Automatic Emergency Braking Problems of Tesla Model 3 - part 1

Every time I press, my horn and error pops up that my cameras are unavailable, and that features may be restored on the next drive also it sends an error that my regenerative brakes are also out and will be restored on the next drive. It does this consistently every day which causes a safety hazard when driving my vehicle.

See all problems of the 2019 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

• forward collision warning and automatic emergency breaking failed to work and are still currently an ongoing problem and not functioning. They are and have always been enabled and can be inspected upon request. • my safety and those in my car and around me put at risk, by the system and software not functioning as intended and providing extra alertness and reaction to avoid collision. •the earliest service date I could get from Tesla is Nov 11. I have requested they preserve all data from dates oct 20-27 2026 •no, my car has not been inspected yet. I have taken, videos and have saved in car camera footage to show the ongoing defect. •no warnings lights or alerts prior to the incident. The problem first became apparent and clear oct 26, 2026. I had fsd subscription that ended oct 24, 2026 and the system warnings worked just fine during that time even while driving manually.

Fsd failed to completely stop. I have video footage from Tesla showing the fsd stayed active and never disengaged yet the Tesla disengaged the brake. I can text or email the video pricing the car was actively using fsd until impact. I had the self driving enabled the vehicle decelerated from about 45 mi down to 0 mi but when the vehicle reach 1 mile it disengage the brake allowing the car to roll into the car in front of me I literally had less than one second to react I really believe the car will stop on its own. I have video proof the video was in full self driving mode and we all know the Tesla's are designed not to run into the back of any vehicle. I posted the video online and received numerous comments saying that the gas pedal and the brake were pressed at the same time however per Tesla you cannot press the gas and brake at the same time on any Tesla. My car has also pulled off from red light intersections if I'm the first one at the light with the light still being read the car just accelerates on it's on it goes right through the intersection this is also messed up and I'm sure Tesla is aware of this as well. I'm terrified to drive this car with the self-driving engage. I want elon musk to respond to me personally and apologize. Please follow up with me so I can send y'all the video.

See all problems of the 2022 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Urgent safety concern — uncommanded braking during manual driving. On October 2, 2026, while driving my 2021 Tesla Model 3 standard range manually at approximately 45 mph and slowing to make a turn at an intersection, my vehicle unexpectedly applied very strong braking for approximately 1–2 seconds before releasing. Neither autopilot, fsd, nor traffic-aware cruise control was engaged. I am concerned about a possible unintended automatic emergency braking activation or braking-system malfunction. This creates a serious safety concern for my family, including our newborn child. I request that this be urgently reviewed and determine what triggered the braking, including whether aeb, abs, or another braking-control system intervened in suck similar cases, so many were reported online. Please also provide the diagnostic findings and a written assessment of whether the vehicle is safe to operate.

See all problems of the 2021 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Following Tesla's over-the-air deployment of fsd 14. 1 lite, the hw3 autopilot computer in my 2018 Tesla Model 3 failed. Fsd / autopilot worked normally before the update and stopped working immediately afterward. Tesla service diagnosed the vehicle xxx and verified the alerts app_w207, app_w462, aps_w182, aps_w188 and aps_w185. The technician attempted hard and soft resets and a firmware reinstall, and verified power and ground to the car computer. All attempts failed. The technician's notes state the secondary autopilot processor is no longer communicating and "a new car computer is needed. " the failure has disabled automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning and lane departure warning, as well as fsd / autopilot. Tesla denied a goodwill replacement in writing on xxx, stating there was no evidence linking the failure to a software update, after the technician confirmed the computer had failed. Tesla provided a written estimate for the replacement of $2,616. 37 total (invoice dated xxx). I have not authorized the repair. Tesla also confirmed in writing that my vehicle is not currently eligible for the hw4 upgrade. I sent a formal notice of dispute to Tesla at [xxx] on xxx and received no response; I sent a follow-up on xxx. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2018 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

I was driving with plenty of distance between me and the car in front of me. The car in front of me had stopped and the automatic emergency braking system on my car went on. Thankfully, there was no car behind me, otherwise, I would have been hit. The sudden stopping has caused me significant lower back pain.

See all problems of the 2023 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

My Tesla was operating under fsd at 9pm on a dark country road. I was traveling at 45mph and vehicle randomly applied hard emergency braking and I had to take over. It appeared that the vehicle may have been responding to a dark oil stain or possibly a mailbox. Had another vehicle been closely behind me, there would’ve been a collision.

There are hundreds of reports regarding Tesla hw3 computers overheating following the software update to full self-driving (fsd) lite v14. On 19 Sep 2026, I was required to replace the hw3 computer on my 2022 Model 3 performance; the total price was approximately ($2,700. 00). As the computer was perpetually stuck in a reboot status, the car's safety and security systems weren't functioning properly (e. G. Forward collision assist, lane-keeping assist, cameras, sentry mode, etc. ). Additionally, while parked overnight, the car drained 2-3 times more power as the computer remained stuck in the reboot loop. The computer clearly failed following a software update that increased the performance outside of the design tolerances. However, because my vehicle was out off warranty (both years and mileage), Tesla required me to pay out of pocket for the repair as it was deemed to be normal wear & tear. Of note, we bought the vehicle brand new in June 2022 and it had 62,652 miles at the time that the computer was replaced; Tesla's new vehicle limited warranty is 4 years / 50k miles. I, like many other owners across multiple forums, believe that Tesla needs to take accountability for this failure and reimburse the owners who lost critical safety capabilities as a result of a poorly designed software update that was rushed through production. Additionally, leading up to the failure, I had not used fsd for more than a one month trial period, but I did regularly use autopilot. Also, Tesla replaced the failed hw3 computer with another hw3 computer, which has me stressed that this issue is likely to happen again in the near future.

After Tesla pushed software update 2026. 20. 6. 11 or “fsd 14 lite” the self driving feature stopped functioning. Also all of the driver assistance safety features stopped working at the same time, forward collision warning, emergency braking, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection have all stopped working as well. It appears one of the two “self driving” ecu was damaged or disabled by the update. Without these features the drive is not notified in advance of a collision and the emergency braking does not function to stop the car. The car is awaiting inspection and repair by the manufacturer.

Date: xxx, time: 5. 09. 2026 state: [xxx] location: [xxx] we were on full self service driving mode a [xxx] came and hit my car in the passenger side behind the front wheel and front buffer. We were on left/fast moving lane and two semi-trucks were in the right lanes slight ahead of us (one had overweight sign). Something came out of the direction of trucks and hit our car with a big sound (moving object). When we stopped and checked the car later, it was evident that the damage was a sizable, it would have been something solid or heavy. Our concern is the Tesla was on full self driving mode, and it did not generate any alert, recording or more importantly, it did not break, change the driving direction nor try to avoid being hit by the object. This diminishes the reliability of Tesla fsd and raises serious safety concerns. We are in the process of filling insurance claim. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2024 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

My 2022 Tesla Model 3 long range has developed a failure of the autopilot/adas computer. The ap computer remains installed in the vehicle and is available for inspection. The vehicle operated normally before software update 2026. 26. 6. Following the update, driving visualization and autopilot began going offline, along with automatic headlights, automatic turn signals, emergency braking, collision and traffic warnings. The failures have continued despite software/firmware reinstall, das reset, camera calibration, and hard reset. Tesla service inspected the vehicle and confirmed that the ap computer is defective and recommended replacement at approximately $2,600. I paid $120 for Tesla's diagnostic assessment. Service mode has recorded repeated ap watchdog/kernel-panic events, including aps_w169_turboa_scs_lkup, aps_w134_appmia, aps_w135_appcritical, and pm_a041_dasmia. The vehicle has also recorded simultaneous exits of multiple camera streams, sometimes causing camera feeds to go black while driving. Service mode has shown the ap ecu in coreboot/init, intermittent loss of communication between the ap ecu and infotainment ecu, missing gnss ethernet communication, and unavailable ap temperature telemetry. This creates a safety concern because multiple safety-related driver-assistance and camera-dependent systems can unexpectedly become unavailable while driving. The vehicle remains manually drivable, but the driver must unexpectedly operate without previously available functions. The failure can also affect automatic headlights and turn signals, requiring manual operation. I am reporting this as a potential safety defect because multiple adas/camera systems fail simultaneously and the ap computer repeatedly crashes/reboots. The failure began after a software update, although Tesla has stated that some alerts predated the update. Due to the gps board contacting the autopilot first before the infotainment, precise location is off and navigation is unavailable.

My car randomly gave me alerts that my steering alignment fault then came the following two days later automatic emergency braking is unavailable feature may be restored on next drive 20:55 | di_a246 automatic vehicle hold disabled use brake pedal when stopping 20:55 | di_a223 traction control disabled drive with caution 20:55 | app_w264 lane departure avoidance features unavailable features may be restored on next drive 20:55 | di_a222 stability control disabled. I take my car to a mechanic and they show me that my lower control arms are damaged. Tesla is more than 2 weeks out for something that has caused my car to act completely unsafe and not normal.

I getting the Tesla phantom braking almost every week.

I have been driving Tesla using fsd from [xxx] to [xxx] and passing [xxx] (xxx around 5 pm). We took an exit for rest room break near gas station. As soon as car took exit using fsd, the car completely stopped suddenly in the middle of the road without any reason and warning. There was not any rain, visibility issue or driver distraction. There was not any alert or recording. As far as I remember, there was not a vehicle on the front 100ft. It was on a small bridge. My family was in the car (with [xxx]). This was a scary moment (had it happened on the highway or a vehicle behind crash) information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I am filing a formal safety complaint regarding a severe braking and stability control failure that resulted in unpredictable, highly dangerous vehicle behavior. While driving, the vehicle displayed a cascade of critical system failures, throwing error codes app_w009 (aeb disabled), di_a222 (stability control disabled), di_a223 (traction control disabled), esp_a080, and esp_a067 (esp/abs sensor faults). This concurrent breakdown caused a total loss of critical safety features: anti-lock braking (abs), automatic emergency braking, traction control, "vehicle hold," and "hill start assist. " because the vehicle completely lost its ability to hold its position, it unexpectedly free-rolled backward on an incline when I anticipated it to remain stationary or move forward. This uncommanded movement created an immediate collision hazard. Of serious concern is that despite a total breakdown of vital braking and stability assists, the vehicle remained fully drivable and only advised me to "drive with caution. " allowing a car to remain operational under these severe fault conditions is an unacceptable risk. A driver expecting normal ev behavior (like vehicle hold and regenerative braking) is placed in immediate danger when the vehicle suddenly free-rolls without warning. The software should classify a multi-system abs/esp failure as a critical emergency requiring an immediate safe shutdown, rather than suggesting it is safe to continue driving.

See all problems of the 2025 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Incident involving my 2026 Tesla Model 3 equipped with hw4 hardware and the latest fsd (supervised) software. During a garage reverse maneuver performed under fsd supervision, the vehicle had sufficient time to assess the surrounding environment before initiating the maneuver. There were no pedestrians or moving obstacles nearby. An adjacent parked vehicle was present next to the intended reversing path. During the maneuver, the vehicle made initial contact with the adjacent vehicle. At no point did the vehicle provide any collision warning, alert, or indication that a collision had occurred. After the initial contact, the vehicle continued moving and a second impact occurred shortly afterward, resulting in additional damage. Immediately after the second impact, the driver intervened and took control of the vehicle to stop the maneuver, before further damage is caused. My main concerns are: 1. Why did fsd fail to identify the adjacent vehicle before the maneuver? 2. Why was no collision warning provided before or after the initial contact? 3. Why did the vehicle continue the reversing maneuver after the first impact instead of stopping till driver intervention? 4. What if is pediatrician who qualify ada, children, elder was in the position of the adjacent vehicle, this failed sensing would cause imparable result. I would appreciate a technical review of this event and a detailed explanation of Tesla’s findings.

The vehicle was purchased pre-owned directly from Tesla. On the day of pickup and five days later, while operating on full self-driving (fsd), the vehicle phantom-braked abruptly and then dangerously accelerated through a solid red light into cross-traffic intersections. The driver had to forcefully override the vehicle to prevent a crash. Tesla service center was notified but dismissed the issue, performing only a camera recalibration and charging a fee. Following the service appointment, the red-light running behavior stopped, but the vehicle continues to suffer from aggressive, sudden phantom braking multiple times on every single trip, creating a severe and continuous risk of a rear-end collision on public highways.

The forward-facing camera and autopilot computer system on my 2021 Tesla Model 3 has failed. The dashboard first showed intermittent warnings that "automatic emergency braking is currently unavailable" and "adaptive headlight features are unavailable. " over several weeks the problem worsened from intermittent to constant, and the vehicle progressively lost its forward road visualization and all active safety features. Using the vehicle's service mode diagnostics, the autopilot computer's primary (a) processing node reports a "critical" status. The fault log records repeated alerts including dasmia (driver-assistance system not responding), aebfault (automatic emergency braking fault), and fisheyecaminitfault and fisheyecamerastreamexit (forward camera initialization and stream failures). The cameras themselves are physically clean and unobstructed. Safety risk: the failure disables automatic emergency braking and forward collision avoidance, lane-keeping/driver assistance, and the adaptive auto high-beam headlights. Aeb is a critical crash-avoidance system; losing it leaves the vehicle unable to brake automatically for an imminent collision, and the loss of adaptive headlights reduces nighttime visibility. A Tesla service center inspected the vehicle, confirmed the diagnosis, and determined the autopilot computer — a sealed, solid-state control unit — had failed and required full replacement at approximately $3,400. The vehicle is well under 50,000 miles. This failure appears consistent with the same car-computer power-component shorting failure for which Tesla issued a recall on its newer model-year vehicles. The vehicle and the failed component are available for inspection on request. The vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance.

The vehicle's full self-driving (fsd) system was actively controlling the vehicle while executing a reverse maneuver into a residential garage — a routine the system had successfully performed on multiple prior occasions. During this session, the fsd system misjudged the maneuver and the vehicle struck the wall of the garage, causing damage. The failed component is the fsd software/sensor system. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety was put at risk because the system was in full control of vehicle movement in a confined space. The unexpected behavior did not provide sufficient time for the supervising driver to intervene before impact. No warning lamps or messages appeared prior to the failure. The system gave no indication it would behave differently from previous successful executions of the same maneuver. The incident has not yet been confirmed by a dealer or inspected by the manufacturer, though a vehicle incident data report has been requested from Tesla.

Pantom braking happening frequently after latest software update. Fsd version 12. 6. 4 software version 2026. 8. 6 happening on single lane road.

I was involved in a collision while driving my 2019 Tesla Model 3. The incident occurred on April 2nd 2026 in [xxx] prior to the collision, the vehicle was operating normally the crash resulted in damage to the front driver-side of the vehicle, including a destroyed headlight and body panel damage. At the time of the incident, weather and traffic was light and normal. The vehicle was set and supposed to head straight when suddenly at the intersection it jerked right and headed straight into another vehicle. I attempted to take control but was unable to due to resistance on the wheel and how quickly the incident occurred. There was no warning or emergency braking which should've also been expected from my Tesla. I am submitting this report to document a potential safety concern and request review. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The components involved are the automatic emergency braking (aeb) system and the airbag system. During the collision, the aeb system did not activate, and the airbags did not deploy. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I was driving on a main roadway with no stop signs or traffic controls in my direction when another driver entered from a side street with a stop sign and pulled directly in front of me. I was unable to avoid the collision, and my vehicle was struck the other vehicle. The failure of the aeb system to engage and the airbags not deploying increased the risk of injury to myself and could have posed a risk to others involved. The issue has not been reproduced, and it has not yet been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle has been inspected by police and insurance representatives. The other driver was determined to be at fault. I am in the process of addressing the incident with the manufacturer. There were no warning lights, messages, or prior symptoms indicating any issue with the braking or airbag systems before the collision.

On March 21, 2026, the vehicle’s automatic emergency braking (aeb) and traffic-aware cruise control (tacc), suffered a severe "phantom braking" failure. While driving, the vehicle engaged in a violent, full-force emergency brake application without any external hazard or driver input. This unprompted deceleration caused the seatbelt to exert extreme pressure and trauma on my abdomen. As I was [xxx] pregnant, this abrupt stop was medically treated as a high-force accident. The trauma caused pregnancy abnormalities, requiring a 20-hour hospital admission for observation and fetal monitoring. I contacted Tesla customer service multiple times. Initially, I was told a service check was necessary, but the service center stated they could not provide assistance for "automatic behavior" issues. A corporate representative (angel) admitted the vehicle should have been flagged for a formal medical claim and instructed me not to visit the service center. Despite this, I took the vehicle to the service center on April 15, 2026. Technicians confirmed they had no findings or solutions regarding the phantom braking event. No warning lamps, audible alerts, or system messages appeared prior to the failure. Upon requesting the vehicle data logs for the date of the incident, I noticed that the specific timeframe of the event was "missing" from the record. The manufacturer cited a VIN-matching error as the cause for the data gap. On April 20, 2026, Tesla corporate denied that a claim had ever been filed and stated they would not take responsibility for injuries related to pregnancy or a fetus, claiming these do not meet their internal threshold for medical injury. The vehicle remains available for inspection. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

An incident that occurred while full self-driving (fsd) was engaged. During the drive, the vehicle unexpectedly steered toward the curb while making a right turn. I was actively monitoring the vehicle and immediately took control of the steering, but the vehicle still made contact with the curb. After the incident, the vehicle developed steering misalignment, vibration while driving, and abnormal noise, which suggests possible suspension or wheel damage. Since fsd was engaged at the time, I would appreciate it if Tesla could review the vehicle logs and investigate whether there was any system malfunction or unexpected behavior from the fsd system.

A fatal crash occurred involving a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The vehicle departed the roadway, impacted a guardrail, struck a utility pole on the driver’s side, rolled down an embankment, and came to rest upright. The crash resulted in catastrophic intrusion into the driver’s compartment and a fatal injury to the driver. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate the crashworthiness and occupant protection performance of this vehicle, including the structural integrity of the occupant compartment, airbag deployment and effectiveness, and the performance of any advanced driver assistance systems, including collision warnings and automatic emergency braking. I am also requesting review and preservation of all available vehicle data, including event data recorder (edr) information, vehicle telemetry, driver assistance system status, warning notifications, braking data, steering data, and any other information recorded before and during the crash. At this time, I do not know whether a vehicle defect or system malfunction occurred. My concern is whether the vehicle’s safety systems and occupant protection systems functioned as intended and whether additional vehicle data may help determine if any safety-related issues contributed to the severity of the crash.

2024 Tesla Model 3 driving on the turnpike heading south of NJ right between exit 5-6 when my vehicle suddenly and spontaneously spun out into the guardrail, while at the same time the automatic emergency brake was disabled. Weather conditions were slightly rainy, there was no signs of traction issues or alerts regarding any concerns. Luckily no other vehicles were hit. The vehicle has not been inspected by any other of the above questioned. No such warning signs, lamps, or symptoms prior to this failure. I do have the dash cam footage that shows the incident.

The rear camera malfunctions intermittently and causes other errors to happen, like automatic emergency braking unavailable or forward collision warning unavailable. When the camera error happens, it says the camera is unavailable. I took my car to the Tesla dealership three times. The first time, they did a continuity check and said the harness was degraded, and they replaced the harness and the rear camera. A week later, it happened again. The second time they reset the camera calibration and it worked. The day after, it happened again. The car is at the Tesla dealership for the third time (02/20/2026).

While driving at highway speed under normal operating conditions with the accelerator engaged and no braking input, the vehicle suddenly experienced a sustained 6-minute-12-second adas/edr degradation cascade. This included overheat_protect_fanonly activation, repeated aeb_can_state_unavailable toggling, fault 14. 0 brake-signal mismatch, impossible negative brake pressures, and 27+ abs/ebd/esp fault-lamp cycles. No warning lamps, messages, or alerts appeared prior to the cascade. The degradation resulted in loss of braking assist and stability control functions, causing two collision events (right-side t-bone impact followed by curb strike) despite no driver error or input. This failure mode matches the exact adas/edr degradation pattern under active NHTSA engineering analysis ea26002. Full technical details, timestamps, fault logs, sampling gaps, and edr data are provided in the attached narrative pdf and supporting csv files.

The vehicle's fsd system malfunctioned and initiated an unintended reverse toward a closing garage door. To prevent a total-loss event (the door crushing the glass roof and trunk), I was forced to perform an emergency manual takeover. Due to the vehicle's position caused by the malfunction, I had to maneuver through a confined space, resulting in the side-scrape. I am filing this as a malfunction claim because the damage was a direct consequence of the car's autonomous failure.

While driving my Tesla Model 3 with self-driving engaged in excellent conditions, the car suddenly braked to a full stop. There was no apparent reason to do so and the driver did nothing. The road ahead was free of traffic, and no obstacles, pedestrians or animals were visible. It was possible to resume driving by turning self-driving off. Tesla forums online show many instances of others reporting similar problems in various Tesla models over several years. A rear end collision will ultimately be the result of this flaw if it hasn’t yet occurred.

See all problems of the 2020 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

I was in process of completing a right hand turn, likely doing around 30 - 35 mph, when the vehicle suddenly and significantly applied the brakes, slowing the vehicle almost instantly down to around 12 mph, from what I had noticed. The road was entirely clear of any other vehicles, hazards, pedestrians or cyclists, with exception of a few parked cars along the curbs. There was absolutely no reason for this abrupt braking maneuver, and it is at least the second time it has occurred within the past 11 months, both on a right hand turn. Today's incident jerked my head and neck abruptly, leaving me with a headache. It has undermined my confidence in the vehicle.

The vehicle’s brakes did not work, automatic emergency brakes and collision warning both did not work. I pressed on the brake for about 5 seconds but the brakes did not work, resulting in a collision with the car in front. Everything is available for inspection if needed. Both my safety and the driver of the vehicle in front of me was at risk. The problem has not been confirmed yet. The vehicle is currently at a shop, waiting inspection. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms.

Incident description (in my own words): this incident occurred in the parking lot of the [xxx] in bretton woods, new hampshire. It was evening after sunset. The parking lot was dark but illuminated by overhead parking lights. My Tesla Model 3 headlights and vehicle lights were fully on. I was reversing slowly out of a tight parking space, traveling approximately 2–3 miles per hour. I was intentionally moving cautiously. My attention at the time was focused on the front right corner of the vehicle, as clearance there was tight. While reversing, the rear of my vehicle struck a parked truck behind me. The truck was relatively high (its headlights were positioned high on the vehicle). Neither I nor my passenger heard any rear collision warning, cross-traffic warning, or parking alert prior to impact. The vehicle also did not apply automatic braking. The contact occurred at very low speed and resulted in only minor cosmetic damage (a small dimple/deformation), but I was surprised that no warning or braking intervention occurred. Based on prior experience driving this vehicle, the collision and parking warning systems are typically configured to warn early, and I had confidence that a warning or automatic braking would activate in this scenario. Following the incident, I conducted a simple test by placing cones in front of the vehicle to see whether forward collision warnings would activate. They did not. While I understand cones may not trigger frontal collision alerts, this further contributed to my concern about object detection reliability in low-speed scenarios. The vehicle’s cameras were clean and unobstructed. I regularly clean the camera lenses. I am filing this complaint because my confidence in the vehicle’s collision warning and automatic braking systems has been shaken. I recently submitted a similar complaint regarding a collision involving our Tesla model y, and these two incidents—on two different Tesla vehicles—raise concerns for me information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act.

I drove into my neighbor’s driveway to drop her off. As I slowed down and applied the brakes to stop, the car failed to respond. It continued forward, running over the flower and plant pots at the edge of the driveway, crossing the backyard, and finally colliding with the trees and bushes at the rear of the property. All airbags deployed, and the vehicle was damaged beyond repair.

Vehicle self drove took quick into an off ramp and took flight on cattle guard into a pole. The vehicle never attempted to make a emergency stop and no air bags deployed.