NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2022 Tesla Model Y. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
While traveling on I81, at dusk, on 2/16/2022, the car automatically, with no apparent reason, momentarily applied the brakes, causing the car to veer sharply to the left - this occurred twice on a 20 mile trip - once while passing a semi, once while driving under an overpass - autopilot was with ‘distance speed control’ on - car is new with less than 300 miles (purchased on 2/11) - Because to this, I consider the car to be unsafe to drive with autopilot ‘on’
I got the car a couple of days ago. In a 50 mile two-way road, I experienced over 10 phantom braking problems. 2 of the brakings were a bit hard.
WHEN IN AUTO PILOT MODE, THE CAR WOULD SUDDENLY BRAKE FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I WAS AFRAID I WOULD GET HIT FROM BEHIND. I REPORTED THIS TO THE LOCAL TESLA DEALER. HE ACKNOWLEDGED OTHERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THERE IS NOTHING THEY COULD DO NOW.
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving approximately 73 MPH, the vehicle experienced “Phantom Braking” while the cruise control was activated and the vehicle slowed to 20 MPH. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the remedy for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V063000 (Electrical System, Forward Collision-Avoidance) was not yet available. The failure mileage was 3,338.
Phantom breaking happens consistently when cruise control is engaged. The phantom breaking happens every day and multiple times a day. Whether it be on a multi lane freeway or a two lane highway, serious breaking occurs and often can be quite dangerous when cars are following behind our vehicle.
Car breaks hard suddenly when in cruise control- multiple times ands every time it’s in CC.
While operating the cruise control on two-lane roads, the Tesla Model Y will frequently engage the emergency stop/warning function. NOTE: no autopilot has been used. There is no lane swerving or concern of the car approaching in the opposite lane or is the Model Y in any unsafe operating situation. This occurs in almost every driving situation with the cruise control engaged (two-lane roads) and has been documented with other passengers in the automobile. Obviously, this creates a panic situation for the driver and passengers while also creating a very unsafe operation for following cars. Multiple dates/times and weather conditions were mostly clear, i.e. no rain. As a note, we have owned a 2016 and 2018 Tesla Model S that did not have this problem.
I was driving on a snowy narrow two lane road at 9:45am. There was no one in front of me and no oncoming traffic. The car suddenly applied the brakes, hard (along with an alarm and notice on screen that the emergency breaking system had been applied). It was only for a moment and the car dropped about 10 mph. What made the situation particularly troubling is that the road was very slippery in many areas as it was snowing and I was in a reduced salt area near a reservoir. If this had happened 500 yards earlier or later I would likely have gone off the road. This Tesla has the latest software update 2022.4.5. The dealer will be looking at the car in a week.
Car stops in highway with alarm rear motor disabled. Took it to Tesla they say it is a fluke go head and drive. It happend last month and again multiple times on Feb 13th.
As per many similar complaints, my Model Y while on cruise control will suddenly brake for absolutely no reason. I have almost been rear ended on the highway while traveling at 74 miles per hour. The car drops 20-40 MPH seemingly for absolutely no reason. I believe that this has been dubbed "Phantom Braking". Add me to the list!
While using the Autopilot feature, the car applied the brakes many times for no reason. One incident was so severe that I decided to disable the autopilot feature for the rest of the trip so as not to put the drivers behind me in a dangerous situation.
The vehicle, while in Autopilot, has demonstrated "phantom breaking" on three occasions, two of which occurred on the same trip. The first was at night traveling on a highway with no vehicles in front of the car while the car was traveling 70 mph (the posted speed limit). (details on speed and mileage included below) This almost caused the car behind us to rear end our car. The second occurred during the day as we were traveling over a bridge on an off ramp at approximately 50 mph and both my children, who were sleeping, were unprepared for a sudden stop and complained about pain from the safety restraint system. The third was on a highway at 70 mph, and there was less of an effect as I was holding my foot above the throttle in the event this happened again. My wife asked that I no longer use this system while she or the children are in the car. There is no indication that the system recognizes an issue as the automatic dashcam did not activate, but it has activated in other situations where vehicles have made sudden movements in our lane in front of the vehicle. It is available for inspection. It has not been inspected by service yet. They are scheduled for February 22. No other inspections have occurred. There was no warning of this or messages of any kind to indicate the system was not functioning properly.
I was driving on left lane of divided interstate highway in daytime with great visibility. There were no cars in front of me. I was using Tesla Autopilot with speed limit set to 75mph. Suddenly car applied brakes hard and within second of my reaction time dropped speed to 40mph, before I was able to press accelerator to override braking. Two cars behind me had to slam on the brakes and one had to swerve to avoid rear end collision. This phantom braking in very good conditions was totally unexpected and nearly ended up in high speed rear end collision with my wife and kids in the car.
Several times during our first long trip in our new Model Y, it slammed the brakes on for no reason with cruise control enabled. We were traveling on interstate 80, with speed limits typically 75-80mph. In some cases, we slowed from 80mph to 55mph due to these unexplained braking events and were in serious danger of being rear ended more than one time. Conditions were sunny, clear, and there was absolutely no reason the vehicle should have braked when it did. No objects on the road, no other vehicles next to or in front of ours. It was completely unexpected and dangerous!
I am experiencing regular "phantom braking" by the Autopilot adaptive cruise control. This creates sudden and dangerous hard braking at highway speeds between 55 and 65 mph with abrupt deceleration to the low 40's and has nearly resulted in rear end collisions with trailing vehicles. I received a notice that my vehicle was being built with camera "Tesla Vision" sensors only and does not have the radar sensors of previous Model Y vehicles. Several over the air software updates since my delivery Jan 3 have failed to improve reliability of this system.
While using adaptive cruise control, this vehicle intermittently breaks dramatically and swerves on its own without any indication of a possible collision. In fact, most of the time there are no vehicles even within sight of the vehicle. Occurs even on straight roads with no vehicles seen and no one in the area. Friday 02-11-2022 2300hrs - Sat 02-12-2022 0300 hrs. While driving in traffic any vehicles on the right or left are perceived as a threat and the vehicle breaks wildly.
Car phantom braked when in a 2 lane highway when there was an approaching car in the opposite lane. No danger of the other car colliding but Tesla braked for no reason. Happened multiple times while using Autopilot.
Multiple Occurrences - I use cruise control only - not Autopilot. Vehicle randomly applies the brakes with no traffic or obstructions. Most times it is momentary where the car drops 1 or 2 mph and then returns to set speed. Yesterday (2/11/2022) it twice initiated a hard brake and dropped the speed 10 mph before I could intercede. This is a very dangerous situation! Last week, another Model Y passed me on the highway and I counted 10 brake flashes in a mile. I then experienced 3 myself. Seems to happen more when the sun is low.
driving southbound on hwy 101 coming from Atascadero going to Buellton. section of highway had 2 lanes in each direction. center divider was narrow - no trees. there were no cars in front of me. car suddenly braked. i looked and saw a large truck traveling north bound. that was the only other vehicle on the road. the first time this happened (a couple of weeks ago) I swerved onto the shoulder so i wouldn't get hit. This time, knowing what was happening, i hit the gas and got back to my traveling speed. no collision or damage. but you have to tell Tesla to fix this
Phantom breaking. While on traffic aware cruise control, we have experienced several episodes of sudden hard breaking for no reason. Fortunately, no one was following closely. The car is available for inspection. Hard sudden unexplained breaking increases risk of rear end collision. No inspections have been performed. But I did discuss it with a Tesla mechanic. He was familiar with the problem and stated that even tho my vehicle does not have radar, it has the bracket and the wiring so it can be installed later. Supply chain issues was mentioned as a possible reason for its absence. No warnings prior to breaking. Simultaneous with phantom breaking is audible alarm. This last occurred yesterday Feb 10, 2022 mid morning. Good road conditions.
Phantom Braking While using Autopilot (cruise control), my Tesla Model Y without warning slows the car from the speed limit (ex: 60mpg) down to half the speed or less. This usually occurs when the is a large approaching vehicle (semi or box truck) or when going around corners with a solid background (trees or large rocks). I assume this is because the car believes a collision is imminent and is trying to avoid it. Once the vehicle is past the car continues as if nothing occurred. The first time this happened was very scary and I ad no idea why it happened. Now I keep my foot resting above the gas pedal which keeps the car from severe braking action if you depress pedal right away. I mostly do not use cruise control on two lanes roads with lots of traffic for safety reasons, especially if there's someone following too close. My last trip of 60+ miles this probably occurred half a dozen times until I turned it off.
Autopilot feature hard braked twice suddenly while driving on highway . I was next to another car .I was shocked Auto lane departure with over taking slow traffic . While overtaking the car gives left signal option to lane change and then while crossing the vehicle in the right it gives another signal to turn right or tries to turn while the vehicle is still there in the blind spot . This happen nee few times which is scary .
The car applies brakes for no apparent reason while using adaptive cruise control. This occurs frequently and without warning. I have become afraid to use cruise control because I fear it will cause an accident.
Vehicle experiences "phantom braking" where during use of TACC or "Autopilot" it will suddenly and drastically slow down without warning. This seems to occur when it falsely detects another vehicle is about to enter the same lane either with oncoming or merging traffic. Seems to be more severe with poor lighting conditions (dawn, dusk, nighttime) and on two-lane undivided roads.
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH with the cruise control feature activated, the vehicle independently decelerated. The contact stated that while on a two-way street with another vehicle approaching, the vehicle abruptly stopped. The contact stated that the Forward Collision-Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control feature was not operating as designed. The contact stated that the safety scope feature of the vehicle was too close causing the vehicle to erroneously brake whenever another vehicle was nearby. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the contact was informed that the failure was a common failure. The contact was also informed that the manufacturer was aware of the failure and was in the process of implementing a software update to fix the issue. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 700.
While using adaptive cruise control at highway speeds, the car suddenly engaged the brakes. This occurred both on a multilane highway (with no direct oncoming traffic) as well as on a smaller single lane highway with oncoming traffic in the adjacent lane. When it happened on a multilane highway, there were no cars ahead of me at the time. I was passing a large exit sign located on the side of the road. When it happened on the single lane highway, there was a semi truck headed towards me in the adjacent lane. On the multilane highway, it was fortunate that there was nobody behind me as the brake application was forceful and could have resulted in me being rear-ended. On the single lane highway, it was a terrifying experience because the brakes engaged rapidly as a truck was approaching at highway speeds. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer, I have an appointment for service pending. It has not been inspected by any party. The collision warning alarms did not go off when during either event, and no other alarms were activated. I turned off the cruise control after the second episode and have not used it since.
I was driving with the autopilot engaged and the car unexpectedly slammed on the brakes. This happen 2 more times and I disengaged the autopilot and did not turn it back on.
Multiple occurrences of phantom braking phenomenon with cruise control engaged. Happened while driving into setting sun or at night. The car seemed to confuse shinny spots in the road (ice patches and tar repairs particularly at the crest of a hill or bridge) as a vehicle and apply the brakes. The braking was usually very aggressive and in one case almost resulted in a high speed rear end. Adjusting control parameters as available form the software did not have any effect. Have not had the car inspected at this point. No warning was given by the system but you can see a phantom image appear on the virtual display during the episode.
Phantom braking on 2 lane roads when using adaptive cruise control or autopilot.
When using the traffic aware cruise control the vehicle brakes hard suddenly for no reason. I have only had this model Y for 11 days and only have 280 miles on the car and it has braked for no reason over 20 times. I have had to stop using the cruise control and haven’t tried the auto pilot. I am concerned about being rear ended and hope Tesla finds a fix to this quickly. I know there are others having this same issue and wanted to report my experience on a newly purchased Model Y. I have also made Tesla aware of my concern but have not heard anything back from them.
When cruise control (called autopilot) is engaged, the car will slam on the brakes for no apparent reason, endangering everyone around us. Sometimes it happens as frequently as several times a minute. It is particularly bad on 2 lane roads when cresting hills and when trucks are in the opposite lane, but it’s not limited to those situations. When we took the car to the Tesla repair shop, they closed the ticket after informing us that it is a “known software issue” with no resolution currently. So the problem was not fixed, but the ticket was closed anyway.
When using autopilot, the car brakes at all sorts of non-events incl curvy roads, shiny puddles, undulations, trucks going the other way without incident, and more.
While driving on a single lane road in Bismarck, ND in low light conditions the car did what we call phantom braking anytime a oncoming car would be approaching.
Phantom braking when on cruise control
When coming home from the dealer, it phantom braked twice. I thought at first maybe it was a shadow across the road. There was a software update the next day, and I hoped it was fixed. It was raining lightly and there wouldn't be any shadows.. a box truck came toward us in the opposite lane and it panic braked. As soon as I turned the cruise control back on, a semi came toward us, and it panic braked again. I've been afraid to use the cruise control since then.. if someone was inattentive behind me, they would probably hit me. Tesla says they have checked the systems on my car remotely and there is nothing wrong with it. (!!) It now has 200 miles on it.
Car consistently brakes unexpectedly when another large car is passing going the opposite direction. There have also been times they shadows cause the same result. I believe this is referred to as phantom braking and it makes the adaptive cruise control unusable and dangerous.
The car does phantom braking and creates dangerous situation on the highway. Happened many times on cruise control and autopilot.
Multiple occasions while using autopilot on 2 lane roads when semi trucks are coming in the opposite direction the Tesla will brake hard saying impending accident when the semi is staying in its lane ….it happens about 80 percent of the time. It’s so bad I will not use this feature till it’s fixed as it’s dangerous
While driving on freeway car drastically brakes for no apparent reason, almost getting rear ended by car behind me. This happens while cruise control is on, several times! Very dangerous
While in autopilot (driver assistance feature which keeps the vehicle in the lane and keeps a specified distance from the car in front of you) the car braked multiple times with no obstacle in front of the vehicle. Often referred to as phantom braking, the safety of others and yourself is at risk if there is a car behind you and your vehicle brakes for no apparent reason on the highway. I believe this is a known issue with other similar complaints.
I was driving on the highway using Autopilot, and the brakes engaged very suddenly without any warning signal nor was there anything in front of my car. (Aka “phantom braking” event).
The Tesla Model Y and I believe the Model 3 have a problem with phantom breaking. The problem occurs when we set the auto to cruise control on a two-lane highway. When we meet a large object (semi, garbage truck, propane truck) the car breaks and swerves to the right. This can create a very dangerous situation. The first couple of times this happened we almost lost control of the car. There is no warning before this happens. This problem can be easily replicated on cars without radar. It took us some time to determine what was causing the problem. We picked up our new Tesla Model last week and were not made aware of what would happen if we used cruise control on a two-lane road. We have since discovered that this is a known problem in the Tesla community and has been known for some time.
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side seat was not sensing his wife seated in the seat due to her weight. The contact stated that his wife was 102 lbs. which was not recognized by the occupant detection system. The contact stated the front passenger air bag off warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the front passenger’s side seat to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer but was unable to determine there was a failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and was informed the minimum weight was 100 lbs. The failure mileage was approximately 50.
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds with the cruise control engaged, the vehicle experienced phantom braking, without warning. The contact attempted to reach out to the manufacturer but was unable to reach a representative. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The contact stated that the manufacturer was contacted after each failure occurrence. Recall visits were scheduled but cancelled due to the issue being deemed "resolved" but that is not true.
The vehicle control system intermittently commands hard braking at highway speed when there are no obstacles or vehicles nearby. This sometimes happens repeatedly over a period of several minutes and sometimes doesn't happen for weeks at a time. The braking and deceleration is so rapid as to result in difficulty controlling the car and potential hazard to cars following behind. After repeated "bug reports" to Tesla, nothing has changed. They issue a software update with a new game, but don't fix the hazardous problems.
Phantom braking.
Phantom braking when cruise control activated. Car will randomly reduce speed and / or brake when driving on highway or 2 lane highways. Makes cruise control unusable as it’s dangerous
Phantom Braking is real and out of control… I have owned this car only 6 weeks and the cruise control is DANGEROUS. The car has slammed on the brakes numerous times for NO reason ! Last week, driving down interstate, TACC on. Nothing near me. Relaxed, happy, enjoying the car…….WHAM! it slammed on the brakes so hard my wife and I were pushed into our seat belts, my hands came off the steering wheel and our heads were thrown forward. Almost instantly the brakes released, the car surges forward and our heads are flung back. A nerve was pinched in my neck during that whiplash and now my right shoulder muscle has been tensed up for days. Guess what? It happened again today. This system needs to be fixed, auto braking disabled, or pulled off the market. How can ANYBODY think this is OK?
Both the autopilot and regular cruise control system without autopilot engaged are unsafe. The vehicle will brake, often extremely hard, when there is no hazard present. This happens on two lane roads and highways (4 or more lanes). This has nearly caused multiple accidents to the point where I will not use the autopilot feature and use cruise control very sparingly. Most of the time this happens, there are large trucks (semis) present but it has happened when there are smaller vehicles present or no vehicles present at all. I believe that it is only a matter of time before this system causes a major accident hence I choose not to use it often if ever, and if I do use it I use it sparingly and disengage it when other vehicles are present on the road. I haven’t used autopilot since a short while after purchasing the car and again, I use the cruise control sparingly. The inability to use cruise control is a real issue as it not only increases driver fatigue, it drastically reduces the confidence in the other safety mechanisms of the car.
Phantom breaking. When I am driving my vehicle in both cruise control, and autopilot I experience these very very dangerous symptoms. On 2 lane highways is the worst. When I see a semi truck oncoming my vehicle will go from the 65MPH speed limit and SLAM on the brakes sending me from 65-15 MPH immediately. Have almost been rear ended 10+ times in 3,000 miles of owning the vehicle! This is the most dangerous machine I have ever driven. Tesla needs to fix this. It has to do with them removing the radar and going to camera only autopilot. My other older teslas with radar do not do this. There’s no on at Tesla to talk to other than to tweet at Elon musk on twitter and hope he sees it. Ridiculous.