What 379 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Tesla Model S 75

While in autosteer, I pressed on the brakes which normally deactivates the autosteer while coming to a stop. In this particular case the car did not brake upon command and the car maintained acceleration thru a stop light and veered into a median causing a collision with a curb causing structural damage to the frame of the vehicle. I have put in a claim with both my insurance and Tesla and advise that the brakes did not activate in a timely fashion upon disengaging from Autosteer thus causing the collision and was advise by Tesla that I would be responsible to cover the damages when the accident was caused by the vehicle not disengaging. I was only advised after the fact of the recall for the very reason I complained to Tesla in the first place and have been waiting 5 months for a resolution.

NHTSA ODI 11575851

The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while approaching a stop light, while the contact was depressing on the brake pedal to slow down the vehicle accelerated on its own causing the contact to strike the vehicle in front. The contact stated that no warning light illuminated, and the brake assist did not activate. The contact stated when the vehicle struck the vehicle in front the vehicle continued driving forward and then the vehicle was able to come to a complete stop. The vehicle had front-ended damages and the other vehicle had rear-ended damages. No one was injured. The air bags deployed. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a repair center. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and did not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was 54,000.

NHTSA ODI 11536165

I was driving at low speed when I suddenly felt a very loud pop and snap. I thought I had a flat tire. The car pulled to the left. I had trouble pulling over and thought I was going to hit someone. I was able to come to a stop abruptly. I checked for a flat and had none. I called Tesla after limping the car home because I could not see a flat. The car had a broken control arm and had completely pulled the left wheel against the frame. Almost like I got something really hard but I hadn't. I had just pulled away from a stop sign when the snap took place. I was put at risk as well as my child. I couldn't control my vehicle. There were no warning messages. The vehicle was repaired by tesla and they didn't even call me to tell me what was wrong with it. I found out it was the control arm from the documents i was given.

NHTSA ODI 11517098

Vehicle automatically and unexpectedly applies brakes when using Cruise Control when no other cars are in proximity or approaching. Sometimes braking is light but other times it is a jolt that is extremely starling. Often happens multiple times within minutes. Unpredictable when it will occur. I have taken the vehicle to Tesla 3 times and they say that they know about the problem but their Autopilot is still in Beta and are not actively working on a fix. On 4/28/2022, while on a trip, there were 5 incidents between 9:51am and 1:43pm.

NHTSA ODI 11469671

The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The contact stated that the vehicle quickly decelerated without warning to 50 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 37,798.

NHTSA ODI 11467785

Driving with autopliot engaged. I was in the left lane of a two lane highway when another car entered the highway to my right and car suddenly slammed on the brakes. i disengaged the autopilot. It happen several more time, so it is now a function I no longer use unless the highway is empty. I believe is was a $1000 option.

NHTSA ODI 11453887

Ever since I purchased this car I have suffered from Phantom Braking when using Cruise Control. As a result, I am unable to use any of the advanced Autopilot features. I spent $10,000 for something that has never even begun to work. Phantom Braking occurs seemingly at random, with no vehicles in front, nothing on the road and no overpasses or shadows. I try every few months to see if anything has improved, most recently in January on 101 north of Petaluma. The car suddenly braked, freaking out my passenger. I only try it when no other vehicles are around, so that I am not rear-ended when it happens, after some very scary near-rear-ending events early on. I have reported this problem to Tesla on MANY occasions but after being told "it is a known problem" I have given up reporting it. Is it repeatable? Yes, just drive on cruise control. Safety risk is being rear-ended. Has the problem reproduced by service? No, has it been confirmed, Yes. Has it been inspected by Tesla? Yes Warnings prior to the failure? No

NHTSA ODI 11452895

The brakes have engaged while driving at high speeds (perhaps on about a half dozen occasions) when using either the adaptive cruise control or auto pilot, at a time when there were no road hazards or other cars in the forward or side vicinities. The braking that occurred was severe - a hard braking if you will. On two occasions, this same kind of braking occurred at the same point on a certain freeway that I was traveling on. This braking also occurred once while driving on a city street at low speeds with auto pilot engaged. The dates in which these incidents occurred were all in 2021. The only specific time frame I remember was in July 2021

NHTSA ODI 11452476

Multiple times during our drive experienced random braking and alert sounds going off. Had wife and dog in the car which were also jolted forward due to the sudden braking in the middle of the freeway. Clear weather (post-rain) in night conditions.

NHTSA ODI 11450521

When in Full Self Driving mode, on the highway going on an overpass.... the vehicle suddenly applies the brakes. Imagine going from 70 mph to 40 for no reason. I discussed with Tesla, they said the vehicle is reading the speed limit from the road below the overpass. Very unsafe.

NHTSA ODI 11450357

My Tesla suddenly brakes, without any input or action by me, on the highway without warning causing me to take corrective action to avoid being rear ended. My wife refuses to drive with me. She feels unsafe in the car. I have submitted complaints to Tesla multiple times. The frequency of sudden braking has decreased but it still exists

NHTSA ODI 11450410

The contact owns a 2017 Tesla Model S 75. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 mph, the brakes were seized while on autopilot. In addition, there was a warning error the contact was unable to remember. The contact mentioned the emergency brake engaged independently and the contact was unable to control the vehicle which caused the vehicle to crash into the guardrail. A police report was not filed. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a service center where a diagnostic was not attempted but the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 21v846000 ( forward collision avoidance). The approximate failure mileage was 54,504. Vehicle was not listed on the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11444599

While driving in heavy traffic on highway 92, the left hand fore link assembly (Tesla part no 1041570-00-B) finally cracked. A loud crunch and a dark smoke plume was let out as the front left tire made contact with the wheel well. I stopped to check for a blown tire, but found none. The vehicle was still operable and maneuverable, though for any braking or more than mild turning, the tire again made contact with the wheel well and gave off loud crunching sounds. No warning lamps or messages prior to the failure, but some weeks prior, the left fore wheel's tire thread depth had started wearing down significantly – down to 1mm, vs the others being 4, 6, and 4 – this part had probably been slowly degrading until it finally cracked and failed permanently on the road. This problem is apparently widely experienced, reported, and published (see https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/cracked-forelink.95637 for others experiencing it at least back through 2017). I towed the vehicle to my nearest Tesla service center, and though it apparently is common and seems like a production defect, I had to pay for the whole repair of both fore link assemblies myself.

NHTSA ODI 11437430

THIS IS MY SECOND TESLA. I'VE HAD NOISES IN SUSPENSION AND HAVE BEEN TOLD IT WAS A CONTROL ARM AND PAID FOR IT. NOISE IMMEDIATELY RETURNED. LATER TOLD ITS STABILIZER. THAT WAS ON FIRST TESLA. MEDIA CONTROL UNIT CONSTANTLY FAILED. SECOND TESLA - [XXX]- SUSPENSION PROBLEMS. SOMETHING FEELS LIKE IT WILL POP OF I TURN WHEEL TOO FAR AND THE BRAKE OR SOMETHING MAKES A LOUD NOISE WHEN DISENGAGING. THEY SAY THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE BUT IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME I BRAKE OR RELEASE HOLD. MY MCU IS FAILING ON THIS CAR. THEY REPLACED THE RAM BUT IT STILL FAILS. GPS IS BARELY FUNCTIONAL AND MY REVERSE CAMERA WILL NOT APPEAR MANY TIMES. SOMETIMES MY CAR WON'T CHARGE. THEY IGNORE AND SAY IT'S NORMAL. MCU NEEDS REPLACEMENT. I SPOKE TO A TESLA EMPLOYEE AND I'M SURE YOU KNOW, BUT HE SAYS THEY ONLY WIPE AND RECYCLE THE RAM USED ON THE MCU. THAT WOULD EXPLAIN FAST FAILURES AGAIN. THEY ARE TRYING TO STALL OUR WARRANTIES OUT TO FORCE PURCHASE OF THE SECOND MCU THAT THEY CLAIM IS THE BEST SOLUTION. THEY ARE NOT GOING TO STOP THESE BEHAVIORS IF WE AREN'T PROTECTED. I HAVE VIDEO I CAN SHARE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*TR

NHTSA ODI 11376955

THE CAR FAILED TO COME OUT OF THE ENHANCED AUTOPILOT MODE, EVEN AFTER PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDALS, AND WENT STRAIGHT THROUGH A RED LIGHT, CAUSING A COLLISION RESULTING IN TOTAL LOSS OF BOTH VEHICLES. I BELIEVE THE 'SELF DRIVING MODE', OR THE ENHANCED AUTOPILOT MODE WAS DEFECTIVE. WE WOULD LIKE TO GET THE VEHICLE DATA PERTAINING TO EVENTS JUST BEFORE THE CRASH, BUT TESLA WOULD NOT GIVE IT WITHOUT A COURT ORDER. EVEN BEFORE THIS INCIDENT I HAD NOTICED THAT ENHANCED AUTOPILOT MODE MADE DANGEROUS MOVES ON HIGHWAY. AT ONE INSTANCE, I WAS DRIVING IN THE RIGHTMOST LANE (IN THE ENHANCED AUTOPILOT MODE), AND A DRIVER TRYING TO MERGE IN THE HIGHWAY WAS NOT WILLING TO SLOW DOWN, BUT NEITHER DID THE TESLA, AND I HAD TO BRAKE TO AVOID THE COLLISION. THE AUTOPILOT DID NOT DETECT THE OTHER CAR THAT WAS RAPIDLY CLOSING IN TO THE TESLA.

NHTSA ODI 11096644

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 TESLA MODEL S. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND FAILED TO RESPOND. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, BUT IT ALSO FAILED TO RESPOND. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR NECK AND BACK INJURIES THAT DID NOT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND THEN TO AN AUTO BODY SHOP. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,500.

NHTSA ODI 11096745

WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT AT A BUSY SHOPPING CENTER, AND APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL (HAVING MOVED IT OVER FROM ACCELERATOR) TO STOP THE CAR AT ABOUT 5 MPH, THE MODEL S SUDDENLY LURCHED FORWARD AT FULL ACCELERATION HITTING NOT 1 BUT 2 PARKED CARS. NOTHING WOULD STOP THE CAR AS IT TOOK OVER AND WENT FORWARD WITH BOTH MY FEET PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL AS HARD AS I COULD. FINALLY IT STOPPED AFTER HITTING A SECOND PARKED CAR. TESLA HAS NOT RESPONDED, DESPITE 2 DAYS OF EMAILS AND CALLS.

NHTSA ODI 11089262

WE WERE IN A PARKING LOT OF "KIDQUEST MUSEUM" IN BELLEVUE , WA. , TAKING OUR GRAND DAUGHTER, ONE YEAR OLD, TO THE MUSEUM. OUR CAR WAS IN STATIONARY POSITION. WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO PARK. DURING THIS TIME, OUR MODEL X, TOOK OFF WITH UNINTENDED ACCELERATION AND WE COULD NOT CONTROL THE CAR. IT WAS INSTANTANEOUS, OUR CAR WENT AND HIT A PARKED CHEVY VAN. THIS VAN FWENT UPSIDE DOWN AND WENT OVER THE FENCE INTO THE LOT NEXT TO IT. AFTER THE IMPACT OUR CAR WENT AND HIT ELETRIC POLE, WENT INTO BUSHES AND OVER AN ELECTRICAL BOX OF 5 BY 5. I COULD NOT OPEN THE DOOR. THERE WAS SMOKE IN THE CAR (MY WIFE THINKS SMOKE MIGHT HAVE STARTED WHILE THE CAR WAS ACCELERATING"). MUSEUM STAFF CAME AND OPENED THE PASSENGER DOOR. AFTER SHE GOT OUT, FIRST THING THEY DID WAS TO OPEN THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR AND TOOK OUT OUR GRANDDAUGHTER. I CAME OUT THRU PASSENGER DOO. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS HURT. MANY OF THE AIRBAGS CAME OUT. WE ARE UNBELIEVABLY LUCKY. THE PARKING LOT IS APPROXIMATELY 100 FT X 100. THIS IS THE PARKING LOT USUALLY WHERE MANY KIDS ARE IN THE LOT. FORTUNATELY THAT MOMENT THERE WAS NONE. ACCIDENT HAPPENED AROUND 4:20 P.M . WEATHER WAS GRAY BUT NO RAIN. WE STILL CAN NOT COMPREHEND HOW CAR CAN TAKE OFF AT THAT SPEED. NONE OF THE EMERGENCY BRAKING SYSTEM OR THE CAMERAS WORKED TO STOP THE CAR

NHTSA ODI 11048161

PLEASE NOTE - THIS IS A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE TESLA MODEL 3 WHICH DOES NOT YET APPEAR ON YOUR DATABASE. AT LEAST 50 OF THESE HAVE ALREADY BEEN RELEASED TO TESLA EMPLOYEE GUINEA PIGS AND ARE LOOSE ON THE HIGHWAYS. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THOUSANDS MORE WILL BE ON THE ROADS SOON. THE FOLLOWING VIDEO SHOWS JUST HOW MUCH OF A DANGEROUS DISTRACTION THE CENTRAL TOUCH-SCREEN IS: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=JL7A-9DGSB0 ALMOST EVERY FUNCTION OF THE CAR IS CONTROLLED BY THE TOUCH SCREEN. THE MAN WHO POSTED THIS VIDEO IS PROBABLY TYPICAL OF THE TYPE OF PERSON WHO WILL BE DRIVING THESE CARS. HE IS YOUNG, ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT NEW TECHNOLOGY AND OVERCONFIDENT IN HIS ABILITIES. HE STATES THAT HE CAN SEE THE TOUCH-SCREEN OUT OF HIS PERIPHERAL VISION WHILE STILL WATCHING THE ROAD AHEAD. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE. A SIMPLE EXPERIMENT USING MY OWN LAPTOP WHILST SITTING IN FRONT OF A WINDOW PROVES THAT ALTHOUGH I CAN SEE THE IMAGE OF THE SCREEN IN MY PERIPHERAL VISION IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLACE A FINGER ON ANY OF THE ICONS WITHOUT LOOKING DIRECTLY AT THE SCREEN. THIS IS THE SAME KIND OF THINKING THAT LEADS YOUNG PEOPLE TO TEXT AND DRIVE AND IS CAUSING A SHARP RISE IN THE ROAD TOLL. THE NARRATOR OF THE VIDEO REPEATS THE CLAIM OF ELON MUSK THAT IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER BECAUSE TESLAS WILL SOON BE CAPABLE OF SELF DRIVING AND ALREADY HAVE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING (SOMETIMES!) IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD IT IS ILLEGAL TO EVEN TOUCH A PHONE WHILST DRIVING. THIS CAR IS EVEN MORE DANGEROUS THAN THAT. EVEN TO CONTROL THE SCREEN WIPERS AND AIR FLOW IT IS NECESSARY TO FIDDLE WITH THE SCREEN. PLEASE STOP THIS DANGEROUS EXPERIMENT BEFORE IT GOES ANY FURTHER. THIS REPORT WILL BE FORWARDED TO THE MEDIA SO THAT IT IS ON RECORD THAT NHTSA HAS BEEN WARNED OF THE DANGER. THANK YOU. CONCERNED CITIZEN DUMMY USA ADDRESS USED TO SATISFY YOUR WEBSITE. GENUINE CONTACT DETAILS SUPPLIED.

NHTSA ODI 11025501

WHILE TURNING RIGHT AND SLOWLY PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE WHEN I HIT THE BRAKE THE CAR ACCELERATED RAPIDLY AND JUMPED OVER THE BUMPER AND LANDED IN A GRASSY SPOT. FORTUNATE IT DIDN'T HIT ANYTHING OR ANYONE, I'M CONCERNED THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN AND NOT HAVE A BENIGN OUTCOME. TESLA'S FIRST REACTION IS "I" MUST HAVE HIT THE GAS PETAL BY MISTAKE; I WOULD LIKE TO ACCEPT THAT HOWEVER I DON'T. TO START A TESLA YOU TOUCH THE BRAKE, MORE TESTING IS NEEDED TO ASSURE BRAKES DON'T CREATE FALSE ACCELERATION THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME ON A BUSY STREET WHERE PEDESTRIANS CROSS AT STOP LIGHT; IMAGINE THAT OUTCOME? TESLA NEEDS TO RUN TEST TO DETERMINE IF THIS MALFUNCTION OF RAPID ACCELERATION WHEN APPLYING BRAKES IS AN ENGINEERING PROBLEM AND NOT WRITE IT OFF AS DRIVERS HITTING THE GAS!

NHTSA ODI 11015893