There are 27 owner-reported driver assist & adas complaints for the 2024 Tesla Model 3in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I continue to experience phantom "forward collision avoidance" warnings. Tesla has looked at this several times, even once charging me $60 to clean the cameras (should be under warranty in my opinion). Latest response to problem: known issue, no known hardware cause. In other words live with it. They even suggested buying FSD package at $1200/yr as a solution! One more than one occasion the TACC and Autosteer disengaged with traffic behind me. Very scary.
The forward-facing camera on my vehicle repeatedly fogs up inside the sealed camera housing, creating a light to severe haze across the camera lens. This internal fogging obstructs the camera’s view and affects the vehicle’s safety systems that rely on it, including forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping, and adaptive cruise control. The components are available for inspection upon request. This obstruction puts my safety at risk because these systems either disable themselves or operate unpredictably when the camera view is blocked. The issue occurred again this year under normal outdoor temperatures, and the fogging cannot be cleared by the driver or by using defrost or cabin heat. The problem has been confirmed previously by a Tesla service center, where technicians inspected the camera area and told me my vehicle had one of the worst cases they had seen and told me this is a common issue. They attempted a repair, but the issue has returned, making it a recurring defect. No police or insurance representatives have inspected it. During the first occurrence, the vehicle displayed messages indicating that features like Autopilot, cruise control, and lane assist were disabled due to camera obstruction. The current recurrence produced visible internal haze over the camera lens and a warning message appeared which I do have that Tesla acknowledges this is an issue and that rather than fixing it, you can bring your car in for expedited cleaning. I have read others stating Tesla changed their windshield design and it doesn't heat up this area properly any longer. This issue has happened in multiple winter seasons and directly affects the proper operation of safety-critical driver assistance systems.
While driving with FSD engaged and set to standard profile, FSD accelerated to 76mph in a 55 zone. This is on software version 14.1.4. Unfortunately this new update no longer allows you to set your speed while using FSD, you can only select sloth, chill, standard, hurry, or mad max.
I was in process of completing a right hand turn, likely doing around 30 - 35 mph, when the vehicle suddenly and significantly applied the brakes, slowing the vehicle almost instantly down to around 12 mph, from what I had noticed. The road was entirely clear of any other vehicles, hazards, pedestrians or cyclists, with exception of a few parked cars along the curbs. There was absolutely NO reason for this abrupt braking maneuver, and it is at least the second time it has occurred within the past 11 months, both on a right hand turn. Today's incident jerked my head and neck abruptly, leaving me with a headache. It has undermined my confidence in the vehicle.
Yesterday I had another near miss collision and like all the others there was zero reaction from the car, an accident would happen long before the car would react. How many deaths are you going to allow to happen before you take proper action? It’s obvious someone there is being bought because the dangers can be easily proven over and over. My previous car would have braked long before I would have had to steer away from the oncoming vehicle, my Tesla has given me zero protection from front end collisions like the pictures provided.
Incident Description (in my own words): This incident occurred in the parking lot of the [XXX] in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. It was evening after sunset. The parking lot was dark but illuminated by overhead parking lights. My Tesla Model 3 headlights and vehicle lights were fully on. I was reversing slowly out of a tight parking space, traveling approximately 2–3 miles per hour. I was intentionally moving cautiously. My attention at the time was focused on the front right corner of the vehicle, as clearance there was tight. While reversing, the rear of my vehicle struck a parked truck behind me. The truck was relatively high (its headlights were positioned high on the vehicle). Neither I nor my passenger heard any rear collision warning, cross-traffic warning, or parking alert prior to impact. The vehicle also did not apply automatic braking. The contact occurred at very low speed and resulted in only minor cosmetic damage (a small dimple/deformation), but I was surprised that no warning or braking intervention occurred. Based on prior experience driving this vehicle, the collision and parking warning systems are typically configured to warn early, and I had confidence that a warning or automatic braking would activate in this scenario. Following the incident, I conducted a simple test by placing cones in front of the vehicle to see whether forward collision warnings would activate. They did not. While I understand cones may not trigger frontal collision alerts, this further contributed to my concern about object detection reliability in low-speed scenarios. The vehicle’s cameras were clean and unobstructed. I regularly clean the camera lenses. I am filing this complaint because my confidence in the vehicle’s collision warning and automatic braking systems has been shaken. I recently submitted a similar complaint regarding a collision involving our Tesla Model Y, and these two incidents—on two different Tesla vehicles—raise concerns for me INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Subject: FSD lane-selection issues at three specific Santa Clara locations Vehicle: [2024 Model 3], software [2025.32.8], FSD [v13.2.9] 1) 2025-10-12 [approx time 6:30pm PT] – Westbound [XXX] crossing [XXX] . Expected: proceed straight in through lane. Observed: FSD moves into left-turn lane to cross [XXX] . 2) 2025-10-12 [approx time 1pm PT] – Southbound toward [XXX] . Expected: choose left-turn lane. Observed: FSD sometimes stays in straight-through lane when attempting a left turn. 3) 2025-10-12 [approx time 4pm PT] – [XXX] exit to [XXX] approaching [XXX]. Expected: merge left lane before making a left turn. Observed: FSD sometimes stops at green in the through lane after failing to merge left. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
A recent update has caused the vehicle to no longer acknowledge an important speed sign. This was confirmed by another Tesla, it is due to an update. This is unsafe and is capable of allowing the vehicle to travel through town at 75 mph where pedestrians cross the highway. If the camera gets blinded at the wrong time then it will NOT see people or vehicles as it plows into them. I made Tesla service aware and tried to submit a bug report but Tesla app simply says they are aware that the camera may not always read the signs. However, this was never an issue until a recent update. When are you going to make them liable?
Recently I had three back to back near miss head on collisions on highway early morning still dark. These three along with a previous near miss the vehicle had zero reaction to the imminent collision with roughly half a second to spare. It happened so fast that I must have let go of the record button as there was no saved video. I am working with lemon law firm and class action firm, get your crap together because these recent accidents reported in AZ are also your fault for not reacting appropriately to previous complaints.
Driving in the dark I almost had a front end collision and the car had zero reaction. The lights on the oncoming semi truck were bright so as usual I glance away from the lights and generally focus on right lane marker and suddenly I could see an oncoming car out of the corner of my eye cut across the front left corner of my car just barely missing within inches of clearance. Unfortunately I was shaken too much to remember and save the video. Not only does the vehicle software create solid phantom objects but ANYTIME the cameras get blinded the safety system does NOT work and now you have allowed Tesla to drive unmanned. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle: 2024 Tesla Model 3 Date of Incident: [Insert Date] Location: Intersection of [XXX] Operating Mode: Tesla Autopilot (Engaged) On the above date, while driving with Tesla Autopilot engaged, the vehicle initiated an unexpected and improper right turn at the intersection of [XXX] This maneuver was not indicated in the planned navigation route, nor was it consistent with the legal road markings or signage in the area. The vehicle turned into a clearly marked “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” zone, without any driver input or confirmation. I attempted to intervene, but the turn happened abruptly and could not be safely overridden in time. This resulted in a collision, vehicle damage, and physical trauma to both occupants — including nausea and vomiting in my wife immediately after impact. Dashcam footage from the right repeater camera confirms the presence of multiple “Do Not Enter” signs visible at the point of the turn. We have requested the Tesla Event Data Recorder (EDR) logs to confirm that Autopilot was active and that steering input came from the system, not the driver. I am reporting this as a serious safety concern related to Tesla’s Autopilot system and its decision-making at intersections. If this had occurred in a busier traffic environment, the result could have been far worse. This type of navigational or perception failure should be investigated immediately. Both occupants are seeking medical treatment and continuing to deal with the emotional and physical aftereffects of this incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Lost all cameras including rear view camera. Tesla diagnosed that I need to replace AP4 computer. This seems exactly like the case of 25V002000 with circuit board failure. But my VIN was not included in this recall, which seems to indicate that Tesla does not have complete understanding of the scope of this failure.
While driving from Costco in Fountain Valley to Best Buy in Costa Mesa, I was using FSD for the entire route. Everything was running smoothly until we approached [XXX] near [XXX] (Costa Mesa, CA). At that point, the FSD system incorrectly directed the vehicle to enter a freeway off-ramp, effectively driving into an [XXX] exit ramp in the wrong direction. This created a highly dangerous situation, as the ramp was intended for vehicles exiting the freeway, not entering. Fortunately, I was able to take over control of the vehicle and prevent a potential accident, but this was a very close call. Incident Details •Date: [XXX] •Time: Between [XXX] •Location: [XXX] (Costa Mesa, CA) •Route: Costco Fountain Valley → Best Buy Costa Mesa •Navigation Mode: Full Self-Driving (Beta) enabled throughout •Conditions: Daylight, dry roads, moderate traffic What Happened •FSD turned the car onto a road segment that functions as a freeway exit. •The vehicle entered the lane facing oncoming traffic exiting from [XXX]. •I immediately disengaged FSD and took manual control to correct the situation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Phantom braking occurred three times with this vehicle, all three times, the car abruptly stopped while driving for no reason: 10/30/2024 at 8:03am 2/10/25 at 7:47am 3/6/25 at 5:55pm
Multiple instances of phantom braking, car will suddenly slam on brakes without any indication of danger or anything to avoid. This has happened at least a dozen times and we are fearful that it will cause an accident. Vehicle will also alert lane departure and attempt to automatically adjust, turn to another lane while in the appropriate lane. Multiple incidents, at least 30 in 6 months of ownership. No collisions as of yet, concerned there could be.
See attached document for complaint.
When backing out, software doesn’t emergency brake or scream/beep/siren etc (no audible sound) when car is coming, just shows a red light on the screen. Every other manufacturer has this audible and emergency feature. My relative had hit their Tesla with another car since there was no beep or emergency braking with another car behind them. I have talked to many other people and they have said the same thing. It’s just a tiny red line that’s on the screen camera which makes no sense for a high tech car.
In early 2025, while reversing the vehicle, the backup camera proximity alert system failed to provide audible warnings of an obstacle. The visual display worked, but the system provided no beeping or audible alerts as I reversed toward a pole in the vehicle's blind spot, even though I was within the range where warnings should have been activated resulting in over $4K in damages. The same alert failure happened on 10/23/25 as I backed out of a parking space. I no longer live in the local area, but reported the safety issue in person during a visit on August 27, 2025. The acting service manager told me to expect a response in 10-14 days. After not hearing back, I followed up via the app on September 28, 2025. When I received a response on October 2, 2025, I was told my request is beyond the timeframe of when this could be inspected (30 days). The vehicle is covered under Tesla's 4-year/50,000-mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty, which covers defects in materials and workmanship. A failed backup camera system is precisely such a defect. California Song-Beverly Act: California's lemon law (Civ. Code § 1790 et seq.) requires manufacturers to repair defects covered by warranty. There is no 30-day reporting requirement under CA law. Federal Safety Standards: The backup camera is required safety equipment under 49 CFR 571.111. A malfunctioning backup camera renders the vehicle non-compliant with federal safety standards. Presumption of Manufacturing Defect: Under California law, defects occurring within 18 months/18,000 miles are presumed to be manufacturing defects (Civ. Code § 1793.2(d)(2)). This accident was well within that window. When I reported this defect to Tesla, they initially refused to: Conduct a safety inspection of the proximity alert/parking sensor system Retrieve diagnostic data or video footage to verify the system failure Test or repair the defective equipment under warranty As of 10/30/25, the local dealer agreed to a vehicle inspection
12/26/2024 around 5-6pm, Full Self Drive abruptly tried to accelerate into the intersection while sitting at a stop light. I stopped it immediately but was very surprised as FSD v13 has been exceedingly reliable and a pleasure to drive. This is the 2nd time this has happened after the holiday update of FSD 2024.45.25.5 (v13.2.2). Both times mine was the lead car at the light with no others ahead of me. This behavior has been reported multiple times in social media groups this past week by other FSD users. I entered a Tesla service request but have not heard back other than an automated appointment scheduled at the service center 8 weeks from my request and the incident.
Car randomly breaks or swerves when using cruise control. When there is nothing ahead of me have called tesla and been told it is called phantom breaking and that it is normal happens multiple times a day, almost causes collisions. Very dangerous.
Showing 1–20 of 27 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026