Vehicle Speed Control Problems of Tesla Model S - part 1

I own three 2016 Tesla vehicles with the same known safety defect: two Model S p100d and one model x p100d, all equipped with the large drive unit (ldu). The component that fails is the rotor coolant seal in the rear drive unit motor. Coolant leaks internally into the motor and inverter, causing bearing wear, corrosion, isolation faults, and eventual complete drive unit failure. The affected drive units are still installed and available for inspection upon request. This defect puts my safety and the safety of others at risk because it can cause sudden loss of propulsion (especially at highway speeds), power reduction, or total drivetrain shutdown, potentially leading to a crash. Coolant in high-voltage areas also raises electrical fault/fire risks. The problem is widely reproduced and confirmed: Tesla service centers are familiar with it and replace failed units with updated “-u” revisions that include a coolant bypass. Independent ev shops confirm the exact root cause (rotor seal failure) via encoder inspections showing coolant intrusion and through disassembly. This is a documented pattern failure in all 2012–2020 ldu vehicles. No police or insurance inspections have occurred yet, as no crash or total failure has happened. Tesla is aware of the recurring issue through service records on similar vehicles. Early symptoms before full failure typically include rear motor whining/grinding (especially under load), reduced power warnings, “rear drive unit fault” messages, and visible coolant on the speed sensor. These can appear gradually. My vehicles have not yet experienced total failure, but the defect is known to be inevitable. I am proactively monitoring encoder sensors. Because this is a systemic design defect affecting thousands of vehicles with clear safety implications, I request NHTSA open an investigation and require Tesla to issue a recall for free repairs/replacements on all affected 2012–2020 ldu vehicles.

See all problems of the 2016 Tesla Model S 🔎.

I own a 2016 Model S p100d equipped with the large drive unit (ldu). The component that fails is the rotor coolant seal in the rear drive unit motor. Coolant leaks internally into the motor and inverter, causing bearing wear, corrosion, isolation faults, and eventual complete drive unit failure. The affected drive units are still installed and available for inspection upon request. This defect puts my safety and the safety of others at risk because it can cause sudden loss of propulsion (especially at highway speeds), power reduction, or total drivetrain shutdown, potentially leading to a crash. Coolant in high-voltage areas also raises electrical fault/fire risks. The problem is widely reproduced and confirmed: Tesla service centers are familiar with it and replace failed units with updated “-u” revisions that include a coolant bypass. Independent ev shops confirm the exact root cause (rotor seal failure) via encoder inspections showing coolant intrusion and through disassembly. This is a documented pattern failure in all 2012–2020 ldu vehicles. No police or insurance inspections have occurred yet, as no crash or total failure has happened. Tesla is aware of the recurring issue through service records on similar vehicles. Early symptoms before full failure typically include rear motor whining/grinding (especially under load), reduced power warnings, “rear drive unit fault” messages, and visible coolant on the speed sensor. These can appear gradually. My vehicles have not yet experienced total failure, but the defect is known to be inevitable. I am proactively monitoring encoder sensors. Because this is a systemic design defect affecting thousands of vehicles with clear safety implications, I request NHTSA open an investigation and require Tesla to issue a recall for free repairs/replacements on all affected 2012–2020 ldu vehicles.

I was entering my drive way waiting for the garage to open suddenly my car just accelerated and hit the wall.

See all problems of the 2018 Tesla Model S 🔎.

Incident description: while driving through a parking lot at 20 mi/hr, my vehicle's aeb system activated in response to another vehicle approaching from a perpendicular direction. However, the system's response was dangerously delayed and inappropriate stopping the car right in front of the other car: the system failed to provide any advance warning or alert before applying the brakes the braking occurred too late to create adequate separation from the approaching vehicle the vehicle stopped directly in the path of the oncoming car, increasing rather than decreasing collision risk the abrupt stop left my vehicle in a position where I was at greater risk of being t-boned only the other driver's quick reaction prevented a collision. Had that driver not stopped in time, the aeb system would have contributed to, rather than prevented, a serious accident.

See all problems of the 2022 Tesla Model S 🔎.

While operating my 2023 Tesla Model S long range using full self driving supervised and software version 14. 2. 1. 25, the speed control no longer is available and has been replaced by speed profiles. When operating the vehicle on interstate 77 southbound around statesville, nc and on or about December 22, 2025, I set the speed profiles to standard in a 55 mph zone in which the Tesla recognized and displayed that it was operating in a 55 mph zone in standard profile mode, the car varied in speed (with no traffic ahead) from about 57 mph to over 76 mph. This is highly unsafe and I had to repeatedly move back to chill or sloth mode at which time the vehicle strongly and unsafely braked causing cars behind me to close on me quickly and have to make strong and unplanned braking maneuvers to avoid hitting me. This was not the case when I bought the car and fsd when operating under 13. 2. 9. The removal of max speed control is extremely unpredictable and unsafe for me and those around me.

See all problems of the 2023 Tesla Model S 🔎.

I was parking the car and gently tapped on the accelerator to inch forward. The car accelerated suddenly, crashed into a concrete sign holder, and knocked down a sign, until I was able to stop it using the breaks. The accident caused $5000 worth of damage that I paid out of pocket to fix, since I assumed I must have made a mistake. However when I got the car back a month later, unintended acceleration happened again - under the same circumstances. I was parking and inching forward. I tapped the accelerator and the car accelerated suddenly. This time I was able to stop it before causing any damage. At this point, I knew that the first accident was not my error, since it had now happened again, and I was 100% sure that I did nothing wrong. I looked up "unintended acceleration - Tesla" and found examples of the exact same thing happening while parking. I looked for a fix, and it suggested changing the mode of the car to "creep. " this so far has worked well.

On [xxx], at approximately [xxx], I was driving my 2013 Tesla Model S (VIN: [xxx] ) on [xxx] in barrow county, georgia when the instrument cluster/speedometer display went completely blank while driving. This is an intermittent issue that occurs without warning - the display turns off and sometimes freezes. Because the speedometer was not displaying, I had no way to know my actual speed. I was pulled over by barrow county sheriff’s office and cited for speeding. I explained the instrument cluster malfunction to the officer at the scene and showed him the blank display. I took my vehicle to Tesla service center in duluth, GA (3380 satellite blvd) on November 4, 2025 - as soon as I could get an appointment after the incident. Tesla cleared the filesystem caches but did not inform me about the existing emmc recall (sb-21-21-001) that affects my vehicle, nor did they perform the recall repair. My 2013 Model S is equipped with the mcu1 with the 8gb emmc that is subject to NHTSA recall 21v-119. This is a known defect that NHTSA determined to be a safety issue because it affects critical displays including the speedometer, backup camera, and turn signal indicators. I have video evidence of the malfunction occurring and the Tesla service receipt documenting the issue. The fact that Tesla’s service center did not notify me of the applicable recall or perform the free recall repair. This defect directly resulted in me receiving a traffic citation because I could not see my speedometer while driving information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2013 Tesla Model S 🔎.

On October 17, 2025, while using full self-driving (fsd) mode on my 2021 Tesla Model S plaid, the car failed to stop at two red lights within a three-hour period. In each case, the car attempted to drive through the intersection even though the signal was solid red. I intervened manually and applied the brakes to prevent a potential collision. There were no prior warnings or alerts, and I have not modified the vehicle. This behavior endangers my safety and the safety of others. I am willing to provide the vehicle and any available data logs for inspection if requested.

See all problems of the 2021 Tesla Model S 🔎.

Software 2025. 14. 1, full self driving 12. 6. 4 (fsd). Vehicle when using fsd continuously slows to 10 mph below the speed limit. You can manually press the accelerator to speed up but fsd will not brake when doing so and warns you of the same. After a minute of being back at the speed limit, fsd again slows down. Repeat this process constantly. Very dangerous.

See all problems of the 2017 Tesla Model S 🔎.

Stoped at intersection. While trying to engage signal lights, hit the stalk below that engages full self driving. Car immediately jumped into intersection . In front of another car and almost collided. Since the last update, cars with my configuration wave been acting irradely and it is not safe to use fsd.

While driving on the highway at maximum speed limit, I had a series of error messages that covered the complete screen. At the same time, my mph dropped to zero although I was traveling probably 70 miles per hour. I had no control over the vehicle, no steering, I had no brakes. There was no way to control the car. Fortunately, I was traveling in a low populated area of the 15 freeway between los angeles and las vegas in the far right lane, as I was preparing to exit less than a mile to a super charger station. I was able to get off that exit but since the odometer had a 0 reading, I had no idea what speed I was still traveling at. When I reached the end of the freeway exit, I was unable to stop the vehicle at the stop sign, running it while attempting with all of my strength to veer to the right on to a desolate road. The only thing that saved the car from running the stop sign at what I can only guess would have been 60 mph was a slight incline in the off ramp which slowed the car to about half that when I managed to make the turn. From there, I coasted to a rolling stop about 200 ft from exit, half on shoulder, half stili on road. I was not able to put the car in park nor see what gear the car was in due to the flashing warnings blocking the display screen. I could not use the hazard lights, the gear shift, power off, open glove box, turn off display, open trunk, as if it was in d. Once exited, no way to get back in the car. Tesla er service only able to tow next a. M. To nearest s c, 85 miles at my expense. Sat in car as getting dark, cold along desolate road with no services, until my ride could get me over 4 hrs or stay in car overnight with temps of 20°. After 2 days at Tesla, told steering rack failed, $4,900. Any other time, I would have plowed into the car in front of me at 70mph with no way to stop or steer away. Only prevented by the empty freeway I just happened to be traveling. Tesla claims to have no idea why this part failed at this low mileage.

The contact owns a 2013 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the message "take to service" was displayed. The local dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was towed to the dealer by Tesla insurance to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the drive unit was rusted and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure via email and a letter. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

My car slams on the brakes consistently at green lights when fsd is activated. This is version 12. 5. 4. 2 of fsd. Tesla is not responding to my inquiries.

Approaching my garage door as it was opening when the car suddenly accelerated smashing through the garage door, through the back wall of the garage, through the laundry room and finally stopped in the main bedroom with the front wheels off the ground as the car rested on top of the washing machine.

Tesla instrument cluster screens are leaking fluid and eventually failing. The instrument cluster is the only place I can see my speed, thus my car is now unsafe as I can not tell what speed I am driving at.

The accelerating pedal is the one that was affect it is available upon request for inspection. It put me in danger because while I was driving, it snapped off. Has not been inspected by others. There was no warning lamps and it just happened out of nowhere as well. I was driving.

While driving on the freeway at 70 mph with 39 miles of range left, the vehicle abruptly slowed down to 20 mph. . . Cars behind us almost hit us due to the car slowing down despite me accelerating. We pulled to the right shoulder, rest the car and then was only able to go up to 20mph. . . Range still said 39 miles. Shortly after the car stopped, there was a warning displayed, and the car turned off and could no longer turn back on. I believe the battery failed. The car was towed to Tesla irvine barranca service center and diagnostics confirmed the battery needed replacement. I traded in the car for a new vehicle. Safety of the driver, passengers, and the around us on the freeway were all at risk and we were lucky to avoid any issues. All Tesla told me was the battery died there was a warning that appeared when the car slowed down to 20mph. . . Stating the car was no longer able to be driven.

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while turning into a parking spot, there was unintended acceleration of the vehicle; it surged forward, jumped the parking barrier, and crashed into a wall. There were no warning lights illuminated. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire, injuries, or airbag deployment. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

In all assisted driving modes except full self driving (fsd), the car properly displays the speed limit it has determined either by map data or visual confirmation. In fsd, apparently only on pre-2021+ Model S cars, the determined speed limit is not displayed. In my town we have a us60 route. The car sees these signs and determines the speed limit is 60, even though it is only 35. The driver notices a rapid acceleration and may observe the set fsd speed has changed to 60. There is no speed limit displayed in this mode. Very dangerous to go this fast on a 35 mph road. When not using fsd, the car does show this error in the speed limit as being 60, even though the car determined speed limit itself is in error.

See all problems of the 2020 Tesla Model S 🔎.

Experienced severe phantom breaking on [xxx] in route to las vegas at 70mph September 2024. In heavy rain, while windshield wipers set to auto. . . . . . . . . . . Wipers have stopped momentarily blinding the driver, a problem Tesla hasn't fixed on my neighbors 2019 model 3. The stalkless design prevents safe use of turn signals, horn and gear shifts. Wife who only drives an ice car can not safely operate turn signals, horn and gear shifts in my 2023 Tesla Model S. Camera system constantly renders 'blinded' error messages halting autopilot features. Tesla's resolution is to clean camera's before initiating autopilot. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

On September 7th, 2024 around 7:35 pm, my Tesla Model S 2016 suddenly accelerated, smashed in the siding of my house breaking the the siding of the wall and was totaled. All of this happened while my mom was trying to park the car in the garage the car suddenly took off without her pressing the accelerator. I have Tesla to send an engeneer to collect the data of the car in which they said they did but have not yet gotten back to me on the issue. They informed me that they have collected the data on 09/20/2024.

While driving west on I 70 thru utah at 78 mph (speed limit posted 80) the car suddenly and almost violently applied full brakes and reduced speed to 50 mph before I could override by applying added pressure to the accelerator. There were no cars in front of me for over a mile, and the following cars were well back as well. This occurred late morning on perfectly dry pavement. There were few if any clouds, the temperature was in the mid to high 90's. The highway was divided with a significant center divider. If there had been a person following me within 5 car lengths there would certainly have been a rear end collision. The location was roughly 20 miles east of green river, utah.

Incident Tesla Model S was up to date on recalls as far as we can tell, including the recent autopilot update via Tesla internet vehicle update releases. While driving in autopilot mode on the freeway in the lane next to the hov lane, the autopilot got confused as to which lane it should keep and failed to maintain its lane. Incident vehicle drifted across the double lines into the hov lane, where another Tesla Model S was driving. Both cars were damaged in the ensuing side bump impact, then the incident vehicle made a slight impact to another car rear bumper in front of the incident vehicle. No injuries were reported. A subsequent traffic crash report was filed as required with CA highway patrol. We are awaiting this report in the mail. Our safety and others was put at risk due to the failure of the autopilot to maintain its lane. Insurance was contacted. The insurance company, usaa, has deemed the incident vehicle (our vehicle) damage too expensive to fix due to the very high cost of replacement/repair parts and has deemed our vehicle a "total loss. " we have not been able to access the software of the vehicle. Since usaa has deemed the vehicle a total loss, they are selling the car for salvage and thus we have no further access to the vehicle for legal purposes. As far as I know, usaa has not pulled the vehicle software records nor has requested such records and has completely ignored the autopilot issue. That is part of the reason for our complaint here as well. Since there were no injuries, legal representation in this case has not been forthcoming. We ask the NHTSA to investigate since we can get no help from Tesla, usaa or any other legal advocate.

On February 11, 2024, as I was entering my house garage at a very low speed, the car suddenly accelerated and hit the wall of my garage, causing damage to the garage and interior of my house. The car was insured by state fram. It was towed to a shop for repair at which time the insurance company notified me that the car could not be repaired. The car had been totaled. Over the following several weeks, I repaired the damage to my house and bought another car.

See all problems of the 2014 Tesla Model S 🔎.

This complaint is about difficulties with the horn sensor on the steering yoke under emergency situations. After 14 months of driving the car, I have these safety issues: 1) the horn sensor is difficult to find in emergency situations. It is a single, small area located farthest away from the right-hand rest position and touching it requires a long stretch with the thumb. When turning, it is easy to lose the orientation of the yoke and nearly impossible to find the horn sensor. (see #5 in the attached image). 2) the horn sensor is near the cruise-control button ("right scroll button"). The cruise-control button is raised and I have accidentally engaged the cruise-control on multiple occasions when trying to reach for the horn sensor. I would lift off the accelerator, expecting to slow down, but imagine my panic when the car speeds-up due to the accidentally engaged cruise-control. (see #8 in the attached image). 3) the horn sensor does not work when wearing regular gloves. None of the steering yoke sensors with gloves. You have to wear special touch-senstive gloves. 4) the steering yoke airbag is not a horn button. All of my previous cars since 2000 had airbag horns. This is a hard habit to break. I urge the NHTSA to recall the steering yoke and make the airbag a physical horn button. This would alleviate the four safety issues above. Thank you.

Car without obstacle will without warning execute a hard slowdown/stop. We have received the latest ota update and have disabled auto steering and fsd. These unplanned stops are incredibly dangerous when driving in traffic. They charged a substantial fee to enable fsd and we are afraid to use it which sucks but the fact that basic cruise control is so dangerous is criminal.

Driving on divided highway at night, the car slowed dramatically at each exit from the highway.

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while he, his wife, and his son were in the vehicle he had begun veering right pulling into the driveway, at approximately 5 mph, he had begun slightly releasing the brakes when the vehicle suddenly accelerated at accelerated high speeds. The contact immediately depressed the brake pedal however the vehicle speed continued to accelerate. As a response, the contact attempted to maneuver the vehicle to avoid crashing into the garage. The contact crashed into a nearby tree, jumped the curb, and became airborne crashing into the side of the home. The driver's side of the vehicle crashed into the side of the home where the laundry room was located ricocheting hitting the kitchen and bedroom windows and eventually coming to a stop. Due to the home being on a slope, the vehicle ended up falling into a nearby embankment after coming to a stop. All air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed. The contact was informed by insurance the vehicle would more than likely be totaled however this had not been confirmed. A police report was filed. The contact received emotional distress, cuts, and bruising to their hands. Arms and forehead. The contact also suffered from back pain. The contact's wife sat in the rear on the driver's side and received emotional distress, trouble breathing, bruising on their face, and bleeding in the mouth. Their wife also received neck, back, and head pain. The contact stated that their wife ended up falling to the floor of the vehicle as a result of the crash. The contact's son sat in the rear on the passenger's side and received emotional distress, and back and neck pain. All persons received medical attention on-site, such as cleaning the wounds and icing any bruising. They were advised to seek additional care, however, have not been able to do so as of yet. The crash caused damage to the wall and flooring structures, electricity, and water systems in the home. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The cause of the failure had n.

See all problems of the 2015 Tesla Model S 🔎.

Sudden unintended acceleration appeared to cause the Tesla while parking the car on the street in front of home accelerate go out of control and crash into the home totaling the car and damaging the house. Two days prior the vehicle was brought into a Tesla service location where Tesla replaced the 12 volt battery that they believed was causing the car not to power on properly at that time. After the crash and googling to see if others suffered similar issues it appears the NHTSA recently reopened a review of sudden unintended acceleration and this incident seems to align with concerns of the petitioner ronald a. Belt. The police filed a report and it’s at the towing place where the insurer allstate is going to evaluate the car for a total loss.

While driving using cruise control, in the space of 9-10 miles, the vehicle had 14-16 instances of sudden, unexpected braking for no reason. Most were moderate braking incidents slowing the car 15-30 mph before I hit the accelerator to get the car back up to speed. 2 incidents were where the car slowed 5-10 mph then resumed speed. Very disconcerting. There was little to no traffic on the road and in every case, there was no other car within a 1/2 mile or more to the front. Finally got fed up with this and turned off cruise. Left cruise control off as I passed through a city then decided to try it again. Soon after engaging cruise at 72 mph, the car suddenly and violently braked for no reason. It was such a hard braking that one of my dogs in the back seat crashed into the front seat. The hard braking continued until the speed was about 20 mph at which point, I hit the accelerator in order to resume speed. Note that no other car was visible on the roadway which was a 4 lane highway. Conditions were clear and dry. Soon after this incident, while still on cruise, the car suddenly braked moderately hard. Since the road was clear before and behind me, I decided to see what would happen. The car slowed to 38 mph and stayed at that speed for 3-4 seconds then slowly resumed the set speed. A short time later 1-2 miles further, the exact same sequence happened again. Again, note the road was clear with zero traffic ahead of or behind me. I then turned off cruise and decided to drive manually the rest of the way. This car is dangerous and should be removed from the road.

From Aug 23 to 28, 2023, we traveled in our 2020 Tesla Model S long range plus vehicle from santa fe, nm to san diego, CA and back, for a total distance of approximate 2100 miles. We drove primarily interstates (I-25, I-10, I-8, I-5) where speed limits ranged from 55 to 75. We experienced numerous instances of what is known to Tesla owners as sudden, severe "phantom braking" [hereinafter pb] while the cruise control was activated (not autopilot, nor fsd, just cruise control). In all instances, no cars or other objects were visible within 1 mile ahead of our vehicle, and in all instances, these "phantom braking" incidents happened on absolutely flat, straight, smooth road surfaces, at all times of day, morning, noon, and night. This car has had pb problems since the day was purchased; in fact on that day, there were at least two sudden pb incidents while I drove home in the new car! at numerous times since, I've reported these problems to Tesla service---to no avail. The problem is widely known among Tesla owners, and to my knowledge no owner has been able to get Tesla to do anything. On this most recent long-distance trip, our pb incidents happened typically at the posted speed limit of 75mph in all-clear situations---nobody else anywhere remotely nearby. The car would be operating smoothly when all of a sudden the brakes would engage and the vehicle would rapidly decelerate, throwing forward anything not fastened down inside the car. Because of the history of this problem, I never activate cruise control whenever any vehicle is near the rear of the car, as I can never tell if my car will "phantom brake" at that moment, causing a possible accident. I consider this problem very dangerous. I have owned this car since 2020, and Tesla has refused to do anything to fix it, always coming up with one or other stalling technique or excuse. I consider this an extreme safety flaw of this car and hope NHTSA can help to force Tesla to fix it once and for all.

Vehicle braked without warning with cruise control engaged. Luckily there were no other vehicles near us when this phantom braking occurred.

The rear motor (drive unit) has gone out on this car twice in the last four years. I purchased it after it was last repaired. It most recently went out on 08/04/2023. When it went out two days ago it had less than 30,000 miles on it. This car has a motor on both the front and rear axles, so while the vehichle was still moving forward, if it slowed down at all that would engage the regenerative braking. Once regenerative breaking was engaged, the rear drive unit would normal perform that function, but since it was out, it simply knocked the vehicle out of drive and made the transmission flash red. During this part, steering was affected in that the power steering was out, and the ability to move forward was diminished because the vehicle came out of gear. I was able to put my foot briefly on the brake and then tap the car back into drive, but anytime the car slowed down and engaged regenerative braking, this process would repeat. Looking at the forums, this is a known problem. As already stated, this is the second time in less than four years that this motor has needed replacement. Additionally, Tesla is saying that this motor is did not have a warranty on it, despite the fact that it was replaced only a few years ago. In my opinion, this is a clear safety issue. Reviewing the forums, it seems as though this issue is an endemic problem associated with the Tesla Model S from a range of years between 2012-2015. It is more probable than not that the company is aware of this deficit and has chosen to do nothing about it.

Car suddenly accelerated and crushed into shop in parking lot.

The Model S, which was bought in 2015, had a sudden acceleration while I was trying to park near the entrance gate of the parking lot. The accident happened on may 25, 2023. Fortunately, nobody got hurt and the car was totaled. I feel strongly that this should be investigated, as this can be a very serious public safety issue. It was inspected by the insurance company. There were no warning messages prior to the failure.