Adaptive Cruise Control problems of the 2021 Tesla Model Y - part 2

Driving down freeway at 70 mph when my car stopped immediately ! no one or nothing in front of me . 6 cars behind me and everyone swerved to avoid me or they would have hit me. I was terrified. I called Tesla and they said it was “phantom breaking”. It happens to model 3/y from 2021 and 2022. It happened 2x in an 8 hr period. July 22, 2023.

Computer will suddenly error out and cruise control, aeb, forward collision warnings, and lane keep assist are not available. A warning "cruise control unavailable" shows if you attempt to engage autopilot or fsd. No forward collision warnings, no auto slowing down. Not docked for close following. No visualizations made. Not resolved with soft or hard reboot. Sometimes will randomly will allow to re-engage, other times I have to park the car and let it go to sleep without charging or sentry mode for things to reset. I've driven many, multiple times including for 1. 5-2hour segments with a frozen visualization and no aeb or cruise control or fsd. Speed independent, weather independent. Time of day independent.

My family and I were driving from san diego to arizona on interstate 8. I was utilizing autopilot (adaptive cruise control with lane keeping assistance) and 4 different times the car slammed on the brakes from approximately 75 mph to 60 mph. We were driving on a bright, sunny, extremely hot day (116 degrees). Luckily there were no cars behind us or we could have been rear-ended. It's also noteworthy, there were no cars/vehicles in front of us or objects in the road when the phantom braking occurred. I now no longer feel safe using autopilot on our Model Y. No warning messages appeared and no additional information was provided by the car. We have used autopilot on several other road trips and never experienced this issue.

I was driving the speed limit with the adaptive cruise control engaged on I-95 in maine with no one in front of to the sides of me. All of a sudden without warning my car brakes on the middle of the highway. I regained control right after and did not use the adaptive cruise control for the rest of the drive.

While driving at speed (75-80 mph) on interstate 90 and 80 (different days) auto aggressively applied brakes. No other autos, trucks or obstructions were anywhere close to the car. There was no forewarning the problem was going occur. All occurred in daylight from morning until mid afternoon. I recognize this as phantom braking. Tesla refuses to look at the car because I did not have the exact time the problems occurred, messages from 6/2/23. I am of the opinion if this was elon's car they would look at it.

For last several months my 2021 Tesla y is experiencing phantom braking while using cruise control. Happens about once every 50 miles on the highway and occurs on straight roads with no traffic in front or behind and no road hazards. Braking is sudden and hard and represents a significant hazard . Thanks.

While driving eastbound on the ca60 freeway and merging onto the interstate 10 freeway, on a clear sunny day and on a dry road, without another vehicle beside the car, with the 'autopilot' (not full version) engaged, the car suddenly initiated an uncommanded acceleration which required the driver to aggressively depress the brake pedal to stop the acceleration and to disengage the automated driving feature. This sudden acceleration brought the vehicle dangerously close to another vehicle traveling in front before it could be stopped. Witnesses were in the car when this incident occurred.

While driving northbound on the ca111 freeway along an elevated ramp leading to the interstate 10 freeway, in the evening after sunset, and on a dry road, without another vehicle beside the car, with the 'autopilot' (not full version) engaged, the car suddenly initiated an uncommanded acceleration which required the driver to aggressively depress the brake pedal to stop the acceleration and to disengage the automated driving feature. This sudden acceleration placed the driver and occupants at risk to the car traveling around an elevated tight curve with a ramp speed limit that the car exceeded. Witnesses were in the car when this incident occurred.

The problem I am writing about is not specific to my Tesla vehicle, but inherent to all Tesla's. I have read in the news about the issue concerning the full autopilot with drivers not paying attention figuring the vehicle will drive itself. Although, there is another inherent issue with vehicles without subscribing to autopilot while using the cruise control feature resulting in a problem referred to within the Tesla community as "phantom braking. " while the cruise control is active and the driver is attentive with hands on the steering wheel, the vehicle intermittently jams on the brakes even though there are no obstacles in the road ahead. The driver and passengers are panicked requiring the driver to immediately respond by pressing the accelerator to avoid being rear-ended. My wife and I have experienced the issue on multiple occasions since owning our Tesla y since September 2021. We have experienced the issue on clear days with perfect weather and a clean windshield. The road is clear with no vehicles in front of us on a divided highway traveling at highway speeds. We've also experienced the issue on a two-lane non-divided road with oncoming traffic in the other lane. Eventually, the problem becomes such an issue that we have to turn-off the cruise control to drive normally which defeats the reason why cruise control is desired. I had presented the issue with Tesla support, but I was basically blown off. Although, this issue is frequently commented by other Tesla owners on social media. Basically, the Tesla cruise control does not function like any of my other car's cruise control. The problem is thus software related to how the images from the camera are interpreted. I'm worried about my safety with the possibility of being rear-ended.

Driving I-80 on may 9 between 2 - 4 pm going approx 70mph using autopilot. Sudden, unexpected, rapid deceleration causing back seat contents (suitcases & my dog) to fly forward. Nothing in front of me, no visual obstruction, weather clear and sunny. Luckily no one behind me. It felt like I had slammed on the brakes. I did get off highway shortly after to get dog out of where he lodged in back seat. Tesla rep via text messaging said I caused this by tapping accelerator & no need for inspection, but I do not recall doing that. I did receive a message/warning around the approx time I think this occurred stating “driving visualization temporarily degraded” (I have screenshot. ) they did send me the spreadsheet data of that day but I can’t decipher it.

Phantom braking while driving interstate 15 on may 8, 2023 at 11:15 am. No other cars were within a half mile in front or behind. Car went from 70mph with hard braking until I took control to regain speed. Had there been other vehicles behind me, it could have resulted in a rear end collision. Reported to Tesla today, may 15th, but told there is no fix. I have not used the autopilot feature much at all, since most driving is short city trips. I do not intend to use this feature for safety concerns.

Over the past 2 weeks there have been multiple (5+ times in one day) instances of phantom breaking both using adaptive cruise control and autopilot. This often happens when approaching a bridge but also in areas where bridges are not present. Sometimes the sun may be towards the front of the car, sometimes not. Luckily no collisions, but the sudden breaking is a safety hazard and prevents the use of the car’s advanced features that are meant to reduce driver fatigue.

For the fsd beta, it does not currently parse and respect road signage such as “no turn on red” and “detour”. This constitutes a material safety risk and also a moving violation.

I experienced multiple instances of ghost braking while driving at highway speeds, one that resuled in a near collision with the vehicle behind me.

I was driving down the highway. The weather was clear. Sunny. The road was dry. Middle of the afternoon. I was using the adaptive cruise control. I was driving the speed limit, 70 mph after driving for a couple of hours, the car had about three different times when it felt like the brake was tapped, the car slowed a bit and then regained speed. I stopped at my destination for about 4 hours and then returned home. Same roads conditions, sunny, dry road, etc. Same road, 70 mph, the car suddenly hit the brakes hard. Slammed might be too strong of a word because it's not like the car left skid marks on the road, but the brakes hit very, very hard. The car slowed to 25 or 30 mph. Fortunately there were no cars behind me or me and my wife could had been killed right then.

Last weekend, during a 600-mile road trip, I experienced at least 20 instances of phantom braking when using the traffic-aware cruise control. A rapid deceleration of the car for no apparent reason is dangerous and needs to be fixed. I have complained to Tesla on a couple of occasions and there now seems to be more instances of the braking issue occurring since my last highway trip.

Phantom braking of Tesla: while using the autopilot feature to assist driving, on April 13, 2023 between 10 am and noon while traveling on us highway 2 on a clear sunny day on a 4 lane highway with excellent visibility and no traffic, the Tesla suddenly and unexpectedly slammed on the brakes for no apparent reason. I placed a service request to Tesla the next day and the texting Tesla service tech said he need a timestamp within 5 minutes of the incident. Because I could not define the time within 5 minutes of when it happened, there was no further information available. We finished the texting episode by cancelling the service appointment and I will not use the autopilot feature on the Tesla until Tesla says it is safe. I feel the phantom braking issue, if traffic had been present, could have caused a chain reaction collision by other cars trying to avoid the rapidly braking Tesla.

Vehicles continues to make random unwanted and dangerous sudden braking at highways speeds while the cruise control is engaged.

While utilizing the adas features including the adaptive cruise control, the vehicle unexpectedly applies its brakes while driving at highway speeds.

Sudden deceleration and braking while at interstate speeds and crossing over a bridge. I was using cruise control only, overcast day, dry pavement with moderate traffic. Cruise control strongly applied the brakes from interstate speeds while crossing over an overpass bridge. There was no danger or traffic ahead of me that should have triggered the emergency braking. This needs to be investigated, it will get someone killed.

On March 18, 2023 we were driving on highway 80 from winnemucca nv to fernley nv. At 3pm and about 3:10pm the car suddenly decelerated from ~82mph to ~50mph. The road ahead was clear of obsticles. Luckly there were no cars following close behind us, if there had been the unnecessary and unexpected deceleration could have been dangerous.

We recently traveled about 300 miles on a roadtrip in this Tesla and while using the adaptive cruise control, the car would randomly slam on the brakes for no apparent reason. There was nothing in the road or any hazards at all. Also, it was not just a one time thing. It happened multiple times before I decided to not use the cruise control because it to dangerous.

While driving the vehicle on a 2 lane highway in sunny conditions, the vehicle suddenly braked while using cruise control. There was no traffic on the road ahead, no oncoming or traffic in my lane. Car slammed on the brakes slowing from 55 to 30 in about 2 seconds. If there was a vehicle behind me this would have caused a serious accident. This is not an isolated incident on my vehicle. The exact scenario has been reported a multitude of times by other people. This will kill someone and needs a recall. This is the standard equipment cruise control provided on all Tesla models. This isn't self driving or any other advanced feature. This is a critical issue that needs to be resolved.

Multiple "phantom braking" events while using adaptive cruise control (no full self driving, just basic adaptive cruise). First time while going at interstate speed and crossing a bridge, vehicle saw a shadow on the road and slammed on the brakes thinking it was a vehicle. Obviously this is a startling and dangerous situation especially for vehicles behind you. This has also happened on the highway, flat terrain, roads were clear of any obstacles and it slams on the brakes thinking there is something in the road. Every time it does this, there appear to be shadows on the road (from street signs, light poles, trees, etc. ). The sudden braking is of course bad, but there's also nothing in the vehicle that tells you why, no chime, it just hits the brakes. It still appears that cruise control is active, but it won't resume speed after an event like this until you turn cruise off and back on again. I know this isn't an isolated incident and it absolutely will cause a crash, if it hasn't already.

On February 19, 2023, I was driving my 2021 Tesla Model Y on I-5 from la to sacramento on a clear afternoon. I was using adaptive cruise control (acc) set at 78 mph, but not using auto-pilot, in the fast lane with a car following me. My car suddenly braked aggressively without anything in the roadway ahead of me. I then applied the foot brake and veered off onto the gravel left shoulder to avoid having the car behind me hit me. I saw in the rear-view mirror the following car swerve to the right to get around me, entering the slow lane. I believe that when I stepped on the brake, the acc turned off and the car's automatic braking ceased. I then got back into the fast lane as there were no other cars approaching and resumed my drive. I didn't notice the speed my car had decreased to during the incident before I resumed speed, but I guess it may have been about 40 mph. Phantom braking happened one other time on I-5 on my way to la from sacramento two days previously (Feb. 17) also while in acc, but there were no other cars around me and the automatic braking stopped when I tapped the brakes and I resumed my speed. In the year and a half we have owned the car, we have experienced approximately 10 instances of phantom braking, but fortunately, no accidents.

Experienced phantom braking twice today on I 5. Almost crashed or got rear ended. Car was on auto pilot. This needs to be fixed.

System malfunction: emergency braking ("phantom braking") while set to automated driving/adaptive cruise control. Our safety put at risk: on a 2,000 mi. Road trip from denver CO to tucson, az and back, the vehicle slammed on the brakes at 75-80 mph speeds over two dozen times. All incidents occurred either driving south on I-25 or west on I-10 going to tucson, or on I-10 east and I-25 north on our return. By far the most dangerous event occurred when we were driving east on I-10 in se arizona on our return to denver on 29 January. Driving in the right lane at 75 mph on a perfectly clear day with excellent road conditions, the vehicle suddenly slammed on its brakes. Following closely behind us was a semi-tractor-trailer, that also slammed on its brakes, blasted its horn, and very nearly rear-ended us. The truck driver then followed us at very close range for the next ten miles, if we slowed down, the truck slowed down. If we speeded up, the truck speeded up. We disengaged cruise control so we wouldn't involuntarily brake hard once more. Finally, the truck drive honked once more and dropped back as we sped up. In our view, this was an evident case of road rage on the trucker's part that might have ended tragically. Reproduction of problem: we have a 2/27/23 appointment with a Tesla service center here in colorado to check out the automated driving/cruise control/camera and sensing system. However, this problem only arose under quite specific topographical, and road surface/light conditions on I-25 and I-10 in rural areas, so I'm doubtful Tesla service techs would be able to replicate the conditions. Warnings: there were no warnings emitted by the vehicle either audibly or visually (on the display screen) prior to any of these incidents.

I was driving on a large, multi-lane, divided freeway (5 south interstate just before anaheim, CA in orange county, California) and using adaptive cruise control (not autopilot) to maintain my speed in the mid 70s mph. It was around 9pm pt and there was very light traffic. The next car in front of me was at least 100 feet ahead of me and there weren't any cars on the left or right of me. All of a sudden the car started decelerating really quickly, and by the time I pressed the accelerator to counteract the deceleration, the car was at roughly 60 mph. There wasn't any indication as to why the car decelerated so suddenly, and there wasn't anything that I could see that might have caused the cruise control to react that way. Thankfully there wasn't a car close behind me - if there had been, it's possible that the trailing car could have hit me and caused an accident at high speeds. I've read online that there are quite a lot of reports of "phantom braking" from Teslas, and from the descriptions I've read, my experience seems to be exactly the same. I hope that NHTSA and Tesla can work together to get to the bottom of this and prevent these types of scary incidents from ever happening again.

Jan 13, 2023 at 7:02am pst. While using adaptive cruise control with lanekeeping, I was driving in second lane from the right at a constant speed. There was plenty of room in front of me- no car nearby. As I was slowly passing the car to my right, another car that was behind the car to my right began a normal lane change to its left into my lane behind me. For no reason, my car began to slow down suddenly. Video footage of cameras on my car show the moment when the front of my car pitched down because it was suddenly slowing down. The rear camera view shows when my car's brake lights illuminated for no good reason. I immediately intervened and accelerated back to my highway speed so as to not contribute to the car behind me running into me or having to suddenly brake itself and leading to a problem for yet more drivers. These video files I am linking to show the incident 14 seconds into each video. . Read more...

Multiple phantom brakes in a day with nothing in front of the vehicle on an interstate. Terrified drivers behind as a result.

This has occurred on three different occasions. I was driving on highway five on the way to sacramento, and as I was passing a truck, I was in the fast lane, and the brakes came on, and the car slowed drastically. I was very lucky that I was able to hit the gas pedal to try to maintain speed so that I would not be rear-ended. I had the cruise control on. It is adaptive cruise control, there were no warning lights , and there was no indication to me that something was about to happen. This occurred on two other occasions always when the cruise control was on. I have not used the cruise control very much at all. I am afraid that the phantom breaking it will occur.

Car sufferers from “phantom braking” and will aggressively brake while adaptive cruise control is engaged for no apparent reason. No “regular” cruise control is available to over ride this.

Phantom braking.

While driving on cruise control, the car slammed on the brakes out of nowhere. It was terrifying and we were almost hit from behind. There was absolutely no obstruction or any reason for the car to slam on the brakes. We do not feel safe having our young children in the car. We have notified Tesla of the issue many times and they refuse to fix it. This car is unsafe and someone, a Tesla driver or members of the public on the road with this car, is going to be killed by the phantom braking . What is the NHTSA waiting for? please force a recall. Clearly Tesla doesn’t care.

Tesla "traffic aware cruise control" occasionally unnecessarily applies brakes aggressively for no apparent reason when cruise control is in use. This presents a hazard to other driver's who may be behind the Tesla. This phenomena is well known to Tesla owners who have repeatedly posted about it in Tesla's owners forum. It is often referred to as "phantom braking". There is no option for the Tesla owner to disable the "traffic aware" aspect of Tesla's cruise control I believe Tesla could resolve this problem with a simple software update which would allow the Tesla owner to use cruise control normally without the "traffic aware" feature. The "traffic aware" feature is part of Tesla's problematic "auto pilot" feature. However, my Tesla is not equipped with "auto pilot". My Tesla is available for inspection upon request.