Table 1 shows one common service brakes related problems of the 2023 Tesla Model S.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes problems |
Tesla just sold me a car with defective front half shafts axles. The car makes a reproducible and very concerning accelerator pedal shudder that makes the entire vehicle front vibrate, including the steering wheel and brake pedals while the car is accelerating between 30-60mph. This interferes with safety features like, lane departure assistance and blind spot steering wheel feedback, confusing the driver and creating a distracting scenario where an accident can happen. Upon bringing this to the attention of the service center in fort myers florida, the service center manager took a drive test with me, and was able to replicate the issue, but immediately started dismissing it as "normal" and within Tesla specs. This is becoming a regular practice at that service center, where they deem warrantable issues as normal and within (their tolerance). I insisted that this issue is not to be taken likely by Tesla, because it is something that involves a safety hazard. Upon further research, I was able to find that this issue is happening to many Teslas Model S and x, where the front axles bend due to the weight and high torque of the vehicles. The issue falls completely under warranty and the half shafts should be replaced, but apparently Tesla has instructed their service centers to dismiss and disregard the symptoms, and just tell the customers that no warranty replacement will occur, because it is not necessary, we just have to drive the cars like this, until the car completely fails, or an accident happens because one of the bent axle shafts breaks on a highway during normal drive. I recording this report as evidence that the issue has been reported to the highest vehicle safety authorities, and I expect a corrective action so Tesla can fix my car under the existing unexpired warranty.
Driving on straight section of highway at dusk. No autopilot or other features on. Road slightly damp from earlier rain. Driving approximately 60mph. Without me moving my hands or feet then car suddenly slammed on the brakes and speed decreased to approximately 20mph. I pulled over and reset the car computer by pressing the two buttons on the wheel and no further problems but had someone been behind me there would have been a terrible crash and my daughter was in the backseat. Looking online it seems Tesla "phantom braking" is not uncommon. I am frightened to drive my car ever again but have a 7 hour drive home tomorrow.
This is the second time in the last two weeks that my backup camera has stopped working. I have talk to the service center about this I was told that it is not a safety issue but a convenience to the driver and that I should use my mirrors and turn my head around to see what is behind me. I have taken my car in the service center to see if they can fix the problem (8/23/2023). Backup camera worked for a while than stopped again . I have made another appointment with the service center to see if they can fix the problem (8/29/2023.
At least 6 times on two different trips, while driving with adaptive cruise control engaged, the car randomly and aggressively applied the breaks. It was so aggressive that if there had been a car behind us, they would definitely have rear ended us going 60+ miles per hour. It was difficult to hold the car in the lane when the breaks were applied so aggressively. We did some research and found that there were over 700 comments on this problem and it was being labeled as "fantom breaking". The breaking is very aggressive and very unsafe. The representatives at the dealership simply acknowledged the problem and said that Tesla will continue to try to correct it with a software download.