Car suddenly braked hard while driving 60mph on a highway nearly causing me to get rear ended. No clear indications as to why it braked.
2019 Tesla Model 3 complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2019 record →
My friend was driving the vehicle (a 2019 Tesla Model 3) while it was engaged in Full Self-Driving Beta 10.12.2 mode. Whilst travelling at 24mph the FSD informs the driver to “avoid traffic cones” and brakes to 12mph for no apparent reason . The video of the incident clearly shows there were no traffic cones to avoid. The vehicle automatically disengages from FSD mode whilst crossing an intersection, creating a hazard for other road users. A link to the clip of the incident can be found below: https://vimeo.com/730258398/e0f8b28291
My friend was driving the vehicle (a 2019 Tesla Model 3) while it was engaged in Full Self-Driving Beta 10.12.2 mode. Whilst travelling at 30 mph the vehicle leaves its lane and swerves across a solid white line into the clearly marked bicycle lane. The speed of the vehicle remained at 30mph. The vehicle then returns to the correct lane, though the incident could have been incredibly dangerous if there was a cyclist in that lane. A link to a clip of the incident can be found below: https://vimeo.com/730261900/e4357f500c
My friend was driving the vehicle (a 2019 Tesla Model 3) while it was engaged in Full Self-Driving Beta 10.12.2 mode. The vehicle approached a stop sign ahead of a single lane bridge at 14 mph. The vehicle braked and left the road coming to a halt on a private driveway. In FSD mode the vehicle attempted to approach a metal gate. The driver had to disengage FSD mode to safely manoeuvre the vehicle. A link to the clip of the incident can be found below: https://vimeo.com/730266676/f170446e7d
My friend was driving the vehicle (a 2019 Tesla Model 3) while it was engaged in Full Self-Driving Beta 10.12.2 mode. The Tesla fails to slow down when approaching a curve in the road resulting in taking the corner far too quickly, despite the fact that there is a sign by the road warning drivers to slow down to 15mph. Tesla also failed to recognise the change in speed limit due to a blind turn in the road approaching, the car continued to go at a rapid speed (30mph) and even turned left when the road curved toward the right, leading to the driver taking control to steer the car back on path. During the turn, the Tesla was engaged in FSD Beta 10.12.2 and crossed the dividing line into the opposite lane. If another vehicle was approaching this incident would have resulted in a collision as the Tesla strayed into the path of oncoming traffic. A link to a clip of the incident can be found below: https://vimeo.com/730269602/ae8bd9f3b1
My friend was driving the vehicle (a 2019 Tesla Model 3) while it was engaged in Full Self-Driving Beta 10.12.2 mode. The vehicle was negotiating a series of bends and sharp corners travelling at speeds between 11 mph and 34 mph. The vehicle failed to respond to changes in the speed advice signs telling the car to slow down for sharp corners, taking corners too fast, and crossing the median line into the oncoming lane. The driver had to take action to adjust the lane position of the vehicle to avoid a collision. A link to a clip of the incident can be found below: https://vimeo.com/730270943/1bdcab7a7a
My friend was driving the car (a 2019 Tesla Model 3) while it was engaged in Full Self-Driving Beta 10.12.2 mode. The Tesla attempted to cut across the freeway while merging from the on-ramp. The auto-steer function attempted to drive perpendicular to the on-ramp and cross the lanes on the freeway, forcing the driver to disengage Full Self-Driving mode to avoid a collision with high-speed traffic approaching from the rear. The extremely dangerous event was recorded by using a GoPro camera, and a link to a video of the incident can be found below: https://vimeo.com/729927123/a5cd8eeb15 The car was originally positioned in the wrong lane of the on-ramp, and then suddenly lurched to the left while making the right-hand turn to merge with the freeway. With traffic approaching at such a high speed, the sudden movement into the middle of the freeway was highly dangerous and the FSD Beta 10.12.2 did not give the driver much time to react.
My friend was driving my car (a Tesla Model 3) at the time of this incident. At the time of the incident the Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Beta system (version 10.12.2) was active. The Tesla fails to slow down when approaching a series of sharp bends in the road resulting in taking the first corner far too quickly. The posted speed limit according to the sign was 15 mph, however, the Tesla was travelling at approximately 30mph, double the posted speed limit. The Tesla therefore drives into the turn too widely and tries to steer into the oncoming traffic lane, forcing the driver to intervene quickly to correct the manoeuvre and reposition the car back into the lane. During the entire incident, the car was travelling, autonomously, at 25mph. Please see below a link to a short video showing this incident: https://vimeo.com/720341558/004264b711
My friend was driving my Tesla Model 3 while Full Self-Driving Beta 10.12.2 was engaged. The Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta software caused the car to stop at right turn onto highway on ramp and hesitated whilst it waited for traffic to pass, causing a queue of cars behind it and frustrated drivers honking their horns. The Tesla could have taken the turn into the right hand lane and merged ahead. Instead, it pulled out into the turn lane while traffic was passing and had to steer around the Tesla to avoid colliding with it. Please find a link to the clip of the incident below: https://vimeo.com/729932395/315ccb9ffb
My friend was driving the vehicle (a 2019 Tesla Model 3) while it was engaged in Full Self-Driving Beta 10.12.2 mode. The vehicle was travelling at 21mph approaching a railroad crossing in moderate to busy traffic. The crossing was open. The Tesla slowed quickly to 7 mph for no reason. The driver had to take control of the vehicle in order to maintain progress and not cause a hazard to other road users. A link to the incident can be found below: https://vimeo.com/729934579/b3e3d6438a
My friend was driving the vehicle (a 2019 Tesla Model 3) while it was engaged in Full Self-Driving Beta 10.12.2 mode. The Tesla was in traffic waiting to turn left at an intersection. As the vehicle made the turn it decelerated from 18mph to 10mph at a secondary red light - for no reason. The driver had to take control of the vehicle in order to maintain progress and not cause a hazard to other road users. A link to the clip of the incident can be found below: https://vimeo.com/729935224/032493c7fd
I was driving with my 5 yo in a car. We had to swerve to miss a truck pulling out in front of us, and when we swerved slightly, the systems of the car shut down. I could not drive the car to get us out of the middle of the road, but I also could not put the car into park. In order to prevent the car from rolling down the hill with my daughter and I inside, I had to keep my foot on the break. The emergency flashers also did not work, so there was a material risk of being rear ended. The AC also stopped working. It was 100+ degrees outside. The doors and windows did not work, so we were trapped in a hot car, in the middle of the road, without emergency flashers. Tesla Roadside refused to come. They also refused to help me because the car was in my husband's name. My 5 yo daughter and I could have died either of suffocation or by collision.
I was coming out of the park and getting on the main road, when the Tesla accelerated without warning in huge burst of speed. I don't use AutoPilot. I had to drive the car out of the road to avoid the incoming traffic and the Tesla hit a tree and a parked car. Then it came to a stop. Then the airbags also failed to deploy. I reported to the police .
When heavy down rain falls and the streets start to collect water of 1-2 or more the uderbody skid plates with collect water and the body panels fasteners will fail and the skid plate tears. This has happed twice since I've owned the car. This last time happed last week when a heavy rain came through. I'm now over my warranty but the problem keeps happening. Tesla has a bulletin specifically for this dated September 19, 2019 address this problem. Tesla TSB SB-19-12-00. Tesla service in Austin, TX is denying my car a replacement skid pad since I'm at 55,000 miles, just 5K past my warrenty. Even though they know this part will fail if the car happens to go through enough water from a heavy rain. If this part is not replaced water can then get into the rear bumpers and then cause them to be ripped off which could then cause an accident if this were to happen at hwy speeds.
Frontal head-on collision - I went too fast while making a left turn (at least 50mph) - vehicle drifted and I lost control and it hit a lamp post - damage was pretty severe in front left drivers side of car but airbag never deployed
The rearview camera of the Tesla Model 3 is defective and it will lead to an incident since I rely on it when going in reverse. Tesla issue a recall letter in February 2022 but has not provided an update or dates as to when the solid core coaxial able will be replaced. If you can put pressure on Tesla to replace this part ASAP before someone gets hurt.
Squeaking suspension not allowing for a safe drive.
I'm submitting this because my safety recall NHTSA # 21V-00D which was sent to me on Feb 15, 2022 has not been serviced in a timely manner by Tesla. The letter I got stated that they would either replace the harness, or install a guide protector for the rearview camera. However they have done neither. When I call them about it, they tell me "everything is fine, there are no repairs available for your car, just keep using it as normal". When I told them that what they were telling me disagreed with the recall notice, they told me to "ignore the recall notice".
I was driving on Tesla “autopilot” and instead of noticing the exit from freeway , the car thought it was still on freeway as it had to take the next exit, it just on full speed went into the exit, it did not break or slow down and just before the sharp exit turn on 65 mph it just disengaged autopilot with message “system error “ luckily I was aware and was able to avoid a major crash . If I was a second late, the car would have gone through the road barrier. I’m sure if I had a crash Tesla would find reasons to blame me for the crash even though it was its software. Autopilot is junk piece of software with little regards to customer safety. I am not sure how something like this is even allowed to be sold and used on public roads
The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the Forward Collision-Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking was disabled independently. The contact stated that the Forward Collision-Avoidance warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to work safely. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,050.
The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in reverse, the Back Over Protection camera failed to display an image on the screen. The contact stated that he received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention) several months ago. The dealer was contacted and stated that the parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to call the NHTSA to file a complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Phantom braking. During Basic autopilot (steering, braking in one lane) at times system applies brakes for no reason, which could cause rear-end collision with the following car. Usually happens at freeway speeds, with NO cars around the vehicle and the road is unevenly sightly with small grades or going past the crest of a large grade roadway happens when the vehicle peaks grade and descends down.
Car will break "phantom breaking" slowing down +20mph very quickly with nothing on the highway in front or behind. It typically happens before bridges, major shadows on highway. There are 2 places in Little Rock Arkansas on the highway that it does it every single day in the same spot with nothing around! Has nearly caused people to crash into me from behind. I stopped driving with the autopilot.
Sudden braking / deceleration while on adaptive cruise control. Has been happening frequently on I66 east between Haymarket and Rte 28, often at same locations. No visible hazards and often no other cars immediately in front of vehicle. Vehicle has "Autopilot," not full-self-driving. Has been happening for more than two years.
My car brakes for no apparent reason consistently in the same location every time. What has been described as “phantom braking”. When I hit two spots on I5 northbound near the berkley exit. The set max speed of my cruise control will suddenly drop and the vehicle will brake. The speed then adjusts up to the prior setting and the vehicle will return to normal. This in total lasts about 5 seconds but results in dangerous braking.
While in Tesla’s auto pilot mode, the vehicle breaks for no particular reason. This is particularly very dangerous while going 70 mph and someone is following in close proximity. I have gotten side eyes and hand gestures from fellow motorists, I presume it is due to them thinking I break checked but I am very defensive driver and I would not put anyone at risks for any reason. I got rear ended back in 2019 in slow speed but do attribute this to Tesla sudden breaking issue. I have since stop auto auto pilot in regular basis. I do use auto pilot once here and there often in light traffic.
Multiple occurrences of phantom braking while at highway speed and using Autopilot (I do not have FSD). In most cases, there is another car (on either side next to me) and a 3rd car is coming up from behind at a high rate of speed. The 3rd car then cuts across to the open lane and as that's happening, my car suddenly/abruptly applies emergency braking and I instinctually apply throttle to keep the car moving forward. I have submitted bug reports to Tesla at the time of each incident.
Autopilot break the car for no reason on highways and high speed. Always happen on I-5 at Anaheim, CA to Los Angeles, CA area.
When I drive under bridges during the daytime, the vehicle will alert and in many cases brake the car. Can be very repeatable in my experience on my commute. Has happened on nearly every single different software version I had on the car over the last several years. Used to always report the 'bug' to tesla but they never did anything about it
On several occasions in the past 2 months, the display on my Tesla mode 3 has gone blank while driving. One on occasion, the display which is the only source of your driving speed info went blank during a rain storm at night. At the same time, the vehicle also lost its auto wipers and turn signals. This made driving very unsafe . I was on a highway in a long construction zone with no way to pull off the highway.It was several minutes before the screen rebooted and returned to normal. I have attempted to have Tesla correct this problem but they have told me that I must provide them with the exact time and date this occurs as they cannot go through lines of code to diagnose the issue. Blanking displays is a known issue. The service person I communicated with would not provide me with their phone number to discuss his dangerous issue. The advised me that without me telling them exactly when this happened they would not attempt a resolution. Help !!
This is a sudden unintended acceleration accident. I was driving into a hotel parking lot. I turned right at less than 5 mph for about 15 feet and then made another right. Suddenly, the car accelerated at very high speed. I was able to steer but can't stop the car until 200 yards after I made a turn into the bushes and knock down a tree. At about 50 yards the vehicle also banged into three parked cards.
NHTSA Recall No: 21V-00D My vehicle has been affected and suffering from the defect noted by the NHTSA. For approximately five months I have unsuccessfully attempted to have the defective condition repaired to no avail. Most recently the vehicle was taken to a Tesla Service Center to have to recall performed, however upon arrival I was informed that the parts were not available and the service center informed me incorrectly that the the parts were available. Specifically, the service center advised they did not have a grommet to complete the repair and would not repair the vehicle without the grommet. I was informed that although the service center had the rear camera coaxial cable in stock, which would have repaired the defect the service center would not perform the repair without the rubber grommet as well. Upon being informed the repair would not be completed as previously promised, I requested the alternative repair be performed for safety reasons to prevent the intermittent problem becoming permeant. I requested the "guide protector" be installed as a temporary solution to the rear camera ceasing to function for days at a time after I open and close the trunk. The alternative repair is described at: https://www.tesla.com/support/model-3-trunk-lid-harness-retrofit "How will Tesla repair my car and how long will it take? At no cost to you, Tesla Service will inspect the trunk harness on affected vehicles for wear. If the amount of wear is within the specification for the
No timely remedy provided for recall 21V-00D. The recall was initiated in December, six months later the manufacturer has no resolution.
A Tesla model 3 was eastbound on a two-lane roadway at approximately 7:20am local time. A westbound school bus slowed, and activated its amber warning lights, followed by the red stop lights and driver side stop sign. The Tesla, proceeded through the traffic control devices of the school bus while the bus was accepting child passengers. It was evident that the "driver" of the model 3 had full self-driving mode engaged, and was not fully paying attention to the road as he was clearly interacting with his smart phone, held at steering wheel height. The Tesla FSD system clearly failed to appropriately stop and wait for the school bus traffic controls. Had the students needed to cross the highway (instead of only boarding from the shoulder) a serious vehicle/pedestrian incident could have resulted. NOTE: Model 3 was NOT my vehicle - This form is flawed that it makes the assumption that the reporting party is the owner of the vehicle.
Received an alert through the Tesla App that my car alarm was going off. When I stepped outside my house I saw smoke coming out of the windows. I opened the rear passenger door and saw the floor on fire. I went inside and called the fire department. By the time they arrived the entire car had been destroyed.
Firstly, I have 2 recalls on my vehicle which I have reached out to Tesla to repair. Their response was that if it's not a problem now, they won't fix it. If the cable/monitor loses function, I am asked to contact them. In regard to the 2nd recall, they said that they will fix it up with a recent update. No further action needed. My concern and current complaint is my back left/driver's side quarter/corner glass shattered spontaneously. This is after I closed the trunk and pushed back the backseat upright (which was pushed down probably from closing the trunk). Within 30-60 seconds of being in the car, the whole class corner panel shattered. The car was parked (in 50* degree weather) for 4 hours while I had dinner and watched a movie. I was inside the car when the spontaneous shattering occurred on 05/10/2022 @ approximately 9:00pm. There was no internal or external force, the car was parked, and I was inside when the whole situation happened. I was beside myself how it just shattered and how lucky I was not to have kids or anyone in that backseat behind me next to the shattered window. This is unacceptable to have defective and poor quality controlled glass/workmanship. I don't expect to close my car door and have my window shattered or close the trunk and have the windshield explode. This needs to be investigated so no one would actually get hurt. I am lucky that I had no one in the car and the vehicle wasn't moving but I can't imagine if others would be so lucky. I called
This is a safety report on the poor function of the rearview camera and is for two issues that both hinder the ability to safely back up utilizing the camera display. The first issue is in regard to the delayed display of video on the screen compared to reality. The display always is delayed by a noticeable margin. Reacting to what is on the screen _now_ is often the wrong reaction, as the real position of the car has changed from what is displayed. While this delay still results in a smooth video an estimated 80% of the time, there are times when the screen freezes for a second or two, making it more likely for an accidental crash due to non-current video being displayed. The second issue is in regard to the quality of the video displayed on the screen in what Tesla calls "low light" conditions. The video is grainy, with vertical lines obfuscating what is displayed on the screen. After numerous reports of this to Tesla over the time of my ownership, the always reply saying it is normal. If backing up in nighttime conditions, the screen may not adequately display surroundings due to Tesla's known inability to fix the display when it is not daylight. As reference, this happens even backing into my own garage during the daytime hours, when I can see perfectly well myself. I would not consider this low light condition. Tesla has refused to fix this issue, and instead insists it is expected behavior and offered to explain it to me further, rather than resolving the issue. They se
The traffic-aware cruise control frequently brakes hard at high speeds (70-80mph). It will brake for no reason, bringing the car's speed from 80mph to 30mph in a few seconds. This happens about 3 times an hour. If there was a car close behind me whenever it happens, this could have caused significant harm. I feel this is an extreme safety risk. My vehicle has not been inspected, but this is a common complaint among Tesla owners in recent months.
You have many reports of Tesla Model 3 ball joint failures. The ball joints are failing due to lack of lubrication. If an owner complains enough Tesla will squirt some lube in and reseal with silicon goop. Owners are even DIYing with WD40. Here is a Tesla in the junkyard with upperball-joint popped apart and all other ball-joints busted. https://www.iaai.com/VehicleDetail/33393366~US Just wondering when you might get around to demanding a recall. Thanks Your friend Keef. Say Hello to Elon for me.
While streaming Bluetooth audio, the forward collision warning fails to activate sometimes until after a few seconds. What happens is when it is supposed to sound, all audio in the car stops and there is a clicking for a few seconds. Then after a few seconds, the alert goes off. The alert is very dangerous because it severely reduces the time for a reaction. Secondly the backup camera has ghost images and stutters. When placing the vehicle in reverse, a ghost image appears for a second or two then goes into the live view. The live view is very laggy and non responsive. The image freezes and does not update. This causes issues when backing as any sudden movements may not be recorded and will cause an injury because the driver will not be able to see what is going on.
I have a Tesla model 3 SR and it only has the standard autopilot option, not the full self driving option. When on the freeway in a single lane and autopilot is engaged, if the single lane splits into two lanes, the car will swerve violently trying to determine which lane to take. This is a danger for the other vehicles behind me, as they are confused as to which lane the vehicle will take. Sometimes it will take a left or right hand turn lane and then start beeping when it determines that it made a mistake. A huge safety risk, as somebody would be thinking that I would move left or right, but instead the car moves into the lane going straight ahead at the last minute.
On 3/28/22 at 4:01 pm, while in parking lot traffic traveling 2-3 mph, the vehicle lost propulsion, and steering. The vehicle's audible warnings sounded and displayed a series of errors ranging from tire pressure to driver assistance features not being available. The vehicle struggled to move and had steering as stiff as a vehicle without power steering all four tires flat. I backed it into a parking space and conducted a hard re-start using the steering wheel buttons. After a few minutes the vehicle rebooted and continued as normal. A service appointment with Tesla was made immediately. On 4/15/22 Tesla conducted a remote diagnostic and submitted a repair estimate to me in preparation for a 4/16/22 repair. The estimate was for the amount of $757. This amount appears to be related to my vehicle being 3,000 miles past the bumper-to-bumper 50,000 mile warranty. The invoice states Tesla will conducting the following: Correction: Sensor - Wheel Speed -ABS - Rear - RH (Remove & Replace); Correction: Hub - Rear - RH (Remove & Replace); Correction: Hub - Rear LH (Includes Alignment Check) (Remove & Replace). Lastly the invoice lists the HUB ASSY as the part being replaced.
Telsa has not timely corrected the faulty wiring harness for the rear and side cameras causing an increased backing hazard.
The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer had been notified about the recall and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The scenario mentioned has happened numerous times. When using Autopilot on a two lane highway, the vehicle's AEB kicked in and slammed on the brakes multiple times. My theory is that since ditching radar, the vehicle thinks that the oncoming traffic is coming into its current lane even though there is a set of double yellow lines dividing it. This phantom braking issue is especially prevalent when there are curves in the road, as momentarily it may appear that oncoming traffic is "head on". This resulted in me almost getting rear ended by the vehicles behind me and causing a multi-vehicle accident.
Even after the firmware update which was supposed to have FSD beta come to a full stop, the car still does not come to a full stop. The car slows to a speed of around 0.5 mph at a stop line with a stop sign and continues on if it is clear, but only comes to a full stop if it believes it needs to yield to other vehicles. Watching videos of other vehicles demonstrating the capabilities of FSD beta with the latest firmware version show the same behavior.
While the vehicle’s “autopilot” is engaged with the screen showing the blue lane border lines on the screen, the lane keeping assistance will suddenly and sharply veer out of a straight and clearly painted lane without any warning creating a dangerous reaction from the driver to attempt to correct (and possibly over correct) the abrupt and unexpected departure from the lane.?
The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the Lane Departure, steering assist, and braking assist warning lights illuminated. During the failure the steering wheel had become difficult to turn in either direction. Additionally, while releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle continued to accelerate instead of decelerating as normal. The vehicle was taken to the local service center who performed unknown repairs however, after retrieving the vehicle the steering failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed back to the service center. No further information was available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.
The vehicle suddenly and without visible obstruction in the road and with out warning applies the brakes aggressively which decreases velocity in an unsafe manner. This occurs while the enhanced autopilot is active. The component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or other. The only prior warning is that the aggressive braking has occurred on several occasions as early as 2019. The most recent occurrence was on 03/19/22.
While driving on I 70 in Kansas with cruise control on, the car violently decelerated several times during a trip. This happened with no reason, with no object in the vehicle path and was like someone jamming the breaks and tire nearly skidding. If someone was behind me they surely would have rear-ended my car.
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NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
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