2022 Tesla Model 3 complaints

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.

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.

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 o

"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.

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.

While driving on a highway with adaptive cruise control set and no visible vehicles or obstacles on the roadway, the vehicle slammed on the brakes and slowed to about 2/3 the speed. I disengaged the cruise and took over and was able to then speed back up. My concern is that had someone been close behind me they would have for sure ran into me! At highway speeds this could seriously injure or kill someone. This happened 2 times on July 10th, on my 360 mile trip and also happened on the way to this location 1 time but was a quick brake incident only slowing 10 mph and then went back to the speed I had set…that was the first time and that date was July 7th.

My brand new tesla model 3's adaptive cruise control is unsafe and unusable while driving on a two lane highway, I took a 500 mile road trip last night and the entire time i was experiencing random hard breaking while driving. I have stopped using it since but it has me worried about my safety as well as other when using this program. I am also having issues with my lane keep assist activating despite it being fully disabled in settings, it pulls my steering wheel back into the lane when i am changing lanes, even with a turn singal, and the computer system screams like crazy telling me im departing my lane. This almost caused me to crash one time as I had to overcome the computer pulling me back into the lane I was already in, despite me intending to change lanes.

On several occasions while my Model 3 was under cruise control the vehicle brakes for no reason. From 65 mph to 25 mph in moderate to heavy traffic nearly causing a rear end collision each time.

Driving 1-25 south in clear and sunny weather at posted speed limit, clear road in front of us, automatic brakes engages for no reason. Car behind us had to take evasive maneuver to avoid collision.

TESLA "auto pilot" (adaptive cruise control) has activated breaking, with no object in front. Last event was 7/9/2022 on the highway going about 77 miles. Because the break are activated unexpectedly I almost lost control of the vehicle, and the vehicle behind me almost collided with us. I this time I have discontinued using the autopilot. Using the autopilot on this vehicle is extremely dangerous. Please help

Just completed road-trip from Florida to New England and back. Experienced 4/5 phantom braking events while using cruise control at highway speeds. When traveling in traffic at highway speed, this abrupt braking came very close to causing a collision.

While driving 2022 Tesla Model 3 with cruise control, the car phantom braked with nothing around vehicle. This happened approximately 20-30 times while driving for about 8 hours. The phantom braking occurred while cruise control was set a 75 mph and and went to around 65 mph. This has occurred at varying speeds. It also occurred while using the auto-pilot feature. This happened the next day numerous times. It also braked on a two lane highway after a vehicle passed our car. There was no warning or indicators before, during or after. I am really concerned that this will occur with a vehicle behind my car and cause a rear end collision. Need to see Tesla dealership when return from current trip. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

On a recent round trip between Reno and Salt Lake City on I-80 over the July 4th weekend I experienced several incidents (3 incidents driving from Reno to SLC and 5 incidents on the return trip) while using Tesla Autopilot where the car suddenly slowed from the posted speed limit of 75 or 80 mph to approximately 45-50 mph for no apparent reason. Both legs of the trip occurred in clear weather with light to no traffic and there was no type of warning preceding each of the events. I have used Autopilot for limited periods around the Bay Area without incident prior to this trip and this was the first extended road trip I have taken with the car.

While driving on the interstate and having the adaptive cruise control enabled, the vehicle unexpectedly and suddenly decelerated with no vehicles in front of us. This happened 3 times over a two day period, with a total time of about 3 hours having the cruise control on. The 3rd time it happened, we were traveling at about 75 mph with another vehicle behind us, no more than two seconds behind. No vehicle was in front of us, but our car suddenly decelerated by about 20 mph. If the driver behind us was not paying attention, they would’ve rear ended us. I sent in a service request to Tesla. The answer was, in summary, they are aware of this issue with their beta version of adaptive cruise control and are working on a firmware update to fix it. The solution given, in the meantime, is to disengage the cruise control when it happens. This is unacceptable to me, as the consequences of sudden, unexpected deceleration will have already happened. I am not going to use the cruise control until it is fixed. For such an expensive car, still under warranty, an unusable and dangerous feature should be fixed.

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that the vehicle inadvertently activated the brakes independently after an image appeared on the display screen. The contact stated that the brake failure warning light was illuminated. The contact related the screen detection failure with a sensor failure, causing the brakes to independently apply. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 728.

Phantom breaking system continuously is stopping out of no where. Happens when vehicle is on autopilot and also happens when vehicle is on cruise control. It slams the brakes and lowers speed approximately 20 MPH’s in a matter of a second. Seriously increasing the chance of being rear ended. It’s enough braking power to send you forward in your seat. On my current trip driving through Nevada to Idaho it happened approximately 5 times within 20 miles before I gave up and turned it off. I have also experienced problems before where the car merges lanes on the freeway but does not take into consideration the car in the lane that it’s merging into. Accident waiting to happen.

I was driving in our new 2022 Tesla doing 55 mph using the adaptive cruise control, not on auto pilot. We were on a divided highway, a few cars coming from the opposite lane, nothing in front of us when without warning the car heavily braked. It frightened us and I pressed the accelerator and the car continued without any further incident, but the episode was scary because earlier in the day we were driving on a heavily traveled interstate where such an episode could easily have caused a collision

Driving on I8 between San Diego and Phoenix with no obstacles or vehicles around with cruise control on, vehicle was brake hard for no apparent reason. This happened multiple times. Disabled it as we were concerned we would get rear ended.

Recently, while traveling on the freeway with light traffic conditions (no cars near me to the front, sides or rear -- possibly no cars even visible) the car automatically applied the brakes causing the speed to drop by more than 30 miles an hour. This happened three times over the course of two minutes, with one of the incidences being particularly severe (throwing me forward in my seat as the brakes were applied). Had a car been behind me, I'm sure I would have been rear-ended. At the time, the weather was clear, and the time was near noon, putting the sun nearly overhead. I did not detect any shadows or unusual road patterns at the time of the incidences, nor was I near any overpasses. At the time of the incidents, the car had its "traffic aware" cruise control engaged with the lane following feature active. Later that same day I experienced a similar incident with heavy, unexpected braking (same freeway, now heading in the opposite direction, about one hour from sunset), with traffic aware cruise control engaged but without lane following engaged. I have experienced milder versions of unnecessary automatic braking about 6 times. They were annoying, but not a safety issue. In at least one of the incidences described above, the braking was so severe, I do think it could have gotten me killed if a vehicle had been close behind me. I'm now afraid to use the feature in moderate traffic, which is a shame, because it is in under exactly that circumstance that the feature is most

I engaged cruise control on my 2022 Tesla model 3 at 70 mph while traveling on flat level terrain, and after about 1 to 2 miles in cruise, braking automatically occurred slowing my speed down to 50 mph in less than 2 seconds. I've read that this is considered phantom braking which is considered common on the newer 2022 Tesla model 3. There were no warning signals and no visible objects on the road, and the time of day was about 4:30 pm. I took the vehicle to the dealership for another issue, but they didn't have time to take it for a test drive. I was thrown forward in my seat when the incident occurred, and fortunately there were no other drivers immediately behind me.

While the car is in Auto Cruise control, especially in the 72 mph and above range, the brakes engage for no reason. This happens repeatedly on long travel days. There is no notice of the slowdown. It can be abruptly and be extreme. The accelerator has to be used to disengaged the braking. We see it called phantom braking. It certainly is not safe.

When driving using cruise control on highway, car suddenly applied brakes with no other vehicles or obstructions present ahead or beside us. Car went from 80mph to 60mph. Had there been a car behind us, there may have been a rear-end accident

Numerous times, my Tesla Model 3 has randomly slammed on the brakes or rapidly reduced its speed while on Autopilot. This has happened several times even when driving on flat level ground and no vehicles around me nor was there any debris in the road. It has also happened numerous times within several minutes while on the same flat road. The car also has a tendency to brake or turn off Autopilot when coming up to a hill that it seems to interpret as a car or object in the road. This can be very jolting and scary and if you aren’t ready on the accelerator pedal to speed back up there is a very real chance to get rear-ended.

While driving on a two lane road, I was utilizing Tesla Autopilot to maintain speed and keep the vehicle centered in the lane at 60mph when the vehicle slammed on the brakes for no apparent reason. No error messages, beeps or chimes went off to indicate to me why it was slowing down very quickly. I have had this happen several times in my first 3 months of owning this vehicle and there have been times that the car has slammed on the brakes when another vehicle was following closely which could have resulted in me getting rear-ended. Tesla Autopilot can be extremely helpful, but at the same time it is not reliable and may result in an accident at some point.

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at high speeds with the cruise control engaged, the Forward Collision-Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking System engaged without warning. The local dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

I was on auto pilot and cruising at 75 mph and car breaks automatically without any car in front of it(Phantom Breaking)

Taking two 300+ mile trips, last Friday (June 24)and yesterday Monday (June 27), while on Auto Pilot with the cruise at either 80 or 85, the car had multiple phantom braking issues. The car would decelerate between 10-20 miles instantly with no obstacles or other cars around. This happened at least 10 times total with both trips. So much so that I have no confidence in using this feature again. It's horrifying when it happens.

We are on a trip from California to Indiana and have had 9 instances so far of the car suddenly stopping while the cruise control is on. The last incident we are doing 75 mph and car stopped suddenly and car following us almost hit us and driver was pissed to the extent of road rage. This needs to be addressed!!

Phantom braking at interstate speeds when vehicle was in autosteer. On a recent 600+ mile day trip I experienced 5 separate instances of instant phantom braking when the car was travelling between 70 and 75mph with autosteer on. The car would brake violently from 70mph to around 50mph in milliseconds without any observable obstacles and no visual or audible warnings from the car. The driver notification log does not show any instance of the event.

At least 6 times on a trip today the traffic aware cruise control cut out and slowed the vehicle dramatically for absolutely no reason. If there was a vehicle close behind me, there would likely have been a collision. The weather was clear with no vehicles remotely close to me. About 1/2 the incidents were on a two lane road in the California desert. Other dramatic events were on interstate highway when my vehicle had just passed an off-ramp, I was in the right hand lane. Tesla has been notified via a bug report each time it happened. Tesla is aware of the problem and says we don't need to take the vehicle to a service center.

My car continues to slam on the brakes completely at random while using cruise control. This is unsafe because it could easily cause a collision from the vehicle behind me. It also causes road rage because people think I am brake-checking them. Someone waved a gun at me after my car braked randomly in front of them on interstate 10 in Phoenix. Tesla service center says this is currently normal behavior for Teslas without radar and nothing can be done. They offered troubleshooting options which I tried, but there has been no change. My car has no warning lights present.

I was driving on the Interstate in Montana I-90 at 75 MPH using the adaptive cruise control when suddenly the car began full braking nearly resulting in my loss of control of the vehicle. I noticed no warning sounds or lights. Fortunately, there was no one immediately behind me or the car would have been rear-ended. It happened when the road was curving to the left and there was a tractor-trailer parked in the right breakdown lane. I suspect the car’s adaptive program assumed the parked truck was stopped on the road in front of me and applied the brakes.

I’ve only had my car for 2 days and have had 6-7 phantom braking issues. First day I was driving home from KC, MO after picking up my new car. 4 random stops with the brakes. Some as we approach a (under) bridge, some the top of a hill. Is it falsely detecting radiant heat as an object? Second day same thing, but on new software update (6-25-22). Shorter trip, so fewer incidents. I recall one where no cars were in from of us and there was some asphalt patches on concrete highway. This triggered emergency brakes again.

While driving from Arlington, VA to Haymarket, VA on Interstate 66, i was using Tesla Autopilot (adaptive cruise control) and experienced several instances of sudden braking for no obvious reason. Depending on the location, the car braked suddenly, without any warning, from 65 MPH to 42 MPH, again from 65 to 45, 65 to 38, and 65 to 49. In each case, I was driving in the right lane (of 4 lanes). In these cases, the cars in front of me were a long distance away, perhaps a quarter of a mile. There were no cars in the lane adjacent to me. The braking was sudden and severe, dropping form 65 to 42 in one second. This was both scary and dangerous. Twice there was a car behind me, following at a safe distance that had to swerve out of the right lane to avoid an accident. During this same drive, there were 2 other instances of braking that appeared to be correct: once while driving under an overpass and once in an area of construction where the extreme right part of my lane has a raised section that caused the car to tilt significantly. These 2 instances were what I would have expected.

Cruise control was set to 70 mph on main turnpike. Shortly thereafter the car slammed on the brakes without any traffic around bringing the car almost instantly down to 45 mph. Had to override brakes by stepping on accelerator.

When driving down a 2 lane, desert highway in California at about 60 mph, the cruise control cut out for no reason. There were no vehicles near me. This happened 3 or 4 times within an hour of driving time. When the cruise control cuts out and/or emergency braking occurs, my vehicle slows dramatically. There is a significant risk of a collision if there was a vehicle behind me due to my sudden, and unnecessary dramatic change in speed. Tesla has been notified via a bug report. Tesla says this is a known condition and may occur. I feel this is a safety issue and must be solved or have the traffic aware cruise control changed to a standard cruise control that requires driver action to be disengaged.

While backing out of my garage the car accelerated uncontrollably and climbed the curb of my driveway. I tried braking without any success. A message saying, to the best of my recollection, "Automatic Braking Disabled" appeared on the dashboard. After climbing the curb the vehicle came to a stop and "Hazard Lights" came on. There were less than 50 miles on the odometer at this time. After waiting for a few minutes I gently pulled the car off the curb and slowly drove it back into the garage. I discovered broken lug nut and what appeared to be its casing lying in the driveway. Tesla Service Center sent tow-truck to tow the vehicle away to its service center. I handed over the broken lug nut and and its casing to the Tesla Tow-Truck Person. While towing my car suffered even more damage as the passenger side front wheel became almost horizontal and it considerably damaged the front bumper. The photos of all these are uploaded with this incident report.

Three times in 15 minutes during my road trip, while driving in autopilot my car braked for no reason with no obstruction. Fortunately, no one was hurt or injured but it could have caused major issues if there was more traffic.

In good weather, ample light, and with empty road ahead my new Tesla has braked hard while the adaptive cruise control (auto pilot) was on. This has happened on 3 lane highway and two lane (one lane each direction) roads 3+ times over the 750 miles I’ve put on the car.

Phantom braking when cruise control activated and truck approaches on two-lane roads. Braking can be so hard that it can be dangerous and unanticipated. It happened virtually every time a truck (e.g., log truck, 18 wheeler) approached as I drove on Highway 99E from Corvallis to Monroe, OR on 22 June 2022. My remedies: Turn off cruise control, definitely keep hands on the wheel, and remain very aware.

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving approximately 80 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle started to quickly decelerate independently. The vehicle slowed to approximately 60 MPH. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle then slowly returned to the cruising speed of 80 MPH. The contact stated that the independent braking became a recurring failure. The contact stated that the independent braking also occurred while the vehicle lane departure control was activated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

Sudden and unexpected deceleration while using cruise control or autopilot. E.G. - cruise control set at 65mi/hr then the car randomly applies the brakes and slows down to under 40mi/hr. It happens several times during a trip, every trip, when cruise control or autopilot is used.

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving approximately 75-80 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,900. The VIN was unavailable.

This concerns the "Phantom Braking" problem occurring to many Tesla owners recently. I took delivery of my new Tesla model 3 on May 3, 2022. I was very cautious about enabling the advanced features of the car such as Autopilot, and I did not experience the Phantom Braking (PB) problems that some of my friends described with their Tesla. I bought the Full Self-Driving (FSD) package but I have not asked for it to be enabled. Then I left my house on June 9th for a 12 day, 2500 mile round trip to Seattle and back. During the trip I cautiously began to use autopilot functions, and found them to be very useful, particularly the TACC cruise control feature. As the trip progressed, I began to use the TACC more and more because I was beginning to conclude it might be safer than my own driving in specific situations). On the 6th day I began to return home and increased my use of both autopilot functions (TACC and auto-steer). The further I drove, the more certain I became what was happening, but not why. But first you have to understand the constraints. TACC controls the accelerator and the brake pedal and therefore also controls the regenerative braking capability. The other half of autopilot is the auto-steering capability, which controls only the steering wheel. But the important part is -- you can operate the car with only TACC engaged but you can't engage auto-steer unless you activate TACC first, or at the same time. During my trip I experienced some degree of PB something like 2

Brand New Model 3 Tesla stopped running on a highway, I 15. The car was purchased less than two weeks ago and has under 500 miles on it. SERIOUS danger to me and to others. No warnings. Just suddenly the speed started dropping quickly on the highway. The car would not start after this. This all happened very suddenly. There was no notification of a problem. Cops were called then the vehicle was towed. Lucky to be alive!!!

On the freeway on 6.19.2022, while in auto pilot, car displayed an extreme case of phantom braking. Potentially could have caused an accident

I am reporting this incident on behalf of our daughter who lost her husband in this Tesla 3 single-car accident. Photographs of what I believe is a failed left front wheel are attached. Sample pieces of the wheel are not in my possession. The accident occurred on a clear day in the late afternoon on a dry stretch of narrow, unlined road that was in a degree of disrepair. Video from the front camera of the vehicle does not indicate a high rate of speed prior to the final minute, which is not captured on the vehicle flash drive. (The flashdrive or specific video minutes can be submitted at your request.) The first reponder and witness at the scene of the accident described the vehicle approaching and accelerating very rapidly toward an impending curve. The sound of the acceleration frightened his children who were playing in the front yard. The witness indicated hearing a loud bang prior to the vehicle lifting up on its left side before exiting the road and hitting a tree resulting in the instantaneous death of the driver who was alone in the car. Although the driver had attended a bourbon festival prior to the incident, witnesses who participated with him and others who spoke with him after the fest and prior to the accident indicated no impairment in speech or movement. Component part photographs and accident report are included with this report. You will notice there is no apparent damage to the tire. A claim was registered with State Farm Automobile Insurance Company, which

It would make sudden braking while driving and no obstacles around. While it was on adaptive cruise control or autopilot in both modes.

Driving at 70 mph on interstate with little surrounding traffic. Twice within one hour while using TACC the car suddenly braked. Luckily no one was behind me. The first time there was an overpass in the distance. The second time may have been related to bright sunlight on the highway ahead that glared and looked like black ice from a distance. Tesla was notified and acknowledged that this could be scary, but the car was checked out as having no issues. They said you just have to be careful. There was no warning of either episode. The car is brand new and the two episodes occurred within the first few hours of using TACC.

My Tesla Model 3 was on cruise control (not autopilot) and braked suddenly. I was driving 75 MPH and the car braked to 50 MPH in a matter of one or two seconds. It was a perfectly clear day and there were no cars in front or behind me within a mile distance. There were no objects on the road and absolutely no reason to brake so suddenly. The vehicle was only in cruise control. Lane keep assist (autopilot) was not enabled. Again, there was absolutely no reason to brake. Had a car been behind me, it would have been very dangerous and could have caused an accident. The car braked on its own quick enough that someone behind may not have had time to brake. Cruise control stayed on throughout the entire incident. I turned off the cruise control and took manual control and was able to drive without any issues. This is a serious safety issue that needs to be addressed by Tesla. I feel unsafe using any of the ADAS systems. Also, the car has 1K miles on it and this has occurred three times. The other two times when it occurred the car was in autopilot. All three time the car was driving on the highway in Texas and Oklahoma.