Adaptive Cruise Control Problems of Tesla Model 3 - part 1

Tesla Model 3 owners have reported 1,101 problems related to adaptive cruise control (under the forward collision avoidance category). The most recently reported issues are listed below. Also please check out the statistics and reliability analysis of Tesla Model 3 based on all problems reported for the Model 3.

1 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2021 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 10/17/2026

Multiple watchdog daemon failures triggering every adas system to become unavailable at random. In one instance I had fsd enabled, mid turning a corner to freeway onramp fsd disengaged, provided no warning or alert, and almost caused me to run into another car (thankfully I have a habit of holding onto the steering wheel). I have reported the problem to Tesla service which they acknowledge the multiple alerts/warnings on my car however it wont be seen by them for 15 days from 10/18/2026 the vehicle is available for inspection the warnings only appeared after failure occurs. Sometimes its right away when car is put in drive, other times it happens without warning mid drive. I have not had back and forth correspondance with telsa - I have an pending request for service visit, however due to backlog they wont see the vehicle for 15 days minimum.

See all problems of the 2021 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

2 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2018 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 10/16/2026

While driving, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own and began operating without my control. Despite my attempts to steer away from surrounding traffic, the vehicle continued to self?propel, crossed the median, and entered oncoming lanes, resulting in a head?on collision with another car.

See all problems of the 2018 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

3 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2023 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 09/23/2026

On September 23 2026 at night I was driving my car under fsd and am in full control of vehicle my car is on speed of 54-55mph and in the middle of the road without any obstacle present on the road the car did the super ghost breaking and my car stopped 100% with the screen turning red with a warning of collision w am thankful to god that no one is coming from behind otherwise it might be loss of lid or serious medical emergency . We are aware and keeping on checking the surroundings but it’s very hard or nearly impossible to go to 50 mph from 0 mph in 0 seconds.

See all problems of the 2023 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

4 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2023 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 09/20/2026

On September 20, 2026, at approximately 10:26 am edt, I was driving my Tesla on on I-76 e mm 332. 4 with full self-driving (supervised) engaged. It was raining, the pavement was wet, and there was heavy road spray. The vehicle's front dashcam recording, time-stamped "Sep 20, 2026, 10:26:02 am," shows the car traveling in the right lane at about 55-56 mph with the on-screen indicator reading "self driving. " the vehicle then steered to the right, out of its lane, toward the concrete barrier and roadside embankment. The "self driving" indicator disappears about half a second before the vehicle leaves the lane, at about 54 mph. I did not steer or brake before the vehicle left the lane. The vehicle then lost stability, spun across the roadway, and slowed from about 53 mph to nearly a stop, facing against the direction of traffic. While facing oncoming traffic, it was struck by an oncoming white sedan, which sustained front-end damage my car had been declared a total loss. I believe the full self-driving system failed to keep the vehicle in its lane in rain and gave too little or no warning before handing control back to me, leaving no reasonable time to recover. I have kept the original dashcam footage and have sent Tesla a written request to preserve and release all vehicle data for this event, including fsd engagement and disengagement logs, driver-input data, and stability control data. I can provide the footage and any records Tesla releases to NHTSA on request.

5 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2025 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 09/19/2026

While waiting on left signal I changed my destination address when signal turned green car take straight on red signal . Car is on fsd mode . Happend on Sep-19 at south ridding junction.

See all problems of the 2025 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

6 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2023 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 09/14/2026

Im using full self driving (fsd) and it scans the lot and chose to pull into an empty spot half way in and reverse almost smacking a car in the rear. It didnt appear it was gonna stop even though the car was showing on the screen. I do have the dash cam from where I had to step on the break for it to disengage.

7 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2019 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 09/12/2026

On September 12, 2026, at approximately 2:05 pm, while operating on full self-driving (fsd v14. 1 lite) on hardware 3 (hw3), the vehicle experienced a critical, unprompted loss of path control. While traveling on the highway, the vehicle sharply veered off the left side of the roadway, caught air, and violently impacted an emergency barrier, resulting in the destruction of 9 steel poles and causing physical injuries to both the driver and front passenger. Despite the severe frontal impact and structural collision, neither the front nor knee airbags deployed, raising serious concerns regarding the vehicle's crash-sensing algorithms, structural impact detection, and restraint system integration under this software version. This incident highlights major safety risks associated with running computationally heavy fsd stacks on legacy hw3 architecture: 1. Uncommanded steering deviations: the system abruptly executed a violent, unprompted hard turn away from the path of travel, indicating severe lane-detection or path-planning failure. 2. Restraint system / safety failure: critical secondary safety systems (front and knee airbags) failed to deploy in a high-impact structural collision involving multiple steel barrier poles. 3. Hardware constraint risks: the compounding computational and thermal load on hw3 hardware running v14. 1 lite continues to manifest in erratic vehicle control, latency, and hazardous tracking behavior. This severe safety defect requires an immediate federal investigation into both fsd trajectory control on legacy hardware and secondary restraint deployment failures.

See all problems of the 2019 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

8 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2025 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 09/05/2026

Most recently, on or about 09/05/2026, driving on the freeway at about 65 mph with the sun directly in the windshield, the car suddenly issued an urgent take-over-immediately alert and autosteer disengaged with no advance warning. My 2025 Tesla Model 3 uses a camera-only driver assistance system (Tesla vision). Whenever I drive toward a low sun - at sunrise or sunset - the forward-facing cameras behind the windshield are washed out by glare. The vehicle displays a camera blocked/blinded warning, and autosteer and traffic-aware cruise control disengage and become unavailable while the car is moving in traffic. The handback is abrupt: the system does not warn me that it is losing visibility until it has already quit. This is fully reproducible whenever my direction of travel puts the sun low and straight ahead. The windshield is clean, including the inner glass in front of the camera housing, and the factory glare shield is intact, so this is not dirt or an obstruction - it is a limitation of camera-only sensing. There is no action an owner can take to prevent it. Tesla removed radar from these vehicles in 2021, leaving cameras as the only forward sensor. I believe this is the same defect covered by NHTSA investigation ea26002 (upgraded from pe24-031), concerning the failure of Tesla's fsd/autopilot to detect and respond to reduced roadway visibility caused by sun glare. I am filing so that my vehicle is on record in that investigation. No crash, fire or injury has occurred. The risk is an abrupt loss of driver assistance at highway speed, in exactly the conditions where the driver's own vision is also degraded.

9 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2024 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 09/01/2026

My Tesla displays a mandatory fsd (supervised) disengagement feedback survey on the center touchscreen while the vehicle is in motion. Whenever I disengage fsd and resume manual control, the vehicle automatically asks me to select a reason for the disengagement. On one occasion, after disabling the software due to fsd getting too close the construction, while being flustered,I attempted to disable the prompt and select a random option to get rid of it but kept pressing the wrong area of the screen due to trying to keep paying attention to the road and simultaneously trying to get rid of the prompt, in my frustration to do so,I side swiped one of the big construction cones, it was not a collision and there was no damage but it could have been worse, so I am selecting collision in the questionnaire. Attached as a file is the full complaint, the 2000 char limit is not enough.

See all problems of the 2024 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

10 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2023 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 08/24/2026

On 8/24/2026 at approximately 12:02pm, my 2023 Model 3 was parked in my assigned space in a covered apartment carport, with a concrete support pillar approximately one to two feet from the passenger side. I entered a destination and activated fsd (supervised) from park, a Tesla-designed feature. Vehicle telemetry recorded in the dashcam clips shows fsd shifted into drive, activated the right turn signal, turned the steering wheel to near full right lock, and accelerated to 3 mph, contacting the pillar with the passenger mirror and front door approximately 1. 5 seconds after first movement. No accelerator or brake input was recorded from me before the collision. I applied the brake within one second of the impact beginning, and fsd disengaged. The pillar was within view of the vehicle's side cameras throughout. No warning was given. Damage to the passenger door; no injuries. Dashcam video with telemetry overlay and photos available.

11 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2024 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 08/24/2026

On xxx at approximately 12:56 pm pacific on [xxx], my 2024 Tesla Model 3 VIN [xxx] was operating in full self-driving (supervised). The system detected oncoming traffic, stopped, then reversed to yield and backed into a parked 2015 Ford transit van that had an occupant inside. I am the registered owner. [xxx] was the driver. Teslacam saved events at 12:56:33 and 12:56:43. There was little visible damage, no injuries logged, and no police report. Tesla's consumer privacy form does not accept a crash narrative. I requested a vehicle data report / copy of my data on xxx. Usaa/[xxx] claim xxx later assigned 100 percent fault to the Tesla driver for backing, treating this as a conventional reverse collision rather than an fsd commanded maneuver. I am reporting this as a safety defect in fsd (supervised) because the vehicle reversed into a parked occupied vehicle while the feature was engaged. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

12 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2023 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 08/22/2026

On xxx at around 3:30 pm est, I was driving my 2023 Tesla Model 3 on [xxx] about 10 miles outside of [xxx]. I had the adaptive cruise control set at 75 mph. I was driving in the right lane of the two available lanes of travel in that direction. I noticed an unattended car on the right shoulder about a 1/4 mile up the road and continued my drive as normal. The car was at least 5' to 6' off the highway. As I got about 30 yards from the car, my car suddenly slammed on the brakes automatically, which forced me to react in a corrective manner. Thankfully there was nobody behind me or the severity of the braking would have likely caused a rear end collision. To my understanding, this phantom braking is a known issue with Teslas, so I wanted to document my experience to add to the record. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

13 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2021 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 08/21/2026

Tesla replaced the windshield on my 2021 Model 3 at the Tesla service center in schaumburg, IL. Days after the installation, following a light rain, a film appeared on the exterior surface of the glass. In the presence of moisture the film hazes over and substantially obscures forward visibility from the driver's seat. The first occurrence was on 8/22/2026 while leaving a venue in heavy pedestrian traffic. Forward visibility was significantly degraded. During that drive the vehicle's driver-assist system issued a take-control prompt and returned control to the driver. The system did not display a reason for the prompt, so I cannot attribute it; I am reporting that it occurred while visibility through the windshield was degraded. The condition is not removable by normal means. Windshield wipers and washer fluid do not clear it. The defroster/defogger does not clear it, which rules out interior condensation. It required manual scrubbing to reduce, and it has recurred repeatedly since. It presents only in high humidity or after precipitation; in dry conditions the glass appears normal. The condition did not exist prior to the windshield replacement. I have photographs taken from the driver's seat showing the obscured view. I reported this to Tesla on 8/22/2026 through two in-app channels; both were closed without a response. I escalated by email on 8/24/2026. The service manager responded and scheduled an inspection. As of this filing the substance has not been identified, no cause has been determined, and no correction has been made. The condition remains active. I am filing because a windshield that intermittently obscures forward vision under ordinary weather conditions is a driving hazard, and because the vehicle has been operated in that condition while awaiting resolution. No crash, injury, or fire has occurred.

14 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2026 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 08/19/2026

Driving on a 2 lane road going 65 with traffic-aware cruise control enabled at 65 mph with a car behind and no car in front of us. The car phantom braked for no reason going from 65 to 40 mph in a matter of seconds. Luckily we were able to accelerate to avoid being rear ended.

15 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2021 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 08/17/2026

Interior camera circuit failed in the main computer as diagnosed by Tesla, it disables most safety features of the car, no collision warning or avoidance, no automatic emergency breaking, no lane departure warning or correction, no reverse cam, no cruise control or self driving, and probably more. Only Tesla can replace it because it's VIN matched to the car, for $2400. This part should be more durable.

16 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2026 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 08/14/2026

The vehicle is experiencing severe, unpredictable software and hardware regressions related to the full self-driving (supervised) system (v14. 3. 7, software build 2026. 21. 5) that create an immediate, active traffic hazard and a high risk of rear-end collisions. Primary safety issues: 1. Traffic stalls upon disengagement: when full self-driving (fsd) is engaged, auxiliary sensors malfunction, causing the headlights to cycle on/off and windshield wipers to run at full speed in clear, dry, midday daylight. When attempting to manually disengage fsd to correct these malfunctioning systems, the vehicle fails to smoothly transition control. Instead, it triggers critical red flashing alert lights, sounds severe warning chimes, and initiates an immediate, aggressive brake application—stopping the vehicle dead in active, live traffic. 2. Phantom braking: the vehicle routinely experiences sudden, severe, and unprovoked phantom braking events while driving at speed, without any forward obstacles or environmental hazards present. 3. Steering instability: when navigating parking lot entrances, the vehicle exhibits extreme "indecisive behavior," resulting in violent, rapid shaking of the steering wheel before completing the maneuver. Tesla customer service was formally notified of these dangerous system behaviors on August 14, 2026. A formal remote engineering log review has been requested from the manufacturer, as these sudden braking actions in active traffic pose an immediate threat to public safety.

17 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2022 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 08/07/2026

The horn on the steering wheel rarely works unless it is pressed directly in the middle. I have tried to honk the horn when there is a safety event but it rarely works. This is definitely a safety issue. This has been going on since I bought the car June 2022. Full self drive is also unsafe and it will make sudden turns, accelerate too quickly, or have phantom braking. This can be unsafe for other drivers. I heard that this is improved with newer models, but if it is unsafe for older models like my 2022, it should not be available.

See all problems of the 2022 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

18 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2024 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 08/05/2026

When disengaging full self driving (fsd), a feedback notification pops up on the bottom left corner of the infotainment screen that fully blocks the media control panel and does not disappear until the driver provides feedback to Tesla for why fsd was disengaged. By forcing the driver to answer the feedback question in order to access the media controls, Tesla causes a distraction to the driver, who is forced to take their eyes off the road and select a feedback response to why they chose to disengage fsd, increasing the chance of an accident. This is an intentional but dangerous design decision.

19 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2020 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 08/04/2026

All Teslas vehicles running hw3 / ai3 autopilot self driving computers have been known for years to have a defective design problem with the cooling system without its own dedicated cooling and which puts the self driving computer last in the cooling looping at the top of the cooling stack. When the computer fails and they will Tesla requires the owner to replace the computer. This does not result in a redesigned improvement to the computer or cooling system that reduces the thermal stress being applied to the new computer. Tesla is now pushing a new version of the self driving fsd software with the “v14 lite” release over the last two weeks. This software release uses large complex software models which Tesla design to use every part of the hw4 / ai3 compute power which stressed the computer by pushing it to it compute limiting. All this compute is causing the computer to overheat and fail. Tesla then require owners who are all out of warranty now to pay thousands to replace the computer. This replacemen uses the same flawed cooling system and the same computer incapable of dealing passive compute requests on it by the latest v14 lite software to eventually cause the computer to just require the replacement computer to eventually need yet another replacement of the same flawed design at owners cost. There is also supposed to systems which monitor the thermal stress on the computer and shut it off abruptly until it cools down which is not ideal at freeway speeds which is not happening. Recall to address and resolve the issue with improved cooling, more powerful computer that doesn’t reach maximum capacity and it’s each use, and less taxing software needs to be issue. This is a major safety design problem which Tesla has not addressed. There only solution is to just replace design constrained components with the exact same parts at owners cost. These multiple design issues can and often result is sudden shutdown of the computer, or worse case sudden complete failure.

See all problems of the 2020 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

20 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2023 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 08/04/2026

Whilst driving on highways which feature multiple speed limits - eg. 70 cars, 65 trucks, 60 buses. If full self driving more or when in adaptive cruise control - the car systems fail to recognize the restriction linked to the lower speed limits. As a result, you can be driving on full self drive at 75mpm, the car sees a 65 followed by a 60 speed limit (neither applicable to cars), but the car brakes hard dropping the speed from 75 to 62 almost instantly and, on more than one occasion, a closely following car has almost collided with me. Until such time as the Tesla system can recognize the 'sub text' on a speed limit - the fsd and adaptive cruise should not be certified. I also drive a BMW i4 and this reads all signs correctly, only applying those applicable to a car to the vehicle.

21 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2022 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 08/01/2026

With its latest upgrade, 2026. 20. 6. 11 with full self-driving v14 light, Tesla no longer allows users to set a max speed. This is very dangerous, especially in school zones where the vehicle, with full self-driving, consistently misreads the speed limit. There is no way to revert this "upgrade. " many people have posted about this concern, but Tesla is ignoring it.

22 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2022 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 07/31/2026

Tesla software update 2026. 20. 6. 11 v14 lite na-2025. 44 removed manual speed control for full self-driving. The driver can no longer set a maximum speed. The vehicle chooses its own speed and it is frequently wrong and dangerous. Curves are the worst failure. The car enters curves too fast. It accelerates through curves. It does not slow to a safe speed before the curve begins. The driver has no way to cap the speed. The scroll wheel is dead. There is no override. Posted speed limits are ignored. The vehicle uses bad map data instead of reading visible signs. It will do 65 in a 55. It will not slow down when the sign says 55. The driver cannot force it to obey the posted limit. Speed control is gone. The driver is a passenger watching the car make bad decisions. This is not safe. This is not driver assistance. This is loss of control. Nhtsa must require Tesla to return manual speed control immediately. A human driver must be able to cap the speed at all times. The current software removes that ability and creates a clear safety hazard.

23 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2024 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 07/29/2026

When cruise control is engaged on a Tesla (all models to my knowledge) the auto wipers automatically come on and then randomly wipe. There is no option to disabled the auto wipers, as you can only disable by manually selecting control panel and then turn off each time you engage cruise control. This creates a significant risk to driver safety as I have had numerous instances of wipers randomly starting (without any rain) and smearing the windshield. This forces me to look away from the road and go through a manual disable every time I use cruise control. Note: this is a software default that cannot be removed.

24 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2019 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 07/27/2026

Tesla rolled out fsd 14 lite to hardware, including to my vehicle and it’s become extremely unsafe. The past several days the vehicle will suddenly slow down/break causing people to almost crash into me, make sudden and indecisive lane changes, and constantly rocking the steering wheel left and right. I hope someone takes this seriously and has Tesla revert back to the old software or make changes before someone is killed.

25 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2021 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 07/23/2026

The adaptive cruise control on Tesla vehicles is dangerous. The model in question is a 2021 Model 3 but its an issue with many model years. The cruise control tends to get confused and applies the brakes during normal driving leading to very unsafe conditions for the Tesla and anybody behind it. The issue can happen in any environment and from 1-2 times per drive. There are no warnings or indications that the car is about to apply the brakes. The car has not been inspected by a service center but is in good working condition.

26 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2020 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 07/16/2026

Car was sitting at a red light while in full self driving (supervised). The screen showed at least four red lights. Suddenly the car started to move forward while the lights were still red. I was able to stop it from going further. This has happened before and I reported it then. If I had not had my foot near the brake pedal the car might have just run through the light.

27 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2022 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 07/12/2026

On xxx, while full self-driving (supervised) was engaged, my 2022 Tesla Model 3 rwd abruptly decelerated without any visible vehicle, pedestrian, debris, or other obstacle requiring braking. Based on my best recollection, this occurred on approximately five separate occasions in clear daylight with clean cameras. On xxx, the first event occurred near xxx while traveling from [xxx] toward the [xxx]/[xxx] area. I took manual control for about 30 minutes. After I re-engaged fsd, a second event occurred and included approximately three rapid braking pulses. The occupants lunged forward during both episodes. On xxx, the drive from [xxx] to the ukiah costco was normal. On the return toward [xxx], fsd suddenly braked hard at approximately 63 mph and reduced the vehicle's speed by about 25 mph, to approximately 38 mph. Family members and friends in the vehicle were startled and moved forward. Later that day, there were two additional unexpected braking episodes while traveling from xxx toward xxx. I used accelerator input to override the unwanted braking. The unexpected highway-speed deceleration created a risk of being struck from behind and made the system unpredictable to supervise. No crash, fire, injury, or property damage occurred. I do not recall a warning message before the braking. The vehicle has not been inspected or diagnosed for this issue and is available for inspection upon request. As of xxx, the vehicle reports Tesla software 2026. 20. 3 and fsd (supervised) v12. 6. 4; it has hardware 3. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

28 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2023 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 07/10/2026

Two separate incidents occurred on July 10th and July 12th 2026 involving adaptive cruise control. While adaptive cruise control was engaged my car slammed on the brakes for no reason. There was nothing in the roadway to cause abrupt braking. The second time it occurred my car was close to being rear ended by a vehicle driving behind me. I took the car which is still under warranty to Tesla who confirmed there is a known firmware issue. No time frame was provided as to when the issue will be fixed.

29 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2021 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 07/02/2026

On July 1, 2026, the vehicle was serviced by the manufacturer for gps and camera malfunctions, and the vehicle computer was replaced. On the morning of July 2, 2026, during the first use of autopilot after that repair, the vehicle experienced repeated serious driver-assistance malfunctions over a short period while traveling on a highway. While autopilot was engaged, the vehicle repeatedly moved/steered toward the center of the road and near the path of a truck in an adjacent lane. The truck nearly struck the vehicle. The driver had to manually intervene to maintain control and avoid a potential collision. Video of the incident is available upon request and shows the truck and manual intervention. The vehicle was returned to the manufacturer service center the same day. The service center reviewed logs, performed an inspection/test drive, and stated that no hardware faults or issues were found and that the test drive was normal. However, the incidents were intermittent, occurred during highway autopilot use, occurred the morning after a computer replacement related to gps/camera systems, and were captured on video.

30 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2021 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 06/24/2026

I was driving my car on full self driving. I press the brake to stop full self driving the car immediately accelerated and caused a crash.

31 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2018 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 06/22/2026

Adaptive cruise control was on, I was driving on the highway, traffic was speeding up and slowing down, and the Tesla was braking accordingly. I was paying attention to the road and noticed, all of a sudden, that the Tesla was not braking as traffic in front of us slowed. I immediately slammed my foot on the brake as hard as I could, yet there wasn't enough time or distance, and my car collided with the one in front of me. I wasn't injured, but there's a chance someone in the other car was. The emergency brake did not kick in whatsoever, and the adaptive cruise control completely failed, leading to an accident.

32 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2022 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 06/18/2026

I was driving my Tesla 3 back from la yesterday. The car has "ai3" hardware not "ai4". The software is fully up to date. I do * subscribe to "Tesla fsd (supervised)" but the car is equipped with "autopilot". I was driving in "autopilot" mode driving southeast on [xxx] between eloy, arizona and marana, arizona, on a clear freeway in bright daylight, at about [xxx] pt on [xxx]. The car suddenly slammed on the brakes for an emergency stop for no good reason. There was nothing in front of us. Fortunately it was clear behind me so no one slammed into us. We came to almost a complete stop. The "autopilot" disengaged. I'm not sure why. I might have pressed the accelerator out of instinct to keep moving. During the incident a message in bright red briefly came up on the screen. I didn't get a chance to read it but I did catch the word "error" like some error in software was triggered. Once we got moving again and all was fine although my wife was in shock. I did not engage "autopilot" again for the rest of the trip and I'm reticent to do so ever again. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

33 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2026 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 06/08/2026

After a recent Tesla software update, a mandatory full self-driving disengagement feedback window appears every time I disengage fsd while the vehicle is still moving. The feedback window covers a large portion of the display with a black overlay, noticeable enough something popped up. There is no setting to disable it, dismiss it immediately, or postpone the response until the vehicle is stopped. I am required to select a disengagement reason before I can access the controls and information behind the overlay. While this window is displayed, I cannot properly view or control functions such as music and other touchscreen features behind the area. This is especially dangerous because it appears immediately after I take manual control from fsd—a moment when my full attention should be on the road and the vehicle. The system effectively requires me to look away from the road and interact with the touchscreen before I can make another needed adjustment. This occurs every time I disengage fsd and is consistently reproducible. This behavior began after software version fsd v14. 3. 3. My vehicle is a 2026 Model 3. The problem occurred everytime while traveling at any speed. I believe this mandatory, non-dismissible overlay creates a serious driver-distraction hazard by obstructing the center display and requiring touchscreen interaction while the vehicle is in motion. Tesla should allow the feedback request to be dismissed, delayed until the vehicle is parked, or disabled entirely.

34 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2023 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 06/05/2026

I am reporting a safety concern involving a Tesla operating with full self-driving supervised active. On June 5, 2026, at approximately 7:50–7:55 am pacific time, the vehicle was being driven with fsd supervised engaged. The vehicle was in a turning maneuver when the driver mistakenly applied the accelerator. Vehicle data provided by Tesla appears to show active_fsd shortly before the incident, a turning/steering angle, accelerator-pedal input/override, fsd becoming unavailable, and then crash-related/braking/tire-pressure signals shortly afterward. I am not claiming the vehicle accelerated on its own. The data appears to show driver accelerator input. My concern is that while fsd supervised was active and the vehicle was already turning, the system allowed a strong accelerator override that rapidly worsened the situation. In this case, the vehicle went over a curb/sidewalk area and sustained significant damage. The safety concern I am reporting is whether fsd supervised should better limit, warn, or manage strong accelerator override during low-speed turning maneuvers, especially where the vehicle may leave the roadway, cross a curb, or enter a sidewalk area. I believe this involved driver error as a mistake pedal acceleration, but the system design may have allowed that error to create a more dangerous outcome.

35 Adaptive Cruise Control problem of the 2019 Tesla Model 3

Failure Date: 06/04/2026

I was using full self driving (fsd), but I notice the autopilot gets "impatient" when (correctly) stopped for a "long" period of time (~2 minutes), but will then try to proceed in dangerous conditions. 1. I had fsd engaged while waiting to make an uncontrolled left turn. The street I'm turning onto is busy, so both lanes are going at a steady pace. After about 2 minutes of waiting, the autopilot decided to make the left turn while both directions had cars approaching. It turned towards a motorcyclist (which might be why it thought the lane was "empty"), and cut off a rather large car behind the motorcycle which almost caused a collision. I was honked from both sides (rightfully so) and put in a very dangerous position as my car was now stopped in the middle of the row of both lanes. 2. I was at a red light intersection with no traffic coming from either side with fsd engaged. After about 2 minutes of waiting, the car tried to go on its own while the light was still red. After manually stopping the autopilot, the light naturally turned green a few seconds later.


Other Common Forward Collision Avoidance related problems of Tesla Model 3


☘ Model 3 Service Bulletins
☤ Model 3 Defect Investigations