There are 28 owner-reported driver assist & adas complaints for the 2016 Tesla Model Sin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
multitude of electrical problems: Fuel/Propulsion System, Lighting, and body controls along with all ADAS: Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Warning, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assistance systems are impacted by random intermittent glitching as computer screen bubbling progressed with goo leaking out of the bottom of the main computer. Most recent symptom was disabling of ALL ADAS systems along with automatic high beam headlight switching. Long ago as screen began to bubble and express fluid the low windshield washer alert came on and remains even when the tank is full. Then the charge port responsiveness degraded and stopped automatically functioning requiring user to bypass by clicking the "open charge port", then waiting 3 seconds, then tapping "unlock charge port". User must perform this as remote manual operation from a NACS charging handle button push will FAIL. Long ago the computer controlled 'home link' module would have excessive time delays on the order of hours or days from when the user would program and or operate the function. I even had a "phanthom" car appear by the computer calculations with E-Braking before the ADAS system failed fully, a 1.0 Tesla system should not have that... Windows have randomly rolled down and the driver side rear door will unlock and open on its own as the door handles present themselves. The safety risk class is unknown unknown; if the root problem is the screen filling leaking on electronics any number of unknown, unplanned, unstudied risk failure modes exist that can not be predicted. Schematically the HOMELINK is on connector X429 sharing CANBUS connections impacting safety: Driver "Instrument Cluster", DAS systems connected to "Power Steering ECU", "iBooster ECU", "ABS / Stability ECU", "Passive Restraints Controller"... see CAN Network - Chassis drawing page 11 , "Energy System - Charger Logic Connections" "Instrument Cluster / LIN" pg35
My car is equipped with Full Self Driving. When I use that mode the car drives over , on, or dangerously close to the middle yellow line. Basically it drives you into oncoming traffic every single time I use it. It also has erratic fluctuations in throttle control that would confuse other drivers and possibly cause an accident. It’s constantly increasing and decreasing the throttle and feels jerky going down the road. I took the car to the Tesla Service center yesterday and they confirmed the issue and checked the hardware associated with the system. They indicated that the hardware was all working and adjusted properly and that the issue is a software issue. They told me to not use it and that eventually maybe Tesla will put out an update that may fix the problem. Tesla has sold thousands of cars with FSD and continues to call the system in BETA. They have since moved on to 2 more versions of the software and not offered an upgrade to the thousands of early adopters with the original hardware and software. The system is dangerous to drivers and everyone on or near the roadways when these are activated. Tesla said that can upgrade these “older” 2015 and newer models but haven’t because it will cost too much for them. They charged over $8000 for the system and it has yet to work. They need to be forced recall the system and fix these cars for everyone’s safety. The service manager told me he has a similar issue with car and he just opts to not use it. So even the employees at Tesla know of the issue.
You guys have ruined auto-pilot and made it 10x more dangerous and will cause more accidents in this format. It needs to be reversed back to what it was. Now when looking at the screen to change the temperature or change a song, or looking at the mirror, it asks you to touch the wheel immediately and causes unnecessary stress and potential mistakes, I've already oversteered the wheel several times swerving after it warns me to touch the wheel because I'm trying to look at a mirror quickly to not have the alert come on. In addition, it has 3 marks against me, and will be suspended from using it soon. never before have I even had a mark against me on the system. I believe your approach to fixing the situation is fundamentally flawed. People get into accidents with Autopilot because of their negligence, not because of autopilot. That is on the end user who has insurance and a driving record. Do not punish all of those who are good drivers, you are making us worse drivers now with the new autopilot to save a few accidents from bad drivers, but it will now cause many more in this format. This is a terrible decision on the regulatory part, and a sign of OVER regulation.
Speedometer went completely blank and not able to see anything on that which includes safety features like blind spot monitoring and land departure. Also multiple time screen freezing issue causing absence of rear view camera.
When in Autopilot mode on I287S highway , the vehicle in my right lane changed to my lane with more than enough distance. But, Tesla applied sudden break bringing car speed from 65mph to around 45 mph. Luckily, no one was following me, and, I took control and disengaged autopilot.
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle emitted an abnormally loud sound and experienced phantom braking. The forward emergency braking system warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer where it was diagnosed that the forward emergency braking system sensor was sensitive. The dealer instructed the contact to deactivate the forward emergency braking system. The contact stated that the emergency braking system was deactivated, however, it reengaged independently as the failure persisted while driving. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 72,000.
With full self driving mode engaged the automatic braking feature comes on even though no cars or obstacles are present. This has been very dangerous on the highway.
The car was in autopilot mode 3 days ago on Highway 41 in CA at a speed of about 65 mph when the brakes were suddenly activated, dramatically slowing the speed. There was no obstruction in the road to warrant braking. I pressed the accelerator to resume my speed and to avoid stopping in the middle of the highway. The same thing happened to me few months ago while in autopilot mode.
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the display screen was leaking fluid into the vehicle. The contact stated he sustained respiratory issues and medical attention was provided. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.
The center console is once again failing. It will randomly go black and then reboot. This is the same component that was subject to a previous safety recall. I had it repaired under that recall, but it is now failing again. When I reported the problem to Tesla Service, their response was to tell me "it's acting as expected". Huh? They told me I would have to spend over two thousand dollars to get it fixed this time.
I’ve been complaining about my mcu1 glitching, freezing and my rear view camera not working since June 2022. I also filing a complaint because I have the fsd package on my 2016 mcu1 car and that has not been delivered after a 6 year wait. They released fsd to the mcu1 platform. But less than 50 cars got it and that very software got recalled. They have fixed every other platform but mcu1 since. I truly believe there is a issue with mcu1 hw3. I’ve complained several times about my mcu under warranty about these issues and they said the only fix is mcu2 . Which means they couldn’t fix it under warrranty. That’s a breach of warranty. I almost hit a elderly gentleman a few weeks ago because I was backing up and my screen went black. This has been happening and tesla knows all about it. But Tesla says the only fix is the paid mcu2 upgrade for 2500 dollars. Tesla has been really deceptive and is trying to force it customers to their upgrade. This has been a ongoing issue with many loyal customers. Pretty much anyone that has a 2016-17 tesla s or x with mcu1. Losing basic functionality shouldn’t be a issue but here we are. Please look into this I’m sure you find several others just like me. Thanks for your help.
I have recently been made aware of pending requests and investigations re the Tesla autopilot system and ‘phantom braking.’ The issue is much broader than the 2020-2022 models. I experience this on an almost daily issue when I use the autopilot features with my FSD package. It has always been a common issue amongst all models of Tesla owners and discussed in group chats on Tesla owner forums (see eg., https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/phantom-braking-discussion.233400/) I have reported it to Tesla when I’ve gone in for other service and the response is always ‘yeah we are aware and working to fix it,’ or something to the effect acknowledging an issue they are investigating. I can’t give you a specific date but I didn’t record it- I just know it happens quite often, even on the highway with no car in front of me. The car does more than slow- it brakes hard and jarring. I learned there is no point telling Tesla when because they review the footage over the last few days before service and see no errors to fix despite knowing that it’s an issue. I hope you expand your recall and simply request that whatever is causing it, all modes and all years can be repaired. It’s too dangerous to use.
Driving on highway in early rush hour at 80 mph on autopilot (6:35am May 20). Car just full braking as if something in road even though there were no objects on roadway. Truck behind me nearly crashed into the back of me before I could hit accelerator.
When using the cruise control, vehicle will break hard, almost to a stop. This happens mostly on a curve 1 or 2 lanes when going highway speeds for no apparent reason.
HUNDREDS of times, usually on interstate highways, our car would suddenly brake for no apparent reason. Often there are no vehicles or obstacles or bridges nearby. The car will brake from 75 mph down to 25 mph if we don't hit the accelerator. This is scary every time.
During placing the car in highway Autopilot mode by clicking the stalk twice the car made a hard right turn that I had to correct manually until the auto drive dropped out. On a separate occasion, in Autopilot, the braking system was applied when there was no reason. On another occasion, in Autopilot, the car went out of the lane over the yellow line. I took the car to a Tesla Service Center where I was told that my MCU1 needed to be replaced with a MCU2 at my expense at $1610. There currently is no recall for the failure of the MCU1 that controls the Autopilot functions. Other symptoms are screen blackout. seat loss of position sync, slow navigation commands.
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the center display screen went blank, causing the gear shifter, cameras, and defroster to become inoperable. The center display screen inadvertently rebooted shortly afterwards. The contact stated that the Tesla app confirmed that the EMMC was still operating and functioning as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lightning). The contact stated that the display screen for the cameras was inoperable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and sent an associate to the contact's residence to inspect the vehicle. The associate inspected the hood latch and tires but not the display screen. The manufacturer informed the contact that there was a shortage of parts for the recall repair and canceled the recall repair appointment. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the display screen had gone completely blank without warning while driving. The contact was unable to use certain electrical features. The contact then received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting). Despite multiple appointment being made to service the recall, the contact was informed that the parts remained unavailable. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact called the local dealer who confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Showing 1–20 of 28 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