Unexplained sudden braking while using adaptive cruise control. Almost got rear-ended as a result.
2021 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 2021 record →
Unexpected phantom braking occurring randomly but on multiple occasions during a 2000 mile multi day trip. Several incidents of a hiccup resulting on a jolt but at least three incidents of rapid and sudden deceleration without an observed corresponding hazard. Occurred a couple times while cresting a hill on single and multi lane roads. One severe incident occurred while passing a semi truck on a multiple lane highway. Causes high anxiety and potential for a crash, especially from behind. This has not been inspected by Tesla or others but note many reports of this online. No warning prior to event but cruise control did not work properly after event and required reseting.
Cruise control (Autopilot) phantom braking events have gotten very bad. About once every few miles on an empty 2 lane highway the car slams on the brakes. I’ve made numerous bug reports over the years and if anything it’s gotten worse. It seems to have gotten worse with the software update a few days ago (v11.0 2022.24.6 40a0d11b18af).
I was driving in Oklahoma on a straight interstate highway at 75 mph using cruise control (not autopilot) and experience a sudden application of full brakes. The application was so sudden the tires "chipped" and decelerated to below 45 mph before I could take control by applying throttle. On the same trip, I was near Midland, Texas and experience another serious phantom braking on a clear straight highway. By this time I experienced 10 additional minor braking issues. On my return trip, I did not use cruise control or autopilot and didn't have a single incident. I reported the incident to Tesla Service and reported ever incident via the feedback button (when it worked). I'm a retired Boeing engineer experienced in flight controls, fly-by-wire control, and aircraft subsystem design. I have no confidence in this design.
On an empty freeway I5 southbound over a crest, the car emergency braked from highway speed with no obstacles or cars in front of it. The weather conditions were sunny, 98f, and some mirages were on the road surface. Autopilot was engaged and set to the speed limit. Emergency braking alert sounded and the car applied full power braking. Car is running software version 2022.24.6. prior versions of the software with radar support did not exhibit this phantom breaking behavior. The current version disabled radar and used "Tesla vision"
The steering system malfunctioned. Yes it is available for inspection. The car turned across oncoming traffic turning the vehicle 180 degrees leaving me facing oncoming traffic during rush hour. I could have died in a horrific accident. The service center for the vehicle sulfate they will not evaluate vehicle until body damage to vehicle are repaired. The vehicle had no notifications or warnings prior to the incident.
While using my Tesla's Full Self Driving (FSD) feature (Navigate on Autopilot) on a recent road trip through West Texas, the vehicle, on multiple occasions, would automatically brake while cruising at speeds of 80 mph (speed limit was 75 mph), which consequently dropped the vehicle's speed over 20 mph within seconds. The result was being forcibly slammed forward with such a jarring, unexpected force that would have easily slammed me as the driver and my front seat passenger into the wind shield if we were not wearing our seatbelts. This happened multiple times on the trip. The only way to recover was to depress the accelerator and forcefully hold on to the steering wheel until the braking system released and control was returned to the driver. If this had occurred on a crowded highway rather than on the open spaces of the West Texas interstate system, I am convinced there would have been a rear impact collision. This "phantom breaking" as Tesla claims, is a serious issue that will no doubt lead to fatalities if not corrected. This issue manifested without warning and with no alerting. The issue can be easily reproduced and the component has yet to be inspected by any 3rd party. I fear people will die because of this issue until it is resolved. Thanks, Sean Merino
Was driving about 35-40mph on city street when car abruptly applied emergency braking. Car automatically slammed on brakes (screeching) and came to complete stop. This action was dangerous because it could have caused an accident if another car was behind me. Caused fear and panic as I believed something or someone had hit my vehicle, it also scared a pedestrian that was walking along the sidewalk. The sudden braking also caused my body to violently jerk forward and backwards. This has not been reproduced or confirmed by dealership or service center. It has not yet been inspected by anyone. I have made an appointment for car to get inspected, appointment is 9/16. No warning lights or symptoms came on prior to this incident.
The adaptive cruise control (Tesla "autopilot") system has unexpectedly disengaged and applied light to heavy braking numerous times. The system frequently mistakes a particular highway sign for a stopped vehicle and applies moderate braking. The system has also applied light to heavy braking in circumstances where I simply cannot figure out what the camera is interpreting as a hazard. This puts me and other drivers around me at risk as it is unnecessary and unpredictable braking at highway speeds in traffic. Tesla has not been able to remedy this problem and I do not consider the cruise control system to be safe to use. This has happened more than 10 times.
I was driving SB on N Gate Rd in Vacaville, approaching the gate for Travis AFB. There was traffic backed up at the gate and I put the car into Autopilot to negotiate the stop and go traffic. I had been in Autopilot for maybe 50 yards when the car suddenly accelerated on it's own and veered to the right. The brakes would not work to stop the car and the steering wheel would physically turn but it wasn't changing the direction of the car. The car veered off the road to the right and into a utility pole.
Driving in autopilot during daylight hours (8:30am) about 70mph the vehicle suddenly braked long and hard, tires screeched when there was nothing around me or in the road. It could have caused a serious accident if anyone was behind me.
When car was engaged in Autopilot the barking system was activated without warning or cause. The vehicle slowed rapidly and sudden. Had to disengage Autopilot to get vehicle back to safe driving speed. No others vehicles where in front or behind me and no obstructions were in the path of vehicle.
While driving with the Autopilot system engaged at 55 MPH, on a clear, sunny day, the vehicle applied the brakes and rapidly decelerated to 40 MPH before I could press the accelerator pedal to restore my set speed. There were no objects of any kind on the road. No hills or curves were involved. I was fortunate that no vehicle was closely following me or they might have run into me due to my unexpected and unnecessary brake application.
This is a complaint about the unacceptable fire risk that affects all Teslas due to the dangerous battery chemistry and the vulnerability to impact damage that can trigger an instantaneous fire . The VIN of a random Tesla has been used. This problem affects every Tesla. Here is a video of a test conducted by a European testing authority which shows the Tesla igniting almost immediately after a deliberate crash that only caused a minor strike to the underside. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRDCKfCdh90 When NHTSA and many other testing authorities perform crash tests on Teslas they should do so with a fully charge battery that is warm from charging or from having being driven. This is a much more realistic scenario than using cold depleted batteries that are less prone to instant ignition. By comparison with a Tesla the Pinto was just a damp squib. And yet it was recalled and grounded. Please do the right thing before even more people get burned alive. Thank you
My Tesla will repeated and randomly brake strongly. This happens on regular streets and on the highway at speed. It’s not like slamming on the brakes with the wheels screeching. But a quick and strong deceleration and then it lets go. There has never been anything in front of me when this happens.
The screen keeps freezing while I’m driving. It freezes and after a while the screen shuts off and resets. The most dangerous situation was when while I was on the interstate between Barstow and Baker. The screen screen recently froze while driving on August 20th around 255pm
This is a complaint about Tesla using unqualified drivers to test Atopilot Beta on the public roads. Please note that the VIN of a random Model 3 Tesla has been used to enable this submission to be completed. Here is a video of a driver testing Autopilot on what is in his own words the most dangerous road in Virginia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VBhdrj1CqM He is driving hands free around sharp bends and against oncoming traffic entirely hands free but just giving the wheel a little nudge with his finger every 30 seconds to defeat the nag. At one point the car does swerve towards an oncoming car but corrects itself just in time. The driver is alert and monitoring the situation but because he does not have his hands on the wheel he is playing russian roulette with many lives. Please do not allow this madness to continue for one day longer. Elon Musk thinks this is all a joke which is why he has called it release 69. Smutty and unamusing. I will be posting a copy of this report on social media where it will be widely read. If you fail to take action there will be consequences. Thank you. I have archived this video in case the owner or Tesla decides to delete it. If that happens I will make another complaint with a link to my copy. A dummy USA address has been used to enable this submission. My true email address is used and you may contact me on this.
In Autopilot there has been a phantom braking problem (automatic emergency breaking due to object avoidance) since day one. It happened more than just regularly and would be uncalled for, scary, and dangerous. Ever since the update I have done that the company sent though, this has become now not just more than regularly but more than frequently and uncontrollably dangerous. It has done it around 30 times on a 9 and a half hour road trip. It has done a 20 mph slowdown from the speed limit FOR NO REASON in as fast as about two seconds frequently. The ONLY thing that has saved us from getting rear ended is due to driver diligence and pure luck of being on an open interstate because of the road trip instead of it being through the congested part of a city…where it still can happen easily.
Unexpected acceleration while driving my car at about 20 mph and making a right turn the car suddenly accelerated. Using the brake immediately worked. This has happened a few times with my car. The sudden acceleration surprised my wife and she asked what happened. The car does not have Full Self Driving installed and Autopilot had been off for several miles. There were no warning messages or chimes. T
Tesla Model 3 main computer system failure. Failure was not cause by any negligence by the operator. The vehicle was parked over night and upon attempting to operate the vehicle the following day there was no power to the screen. There were no warnings prior. The screen which displays vehicle speed, vehicle battery level, seatbelt warning indicators was inaccessible. Also as a result of the computer failure the vehicle did not emit the required pedestrian safety sound, the front and rear collision warnings were disabled, charging was not possible, the ability to disable passenger airbags in case of a child needing to be transported in the front was inaccessible, if the vehicle was operated during winter the ability to defrost the windshield would be impossible and all safety and security features were disabled. The screen/computer has been an issue for several owners as easily viewed by a simple google search. The vehicle is only a year and a half old and was purchased new. The issues that occurred from the defective computer could of easily have caused of an accident or a caused disabled pedestrian to have been hit. The computer was deemed the cause by Tesla’s service professionals.
After updating to Tesla software 2022.20.6 (and 20.7 and 20.8) sometimes the regenerative braking fails to activate when lifting your foot off the go pedal. Sometimes the car just coasts at full speed, and sometimes it almost feels as if the car continues accelerating after the pedal is lifted. This obviously creates serious safety issues -- if you are expecting your car to brake after lifting your foot off the pedal and it doesn't, you risk slamming into the car in front of you. The brake pedal still works, but a feature of EVs is one pedal driving, which has been broken.
The Autopilot applies the brakes for no apparent reason, when there are no other vehicles in front of it, under good driving conditions; in clear daylight, on empty roads and on straight stretches of highway. My family could have been involved in a serious rear end collision, or caused other vehicles behind me to collide, if traffic was heavy at the time the system determined it needed to apply the brakes.
Heating failure in colder temperature climates, left with my heat completely not working during a 7 hour drive in 15 degree weather. Had to eventually get a tow truck. Went to tesla to get it looked at and they were trying to charge $250 for a diagnostic. I had this same exact issue a week after when I first purchased the car where the heat would not work in cold weather. Had three sensors replaced under warranty. After some miles the issue has came back with the same fault codes in the following winter. This is a disaster and if you’re stuck on the road, it can be a very lethal problem to occupants. Even in today’s heat wave, I have found that the AC does not work either linked to the same error as the heating portion where AC would fail to blow cool air into the cabin. Last week, I had to push all of my trips to days where the temperature was cooler. This is another safety hazard that some people could suffer from heat strokes which can cause immediate danger to occupants and other drivers on the road. I already had this issue repaired in the past, and after 25k miles I find that the repair wasn't a repair at all until the next winter and summer. Now i’m being forced to pay $250 for a diagnostic fee not including the repairs for the actual issue. Since i’m out of warranty this is a huge safety issue and should be taken more seriously with these cars. Many people have reported this same issue and are seeking lemon laws regarding this.
Had significant dangerous and scary Phantom breaking while driving on Highway 80 across Nevada. Seemed to be related to open highway with no vehicle visible on forward view during bright daylight. Sudden and deep breaking would occur at 75 mph or 80 mph repeatedly and with no apparent reason throughout the 12 hour drive. Was particularly pronounced when passing large semi-trucks. Would get sudden Phantom breaking just as Tesla would just get by a large truck. Could have caused serious event if another vehicle had been following. At first this just seemed inconvenient and unpredictable but in some cases seem like significant safety issue. Had to stop using system. Tried to report to Tesla but they have no way on their web site or private Tesla account to report.
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while reversing the vehicle from her residence at 3 mph and attempting to turn to the left, but failed to turn. The contact stated the vehicle continued to go straight and ran into a chain link fence. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention but she was frightened. The contact attempted to straighten the vehicle by turning left again and drove into a railing. The contact stated the instrument cluster screen when blank after the second crash. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact towed the vehicle to local dealer and was being serviced at the moment of the call. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 12,297
While driving the rear passenger driver side glass just shattered, this seems to be a issue with a lot of Tesla 3 models. The glass has a outward bulge, nothing hit the glass. Luckily this did not result in a crash, but could have. There are a lot of people that have reported this on the internet, this is a new 2021 model still under Warrenty and Tesla refuses to repair it under warranty even though a lot of them are having the same problem.
Car would slow down and suddenly using regenerative braking for no good reason while on Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (part of Autopilot) on very lightly traveled highways, mostly on I-80 in WY, UT, and NV. Incidents happened on 1 to 2% of every mile traveled. I have marked the date as July 3 below, but actually multiple (20 to 50 total) incidents occurred from 7/2 to 7/4, and 7/9 to 7/11. Incidents could occur whether Autosteer was engaged or not. No alarm sounded to indicate that a collision was imminent. If I didn't intervene, the car would sometimes recover almost immediately and slowed only 5 mph, but in other cases it would slow down by 20 mph within 2-3 sec before recovering. Speed limits were typically 75 to 80 mph; I was normally traveling around that speed. Although these highways have low traffic density, my biggest concern is that another car will rear-end mine if it's following too closely. My own observations: 1. The most frequent incident type seemed to occur when there were no vehicles ahead for 15 to 30 sec following distance. Prior to this, Traffic Visualization would sometimes show the next vehicle with uncertainty (flickering in and out or changing size) even though it doesn't normally show a vehicle outside of 4 to 6 sec following distance. Typically that vehicle was a semi-trailer and its appearance to myself (and probably to the cameras) changed due to lighting, details of the trailer, going over a hill, etc. 2. Less frequently, the car would slow down w
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
While traveling on interstate highways over a period of 2 days both in overcast and sunny conditions the vehicle initiated braking multiple times in cruise control only (not on autopilot). No other vehicle nor obstruction was near when this would happen.
Tesla has been phantom breaking during autopilot multiple times in a single drive and has happened on multiple drives.
There were 3 back-to-back incidents of phantom braking. Car was in Navigate on Autopilot mode on Highway 85 somewhere near Blossom Hill and going a 65mph (posted limit) but it slowed down dramatically causing the possibility of the car being rear-ended. There was no blocking vehicle or object that should have caused it to slow down and brake. In all three incidents, I was able to assume manual control and safely speed-up again.
This "self driving" Model 3, with FL License Plate [XXX], attempted to merge onto I95 south from an on-ramp, and very nearly caused a major accident. The vehicle had a bumper sticker on the back that said something like "please be patient, I am a self driving vehicle." The vehicle was merging from a left side on-ramp, at a VERY LOW SPEED, and crossed two lanes of interstate traffic, very erratically accelerating, then braking, then accelerating again, and then braking. My vehicle was directly in its path, and I had to brake hard, and take to the shoulder to avoid the collision. If this vehicle's trips are logged, it needs to be investigated. If it weren't for the humans paying attention, the actions of the Tesla car/driver would have caused a major accident, and most likely bodily injury or death. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
When driving on the highway in adaptive cruise control, our vehicle all of a sudden breaked which slowed the car down dramatically. There was nothing around us that would have caused the car to automatically apply the breaks. This happened multiple times in a single drive on both Autopilot and Adapative Cruise Control. Luckily, no one was directly behind us when this happened so no collision was caused, but had someone been directly behind us we would have been hit. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, insurance or police. The breaking was very random, and we had to tap the brakes to take control and hit the gas to get the car back to highway speeds. We have stopped using cruise control and autopilot after seeing this is a known issue and an investigation is ongoing. It is extremely concerning that this "phantom breaking" happens without warning and at random when there is nothing around the vehicle to cause it to apply the automatic breaking system. This is a safety issue on the road.
Please note that I have used the VIN of a random Tesla Model 3 to submit this complaint since the number of the actual car is unavailable. There has been an incident on a motorway in Germany and a full video is available here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKcvLeMWp3c This is a single vehicle incident. The front RH wheel has simply fallen off. There is no other car involved. There are no air-bags deployed. How much more evidence do you require before you demand a recall? The suspensions are deadly fragile. I will make it simple for you. Watch THIS video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fkpIvIeHhc Plenty more where that came from. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fkpIvIeHhc Have a nice day. Keef
Cruise control set to 75mph (speed limit) on lightly trafficked divided highway at ~5pm on June 26. Skies were overcast and temp was about 80 degrees. Car braked from 75 to about 62mph but did not disengage adaptive cruise control and neither did I by applying the brakes. There was light traffic and it did not happen while approaching an overpass which has triggered this before on two occasions. After rapid deceleration to 72, car increases speed but fluctuated in high 60s and low 70s before returning to the programmed 75. Incident lasted about five seconds in total. Once car returned to 75, I disabled cruise control for remainder of journey. This was a 45 mile journey and the issue did not surface until about 35 miles in to the journey. Because this has happened before, I was mentally prepared for it this time and wanted to see if the car would eventually stabilize back to the 75mph programmed speed. In two prior incidents in late 2021, the braking was severe and without warning so in those instances I immediately deactivated system by pressing brake pedal. The incident I report now also had no warning, good weather, no cars within about 100 yards, and no sun glare at all. Road surface was very good as it had been recently improved in 2021 so lane markers were excellent as well.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - Cruise Control randomly slams on its brakes, no warning at all. No, it is not available upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Cruise Control (Autopilot), puts my safety at risk because it can injure you if you are not anticipating the brakes being slammed, and it can put others at risk because if they aren’t following at a safe distance or not expecting the car to slam on its brakes, it can lead to an accident. 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.
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.
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.
For no reason, the car applied significant braking while in Autopilot. There were no cars in front of me, no obstacles in the way and it was a clear, dry day. This is not the first time this has happened but it was the most significant.
On June 18 and 23, 2022, I was driving I-5 in Washington State with adaptive cruise control engaged when, abruptly and without warning, the vehicle decelerated. I overcame the first instance by depressing the accelerator; the vehicle self-corrected in less than a second in the second instance. In both cases, there were no vehicles in the immediate vicinity to present a possible hazard. The concern is for vehicles following closely during an incident that might not react quickly enough to avoid a rear end collision. The vehicle has not been inspected by another party and no attempt has been made to reproduce the condition for another entity.
The car will phantom brake suddenly and sometimes hard while the adaptive cruise is on. I have reported to Tesla and they say there’s nothing they have to fix right now. This is extremely dangerous and Tesla needs to focus on a fix.
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.
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
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.
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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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