2023 Tesla Model Y Complaint Log

The car will sometimes brake hard for no reason, nothing in front of it

Vehicle suddenly break hard without any reason at any speed when you activate the cruise control. Can cause a serious accident. I can experience this any time numerous times during my daily driving.

The car randomly brakes dangerously hard at overpasses while at highway speed for zero reason while in cruise control mode. This has occurred four times during our brief ownership. I have to imagine these events WILL lead to an accident as the braking is so hard (as if you applied brakes in an emergency) that a driver caught off guard could easily loose control of the vehicle. We have attempted to contact the manufacturer several times, but no one answers calls and their website will not accept inquiries into these highly unsafe incidents to know if there is a problem with our car or software. In fact they hide behind technology so well I do not believe thee is a way to ever talk to a real person or file a written complaint. Please help!

While driving on the interstate at 85 mph on a straight flat road, with no other vehicles around, the car suddenly and violently braked. Car was in autopilot beta mode. However, this has happened before while only using cruise control. This happened twice only minutes apart. This issue is typically called phantom braking.

I recently purchased this vehicle less than a month ago and i have more than 15 Forward Warning collisions that come from nothing. Vehicles will be 100 yards out and my tesla thinks i am about to collide prompting the forward warning signal. I am driving passed the mailman and it thinks i will hit, my neighbors cars parked on the side of the road also prompts the message. This has caused my tesla insurance to rocket 30% more. I reached out to tesla, the car had a problem with the cameras pitch, alignment, and angle. However, they will not adjust my insurance despite the service center agreeing that the issue was with the vehicle.

I have had many incidents of my Tesla Model Y Phantom braking. Traveling down the road using cruise control on a clear dry sunny day with proper lane markings not next to center dividing wall and no other vehicles in front of mine or to the sides my Tesla will suddenly apply the brakes for no apparent reason as if the car is detecting another vehicle or object ahead. The braking is sudden and aggressive with no warning. This could be extremely hazardous putting me at risk for a rear end collision at highway speeds. This has been a issue since the vehicle was new in February 2023. On a long trip you could get a few incidents in a hour then go for a long stretch with no problem. There does not appear to be a detectable pattern or situation for the phantom braking issue.

When using cruise control at freeway speeds the car randomly brakes without warning and without and other vehicle, object or obstacle in front of the car, causing the car to come to a screeching halt with other traffic behind the car. Although reported to Tesla, the Tesla service team merely claimed they inspected the system and found no errors in the performance of the cruise system, pointing instead to the manual that claims the cruise control is a beta system for which no warranty is given. Neither Tesla nor its manual givews notice or warning that the cruise control is subject to sudden braking without objewcts in front of the vehicle, which creates a significant risk of injury and/or damage in high traffic areas.

While driving about 75 mph on an expressway using autopilot or just cruise control, the car decelerated to about 40mph within a few seconds. Thankfully there were no other cars behind me. They likely would have crashed into me if so. I believe Tesla calls this problem “phantom braking.” There were no other cars or objects in front of me when this happened. This happened all within 2-3 hours on a road trip in sunny and dry weather on a pristine road. The first time was on “auto pilot.” After that scary experience, I only used cruse control and it happen twice more on the same trip. Again, weather was clear, it was during daylight and there were no other cars or obstacles in front of me when the “phantom breaking” occurred. Tesla said to hit the car icon on the car’s control screen if it happens again. Frankly, I feel it is unsafe to use autopilot or cruise control to do so to try and duplicate the experience to report it for Tesla.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at a slow speed in the automatic braking mode, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to stop. The contact stated that his wife used the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The contact was concerned that the failure could cause injury or an accident. The contact stated that the tire pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,800.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while his wife was driving 70 MPH with the Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control engaged, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The contact stated that there was no vehicle or objects in front of the vehicle at the time of the failure. Additionally, the Self-Driving mode was not engaged during the failure. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15–20 MPH, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The contact then depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle stopped immediately. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that no failure was found after reviewing the computer data. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

In a church parking lot ( while I was about 30ft away from my car with the phone key in my hand) somebody was able to drive my car away ( she has a same color Tesla Y as me).

The steering wheel on my 2023 Tesla Model Y, brand new with only 800 miles on it, kept on locking up out of nowhere, in the middle of the drive, and even on the highway, posing a major safety concern for me and everyone driving around me. My safety was put at risk since I could not steer my vehicle off the road and into a safe area, posing a risk-prone of a severe accident through rear-ending. The problem was notified to Tesla Service, which responded super late to this incident where I had to call them and wait on hold for 1 hour to speak to a representative who then followed up and told me to drive it to the closest service center, which I declined since the steering wheel locking up at random is a major safety. Tesla stated that I would need a new steering rack installed on my brand new 2023 Model Y. I don't understand how these vehicles are inspected and pass quality control on such a major issue. This issue is not just about a broken part but a LIFE or DEATH SITUATION and should be dealt which severely. I got multiple lights and messages when the failure occurred while driving, with steering assist required being the last notification which I have attached in the pictures.

Car decelerates while on auto pilot 4-5 times while driving from Chicago to Alberta,CA vice versa.

Had car less than a month. After a Tesla software upgrade, error message that power steering assist was disabled. Unable to turn steering wheel. Reset software twice with no change. Left the car for awhile. When I came back, steering worked. No issues since.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while pulling into the driveway, the vehicle accelerated at high-speed causing the vehicle to strike a wall at the contact resident. The contact stated the brake assist did not activate. The vehicle had major front-end damages. The contact's resident wall was damaged. Both the contact's wife who was driving and the passenger suffered concussion and whiplash. The contact's wife suffered neck injuries but neither the driver nor the passenger sought medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a repair center. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the vehicle data. The failure mileage was 3,746.

I was using autopilot on the car. A truck with a long truck bed was in front of me. I was getting really close to the truck bed and realize the my Tesla Model Y was not identifying the truck bed. There were no collision warning so I braked 3-4 feet away from the truck bed when I saw that the car was not braking on its own. I submit some pictures that shows the Tesla identifying that the truck is a car that is further away.

The issue started on the third day as I moved to Maryland from Charlotte, NC. August 2014. Now it is my 8 car. The problem is all those cars have either hardware or software installed device, like microwave or Radio Frequency. I used to be Uber & Lyft driver, then August 2019 started to drive my own limo & black car with those ride-share corporations. The group which installed this devices run this device externally & cause a very distractive pain on my brain & my customers brain. It damages a brain, cause fatigue, distract vision, & impair brain functioning. Since it started I have been complaining from the local office to the FBI & Maryland Department of Justice. Even though as they suggested me keep changing my cars I couldn’t stop this issue. Now it is publicly running in my car. The customers & the citizens know very well. The low enforcement agencies still didn’t acknowledge the dangerous of the problem. I am extremely disappointed & asking you to help me & other citizens. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? On July 17, 2023, while driving on a highway in the state of Texas, my Tesla suddenly and unexpectedly engaged in a hard braking maneuver for several seconds while I was under Full self-Driving activated, despite there being no vehicle directly in front of me. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? As a result of this abrupt action, the two cars behind me were forced to swerve abruptly to the right to avoid a collision. I cannot stress enough how dangerous this situation was, and I am immensely thankful that no one was injured. This incident has shaken my confidence in the safety and reliability of the vehicle. As a responsible driver, my utmost priority is the safety of myself, my passengers, and others sharing the road. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I have raised a formal complaint with tesla by email on July 17th and Also, raised a formal complaint by sending a letter on the initial date of July 18,2023 and by sending the evidence of vedio.. And, called them 2 times - But, I haven't received any proper response from tesla. ups tracking no: 1Z8880yw0346327053 Address i sent the mail: Tesla Motors, Inc. 3500 Deer Creek Road Palo Alto, California 94304 Attention: Vehicle Service 1-877-77-TESLA(1-877-778-3752) Email Address i sent complaint: CustomerSupport@tesla.com Ticket Number Created on Tesla Side: CI00B981EA Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Tesla told someone reach me by Aug 3, 2023. But, no one reached to me. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? NO Please reach out to me for additional evidence of vedio. And, I was unable to upload here since the upload limit (10 MB) is limited. Thanks, Surya Madhurakavi

While day driving on a 4 lane divided highway during light traffic, we experienced phantom braking several times. We were at the posted 70 mph speed limit while autopilot was engaged. Phantom braking also occurred when cruise control was only engaged. No problem occurred with surrounding traffic. Our car has yet to have a Tesla service center look at our car. No car warnings occurred during these events. These events occurred on July 16th and 24th, 2023 and earlier since we’ve owned this car. Thanks.

Summary: Loss of power steering/inability to steer the vehicle occurred twice (7/16/23 & 7/29/23). Issue appears consistent with Investigation PE 23-014. Other functionality was also lost on each occurrence. Details: 7/16/23 - Driver entered the car and immediately received several alerts including Steering assist reduced, stability controlled disabled, traction control disabled, Lane departure avoidance features unavailable, and Vehicle hold disabled. Steering wheel could not be turned and regenerative braking was not functioning. A video of the issue was created and is available upon request as it could not be loaded in its current format. Tesla was contacted on 7/17/23. They stated that a firmware update failed on the evening of 7/15/23. The vehicle was towed to service center and firmware was updated. the invoice from the service center as also attached. 7/29/23 - Driver entered the car and immediately received several alerts including Steering assist reduced and Lane departure avoidance features unavailable. The steering wheel could not be turned, but only with extreme force. There was no firmware update at this time. I was able to drive the car 3 miles to my home at very slow speeds. 2 videos of the issue were created and are available upon request as they could not be loaded in their current format. Tesla was contacted on 7/30/23. The vehicle was towed to service center where they determined that the steering rack needs to be replaced. The vehicle remains at the service center for repair. Background: Car was just received on 6/30/2023. I have had other issues as well. Upon receipt, the electronic seat mechanism was not working and my cameras do not appear to be measuring distances properly.

Loss of power steering making vehicle very hard to steer. The day before power steering was lost, steering became step like - not turning smoothly but in incremental steps. The problem was confirmed by Tesla service and repair has been performed.

I just purchased a new 2023 Model Y and took my first road trip. Traveling from Broomfield, CO to Santa Fe, NM, and then on to Mesa, AZ on July 16th and 17th. Traveling south on [XXX] I experienced nearly a dozen hard emergency braking events when using cruise control. The hard braking events happened without warning and without stepping hard on the throttle to overcome the sudden braking I believe the car would come to a complete stop. It is just dangerous and I do not understand why it is happening and why it has apparently not been corrected. I currently own two GM products with adaptive cruise control and have never experienced anything like this. The last 3 Audi cars I have owned with adaptive cruise never experienced any sudden braking. This needs to be addressed as soon as possible. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I was traveling on IH-10 from San Antonio and El Paso, when I had multiple hard braking incidents for no reason at all. I had adaptive cruise control on. Multiple incidents also happened on my return trip. I took out emergency brake on my return trip and it seemed to work ok, except it resets the emergency braking after each stop and I forgot to take it out. That is when I had multiple incidents of breaking for no reason. On one segment of the trip, I had taken out the emergency braking but It did it again. It occurrs at speed limit speeds of 80, 75, and 65 MPH. Luckily, there were no accidents but they could have happened very easily. I do not feel safe at all in this vehicle.

While driving down I-5 South between Bay Area and LA, the vehicle applied brakes and sounded a collision warning when there was no apparent vehicle/obstruction in front of the car. Tesla's Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC) was engaged at the time and the max speed was set to 75MPH. The speed reduced to ~60MPH before I intervened and pushed on the accelerator pedal.

I received delivery of my new 2023 Model Y at the end of June. About 2 weeks ago, I was driving with my child in the car and at a left turn light. When the light turned green, I attempted to turn and the steering wheel almost completely stopped working. It felt like it was totally locked and with all my force, I was able to turn the car about 10% to avoid running into oncoming traffic. There was an alert for steering assist reduced. However, this was basically a locked steering wheel. The vehicle was towed to the nearest Tesla service center and per their notes, they replaced the steering rack and after test driving, they found an HVIL alert. Per their following notes, vehicle kept HVIL faulting and they had to pull logs and check signals and found that OSC kit was needed at VCFront. Installed OCS kit and alert stopped popping up. When I picked up the vehicle, I emphasized my great concern and how scary the incident was. They told me that if the issue continues, it's a hardware issue.

I was in Tesla charging station when I noticed this steering issue happened. I wasn’t be able to turn the steering as usual and had to make call to Tesla and had it towed to their repair shope. It took four days to replace the rack and pinion. I am not happy having just three month and this happened. Shape on Tesla. Thank God I was not in the free way.

While driving my 2023 Model Y, the electronic power steering suddenly stopped working. Luckily there wasn’t a vehicle behind me, which avoided any accident. I had to use immense manual power on the steering to make the vehicle move to the side. Upon resetting, the steering was back to normal again. However, this seems to be a serious safety hazard and I cannot fathom the fact if it had happened on a busy freeway.

Phantom braking occurs in cruise control for no reason and with no warning. The car is available for inspection. Many other Tesla drivers have described the same situation. On a recent cross country trip phantom braking happened frequently. We made sure there was no one behind us when we engaged cruise to avoid being rear ended. We were in NV when it happened again- this time a big rig had safe distance behind us when the brakes engaged ( we were driving 75). The rig driver swerved into another lane to avoid us. We have not taken car to service center yet. Social media is full of these accounts. This is still happening. There is no warning whatsoever. It’s hard to describe how terrifying this is.

Approximately half a dozen times this year on highway journeys between California and Las Vegas, when the vehicle is on cruise control at approx. 70-75 mph, I have experienced brief instances of unnecessary, automated braking. Each time apparently in response to large black patches in front of the car, either a mismatched repair of the highway or a dark mirage type reflection of the sun on the highway. It appears to me that the vehicle cameras are occasionally mistaking these dark patches as an obstacle. Presumably lidar sensors would not react because the radar would not bounce back off anything, but I believe my car does not have lidar sensors. In each case there was an approximate 10 to 15 mph reduction in speed and then the vehicle quickly recovered. Fortunately, no other vehicle was tailgating me at the time but if one had been, I believe there is a realistic risk of being rear ended. Alternatively, the driver behind would, presumably, apply the brakes, which may cause a chain reaction when the highway is in fact, clear ahead. I have not contacted Tesla. Based on other reports online, it appears to be a waste of time.

The adaptive cruise control malfunctioned while engaged on the highway/interstate. On a recent trip of approx. 1,000 miles, the vehicle experienced "phantom braking" (aggressive emergency braking for no reason) on three occasions while the adaptive cruise control was engaged on the highway/interstate at approx. 65-75 mph, with no obstruction/vehicle in front and the weather was clear sunny skies. No warnings or messages were prompt by the vehicle. This abrupt phantom breaking could have caused serious injury from a rear-end collision or cause vehicles behind to take unnecessary unsafe emergency maneuvers/braking.

I bought the vehicle and after one day the cars power steering went off while driving and I couldn’t steer. As Tesla has an autopilot function it did not come with the car and no adaptive cruise control and I had to take it to service and leave the car for two days to resolve it.

All of a sudden, steering wheel control was lost. Steering wheel was so hard to rotate that it was even difficult to park the car. Also, I was getting lots of pop up messages from tesla vehicle operating system.

To whom it may concern I was driving in a 2023 Model Y around 7:30 in the evening at less than 30mph. There was light rain in the area. As I was driving down a street in the metro Boston area, I noticed the car ahead of me had slowed and was stopping behind another car at a crosswalk. I had taken my foot off the accelerator and noticed that the car did not slow down at all and the regenerative braking did not function properly. Even as I attempted to brake, it seemed like the car would not stop in time. To avoid hitting the car in front of me, in a split second decision I swerved to the left so that I would avoid hitting any other car. My Tesla Model Y went over the median and struck a crossing light pole before coming to a stop. During the seconds leading up to this no preventative warning sounds came from the cars safety systems (eg.collision alert warning, emergency braking) although on most other days it often beeped even when there was nothing directly in front me. Thankfully I did not hit anyone else and we were not injured. However, this was a shocking and highly disconcerting event and could have been worse had the car been traveling at a higher rate of speed or if I had been on a different street without an option to swerve. A preliminary verbal report from Tesla in a phone call stated that "all systems were working as intended". I have made a formal request for driver and video data for that incident from Tesla and am still waiting to receive it. As of now, my Tesla has been considered totaled and a complete write off. It is only 2.5 months old. Having driven hundreds of thousands of miles in various cars over decades, I have never experienced anything like this. Why there was unintended acceleration in such a situation is extremely confusing and has greatly impacted my faith in Tesla at the moment.

I have had at least 7 incidents of phantom braking when using adaptive cruise control. There were no vehicles (or other obstructions) in front of me or vehicles along side me when the cruise control resulted in braking and, in some of the incidents, sharp/rapid deceleration that could have caused a serious accident if another vehicle had been following close behind. This happened on several different dates while on a road trip to Colorado (June 30-July 10) and another date in the following week.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving approximately 65-75 MPH with the Autonomous Self Driving feature and the Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control activated, the vehicle jerked and drifted into another lane. The contact stated that the message to manually drive the vehicle was displayed. The contact turned off the Autonomous Self Driving and Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control however, the vehicle experienced phantom braking 30 minutes later while driving. The contact continued driving to her destination. 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 398.

Hard braking on its own while using cruise control. Nearly rear-ended multiple times.

While driving in cruise control, the car suddenly decelerates periodically from 75 mph to 50 mph. No immediate safety issue but if a car had been following, we may have had a collision. We logged this with Tesla using “bug report”. No warnings. No inspections yet.

on a recent 800 mile road trip, there were no less than 7 incidents of the vehicle suddenly braking on its own while on cruise control with no vehicles in front of us. one incident occurred with a semi truck behind us that almost caused an accident. the car went from 80 mph to 45 mph before I had time to react and press the gas pedal.

We were driving on a 2 lane highway, when we came to an intersection with a center turn lane the car panicked and swerved left and then braked and disengaged the autosteer/cruise control. This was not with autopilot, just autosteer.

Tesla Model Y purchased on 06/23/2023 from Springfield NJ center. I had 2 accidents on the same day. I having been driving in the US from more than 5 years and never had a scratch on my vehicle nor even a parking ticket. i drove approx 600 miles in 2 weeks. So I was very comfortable in driving the tesla model y. Date of incidents - 07/07/2023. At Tinton Falls NJ. I was trying to take a K turn on a flat road at around 9:30 a.m. I put the car in Reverse. When I pressed the accelerator pedal the car went forward and hit an Electric Pole. I then pressed the brake pedal . Made sure the car is on Reverse Gear . On leaving the break pedal the car was automatically moving forward towards the pole. This should never had happen. I put the car in Park mode and waited for 5-10 mins approx. Then after some time when I put the reverse gear and left the brake pedal the car didnt move and on pressing acceleration it reversed. I parked my car at the site where I had my work. Police were called and they gave me a ticket. I had a sprain in my neck. Later by 2 pm I drove with the same car Home at Edison NJ. (1 hr drive) I called Tesla Customer Service and they advised me to take the car to Springfield NJ dealership as it could be a software glitch. I decided to drive the tesla with my family in other car to the dealership incase they decide to keep the car. I was about to enter into Fadem Rd when lifted my feet off the acceleration pedal to slow down. The car all off sudden accelerated with no steering control. I noticed lots of car on the street and a lady exiting out of near by Staples Drive Way. I grabbed the steering and rotated it all the way to the right to avoid any of them, hit a pole on the passenger side , pressing the brakes really hard and hitting a bush. The car stopped, no air bags deployed , no warning signs nothing. I was in a shock and pain . EMTs took me to ER , I had severe muscle sprain and still recovering.

Have experienced 2 major “phantom braking” incidents almost causing 2 accidents. There has also been several other incidents but not as severe as the 2 almost causing accident. Called Tesla and they said it is a known problem, service person said he has had his car for 5 years and still having issues. Evidently he said it was software related. He reported there is nothing they can do as solution has not been found.

I am filing a complaint about 2 separate issues. The first issue is water leaking inside of the center console. I drove my vehicle through the car wash for the first time this morning. Apparently the process of receiving an undercarriage wash left soapy water inside my center console. I have taken a photo. The second issue is that I can't operate cruise control (which is branded as Traffic Aware Cruise Control) without worrying about the vehicle brakes being aggressively applied in situations where they shouldn't be. I was almost rear ended on the highway last week when I had TACC set to 70mph and the vehicle decided to slam on the brakes for no reason.

False and faulty forward warning collision incident took place on July 5, 2023 at Alder Woods Drive. This happened for a legally parked card on the street, the system labeled the car moving car infront as opposed to a parked and stopped car on the side of the street near the curbside. As a result it issued a false and faulty warning.

Backing up in a parking lot with direct sun behind the car, lost sight via the mirrors, dashboard camera and parking assist and collided with parking bollard approximately 3' high causing extensive damage to the left, rear quarter panel and wheel well. Parking assist didn't beep, blare or other as it does and has for our yard waste bins and garden cart at the edges of our driveway (backing up in the dark). I believe the fact that cameras only and sun exposure is a bad mix and was sure glad we weren't in FSD and going forward. I think that removing the radar function via software and or removing the connector plug (at a service visit) is both unsafe and a fraud against the purchaser of such a vehicle and radar systems should be reinstated for the consideration of safety whether going backwards or forwards. Wanted to make the complaint first as we also can't get a service appointment for this incident until the end of July. Happy with the overall vehicle but this safety function is fallible and unsafe.

Phantom braking issue- Brakes were automatically applied while driving on open highway with no other vehicles around. Autopilot was in use, speed set to limit of 75 mph.

Vehicle experienced phantom braking while on the highway. Vehicle was travelling at 85mph while Autopilot was engaged - hands were on steering wheel and no warnings were flashing. Vehicle experienced rapid braking/deceleration with no objects in front of vehicle - road was empty and no other vehicles were around. Incident occurred on 07/04/2023 @ 0544hrs MST. Vehicle displayed no warning signs during incident. This has occurred multiple times in the past while Autopilot was engaged.

Steering got locked and stiffened in middle of the road in traffic.had to call 911 to help me to move my car.this was scary as it could have lead to crash or accident.some time front wiper is automatically wiping in dry summer days which is sometimes blocks the view while driving. Had to switch off the auto mode for wiper.

The auto wiper system of the Tesla Y failed miserably in a torrential downpour while traveling on a major highway on the east coast. The wipers were working fine but after the downpour they simply stopped working. Fortunately, we were able to pull to the side of the road, get on the touchscreen and manually turn them on. We did not use the “auto” mode of the wipers again on our trip. There is a serious defect on the auto mode on our Y!

I live in Fremont, CA. A few hours ago, I was driving from Mountain View to my home. When I was in the left most lane of CA-237 driving at like 70 mph on adaptive cruise control, the car started to brake really hard all of a sudden. There was nothing ahead of me as far as I could see at that point, there was no car close to me in the right lane either, and there wasn’t any kind of sharp turn or something. The braking was so sudden, forceful, and above all unexpected that we were really shocked and scared (and of course experienced a horrifying jerk). The same kind of thing has happened once before with the same car when the car began to brake suddenly and forcefully even though there was no one in sight on the highway.