What 592 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 Tesla Model 3 Bev

I live in a very rural area with very little traffic on two-lane country roads. When my cruise control is active, my Tesla sometimes brakes for no reason. A couple of days ago it violently braked from 70 mph to 50 mph for absolutely no reason. On that particular trip of 30 miles or so it "phantom braked" four times. I have had this car for almost 4 years and this problem appears to be getting worse.

NHTSA ODI 11521846

Driving on US 395 near Mojave, CA, with cruise control enabled, the car braked suddenly twice within a 20 minute period. There were no other cars on the road but there was still a "phantom brake" that came out of nowhere.

NHTSA ODI 11516196

I have six recorded incidents over three different trips where I was traveling at highway speeds on I-84. While utilizing cruise control, weather was clear and roads were dry with no vehicles in front of, behind or to the side of me. The vehicle slammed on it's brakes unexpectedly and for no apparent reason. 5 out of the 6 times, it stopped so fast, nearly coming to a complete stop that it caused the vehicle to swerve almost out of control. Luckily there were no vehicles close behind me, otherwise I would have certainly been rear ended and possibly even killed at the speeds we were traveling. I have spoken to Tesla and they admit it is a known problem, but they don't have an immediate fix. The recommend not using cruise control in their vehicles. I think they should buy the vehicles back if you cannot use something as basic as cruise control. This problem is wide spread and extremely dangerous if not deadly under certain conditions. The date below is the 2nd to last time it happened. Last time was on 2/13/23. There were 4 similar incidents prior to 2/12/23

NHTSA ODI 11507728

I've been experiencing "phantom braking" where the car will decrease it's speed, sometimes up to 50% while it's in self-driving mode.

NHTSA ODI 11506382

Two lane highway I was in the left lane with the cruise control on not Full Self Driving. In the right lane was a semi which I came up along side off on the left , I was driving 70mph. (Speed limit) The car suddenly hard braked on it’s own. The car behind me had to brake to avoid an accident and went into the dirt. After that on this same drive, there were at least 6 more instances of phantom braking when traveling over a “wash bridge “ going under a highway sign, driving along side another semi and once without anyone near and an open road. This also happened 3 months ago and when I reported it to Tesla they said when I received the FULL self driving down load which I got the next day, the problem should be corrected. I also reported the previous problem to you, the case # 11488958.

NHTSA ODI 11495626

While freeway driving with autopilot (adaptive cruise control) engaged the car will suddenly break VERY hard when there is no reason to. This is SUPER dangerous when traveling at 70 mph and someone is behind me. This is a known issue (phantom breaking) that has been a problem for years and not resolved.

NHTSA ODI 11494106

The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving approximately 12 MPH, there was a rattling and grinding noise coming from the front passenger’s side tire. The contact pulled over and noticed that the front brake caliper bolts had detached and the rear brake caliper bolts appeared loosened. Additionally, there was damage to the front passenger’s side tire and rim. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer and the contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V387000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The brake caliper bolts were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure however, a case was not opened. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000.

NHTSA ODI 11487309

It has happened twice already today 9/21/22 was the second time that happened i was driving in the highway and the tesla suddenly hard brake with no cars near me if this problem continues it could lead to future accidents if someone is following to close…

NHTSA ODI 11485769

While driving on the freeway tonight at about 11:45 pm with no one nearby and no shadows or debris in the road, the car on autopilot slammed on the brakes, taking the car from 68MPH to below 45MPH in less than a second, which could have resulted in a rear end collision had someone been behind the car. The car has done this many times in the past but this time was unusual in that three beeps occurred right as the car slammed on the brakes. I saved the video and will see if the video shows the incident.

NHTSA ODI 11476243

I was driving with my 5 yo in a car. We had to swerve to miss a truck pulling out in front of us, and when we swerved slightly, the systems of the car shut down. I could not drive the car to get us out of the middle of the road, but I also could not put the car into park. In order to prevent the car from rolling down the hill with my daughter and I inside, I had to keep my foot on the break. The emergency flashers also did not work, so there was a material risk of being rear ended. The AC also stopped working. It was 100+ degrees outside. The doors and windows did not work, so we were trapped in a hot car, in the middle of the road, without emergency flashers. Tesla Roadside refused to come. They also refused to help me because the car was in my husband's name. My 5 yo daughter and I could have died either of suffocation or by collision.

NHTSA ODI 11473540

Phantom braking. During Basic autopilot (steering, braking in one lane) at times system applies brakes for no reason, which could cause rear-end collision with the following car. Usually happens at freeway speeds, with NO cars around the vehicle and the road is unevenly sightly with small grades or going past the crest of a large grade roadway happens when the vehicle peaks grade and descends down.

NHTSA ODI 11467815

Car will break "phantom breaking" slowing down +20mph very quickly with nothing on the highway in front or behind. It typically happens before bridges, major shadows on highway. There are 2 places in Little Rock Arkansas on the highway that it does it every single day in the same spot with nothing around! Has nearly caused people to crash into me from behind. I stopped driving with the autopilot.

NHTSA ODI 11467588

My car brakes for no apparent reason consistently in the same location every time. What has been described as “phantom braking”. When I hit two spots on I5 northbound near the berkley exit. The set max speed of my cruise control will suddenly drop and the vehicle will brake. The speed then adjusts up to the prior setting and the vehicle will return to normal. This in total lasts about 5 seconds but results in dangerous braking.

NHTSA ODI 11467472

Autopilot break the car for no reason on highways and high speed. Always happen on I-5 at Anaheim, CA to Los Angeles, CA area.

NHTSA ODI 11467440

On 3/28/22 at 4:01 pm, while in parking lot traffic traveling 2-3 mph, the vehicle lost propulsion, and steering. The vehicle's audible warnings sounded and displayed a series of errors ranging from tire pressure to driver assistance features not being available. The vehicle struggled to move and had steering as stiff as a vehicle without power steering all four tires flat. I backed it into a parking space and conducted a hard re-start using the steering wheel buttons. After a few minutes the vehicle rebooted and continued as normal. A service appointment with Tesla was made immediately. On 4/15/22 Tesla conducted a remote diagnostic and submitted a repair estimate to me in preparation for a 4/16/22 repair. The estimate was for the amount of $757. This amount appears to be related to my vehicle being 3,000 miles past the bumper-to-bumper 50,000 mile warranty. The invoice states Tesla will conducting the following: Correction: Sensor - Wheel Speed -ABS - Rear - RH (Remove & Replace); Correction: Hub - Rear - RH (Remove & Replace); Correction: Hub - Rear LH (Includes Alignment Check) (Remove & Replace). Lastly the invoice lists the HUB ASSY as the part being replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11460948

The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the Lane Departure, steering assist, and braking assist warning lights illuminated. During the failure the steering wheel had become difficult to turn in either direction. Additionally, while releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle continued to accelerate instead of decelerating as normal. The vehicle was taken to the local service center who performed unknown repairs however, after retrieving the vehicle the steering failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed back to the service center. No further information was available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11457617

While driving along the interstate on my commute at freeway speeds 60-70 miles per hour, the emergency braking system will suddenly engage, and the car will issue a collision warning. During these incidents there is no car at risk for striking my vehicle or slowing down in front of my car. My commute usually occurs in the evening and early in the morning. This typically happens at least once during my work week.

NHTSA ODI 11454959

On a cold day at 26F, the parking system will seized. When attempting to move, you will have to move the accelerator pedal nearly more than a quarter to break free. This is extremely dangerous if you are parking close to another vehicle ahead.

NHTSA ODI 11454206

Several times while driving highway Route 2 in Massachusetts, westbound and eastbound, the adaptive cruise control system slammed on the brakes for absolutely no reason. There was nothing in front of the car for 100 yards, sometimes longer. It happened at least 10 times within an hour. This caused a dangerous situation for myself and the cars behind me who were not expecting my vehicle to brake suddenly and for no reason. There have been many other cases of this submitted to the NHTSA, it is not an isolated problem. There were no warnings displayed during the phantom hard braking incidents.

NHTSA ODI 11454001

when using cruise control the car will suddenly brake without warning and for no obvious reason. This happens with regular Cruise Control as well as Adaptive Cruise Control. It happens at low speeds (in town driving) and at Interstate speeds (65+mph). No warning lights or sounds. Most recently, today. Tesla has not been responsive to date. At higher speeds, there is a strong chance of either being rear ended or forcing the car behind me to take evasive action if they are too close which could result in an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11453257

Car has too many phantom braking issues while using autopilot and cruise

NHTSA ODI 11453082

My Model 3 Tesla while in cruise control initiated braking while on a highway approaching an overpass. There was no obstruction on the road. I believe the cameras deduced the shadow of the overpass as an object and tried to stop. This incident has been termed ghost braking.

NHTSA ODI 11452655

I start noticing when you stop at stop light or traffic light and soon you start drive and before it’s get speed it’s break for second you feel and notice something stop for second and this start happening since last 10 days

NHTSA ODI 11452371

I was driving on a straight local street going around 40mph when all of a sudden, the car baked hard without the presence of any other cars or obstacles. This may have happened several times already and I am now reading that other people had similar incidences.

NHTSA ODI 11452505

This is related to the latest recall for Tesla unnecessary braking and acceleration on the highways . This happens to me a few times while I am on autopilot the car would suddenly break and accelerate right after .

NHTSA ODI 11452637