general problems of the 2021 Tesla Model 3 - part 2

119 problems related to vehicle speed control have been reported for the 2021 Tesla Model 3. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2021 Tesla Model 3 based on all problems reported for the 2021 Model 3.

36 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 08/11/2022

Unexpected acceleration while driving my car at about 20 mph and making a right turn the car suddenly accelerated. Using the brake immediately worked. This has happened a few times with my car. The sudden acceleration surprised my wife and she asked what happened. The car does not have full self driving installed and autopilot had been off for several miles. There were no warning messages or chimes. T.

37 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 08/04/2022

After updating to Tesla software 2022. 20. 6 (and 20. 7 and 20. 8) sometimes the regenerative braking fails to activate when lifting your foot off the go pedal. Sometimes the car just coasts at full speed, and sometimes it almost feels as if the car continues accelerating after the pedal is lifted. This obviously creates serious safety issues -- if you are expecting your car to brake after lifting your foot off the pedal and it doesn't, you risk slamming into the car in front of you. The brake pedal still works, but a feature of evs is one pedal driving, which has been broken.

38 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 07/12/2022

Car breaks heavily without warning or cause. No cars in front view yet applies breaks like avoiding an accident. Almost caused me to get rear ended multiple times.

39 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 07/11/2022

While driving in highway, interstate or freeway with cruise control enabled with or without autopilot the car suddenly breaks for no reason. It is a clear phantom break. It happened many times in different occasions even on the i40 with no car around in the middle of the desert. In a couple of times a big truck was following and I was almost rear ended because this.

40 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 07/10/2022

While traveling on interstate highways over a period of 2 days both in overcast and sunny conditions the vehicle initiated braking multiple times in cruise control only (not on autopilot). No other vehicle nor obstruction was near when this would happen.

41 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 07/09/2022

Tesla has been phantom breaking during autopilot multiple times in a single drive and has happened on multiple drives.

42 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 06/26/2022

Cruise control set to 75mph (speed limit) on lightly trafficked divided highway at ~5pm on June 26. Skies were overcast and temp was about 80 degrees. Car braked from 75 to about 62mph but did not disengage adaptive cruise control and neither did I by applying the brakes. There was light traffic and it did not happen while approaching an overpass which has triggered this before on two occasions. After rapid deceleration to 72, car increases speed but fluctuated in high 60s and low 70s before returning to the programmed 75. Incident lasted about five seconds in total. Once car returned to 75, I disabled cruise control for remainder of journey. This was a 45 mile journey and the issue did not surface until about 35 miles in to the journey. Because this has happened before, I was mentally prepared for it this time and wanted to see if the car would eventually stabilize back to the 75mph programmed speed. In two prior incidents in late 2021, the braking was severe and without warning so in those instances I immediately deactivated system by pressing brake pedal. The incident I report now also had no warning, good weather, no cars within about 100 yards, and no sun glare at all. Road surface was very good as it had been recently improved in 2021 so lane markers were excellent as well.

43 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 06/08/2022

While driving at 70 mph with adaptive cruise control engaged I experienced several instances of "phantom braking. " the car braked hard all by itself with no driver input. This happened several times on June 2, 2022 and again on June 6, 2022.

44 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 06/05/2022

When I am driving and using the cruise control (Tesla calls this traffic aware cruise control), the car will randomly brake while I am driving, sometimes very abruptly and hard, even though there is no obstacle, the road is clear, there is no weather, no danger, etc. There is no way to disable this "feature" if I do not like it so that I can use cruise control normally, the only solution is to drive it manually and not use cruise control. If somebody is behind me they almost run into me. I will provide a date below when this occured as requested, but it occurs every single time I drive the car. Need to have an option to just have normal cruise control without the "traffic aware" portion. This is a real issue. I love my Tesla but I absolutely hate this dangerous "feature" that does not work properly.

45 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 06/01/2022

The autopilot used for automatic cruise control regularly brakes for unexplained reasons when there is no immediate threat. This is not only scary but it could cause an accident if other cars were right behind me. There is one part of highway 470 in highlands ranch, CO, where it happens every time, like autopilot is expecting the speed limit to drop so it slows way down for me, but the speed limit hasn’t changed. Other times it just happens randomly. It will happen at least once usually every hour I use autopilot.

46 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 05/26/2022

The car, when using its "traffic aware cruise control" exhibits extreme sudden breaking for no reason (phantom braking). On Thursday, I was on a major interstate in the middle of the day, perfectly marked lanes, no gradient changes, no weather or visibility issues, with absolutely nothing in front of me. The car would suddenly brake aggressively for no reason, sometimes hard enough to hurt my neck. If another car had been following me, I would have been immediately rear ended. Too add insult to injury, Tesla charges for the full self driving function which fully navigates the car on highways, and even though it is so dysfunctional that it is dangerous, they will not refund it after I reported this behavior. Tesla fsd and traffic aware cruise control, in it's current state, is a danger to the public.

47 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 05/24/2022

When car was engaged in autopilot the barking system was activated without warning or cause. The vehicle slowed rapidly and sudden. Had to disengage autopilot to get vehicle back to safe driving speed. No others vehicles where in front or behind me and no obstructions were in the path of vehicle.

48 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 05/19/2022

The Tesla autopilot system in my Model 3 repeatedly malfunctions by way of "phantom braking". The latest incident I was luckily able to capture on camera. In this incident, my vehicle is driving down a nevada highway in the heat, with no oncoming vehicles and a vehicle in my lane well over a mile away and increasing (they had just passed me a few minutes prior). With the speed set to 74mph (driving 73 at the time) the vehicle proceeds to apply heavy brakes, and slows to 56mph for no reason (no vehicles behind, thankfully). My safety and the safety of other motorists is put at risk with these events as the unexpected braking not only whips around the passengers of my vehicle, but also puts at risk any vehicles that may be behind me, expecting me to maintain my current velocity. The problem has not been reproduced by a dealer as far as I am aware, but the service department of my local Tesla dealer has confirmed the issue is caused by the "Tesla vision" camera-only system. They (service team) claim that there is no issue with the system, and that it is behaving as expected. They do not view this as a malfunction, and merely view it as the system being extra cautious, which is simply lazy. This component has not yet been inspected by any entity mentioned above. There were no symptoms of this issue prior to it occurring, however this did occur repeatedly over the course of my trip to/from las vegas.

49 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 04/28/2022

We were driving on the freeway at 69 mph and suddenly with no warning the center console main screen froze. All electronic functions of the car stopped and the car was stuck at 69 mph. Speedometer and turn signals did not work. We managed to get to the side of the road (mechanical brakes and steering were unaffected). The car could not be put in park so a manual reboot was not possible. The car rebooted itself (screen went black and then came back online) after about 10 minutes or so and then the car functioned normally.

50 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 03/26/2022

While driving, typically on two lane roads with oncoming traffic, the vehicle will suddenly break hard for no visible reason. Often it is the case that the vehicle breaks so hard that things in the car fly forward and the seatbelts lock up causing people to grunt at the force and scream. This happens while using full self driving or just regular cruise control. There is no warning and people behind my vehicle have a high likelihood a rear ending me since there is no visible or obvious cars for my breaking. Also it would appear that I am brake checking the person behind me, causing them to become angry with me through no fault of my own, but it is understandable based on the reaction of my vehicle. When this happens I typically report the issue directly to Tesla using their voice feature to report issues. The command is typically “bug report phantom braking. ”.

51 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 03/21/2022

I was driving on a divide highway at 70 mph in the hov lane with cruise control activated, not auto steering, when the car abruptly slowed down. No car was visible in front of me. If someone was following closely behind me an accident could have occurred. I reported this to Tesla.

52 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 03/19/2022

During a recent road trip to another state, auto pilot was engaged and the emergency braking system forced the car quickly to a stop on many occasions. To the human eye, there should have been no reason for the brakes to engage. Luckily no one collided with us, but the auto pilot system is not to be trusted. The incidents mostly occurred on two-lane roads, however, noticeable hesitation was evident many times during freeway cruising. Tesla repair will not review my case because I don’t have a specific time(s) of incident and they will not tell me how to properly log this information into the car’s software when an incident does occur. I feel helpless and am very nervous to take this car on a trip.

53 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 03/02/2022

When the cruise control is set at a speed or the line centering cruise control is used the car will slam on it's brakes and go from the set 75 to between 50-60mph then back to the set speed. This happens almost every time I drive the car on the highway and a few times in town(35mph) it happens so often I stopped using cruise control because I am afraid of getting rear ended. I have been looking online and others are calling this phantom braking.

54 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/27/2022

Brakes were automatically engaged and speed dramatically reduced on an otherwise deserted, two-line highway. Speed was reduced from 68mph to 30mph in a few seconds multiple times in the span of two hours. Adaptive cruise control was active at the time. This would put myself and any vehicles behind me in danger, so I disabled the feature for the remainder of the drive. The behavior has been reproduced multiple times since then, in various conditions. No warning lamps or other messages appeared at the time. I reported the problem to the manufacturer and schedule a service appointment. The manufacturer canceled this appointment, stating, "our technicians will be unable to change this behavior. ".

55 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/24/2022

Phantom braking while cruise control engaged. I do not have full self driving, was only using the basic cruise. Appears to be worse when approaching large semi trucks, but has also happened numerous times when absolutely nothing is around (no cars, animals). No warning provided. Example: car will go from 75mph to 60mph in 1 second, then “recover” and go back to 75mph.

56 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/23/2022

Tesla Model 3 phantom braking while on cruise control. This car is a daily driver mostly expressway miles and cruise control is used every day for the majority of the drive. While driving on cruise control at 70 miles an hour the car will randomly brake hard enough for all items on the car seats to be sent to the floor. This happens in wide open situations with no other cars around in broad daylight. This has been occurring about twice a month since purchase. I am worried someday I may be rear ended or the car may brake hard into a slide. This has been mentioned to Tesla multiple times at service calls and they say they are working on it.

57 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/20/2022

I am experiencing phantom breaking on our Model 3. While traveling last weekend on interstate 5, as well as on CA 101 - the vehicle frequently slowed abruptly while driving at highway speeds. This occurred both with other vehicles around, and with no vehicles present - also while driving at times in clear daylight and while approaching shadows from surrounding objects such as trees or highway overpasses. It rendered the adaptive cruise control non-useable on a 5hr drive home due to the sudden and abrupt slowing of the vehicle.

58 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/19/2022

I currently drive a 2021 Tesla Model 3. When I drive this car down two lane highways my cruise control is almost un usable not to mention auto pilot. Almost every time a larger vehicle, something like a semi truck comes from the other direction in the opposite lane my car slams the brakes. At night time it’s even worse when headlights are in the distance my car slams the brakes and when the headlights are closer it slams the brakes again. It also has random phantom breaking. I tried the service department and the told me it was a software issue and there was nothing they could do. The technician told me it would improve if I purchased fsd. I don’t believe it, if basic cruise control doesn’t work how is fsd going to work. I don’t know who to contact or even what to do about this issue, the service department refuses to even look at my car.

59 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/17/2022

On 2/17/22 at appx. 8:08am with adaptive cruise control engaged the collision warning alarm chimed and the car beaked quickly for 50mph to 30 mph. There was an SUV in the oncoming traffic lane. This has happened several times. The system sometimes does not recognize that approaching vehicles are in a correct lane. This happens with larger approaching vehicles such as large suvs and trucks. Additionally we have been getting many (dozens) of dashboard error warnings that one or more of the cameras are blocked or blinded. As Tesla has chosen to delete lidar and depend solely on cameras as safety system detectors this affects adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, and cross traffic alert.

60 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/17/2022

Phantom braking while using cruise control and/or auto pilot. This is most disconcerting at highway speeds especially when it sounds safety alarms most times while doing it.

61 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/16/2022

While using either the autopilot or adaptive cruise control, the car will unexpectedly brake for no reason. This happens almost every single time the car is using either of the two features. Sometimes it brakes so hard it creates a safety issue for the cars traveling behind.

62 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/16/2022

On several occasions since June 2021, my Tesla Model 3 has suddenly braked hard on its own while the autopilot cruise control function was engaged (phantom braking). There has been no apparent reason for the sudden braking incidents, and they have happened at highway speeds. When I reported these incidents to my Tesla dealer, I was told that Tesla was aware of this problem with Tesla Model 3 vehicles, and that Tesla was working on finding a solution. Yet the problem has continued, and occurred again as recently as yesterday.

63 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/14/2022

On multiple occassions, while using the adaptive cruise feature, (but not the auto steer feature) the vehicle will suddenly slow down to the speed limit, without any warning or notification that anything has changed. This happens in multiple occasions on the long island expressway between exits 48 adn 32. The vehicle slows by itself for no reason at all. Fb.

64 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/13/2022

I was driving on highway 70 in florida which is one lane in each direction. When in cruise control the car braked on its own multiple times when car or truck approaced from opposite direction.

65 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/12/2022

On several occasions while driving in the highway with autopilot engaged for adaptive cruise control, the car has suddenly applied the brakes very hard when there were no hazards in my lane. This has occurred on curves in the road when oncoming traffic was detected in the other lane and also when there has been a vehicle stopped on the shoulder.

66 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/11/2022

My Tesla 3 accelerated out of control when parking at my place of work which is a daycare center. I could have killed children, others and myself. My foot was fully pressed on the brake. Tesla is claiming it is driver error. That is false my foot was pressed fully on the brake. Scared to go back in the car. I don’t want that car on the road. I hit the curb went airborne missing a car, sign, brick wall, trees onto an embankment. I have a wittiness too.

67 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/10/2022

My vehicle will be in autopilot mode on a two lane highway, when suddenly it will brake very hard, so hard that I have to hit the gas to avoid a collision from the car behind me. It also does this on interstates when approaching and passing a tractor trailer. It seems to read the shadow on the road cast by the truck as an obstacle and brakes very suddenly. Taking me from 65mph to much slower in a second or two. It seems very dangerous. This has happened at least 100 times in the past few months.

68 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/09/2022

I've owned this vehicle since October of 2021, and wish to provide examples of my own issues concerning phantom braking while using the autopilot/traffic aware cruise control feature on my Model 3 standard range plus. Having now put roughly 6,000 miles on the vehicle in the conditions found in western maryland/south-central pennsylvania, I've been able to find these consistencies concerning phantom braking: on an undivided 2-lane highway: 1. When it's a dashed line that allows for passing on long straight stretches, more phantom braking incidents occur than when the center line is double-solid. Those are usually 5-15mph braking events until the opposing vehicle has passed without incident. 2. When going down/up a gently sloping hill and the car is unable to see the lines far enough ahead because of a turn. If a vehicle is coming the opposite direction, the car appears to believe that the opposing vehicle is in your lane and coming right at your vehicle. These are usually the hardest phantom braking events. 3. When vehicles are parked parallel along the side of an undivided road, and especially at night, the car appears to think these are threats to its/my safety. I say that they appear worse at night, as when my headlights cause the rear taillights/reflectors to visually brighten, the incidents are more frequent. These vary wildly, from having no braking events to hard braking events. On a divided highway: the most consistent issues in my case happen when going up/down mountains. A highway turns into 3 lanes, with the rightmost lane for large, heavy trucks that are going slower than the rest of traffic. If you are in the middle lane, and that slow truck is using it's 4-way blinkers, autopilot/tacc appears to see it as an emergency vehicle, and heavily brakes. I've gotten in the habit of always using the leftmost lane to avoid this issue. The trucks are clearly in another lane, well out of mine, and are moving, even if slower than the rest of traffic.

69 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/09/2022

“phantom emergency braking” problem while cruise control engaged. Occurrences are unpredictable as to causation. Examples of emergency braking include: - no apparent reason: no vehicles nearby, no obstacles in road - cresting a hill - bridge overpass - highway overhead signage - vehicles on side of road - vehicles crossing highway but at a distance that is not dangerous - passing large vehicles on highway this problem causes anxiety driver. Could likely create a very dangerous scenario for vehicles following behind should emergency braking engage.

70 Vehicle Speed Control problem

Failure Date: 02/06/2022

Phantom breaking. The basic autopilot cruise control frequently + aggressively brake as it detects phantom threats due to obscured sensors. Car can brake from 65 to e. G. 40mph rapidly, causing more risk, due to the rapid deceleration. Car needs a basic cruise control feature.


Other Vehicle Speed Control related problems of the 2021 Tesla Model 3


Model 3 Service Bulletins
Model 3 Defect Investigations