What 604 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Tesla Model S 60d

My car slams on the brakes consistently at green lights when FSD is activated. This is version 12.5.4.2 of FSD. Tesla is not responding to my inquiries.

NHTSA ODI 11630835

Turned right into garage slowly. Car suddenly accelerated very fast by itself. I swerved and avoided 1 parked vehicle. Was not able to avoid another one. I braked. The car stopped. Airbags had gone off.

NHTSA ODI 11614992

You guys have ruined auto-pilot and made it 10x more dangerous and will cause more accidents in this format. It needs to be reversed back to what it was. Now when looking at the screen to change the temperature or change a song, or looking at the mirror, it asks you to touch the wheel immediately and causes unnecessary stress and potential mistakes, I've already oversteered the wheel several times swerving after it warns me to touch the wheel because I'm trying to look at a mirror quickly to not have the alert come on. In addition, it has 3 marks against me, and will be suspended from using it soon. never before have I even had a mark against me on the system. I believe your approach to fixing the situation is fundamentally flawed. People get into accidents with Autopilot because of their negligence, not because of autopilot. That is on the end user who has insurance and a driving record. Do not punish all of those who are good drivers, you are making us worse drivers now with the new autopilot to save a few accidents from bad drivers, but it will now cause many more in this format. This is a terrible decision on the regulatory part, and a sign of OVER regulation.

NHTSA ODI 11568750

So essentially I stopped for a charge about 30 minutes before, I charged it, then hopped back on the turnpike as I was heading to Outer Banks NC, while I was on the turn pike where I believe at the time I started to go around a curve not a sharp one but a curve right after coming off this bridge. Every 1 minute and 30 seconds you have to put your hands on the wheel and give it a jerk to keep it enable so it had to have popped up within the 1 minute and 30 seconds. As I was changing the album of the artists I was listening too I heard the BEEP BEEP BEEP which means you are approaching something and are about to hit it, As I looked up all I saw was blinking lights and really smacked the rear end of this traffic control truck, anywhere from 65-75 miles per hour with no time to react. If I remember correctly I had my car on 7 lengths away (maximum amount you can have away). As I hit the control I hit my head pretty hard on the steering wheel so the whole memory is blurry following when it happened and my adrenaline was very high but I didn’t wanna go to the Emergency room even though they suggested highly because I have no health insurance and that would have had to come out of my own pocket and I was stuck in Pennsylvania by myself and didn’t wanna get stuck in the hospital too. Thank you so much for taking your time to look at this it means a lot.

NHTSA ODI 11560159

Dear NHTSA, I am writing to file a complaint regarding a SUA incident that occurred on October 20, 2023, involving my 2016 Tesla Model S. On the day of the incident, I pulled into my garage and began to park my car. When I pressed the brake pedal, the car suddenly accelerated forward, crashing into the garage wall and totaling the vehicle. The garage wall was severely damaged and will need to be rebuilt. This is not the first time that my Tesla has experienced SUA. In 2017, I filed a complaint with NHTSA regarding a similar incident. In my previous complaint (issue # 11000097 dated June 19, 2017), I described a similar incident that occurred in December 2016. At the time, Tesla denied that the incident was caused by SUA and no further action was taken. I am convinced that the SUA incident on October 25, 2023, was caused by a defect in my Tesla Model S. I am also concerned that other Tesla owners may be at risk of similar incidents. I urge NHTSA to investigate this matter and take appropriate action to protect consumers. I believe that Tesla should be held liable for the damages to my vehicle and my garage wall, and that the company should be required to recall all Tesla Model S vehicles that are at risk of SUA. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely,

NHTSA ODI 11554936

The car was on enhanced auto pilot and was moving at about 50 mph, the traffic in front of me slowed down. The car failed to give an alert, it failed to slow down and stop. I applied the breaks, but by then the car crashed into the pick-up truck in front of me. The car came to a complete stop after the crash and the computer system in the car completely shut down. The car had to be towed to the garage. My safety and the safety of the driver in front of me were at risk due to malfunction of the enhanced auto pilot system We immediately filed a service ticket with Tesla and upon repeated requests we were told that car could not be inspected and the breaks or auto pilot system could not be tested as the car was not drivable. Police and car insurance company were notified. Tesla was able to provide us with a EDR There were no warning signs or messages prior to the malfunction.

NHTSA ODI 11530361

I’ve been complaining about my mcu1 glitching, freezing and my rear view camera not working since June 2022. I also filing a complaint because I have the fsd package on my 2016 mcu1 car and that has not been delivered after a 6 year wait. They released fsd to the mcu1 platform. But less than 50 cars got it and that very software got recalled. They have fixed every other platform but mcu1 since. I truly believe there is a issue with mcu1 hw3. I’ve complained several times about my mcu under warranty about these issues and they said the only fix is mcu2 . Which means they couldn’t fix it under warrranty. That’s a breach of warranty. I almost hit a elderly gentleman a few weeks ago because I was backing up and my screen went black. This has been happening and tesla knows all about it. But Tesla says the only fix is the paid mcu2 upgrade for 2500 dollars. Tesla has been really deceptive and is trying to force it customers to their upgrade. This has been a ongoing issue with many loyal customers. Pretty much anyone that has a 2016-17 tesla s or x with mcu1. Losing basic functionality shouldn’t be a issue but here we are. Please look into this I’m sure you find several others just like me. Thanks for your help.

NHTSA ODI 11525961

1) repeated incidents of Tesla ghosting braking on the highway in autopilot. Sometimes with no cars in sight 3) braking from a high speed to 35 or 40 mph - would have definitely caused a crash if auto close behind me 3) all incidents have been reported to teslas with time date stamps and they have never gotten back to me and ignored all my warnings that this will cause an accident ( which I now see it has ) I can get a date and time on some if needed. You can also search the Tesla support call log

NHTSA ODI 11505150

Warning doors are opening by itself headlights are not working and parking sensors emergency braking as well a lot of issues with this car.

NHTSA ODI 11491515

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle emitted an abnormally loud sound and experienced phantom braking. The forward emergency braking system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer where it was diagnosed that the forward emergency braking system sensor was sensitive. The dealer instructed the contact to deactivate the forward emergency braking system. The contact stated that the emergency braking system was deactivated, however, it reengaged independently as the failure persisted while driving. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 72,000.

NHTSA ODI 11488936

With full self driving mode engaged the automatic braking feature comes on even though no cars or obstacles are present. This has been very dangerous on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11484898

I purchased a used 2016 Tesla Model S in September 2021, with 58,961 miles. Within a month, a strange scraping sound can be heard as I was backing out of my driveway, it was the metal piece that was connected to the wheel. Somehow it had broken off and was bent in a position where it was grinding my brake pads down to unsafe levels. Telsa said it was caused by making a 'sharp turn' and is not covered under warranty. The work to fix costed $1450.03 to replace brake pads and wheel that was cracked. But didn't disclose in the invoice what was causing the scraping sound. They claimed that when they drove the vehicle they could not hear any scraping sound. Based on Tesla's TSB report, this is a known defect and Tesla should have repaired it without charging me. But they would rather have me believe that I was a terrible driver.

NHTSA ODI 11483850

While driving the vehicle car shutdown and went into park for unknown reasons. The steering wheel became almost impossible to turn. I also experienced the regenerative emergency braking and brakes malfunction. Car rolled off into the street nearly hitting another vehicled parked in front of it. The malfunction was initially reported to Tesla on January 5, 2022. Appointment was made for January 26, 2022, but was later rescheduled for a later date due to the service centers backlogged. This pushed my coverage outside the warranty periord rendering my warranty claim useless. Tesla refused to make repairs for free citing, "vehicle is out of warranty period"

NHTSA ODI 11481467

The car was in autopilot mode 3 days ago on Highway 41 in CA at a speed of about 65 mph when the brakes were suddenly activated, dramatically slowing the speed. There was no obstruction in the road to warrant braking. I pressed the accelerator to resume my speed and to avoid stopping in the middle of the highway. The same thing happened to me few months ago while in autopilot mode.

NHTSA ODI 11477039

- when using TACC / "autopilot", especially when cruising at speed limit on the rightmost lane of the highway, i have experienced quite some occurrences of "phantom braking". this happens especially more frequent when approaching freeway on ramps (even with no incoming vehicle) and when there is vehicle parked on the right shoulder. - the automatically actuated brake really shocked me. if i hadn't reacted quickly enough to step on the accelerator pedal, i would had been rear ended really badly. - i thought that was a one off situation, but since it happened more than once and now that this issue has become headlines, i think it needs to be seriously investigated and fixed. - i have reported this issue to TESLA. the service manager of the local service center promptly responded that unfortunately this is a software issue which is still in "beta". - vehicle did have problem with the left repeater camera which TESLA replaced as goodwill. but i believe that was not the cause of the "phantom braking" episodes. the vehicle was purchased with the (now $12k) "Full Self-Driving" package. now, almost 6 years later, the development of the software is still not done. TESLA promised to upgrade the cameras suite, but several requests of service were cancelled due to, i believe, lack of parts, and/or they need to upgrade the MCU to be able to deploy the latest FSD package. i appreciate TESLA efforts to push the boundary of ADAS to reach full autonomy. i just wish they communicate better to the early adopters and provide us all with clearer timelines (with best/worst case scenarios). (i also appreciate my local TESLA service manager for responding quickly to my initial report of concerns. i acknowledge that completely fixing the issue is beyond his control at this time.) (date provided in this report is approximate, i think TESLA can review the logs of such emergency braking occurrences)

NHTSA ODI 11453040

A newer Tesla will come to a complete stop with the one pedal operation, however my older car does not. It will roll through a stop sign or red light. This has been fixed on full self driving cars but should be fixed on single pedal operation cars.

NHTSA ODI 11451498

When using the cruise control, vehicle will break hard, almost to a stop. This happens mostly on a curve 1 or 2 lanes when going highway speeds for no apparent reason.

NHTSA ODI 11450511

Car's central console locks up or goes blank while driving. This creates a driving hazard as drive must take his eyes off the road and try to restart the console. Tesla sent out a notice by mail in March that a recall was issued and that Tesla would replace the defective parts. Tesla sent a secondary notice in April. They will not take calls concerning this issue and have not provided an estimated repair date. No communication on this recall has been made by Tesla for 90 days.

NHTSA ODI 11421827

TOUCH SCREEN STOPS WORKING, REMOVES BACKUP CAMERA FEED AND ALL AUDIO ALERTS ARE SILENCED. THIS IS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE EMMC FAILURE IN THE MCU TOUCH SCREEN.

NHTSA ODI 11389763

THE MAIN COMPUTER IN THE CAR GOES BLANK. THIS AFFECTS ALL PARTS OF THE CAR. IT HAS HAPPENED WHILE STATIONARY AND IN MOTION. WHEN IT SHUTS OFF YOU LOSE CONTROL OF ALL SYSTEMS INCLUDING: NAVIGATION, EMERGENCY BRAKING, LANE ASSISTANCE, USE OF CAMERAS, ALL ACCESS TO SAFETY FEATURES. I HAVE READ THERE IS A RECALL BUT WHEN I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER THEY REFUSED TO FIX THE ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11388714

TESLA MODEL S CENTER TOUCHSCREEN AND ASSOCIATED ASSISTANCE &INFORTAINMENT FEATURES HAVE BECOME UNSTABLE AND PERFORM CORRECTLY ONLY INTERMITTENTLY. WOULD HAVE CHECKED MORE BOXES ABOVE IN TERMS OF SYSTEMS AFFECTED BUT ONLY ALLOWED 3. BACKUP CAMERA SLOW TO COME UP (WHEN WORKING). SYSTEM SHUTDOWNS AND REBOOTS OCCUR WHILE DRIVING AND PARKED. BACKUP CAMERA, CLIMATE CONTROL, DEFOGGING SYSTEMS, HEAD LIGHT CONTROL, VEHICLE LOCK/UNLOCK, TURN SIGNAL INDICATOR NOICE, AND ALL DRIVER ASSISTANCE SUCH AS AUTOMATIC BREAKING, ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, NAVIGATION ETC ARE AFFECTED WHEN THIS OCCURS. VARIETY OF ERRORS WITH ENTIRE TOUCHSCREEN SYSTEM INCLUDING LACK OF RESPONSE TO VOICE COMMANDS, PHONE CONNECTIONS AND AUDIO CONTROLS OCCUR NEARLY EVERY DAY WHETHER CONNECTED TO WIFI, LTE, DRIVING OR STATIONARY. AUDIO SYSTEM WILL SOMETIMES CHANGE VOLUME WHEN THESE ERRORS OCCUR OR WILL BE UNAVAILABLE TO CHANGE TO A SAFER VOLUME. ISSUES HAVE BEEN OCCURRING FOR THE PAST YEAR AT LEAST BUT HAVE BECOME MUCH WORSE OVER TIME. HAVE REPEATEDLY BROUGHT UP THESE CONCERNS WITH MANUFACTURER WHO STATES SYSTEM IS PERFORMING ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER STANDARDS AND/OR "KNOWN FIRMWARE ISSUE". THESE ISSUES ABSOLUTELY AFFECT DRIVING SAFETY.

NHTSA ODI 11385124

PRIOR TO 10/2/2020 NUMEROUS REBOOTS USUALLY AFTER BEING PARKED. HAD TO WAIT EXCESSIVE TIME SINCE I HAD PIN TO DRIVE ENABLED. DISABLED PIN TO DRIVE SINCE I WAS GETTING STUCK. IT IS EMBARRASSING AND NOT A GOOD REFLECTION ON TESLA PRODUCTS TO HAVE TO WAIT 5 MINUTES TO MOVE YOUR CAR. SOMETHING IS WRONG. 10/2/2020 WHILE DRIVING ON I 40 NOTED THERE WAS A LACK OF TURN SIGNAL SOUNDS. NOTED NAVIGATION DID NOT SEEM TO BE UPDATING TO CURRENT POSITION. WHILE ON AUTOPILOT THE CAR STARTED TO DRIFT TOWARD AN EXIT. THE AUTOPILOT HAD DISENGAGED WITH NO WARNING SOUND' NOTHING. CONTINUED TO STEER MANUALLY. SCREEN WENT BLACK. AC STOPPED. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES THE SCREEN REBOOTED. HAD TO RE-INPUT DESTINATION. 10/3/2020. WENT TO ASHLAND NC SUPERCHARGER TO TOP OFF BEFORE GETTING ON THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY. WAS ONLY GETTING 4 KW TO START FINALLY GIVING UP AFTER 30 MINUTES ACHIEVING A MAXIMUM OF 10KW. WHEN I UNPLUGGED I GOT A WARNING "REDUCED POWER, SYSTEMS SHUTTING DOWN. SERVICE REQUIRED. VEHICLE MAY NOT START". THE SCREEN WENT BLACK AND AFTER TIME FINALLY RESTARTED AND I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE. LATER IN CHEROKEE NC THE SCREEN AGAIN REBOOTED AFTER CHARGING AT A J1772 STATION. 10/4/2020. WHILE DRIVING WITH ON I95 NEAR ST AUGUSTINE I NOTED THE LOSS OF TURN SIGNAL SOUND AGAIN. THE NAVIGATION WAS FROZEN AGAIN. AGAIN THERE WAS NO SOUND OR WARNING DISENGAGING OR ENGAGING AUTOPILOT. THE SCREEN WENT BLACK. THE AC WENT OFF. I OBSERVED THE TESLA T COME UP THEN THE SCREEN WENT BLACK AGAIN. THEN THE TESLA T CAME UP A SECOND TIME AND AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES THE CONTROLS STARTED WORKING AGAIN. AGAIN AT NOV 19@ 7:03 PM: DRIVING WEST IN I-4 STANFORD, FL. SAME AS ON 10/2. LOSS OF AUTOPILOT, LOSS OF TURN SIGNAL SOUND, LOSS OF CLIMATE CONTROL, LOSS OF MUSIC. TOOK 6 MINUTES TO REBOOT. TOOK AN ADDITIONAL 5 MINUTES FOR NAVIGATION TO RESTORE. THERE ARE MORE INSTANCES BUT I AM OUT OF CHARACTERS.

NHTSA ODI 11384969

WHILE DRIVING THE TOUCHSCREEN BECAME UNRESPONSIVE AND ALL FUNCTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TOUCHSCREEN INCLUDING TRAFFIC ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE REAR VIEW CAMERA WHILE IN REVERSE WERE INOPERABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11375972

MAIN CONTROL UNIT (MCU)HAS SHUT DOWN SEVERAL TIMES. THE SCREEN HAS GONE BLACK AND NAVIGATION FUNCTIONS AND MAPS DISAPPEARED. INCONVENIENCE MORE THAN ANYTHING THERE. I HAVE LOST THE BACKUP CAMERA AND DEFROST FUNCTIONS. THE CAR HAS REMAINED PRETTY MUCH DRIVABLE THOUGH I DON'T THINK I HAD TURN SIGNALS (OR AT LEAST THE INDICATION ON DASH). THE CAR HAS BEEN BOTH STATIONARY AND MOVING WHEN THESE THINGS HAPPENED.

NHTSA ODI 11375097

2 WEEKS AGO I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT NIGHT. MY INFOTAINMENT UNIT TURNED BLACK, I LOST: 1.. AUTO PILOT 2. HVAC 3. EXTERIOR LIGHTS 4. RADIO 5. MAPS, BLINKERS WHEN I CONTACTED TESLA, THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY CAR. WE COULD HAVE EASILY GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT LOSING THESE VITAL THINGS. HOW DO YOU GET TESLA TO FIX THIS AND WHAT IS THE RIGHT FIX?

NHTSA ODI 11374070