2021 Tesla Model 3 Complaint Log

Car continues to have instances of phantom braking, no acknowledgment from Tesla regarding the issue. Occurs randomly and unpredictably, causing a serious safety hazard for cars following behind on the road.

The Traffic Aware Cruise Control and Auto-Steer are easily confused so that the vehicle does unexpected things like suddenly slowing down, even heavy breaking, or disengage steering control while in a corner next to semi-truck. This commonly happens when driving at higher speeds, 70 MPH, on the freeway. Suddenly slowing down at such a high speed is dangerous when there are cars following me as they don’t expect a sudden slow down when they can clearly see there is no reason for our car slamming on the brakes. In my observation this problems occur most frequently at higher speeds and when approaching a semi truck or overpass. It is especially worse when going through a corner. Sometimes the center barrier seems to cause sudden slowing down. Also, driving in a corner on the freeway while driving next to a semi truck has caused the auto steer to suddenly disengage which in itself was not dangerous since I had both hands on the steering wheel, it certainly startled me which could potentially be dangerous.

The tire fell off the car while driving. The lateral link bolts have come unfastened and cause the link to come out of place and consequently damage several suspension components. As the bolts unfastened, the wheel was separated from the car and fell off, causing the car to be undrivable.

Emergency braking is applied while using adaptive cruise or autopilot. This happens on two lane undivided roads with larger vehicles approaching on the opposite side. It does not happen with cars or pick ups. For no reason the forward collision warning will sound and emergency braking is applied. If a vehicle is behind my car I would have been rear ended. I have sent error reports over the air to Tesla at the moment. I also brought my car into service and documented this issue. They did recalibrate the forward cameras but no difference was seen. Just out of the blue the car will.reduce speed by 20 mph. In my video the speed went from 46 to 29. The funny thing is it did not slow fir the oversized truck. I have videos if the incidents but I cannot upload them on here.

Driving on cruise control only. Autopilot was not engaged. I was cruising at 50mph when it "phantom" braked out of nowhere. It was clear as day in front of me and luckily the car behind me was a hundred yards or so. It abruptly decreased speed to 35mph before I could get back up to speed by manually using the accelerator to override cruise control. This has happened many times and I'm afraid to use such features moving forward.

While driving in cruise control at set at 75mph, the car suddenly started to slow down. (Note, the nearest car ahead of me was at least 15 car lengths away and was not braking, so it should not have affected my speed) When I tried to accelerate, the car continued to de-accelerate. I looked at the screen and it indicated that cruise control was set at 50. When the car reached 50 mph, it stopped de-accelerating and I was able to increase my speed. I tapped the brake to get out of cruise control and continued my trip.

The vehicle will unexpectedly slam on the brakes while using the Traffic Aware Cruise Control. I've noticed it happens mostly on two lane highways with oncoming traffic or heavy shadows on the road. It will also happen on interstates when a shadow is on the road or a dark patch. I'm afraid I will be rear ended if this continues.

When driving at low speeds (below35) we have had 2 instances of the car braking with no obstacles.

Phantom Braking occurs often and cannot use the autopilot.

Hello, Driving on a snowy road around 20 MPH. Attempted to slow down in a straight line, used the brakes to try and slow vehicle to go into a driveway. Vehicle would not respond to any inputs. The brake pedal seemed frozen, coming off and back on the brake pedal did not change anything. There sounded like an ABS pulsing but it was not working. Post accident pictures showed it looked like the car was dragging one axle like it was locked in the snow. Car ending up grazing a mailbox post and afterword said 'take control'. I believe the car tried to do an automated braking maneuver which did not work. The road was covered in 1-2" of snow and the mailbox would have been a reference point in the distance. When turning the steering wheel away from the object that was hit, the car continued to go straight like the wheels were not attached. The car never veered left or right during this whole event even though i tried to turn.

The problem I am having, when I use traffic-aware cruise control, is "phantom braking" This has occurred multiple times on two-lane highways when a large truck is passing in the opposite lane, and sometimes on a freeway when I pass a large truck that is in the right lane. The car suddenly slows or stops and the forward collision warning alarms sound. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This upsets everyone in the vehicle because it is so sudden that they are startled and frightened when the alarm sounds and the car abruptly brakes. My wife has asked me to not use the traffic-aware cruise control at all because of this problem. I have owned the car almost 9 months and my wife has not and will not drive it because of the this problem. It is also quite dangerous because a vehicle behind me would not be expecting me to slow down or stop when there is no apparent reason to do so and may crash into my car. I have not contacted Tesla because I have thought the problem would be fixed by now with a software update, but after a number of updates the problem persists. I know other Tesla owners are having the same problem. I will contact Tesla today.

I've had 2 incidents of phantom braking in 13 months of ownership. Both times when using cruise control. Scary stuff.

The car phantom brakes a lot. When sun is directly hitting from front, the car wouldn’t go in autopilot. The car phantom brakes on 1 lane streets a lot when there is a car coming from the front. When going the speed limit, it changes automatically to lower speed limits out of nowhere and is a hazard and dangerous because there are cars coming from the back and can hit the car when it reduces the speed very fast. Have submitted multiple phantom braking issues with Tesla with pressing and holding right scroll wheel but nothing has happened so far to correct this issue. When a big trailer changes lane and comes to the near lane of the car, the car thinks it’s going to hit the truck so it phantom brakes.

Dangerously brakes for no apparent reason while using adaptive cruise control. Especially common on two-lane roads. Occurs approximately once every 20 miles of driving. Has caused near accidents on three occasions. Tesla does not take any action. Car has the most recent software update.

On January 26th at about 4:30 pm pm on a clear day I was proceeding west at approximately 55mph on US33 between Barboursville and Ruckersville VA on a straight section of the road with a slight downward slope. I was not using cruise control. A tractor-trailer sized truck was going east and as it approached my Tesla braked hard, maybe maximally, and the panel flashed red, I think. I think I stepped on the brake pedal, but the braking ended instantly as the truck passed. There was no skidding or swerving. No car was close so there was no collision. There was no warning. The police were not called. I have not contacted the manufacturer - yet, as I assume it is a software problem that they are already working on.

When the vehicle is in cruise control mode, the brakes will engage for no apparent reason. It has happened three times. The brakes will engage then release causing the car to quickly decelerate and disengage the cruise control. It has only happened on the freeway when driving, no other cars are in front or braking in front of the car. There is no apparent reason for the braking other then cruise control mistake.

Our Tesla Model 3, while using the Adaptive Cruise Control, will apply full brakes with either nothing in the road ahead or with oncoming traffic on a 2-lane highway. This is extremely dangerous and a hazard to vehicles behind us. This occurs every time it is used, with frequency up to 4 times in a single minute. Tesla has cancelled 2 service requests this month stating this is normal operation.

1. Vehicle brakes for no reason while on Traffic Aware Cruise Control 2. At night on come head lights appear to cause braking while on Traffic Aware Cruise Control. 3. Vehicle brakes for no reason when on Traffic Aware Cruise Control when on two lane road (one lane each direction) when on coming large vehicle approaching. 4. Vehicle brakes for no apparent reason while on Traffic Aware Cruise Control when light conditions cause high contrast shadows on the road.

Driving on the interstate in autopilot with nobody in front of me but there was somebody riding my rear. And the vehicle decided to phantom break which almost caused the guy to rear end me while going 75 mph it could have been lethal.

My vehicle has a VCFRONT_A447 error code and will not heat up. With temperatures as low as -20 and highs of 25 not only is just the temperature potentially deadly but im unable to defog my windshield without freezing. I feel my car is entirely unsafe to drive.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving on autopilot at 60 MPH, the vehicle applied the brake independently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he had experienced the failure multiple times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.

Any time I have the car in autopilot, it unexpectedly phantom brakes. Even when I'm not using autopilot, and I am using cruise control, the phantom braking still occurs. In several instances I have had people come close to hitting my car's rear. The braking is not subtle. It is rapid and aggressive. This issue creates a major danger for anyone in my car and others on the road.

During the use of the Autopilot feature in Tesla, the car suddenly starts braking with no obstacles. This can cause a safety incident on the road when there are vehicles behind and the Tesla suddenly stops for no apparent reason.

When in Autopilot mode, the car will sporadically brake without any obstacles in front of it. This has occurred to me about half a dozen times. Always on the highway. Initially it would happen in the daytime near overpasses or when entering shade from a sunny area. Twice it occurred to me at night, on a well lit interstate in an urban area. This is often referred to as Phantom Breaking.

When vehicle is in full self drive mode, sometimes it mistakenly detects an obstacle on the highway and applies brakes. This event presents risk of getting rear ended at high speed on highways.

While using the autopilot feature on my Tesla, there have been several instances where the car will brake suddenly for no apparent reason. This has happened at high speeds and at slow speeds under various conditions. The braking is so severe that if a car was following behind they would have to react quickly to avoid an accident. Multiple instances over the last year.

Heating failure in colder temperature climates, left with my heat completely not working during a 7 hour drive in 15 degree weather. Had to eventually get a tow truck. Went to tesla to get it looked at and they were trying to charge $250 for a diagnostic. I had this same exact issue a week after when I first purchased the car where the heat would not work in cold weather. Had three sensors replaced under warranty. After some miles the issue has came back with the same fault codes in the following winter. This is a disaster and if you’re stuck on the road, it can be a very lethal problem to occupants. Even in today’s heat wave, I have found that the AC does not work either linked to the same error as the heating portion where AC would fail to blow cool air into the cabin. Last week, I had to push all of my trips to days where the temperature was cooler. This is another safety hazard that some people could suffer from heat strokes which can cause immediate danger to occupants and other drivers on the road. I already had this issue repaired in the past, and after 25k miles I find that the repair wasn't a repair at all until the next winter and summer. Now i’m being forced to pay $250 for a diagnostic fee not including the repairs for the actual issue. Since i’m out of warranty this is a huge safety issue and should be taken more seriously with these cars. Many people have reported this same issue and are seeking lemon laws regarding this.

I was driving north on Wisconsin route 14 at about 60 mph in my Tesla model 3 using the cruise control.. When a large transportation truck came from the opposite direction, my Tesla suddenly braked sharply. A Ford model F150 truck was following behind me and almost crashed into the back of my car. Fortunately the driver was alert and by sharply apply his brakes on driving into the ditch he avoided colliding with me. This could have been (and nearly was) a lethal accident. I would urge that you put a recall on a Tesla vehicles until this problem is corrected. I have contacted other Tesla owners and they have experienced similar problems. I contacted my local Tesla service station and they seemed unconcerned about the problem. I urge you to issue a recall before someone is seriously hurt or killed.

Multiple phantom braking incidents on regular cruise control (not autopilot).

The windshield wipers are controlled by a sensor and the computer. Unfortunately, they come on too slowly. Several times I have been driving in the rain, waiting for the windshield wipers to start clearing the windshield. Each time, the rain on the windshield has gotten so bad that I was unable to see anything out my windshield. If the car in front had braked quickly, or if some pedestrian was trying to cross the street, I would not have known. I tried to tell this to a Tesla service rep, but was told the wipers are controlled by the computer and there is nothing they can do.

System: Traffic Aware Cruise Control Safety Risk: Full regenerative breaking in the fast lane on a highway with a car following behind. Car behind had to initiate emergency braking. Reproduced by Dealer: Did not contact dealer Inspected by Manufacturer: Did not contact manufacturer Warnings: No, braking automatically initiated System: Lane Departure Warning Safety Risk: Misreading a parking garage and initiating lane departure warning chime Reproduced by Dealer: Did not contact dealer Inspected by Manufacturer: Did not contact manufacturer Warnings: Yes, warning chime initiated and warning message.

Driving on the beltway around Washington DC the weather conditions were variable and the revised user interface in version 11 of the Model 3 software made changing the defroster settings dangerous while in traffic. Previously, it was a single icon on the control screen. Now it requires a push of an icon and a search for the correct controls and adjustments.

On a recent road trip from CA to UT while driving on four lane roads whenever I had Traffic-Aware Cruise Control enabled and approached a large vehicle from the passing lane the vehicle would suddenly slam on the brakes, dropping 15-25 mph in seconds, it would also do this for zero apparent reason when there was no other vehicles or objects within sight. Several times it almost caused a collision when a vehicle was following to closely behind us. I had to disable and stop using the feature to avoid a possible rear end collision!

When car is driving on autopilot on highway, it slams on the brakes on its own. This has happened 2-3 times.

Tesla removed the ability to hang up a phone call via the steering wheel buttons which poses a massive safety issue. Currently the only ways to end a phone call are: 1- Having the person on the other end of the call end the call 2- Press the "end" button on the touchscreen (more details below) 3- Press the "end" button on the phone itself (note: physically interacting with a phone while driving is illegal in Georgia so this is not a viable option) The touchscreen generally has the phone call status on the bottom-left of the screen when a call is active. However there are times when this goes away which causes the driver to be required to navigate through a non-intuitive menu to get the phone call to reappear on the screen. Those times are: 1- a text message comes in while a call is in progress. That text message covers the phone call status 2- the windshield wipers are manually activated while a call is in progress. The windshield wiper status covers the phone call status 3- software bugs often cause the phone call status to disappear entirely, requiring a driver to swipe through the screen until the phone call status reappears Ending a phone call with a physical button was previously an option on the Model 3, as well as other Tesla models. Removing that option is a danger to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians as distracted driving is a huge factor in automobile accidents.

The car repeatedly applies the brakes when the cruise control is engaged when there is no imminent safety issue. It will do this on the highway when vehicles are following putting me at risk for a rear end collision. When I use the cruise on secondary roads (to stay under the speed limit) the behavior is similar. The car will apply brakes for passing shadows, again putting me at risk for a rear end collision. I no longer use the cruise function because the braking operation is unpredictable and it is, in my opinion, generally hazardous.

The Tesla model 3 has unexpectedly braked very hard with no traffic ahead of my vehicle. So fast and hard that seat belts had to restrain passengers. This has happened several times while the Autopilot is engaged. This usually is on a 2 lane road and there is traffic on the opposite side of the road. I have noticed if a semi-tractor trailer is approaching on the opposite side it happens 100 % of the time. The auto also steers hard to the right. This is very scary and a vehicles behind the Tesla have no warning either. I have almost been hit twice from behind. Makes a lot of angry drivers behind me. I have not used the feature in a month. I called Tesla and they said this was NORMAL. It never happened until a recent software update and then it started doing this all the time. Please help

While driving on the highway or freeway, the vehicle suddenly slowed dramatically as if the brakes had been heavily applied. It did this three times over the course of two days, always while the car was set on cruise control (not auto pilot).

The heat stops working at cold conditions. Many other users have reported this problem, after going into service I was told there is a sensor that is out in the open behind the bumper that when exposed to snow and rain can freeze and causes heat to stop working. I have experienced this myself when going on a trip back home from upstate NY to NC , I had no heat with temps outside being at 3 degrees F , not only was the car extremely cold causing me and my wife to get sick , but you can not use the defrost because there is no heat. So there is absolutely no visibility since there’s frost on all windows that you cant do anything about.

While driving in cruise control the car will break suddenly for no reason. I had a close call to where I was worried that the car behind me would hit me. The sudden breaking has happened many times. It's terrifying. I had to quit using auto pilot and cruise control when someone is following me for that reason. When I contacted Tesla about the concern they replied saying that they completed a hardware diagnostic on the vehicle and determined that there is no hardware failure. I provided them with the timestamps for the dashcam for several incidents. This is a HUGE safety concern. The cruise control system is dangerous.

While driving on the highway and using auto pilot it has had multiple instances of phantom brakes doing highway speeds it will slow cars down rapidly and for no apparent reason. Really needs to get corrected.

Multiple random automatic braking occurred during Freeway cruising

Both the adaptive cruise control and the Autopilot are dangerously defective. The car will brake without any valid reason. If put into use, the phantom braking will occur several times per hour, regardless of speed. Other drivers have honked at us after nearly rear-ending at highway speeds. We have been unable to use either feature. The car has been back to the dealership in Vallejo CA. Hours of data log have been given to Tesla. We have loaded every software update including the most recent. Nothing helps. I have given Tesla a list of the situations that seem to cause the invalid braking. These include: Red & Blue markers in Nevada that mark highway cross-overs for their highway patrol. Large highway signs at the outside of a curve. K-Rail at the outside of a curve, Black tar sealant lines on the highway, Overhead Highway signs as the car is coming up a rise, and many more. We actually made a game of predicting the phantom braking and were right over 50% of the time. As it is, it is unsafe and unuseable. Pending a fix, they should at the very least give drivers the option to revert to plain, old dumb cruise control. It would be far safer. The "Autopilot" feature is even worse than the Adaptive Cruise control. It freaks out at corners with K-rail and when you do see a problem that hasn't registered with Autopilot (road hazard) the Autopilot fights you trying to take control. I almost crashed into a bumper that was on the highway.

On 1/3/21, approximately 2pm. Driving south on I-77 in the city of Broadview Heights. In center lane of highway with Autopilot (speed and steering only) on. A Hummer in my left lane drifts into my lane and hits my car (I have video). No alarms or alerts went off to warn me. No automatic steering occurred. My car continued in lane and at speed (about 64mph), until my driver mirror broke off and adjusted my position to the left. Broadview Height police report # [XXX]. I have a service request into Tesla. I am awaiting the at-fault party insurance to contact me to begin repair process. To above questions: -I am suspicious about the ultrasonic sensors and/or camera and it failure to warn me I was about to be hit. -I was hit on my driver's side by a car that was not detected by my Tesla -I have a service request made to Tesla, awaiting response -No inspections or diagnostics have been performed yet by Tesla -No warning occurred. I am very familiar with the warning my car can produce: things like drifting out of my lane; someone in front of me braking hard; or Autopilot applying brakes when it thinks a car is in front of me (when it's actually on a curved road). INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

I have experienced several incidents of “phantom braking.” The brakes automatically apply, slowing the car abruptly, when there is no discernible reason.

Phantom braking with autopilot on one lane highways when larger vehicles approach the vehicle in the other lane. This is easily repeatable on any one lane road, happens literally all the time. My older Tesla that still had radar never had this problem. This is a problem with Teslas vision only approach to cruise control

It gives you a wrong message that your car is closed but actually no. And I got stuff stolen since this issue. First time close the door properly, but I can not lock it. I have to open it then close it again to lock it. video shows I uploaded the video in twitter [XXX] I can not upload a video in the below upload files area, so plz contact me to let me send the email if you can not see it on twitter. or you may see it here [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Recently, at least it was noticed starting in Dec 2021, while driving on two lane highways under cruise control or self driving, the vehicle would brake hard at vehicles approaching in the opposite lane. Large trucks especially triggered the response. The braking response definitely put the safety of the occupants and following vehicles at risk. I have not taken it to a dealer or service center. There were no warning lamps, messages or any symptoms prior. I have stopped using those features while on two lane roads. I certainly am hoping for a software update to solve this issue.

Phantom Braking

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - cruise control. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - traveling at 55-60 mph on a 2 lane highway at night when the car suddenly put on brakes because it must of saw something but there was nothing. I believe this is called "ghost braking". There was a car behind us and had to slow down as well. Luckily no accident was caused but scared my wife and I. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? NO Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? It happened so fast I did not see any warning lights. The car just suddenly started to brake hard.