appointment through the app, I have no way of knowing if I must leave the car overnight, if I can get a loaner, or even if they'll call me when it's done, assuming they can fix it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468644June 10, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I reported "phantom braking" to Tesla that occurred approximately 12 times on a 637 trip on June 4, I requested a service and Tesla responded on June 10 that it "performed remote diagnostic routines to check for any faults ..and found no faults. ...Phantom braking is a known characteristic of current firmware that Tesla is aware of and actively working to improve." The service technician sent me the following additional message: "I understand your frustration at the situation, I've personally owned a model 3 that experienced phantom braking as well. Our technicians in service cannot improve your situation for you at this time, this is a software issue that our engineers are actively working on improving. We are waiting for software updates to help mitigate this issue. These will be automatically sent to your vehicle when they are available." I maintain that it is a defect that affects the safety of the car whenever cruise control is used and that this defect was not disclosed to me at the time of purchase nor subsequently except after I requested service. The car hits the brakes without warning at highway speeds of 70-80 mph, this cannot be safe yet Tesla's Service message reply is "If the vehicle begins applying the brakes when you do not wish you may simply press the accelerator pedal to override the vehicle." I cannot understand why Tesla hasn't disabled this feature and communicated the issue and risk to the owners of these cars until it fixes its software so the car doesn't brake unexpectedly at highway speeds while using autopilot or adaptive cruise control.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468509June 9, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
On more than a dozen occasions, our Tesla model 3 while using traffic aware cruise control dramatically slowed down when no vehicles were around. This was mostly on two lane roads in the California desert. Some of the incidents were on 4 lane divided highway with no other vehicles around. Since the car slows so dramatically when the cruise control cuts out it is a very serious hazard if a vehicle was behind me. I have reported the problem to Tesla with no resolution. All I would like to have done is to give me the option to have a standard (non-traffic aware) option for the cruise control.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468412June 9, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was driving on the freeway, North on I-5 here in Washington State, approximately 60 to 65 mph, when in autopilot the car phantom braked for no reason. The breaking was very hard, and occurred in the passing lane; this could’ve easily caused an accident but luckily did not.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468321June 8, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While driving at 70 mph with adaptive cruise control engaged I experienced several instances of "phantom braking." The car braked hard all by itself with no driver input. This happened several times on June 2, 2022 and again on June 6, 2022.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468292June 8, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
When I am driving and using the cruise control (Tesla calls this Traffic Aware Cruise Control), the car will randomly brake while I am driving, sometimes very abruptly and hard, even though there is no obstacle, the road is clear, there is no weather, no danger, etc. There is no way to disable this "feature" if I do not like it so that I can use cruise control normally, the only solution is to drive it manually and not use cruise control. If somebody is behind me they almost run into me. I will provide a date below when this occured as requested, but it occurs EVERY SINGLE TIME I DRIVE THE CAR. Need to have an option to just have normal Cruise Control without the "Traffic Aware" portion. This is a REAL issue. I love my Tesla but I absolutely HATE this dangerous "feature" that DOES NOT WORK properly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468256June 8, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Driving like normal, using autopilot on the highway when I got an alert ‘Automatic Emergency Braking is disabled’, and the autopilot stopped working. Made a service appointment with tesla, but it’s scheduled for June 20, so thought this might help…
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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