What 748 owners told NHTSA about the 2022 Tesla Model 3 Bev

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

NHTSA ODI 11471920

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.

NHTSA ODI 11471333

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!!

NHTSA ODI 11471367

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.

NHTSA ODI 11471110

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.

NHTSA ODI 11471249

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470996

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470998

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.

NHTSA ODI 11471056

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.

NHTSA ODI 11471015

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470965

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470972

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470993

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470801

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470572

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470616

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470516

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470192

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470310

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 25 times. The 3-5 worst were similar to stepping on the brake pedal firmly. On one occasion I had no traffic near me so I didn't immediately override the stop, to see what it would do. The car continued to rapidly brake from about 75 mph down to about 25 when I stepped on the accelerator to break the PB episode. My conclusions -- PB is a TACC problem. Auto-steer does not change the behavior and PB doesn't happen unless TACC is engaged.

NHTSA ODI 11470337

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!!!

NHTSA ODI 11470346

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

NHTSA ODI 11470011

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 is attached, as well. State Farm Claims indicating that the vehicle associated with the referenced complaint is on hold at Insurance Auto Auction and available for review.

NHTSA ODI 11470036

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

NHTSA ODI 11470110

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.

NHTSA ODI 11469866

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.

NHTSA ODI 11469918