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

While using traffic aware cruise control, either the cruise control cut out or emergency braking was initiated causing the vehicle to rapidly slow down. This happened once on a two-lane road and multiple times on a four-lane, divided highway. My vehicle slowed very rapidly from about 70 mph to about 50 mph. If another vehicle had been close behind me, they might have hit me due to the sudden, unexpected decrease in my speed. There was no hazard, vehicle or otherwise, in front of me at those times. Tesla has been notified through a software bug report. Tesla says this is a known possibility, but has not fixed the safety-related defect. This happened on highway 14 in the California desert well away from any town or city in daylight and in good weather.

NHTSA ODI 11469929

While making a trip to Vegas with the family, I experienced 4 different phantom braking events. 1 was so bad that I almost was rear ended. I saw no common theme between all the events, but they all seemed to happen when there were no cars in front of me at all. All happened in a highway setting.

NHTSA ODI 11469930

Got in vehicle in driveway and upon turning on there was a large thump in rear of vehicle, proceeded by a message to pull over safety indicating rear drive unit failure. Tesla replaced the rear inverter unit. Vehicle only had 3k miles. Similar experience have been documented globally see attached article https://www.autoevolution.com/news/tesla-recall-for-127785-model-3s-in-china-due-to-rear-motor-inverter-defect-185844.html

NHTSA ODI 11469703

Vehicle suddenly braked randomly while using cruise control. This happened many times driving from Colorado Springs to Albuquerque on I25. No identifiable cause or roadside hazard. It would brake slow down in a dangerous rapid manner. Cars behind had to avoid hitting us. It became so bad I had to stop using cruise control for the majority of the trip. It is unsafe and scary.

NHTSA ODI 11469862

The car has been phantom braking when in cruise control and auto pilot for no reason. This has happened multiple times where it throws the driver into the dash, and it brakes hard. This can cause an accident on the roadways and also the driver if throwing the driver into the dash. This has been going on since we have gotten the brand new car earlier this year. There have been multiple updates to the car but none of the updates have not resolved the issue.

NHTSA ODI 11469565

Was traveling on auto-pilot on an uncrowded 2-lane highway, 1 lane in either direction, about 65-70 mph. Car suddenly braked quite drastically for no apparent reason except that perhaps there was a truck in the distance. However, the car had "seen" plenty of trucks before and after and didn't respond in this way. Note that this happened 3 times, possibly 4, on 2 separate days, and only on AUTOPILOT. Note also that the autopilot was functioning as a cruise control because I had 2 hands on the wheel and was not really allowing autopilot to steer. I stopped using autopilot after that.

NHTSA ODI 11469304

Using Tesla Autopilot April 13 and April 15 on CA 395 between Los Angeles and Mammoth Lakes the car repeatedly had "phantom braking" incidents with no cars or obstacles in sight.

NHTSA ODI 11469405

Phantom Braking. Both in Cruise Control and Auto Pilot (I do not have self driving). The car brakes suddenly for no apparent reason. Often it is to a full complete stop very quickly, occasionally it is a half stop. I have documented occurrences, honked so that the vehicle has a computer recording and I have taken it to the dealership in Las Vegas Nevada where I purchased it. They worked on it for several hours (2/7/22) and said it is nothing physical, must be a computer issue, they will let me know when they have a fix for it. They gave me a number to text to see if there are updates. I texted regularly, only got one response, and it said "that's the way the car is designed to work". No. It feels like it is only a matter of time before someone rear ends me. So no using cruise control, which I paid for and they won't fix. It has happens since the day we brought it home, and at all speeds

NHTSA ODI 11469457

While driving at approx 80 MPH along a major highway at approximately 11:30 PM, and while utilizing cruise control, my Tesla Model 3 applied brakes when no vehicle or object was around. My hands were on the wheel and I was focused on driving but the force of the braking caused passengers to move abruptly forward in their seat belts and startled me as the driver. The speed abruptly went from approx 80 down to below 60 MpH. This has happened multiple times. I contacted Tesla support and was told that this is a known issue called “phantom braking.” Since I have NOT used this feature and was told that there is currently not a fix or estimated software release.

NHTSA ODI 11469095

Driving on freeway, very little traffic, no cars near me. Speed 73 mph. Sudden loss of power, coasting to stop making a lane change and seeking shoulder space. At about 30 mph power was regained. Sudden loss of power. ( electric motor, motor controller, battery or software failure ) Difficult rapid maneuver to get to side of road. Dealer has made an appointment. Nor warning lamps or warning sounds. There was another incident 2 days earlier when the cruise control would not engage. Two trips no cruise control. yellow warning symbol with "Cruise control unavailable" Made an appointment with Tesla, they cancelled saying that the car did not do that, and my appointment cancelled. Tesla or vehicle software lies.

NHTSA ODI 11469224

Two separate times today the car automatically braked hard when there was nothing in front, nor around us, when we were using cruise control.

NHTSA ODI 11469272

I purchased and received my Tesla Model 3 earlier this year. On 6 occasions, while using Cruise Control, the car automatically and unexpectedly braked when there was not a car within a 100 meters in front of me in my car lane. The unnecessary and sudden automatic braking surprised the vehicles behind us which increased risk for a crash and also minor whiplash to the passengers in the car. The Tesla's incorrect breaking seemed to be tied to when the car mistakenly through there was a vehicle immediately in front of me. One example was when the Tesla automatically started breaking when the shadow of a big rig was in the same lane as me. To be clear, the big rig was in the lane to the right of me, but it's shadow was in my lane. Another example is when there was a darker spot on the road in front of me. Overall, this is a significant safety issue and must be fixed by Tesla. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11468746

When driving on the interstate this morning our Tesla suddenly and aggressively applied the brakes. This happened many times. There was absolutely nothing near us. These were empty stretches of highway, These incidents were jarring, both emotionally and physically. We were fortunate that there were no cars near us, especially behind us. This has happened before driving around town but it was less dramatic because our speed was slower than on the highway, We thought maybe we had to get used to the car, This is our first highway trip. We’ve been on the road for 3-4 hours and it has occurred 8 or 9 times. We called Tesla to report it. They said they rarely hear this complaint, upon researching it we see that this is a known issue with our year and model but nothing is being done. The research says you are “investigating”. Tesla owners need to be told that this issue is under investigation. I’m Sure it is hugely underreported. Will it take personal injuries to get some action? At the very least Tesla owners need to told to be aware and to report any incidences of this random extremely dangerous breaking out of the blue. I am requesting a personal reply to this concern and compliant: [XXX]@yahoo.com and [XXX]@gmail.com. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”

NHTSA ODI 11468770

I reported "phantom braking" to Tesla that occurred approximately 12 times on a 637 trip on June 4, I requested a service and Tesla responded on June 10 that it "performed remote diagnostic routines to check for any faults ..and found no faults. ...Phantom braking is a known characteristic of current firmware that Tesla is aware of and actively working to improve." The service technician sent me the following additional message: "I understand your frustration at the situation, I've personally owned a model 3 that experienced phantom braking as well. Our technicians in service cannot improve your situation for you at this time, this is a software issue that our engineers are actively working on improving. We are waiting for software updates to help mitigate this issue. These will be automatically sent to your vehicle when they are available." I maintain that it is a defect that affects the safety of the car whenever cruise control is used and that this defect was not disclosed to me at the time of purchase nor subsequently except after I requested service. The car hits the brakes without warning at highway speeds of 70-80 mph, this cannot be safe yet Tesla's Service message reply is "If the vehicle begins applying the brakes when you do not wish you may simply press the accelerator pedal to override the vehicle." I cannot understand why Tesla hasn't disabled this feature and communicated the issue and risk to the owners of these cars until it fixes its software so the car doesn't brake unexpectedly at highway speeds while using autopilot or adaptive cruise control.

NHTSA ODI 11468644

On more than a dozen occasions, our Tesla model 3 while using traffic aware cruise control dramatically slowed down when no vehicles were around. This was mostly on two lane roads in the California desert. Some of the incidents were on 4 lane divided highway with no other vehicles around. Since the car slows so dramatically when the cruise control cuts out it is a very serious hazard if a vehicle was behind me. I have reported the problem to Tesla with no resolution. All I would like to have done is to give me the option to have a standard (non-traffic aware) option for the cruise control.

NHTSA ODI 11468509

My concern first started with the cruise control suddenly shuts off. My biggest concern when the cruise control suddenly shut off and braked. When this happened we were traveling on Interstate 80. 4 lane highway 2 lanes each direction. Cruise control set at 80 mph. Approaching an 18 wheel truck moved to the fast lane. Half way past the 18 wheel truck cruise control suddenly shuts off and the car brakes. Traffic was light so lucky I wasn't rear ended. Notified Tesla they sent me a over the air software update. Not satisfied made appointment to bring into their service department. Was told their system doesn't go back to the incident and it happens again file a bug report. Not feeling safe with a car suddenly brakes.

NHTSA ODI 11468201

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced phantom braking while driving at various speeds with the cruise control activated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 4,235.

NHTSA ODI 11468221

Driving like normal, using autopilot on the highway when I got an alert ‘Automatic Emergency Braking is disabled’, and the autopilot stopped working. Made a service appointment with tesla, but it’s scheduled for June 20, so thought this might help…

NHTSA ODI 11468256

Vehicle brakes hard when there is no reason too do so while using traffic aware cruise control or Autopilot. Issue known as "phantom braking" to the general public. Brakes applied hard enough to lock tires and nearly lose control of the vehicle. Tesla needs to fix the issue and they need to implement a non aware cruise control option for when the system fails due to covered cameras or issues like this.

NHTSA ODI 11467701

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 76 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 400.

NHTSA ODI 11467796

We were driving on I35 in Missouri traveling north and only had the adaptive cruise control on, and the car slowed down for no reason multiple times when no cars were in frown of us, or on either side of us. A few times, the car slowed from 70 to 60 or 65, but there was one occurence the car was attempting to slow all the way down to maybe full stop. We took control in each instance and avoided any further issues

NHTSA ODI 11467812

The car unexpectedly brakes (without driver applying brakes) while in "traffic aware cruise control." This happens 2 to 5 times per 30 miles every time we drive the car on a highway, and has been happening regularly since we bought it about six months ago. Sometimes it's a brief stutter, but many other times it makes a hard brake, short of a full stop, but enough of a sudden deceleration that it poses a safety hazard for vehicles following the car. Sometimes the braking seems to be due to an oncoming large truck in the next lane, but other times it happens when there is no oncoming traffic. The braking is especially bad at night. We live in a rural area with only two-lane highways. The highways are not especially curvy. Sometimes it seems to brake for land formations such as distant mesas. Tesla service checked the vehicle's cameras remotely 2/2/22 but found nothing wrong. They recommended a reboot, which I did, but the problem continues to this day.

NHTSA ODI 11467841

On 4 June 2022, at 5:03pm (CDT), while traveling northbound on Hwy 175 in Dallas, Texas and approximately 1-mile from the I-45 interchange I was traveling in the left lane with the Tesla Autopilot ON and speed set to 70 mph with a posted speed limit of 65 mph. There was very light traffic. When unexpectedly and suddenly the car began braking for no apparent reason. Since traffic was light I momentarily allowed the car to continue to brake arbitrarily in order to observe what it would do since I had also experienced this same phenomenon in our other Tesla that we own. The car continued its braking action unabated and within seconds had slowed to approximately 55mph and was continuing to brake on the highway for no apparent reason. Since traffic was now approaching me from behind at a high-rate of speed in order to avoid an accident I took over the accelerator and accelerated back to the appropriate highway speed.

NHTSA ODI 11467593

On an interstate highway trip of approximately 200 miles, travelling at 70 mph with cruise control engaged, I encountered 5 episodes of phantom braking. With no obstacles or other vehicles in front of me, the car abruptly and without warning slowed down until I pressed the accelerator, at which time it resumed speed. In one instance I was being followed by a semi-trailer truck which had to change lanes as an avoidance maneuver. I should point out that there was one other episode of sudden braking, but this time there was in fact an obstacle, a large wheeled container of some kind, in my lane, which I was able to avoid. In this case I was very happy to have the emergency braking feature. I have not as yet found a way to report this directly to Tesla. They are notoriously difficult to communicate with. A brief online search reveals that this has been a common problem for some time which the NHTSA is currently investigating.

NHTSA ODI 11467596

Over the course of 2 days on a road trip, the vehicle automatically engaged braking on its own 4 times. The first time was while using autopilot and traveling around 70 miles per hour. The brakes engaged so hard that the tires started to slights squeal before I was able to disengage. There were no cars behind us or we would most likely have caused an accident. Nearly the same thing happened then next day except I was using adaptive cruise control. This time there was a truck about 100 yards behind me that had been only a few car lengths behind me a bit earlier. If they were closer again, they most likely would have hit us. I know I was using cruise control one more that that happened, but I am not sure if I was using Cruise control or adaptive braking on the other time.

NHTSA ODI 11467631