Service Brakes Problems of Tesla Model Y - part 1

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint against Tesla, inc. Regarding multiple critical safety failures that occurred with my Tesla Model Y (VIN: [xxx] ) during a collision on Saturday, [xxx], while I was traveling eastbound on [xxx] from the [xxx] exit to the [xxx] exit in pennsylvania. At approximately [xxx], I was driving in the left lane when a BMW SUV abruptly cut into my lane ahead of me, accelerated briefly, and then suddenly braked. I immediately applied the brakes multiple times in an effort to stop my car. Even though there was sufficient space to stop safely, the braking system failed to respond, resulting in a collision with the BMW in front of me. Despite my efforts to avoid the impact, the following dangerous and unacceptable failures occurred at the time of the accident: 1. Failure of regenerative braking / deceleration: when I lifted my foot from the accelerator, the vehicle did not decelerate as expected under Tesla’s regenerative braking system. 2. Failure of braking system: despite pressing the brake pedal twice—including a heavy application—the braking system failed to prevent collision, contrary to Tesla’s advertised safety performance. 3. Failure of collision-avoidance features: critical safety systems—including automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, and obstacle-aware acceleration—did not engage to mitigate or prevent the impact. 4. Failure of airbag deployment: despite the severity of the crash, none of the airbags deployed, exposing me to serious risk of injury and raising grave concerns about the integrity of the Model Y’s occupant protection systems. 5. Post-collision failure of regenerative braking: following the accident, when I attempted to drive the vehicle, the regenerative braking system was completely non-functional, creating a continuing safety hazard and rendering the vehicle unsafe to operate. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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Phantom braking happened. This is the 3rd time to my car. This time, my car stopped automatically when I was already decelerating close to 2-5 mph and the car in front was very far away. I was not using fsd nor autopilot. The emergency auto stop sign came up out of nowhere and my car jerked really hard and my child in the back experienced the jerk and this injured his shoulder.

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Driving on I 880 south on the fast lane. The car suddenly braked for no reason and began to shutdown. It warned me to pull over before complete shutdown. Luckily there was space on my left and I was able to rolling stop. Nothing on the screen was working. Turned on hazard light. Got out of car with my phone. Accessed Tesla app and ran battery check. After couple mins the error went away. Tried to slowly move with hazard light on. It appeared to have fixed itself. Slowly merged back into freeway when it was safe. Attached notification when I tried to schedule service request.

Three different occasions, while utilizing adaptive cruise the car applied all breaks, causing me to lunge forward with the car coming to a complete stop. I did not see anything that would had caused the car to apply the breaks and the camera's did not record any obstacle. This was brought to the Tesla dealerships attention and I was told there is nothing that can be done about it. If I had not been wearing my seat belt, the potential emergency braking could had resulted in me sustaining a blunt force impact to my chest with the steering wheel, not to mention a possible motor vehicle accident with the vehicle behind me. I did look through the manual and there is no way of me turning feature off or lowering to a warning versus a suddent stop.

Tesla removed the creep/roll braking function (which mimicked an automatic transmission) from the Model Y 2024 forward. You now have to use the accelerator to control slow speed maneuvers like backing. It seems that it would be pretty easy to press the accelerator too much and have the car lurch forward or backwards. Seems like an accident waiting to happen. It would be safer to have your foot on the brake pedal and allow the car to creep backwards similar to an automatic transmission. Tesla should return the "creep" function as an option. This is what china is doing and the us should do the same.

While driving along a few roads using traffic aware cruise control (tacc) or autopilot (ap), the car will suddenly brake for no reason at all. Speeds reduced from 75 to 50 in 2 seconds. Had there been a car close behind me, we may have collided. I am able to reproduce this on several other roads as well. I have not yet reported this to the manufacturer, but a review of internet forums shows this to be a relatively common occurrence among owners. They refer to this as phantom braking.

The vehicle in front of us came to a sudden stop, but my Tesla failed to issue any alerts or activate automatic braking. When we attempted to brake manually, the car did not allow full braking and continued moving forward, ultimately causing a collision. This strongly suggests a malfunction in the Tesla’s safety or braking system. As a result, I’ve suffered significant financial losses due to the vehicle being totaled and damage caused to other vehicles/other persons injuries involved. This incident is also likely to lead to increased insurance premiums moving forward.

It is impossible to disable automatic emergency, breaking system permanently. The vehicle brakes strongly and abruptly causing the cars behind to slam on their brakes and potentially cause accidents. Every time I disable it, it comes back on next time we get into the car. There has been several instances where the vehicle hit the brakes really hard, even if there was nothing in front of it. . I was told that this is happening because Tesla does not use sensors but realize on cameras for these features and it can be quite wrong. I don’t know how to drive this car safely because the car makes decisions for me. Since it happens all the time, I’m having to keep my foot on the gas, and when it slams on the brakes, I counter it by pressing the gas pedal. The incident date is just an estimate, but it happens all the time.

We just took delivery of our 2026 Tesla Model Y juniper yesterday. Today, my wife was driving to work at around 40 mph when the car suddenly performed a hard brake (phantom braking), coming to a complete stop for no apparent reason. The driver behind her nearly rear-ended her. Importantly, she was not using autopilot or full self-driving at the time of the incident.

On [xxx], at approximately [xxx], I was driving westbound on the [xxx], just before the [xxx] and [xxx] off-ramp, with my wife and our [xxx] baby in the car. While in traffic, I noticed the regenerative braking system was not slowing the vehicle down adequately, despite having a clear and sufficient distance from the big rig ahead of us. As the gap closed, I slammed down on the brake pedal, but it felt abnormally stiff and did not respond with the urgency or force expected. The vehicle failed to stop in time, resulting in a rear-end collision with the big rig. Thankfully, we were not injured due to the speed of the accident. The breaks have not been inspected due to it being in the collision center there was an alarm but it sounded off too late and the car ended up colliding. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the car exhibited a noise from the drivers side (lh) rear brake caliper, car was brought into Tesla for repair and it was determined that "technician notes: technician inspected and verified excessive noise from the driver's side rear brake when applied, as reported by the customer. The noise was caused by a loose brake caliper on the left rear side. The technician replaced the left rear brake caliper and performed a brake fluid bleed/flush to resolve the issue. After the repair, the technician confirmed that the brake noise was no longer present. " Tesla service. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? brake caliper coming loose reduces brake performance and could lead to catastrophic failure and accident. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes, see above. Tesla service center "resolved" the issue by replacing the caliper. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no inspection, beyond Tesla service noted above. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no warning lights, just a clicking sound from the caliper, sounded loose.

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My 2026 Model Y won't stop on the road when I released the gas paddle and even I felt it speeded up a little bit at 35 miles. It put me, my [xxx] daughter and other's safety at risk. I hit on the brake and feel need to hit harder abnormally to slow the car not even mention to stop the car. It took me long way to stop the car. At once I stopped the car, it tried to speed up and I hit the paddle again. Right after, then it tried to rocking back and forth and vibrated finally stopped. I tried serval time to repeat the issue it still exits. And I called Tesla customer service. They haven't look at it yet. But I in the service mode here is the some components are malfunctioned. 1. Rgenerative braking backfill, braking pedal torque is unavailable. 2. Traction control setting is unavailable. 3. Di_brake torque is invalid. Di is drive interface. 4. Hold stopping mode is unavailable. There is no any warning showed in the console before and after the issue happened. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I was driving my 2026 Tesla Model Y when another vehicle pulled out from a driveway and struck the front/side of my car. The Tesla failed to initiate automatic emergency braking (aeb) and no airbags deployed. This raises serious concerns about the functionality of Tesla’s safety systems in real-world scenarios. The vehicle has not been modified in any way and was in standard driving mode. I have contacted Tesla support requesting a diagnostic and explanation, but I believe this incident should also be reviewed as a potential safety defect.

The contact owned a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that it was raining while driving on the highway at 45 mph when the vehicle began to hydroplane, no warning lights were illuminated, the contact attempted to slow down their vehicle however upon depressing the brake pedal the vehicle would not stop, and the vehicle immediatley spun around 2 times before crashing into a concrete barrier with the rear and front end of their vehicle. No property damage was reported, and the vehicle came to a stop upon impact. The airbags did not deploy. The vehicle did not need to be towed. The hazard warning light was illuminated, and warning messages were displayed stating that cameras had been damaged. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was driven back to the contacts residence, and from there, towed to a local Tesla dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed and it was declared a total loss. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 26,000.

The vehicle was operating in autopilot mode as it approached a right turn but was in the incorrect lane. The vehicle accelerated in an apparent attempt to merge into the correct lane and initiate the turn, but it approached the turn at an unsafe speed. I pressed the brake pedal, which disengaged autopilot as expected, but the vehicle failed to slow down or stop. I attempted to manually complete the turn, but although I turned the steering wheel, the wheels did not respond. The vehicle continued forward at speed, struck a curb on the opposite side of the road, and then collided with a parked vehicle. The impact with the parked vehicle ultimately brought the car to a stop. Multiple error messages briefly appeared on the screen during the incident before disappearing.

The contact owned a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while his son was driving at approximately 38 mph with his sister inside the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle lost steering and braking functionality and failed to stop as intended, causing the vehicle to drive through a crosswalk. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to respond while being turned, causing the vehicle to crash into a curb and then into a parked vehicle, which was able to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to a Tesla collision center, and between Tesla and the insurance provider, the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The insurance company reviewed the event data recorder (edr) reports and confirmed the failure which contributed to the crash. The contact stated that the police was not contacted because it was a single vehicle crash. The other vehicle owner was notified of the crash and was provided the needed information to file a claim. A police report was not filed. The contact's son was taken to the local medical center in a family vehicle. The contact's son and daughter sustained headaches and concussions, and both received medical attention. The contact drove his son to the local medical center, where he was admitted and remained overnight. Additionally, the contact's son was continuing outpatient treatment for the injuries sustained. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 3,500.

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while idle waiting for their garage to open, the vehicle began to move forward. The contact attempted to apply the brakes however the brakes failed and the vehicle accelerated forward at a higher speed. The vehicle crashed into their other garage causing the other vehicle to crash into the laundry room inside the home. The Tesla's air bag deployed. The vehicle was towed and deemed totaled. The contact received injury to their neck, knee, and hands. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was 45,417.

On [xxx] I was driving north on [xxx] at approximately 70 mph when my 2023 Tesla Model Y long range brakes violently applied by them self twice in the space of a few seconds, the sudden unexpected brake application was a shock to me causing me almost lose control of the vehicle and was almost rear ended by a truck that was a few car lengths behind me. My car was in manual mode with the "emergency braking" switch enabled (no self drive or cruise control), the weather was sunny and dry and there were no traffic or obstacles in front of my car. The onboard dash cam briefly captured the incident. The problem did not reoccur for the remainder of my drive home. There was no warning prior to the incident, I believe that emergency brakes may have flashed on the screen ( not sure because I was busy reacting to the situation). The car has not been inspected as of yet. I now have to disable the emergency braking function each time I drive my car because unfortunately the system defaults to the on position and I don't trust it. This issue appears to be a problem with the system that provides visual information to the emergency braking system. I'm making this report because this is an extremely dangerous problem that needs to be addressed by Tesla before it causes injury or worse. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

1. Brake I used the fsd all the way from the new asian market (charlotte, nc) to the t-section of [xxx] and [xxx] (columbia, SC), then changed to driver control and turned to [xxx] (home). Entering the garage, when arrived at the parking spot, I released accelerator pedal and pressed the brake pedal, the car did not stop but pushed forward, and hit a wooden shelf, bbq grill and the drywall. The car, shelf, bbq grill and the wall all damaged. 2. Usb storage the usb memory did not record any information. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving at approximately 25 mph on a local street in seattle, wa, my Tesla suddenly engaged the brakes without any apparent reason. The vehicle was not in autopilot or full self-driving mode, and my foot was actively pressing the accelerator pedal at the time. The braking was abrupt and forceful, causing a sudden deceleration. The weather was clear with good lighting. There were no obstacles, vehicles, or road hazards in my path that could have triggered the braking. The unexpected stop was shocking and could have led to a rear-end collision, as there were vehicles behind me.

This car is three months old. Driving near my home on a four-lane divided road with 55mph speed limit. While having either cruise or auto-steer enabled and using cruise control only, experiencing ongoing instances—during every drive—of unexpected and unexplained hard, sudden braking, reducing vehicle speed dramatically (multiples of 10mph in less than five seconds). Each time, there has been very light traffic, and there is nothing I can see on the road that could explain the reason for the braking, hence the unexpected nature. The problem could easily cause a rear-end collision soon if another car is following closely, and I’m not able to correct and accelerate fast enough. Vehicle is very clean all around, including camera locations, and the weather is perfectly sunny and temperate each day. I do not recall this event happening while driving at night in my semi-rural area. I have not yet reported the problem to Tesla, so they have not inspected or attempted service on the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while at a stop, the brakes were depressed when suddenly the steering wheel ceased to function, and the vehicle started to move forward independently, causing the driver to veer to the right hand side to avoid crashing into a home garage. The contact tried to get back into the street however, the vehicle kept moving forward independently as the contact kept depressing on the brake, causing the contact to crash into a second pole and the vehicle came into a stop. The vehicle was damaged by the fender upon the first impact and was damaged on the front passenger side upon the second impact however, the vehicle was not destroyed. The air bags did not deploy. The contact and his wife suffered from whiplash however, no injuries and no medical assistance were needed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the place of the accident to the contact's home. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 10,100.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at 10 mph, the contact depressed the brake pedal; however, the vehicle accelerated and failed to brake without warning. Due to the failure, the contact hit another vehicle as the air bags deployed. Despite the air bag deployment, the vehicle continued to accelerate and repeatedly hit the same vehicle. The brake pedal eventually responded and vehicle finally came to a stop. The contact did not sustain any injuries and did not seek medical treatment. The driver of the other vehicle did not report any injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene to an independent tow yard. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 39,264.

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I am submitting a complaint regarding a serious safety issue with my 2023 Tesla Model Y. The vehicle experienced a sudden and complete power loss while in operation, creating a hazardous situation. Below are the details of the incident: •component/system failure: the vehicle’s electrical system failed, leading to a shutdown. The following alerts were displayed on the screen: •vcfront_a191: electrical system power reduced – vehicle shutting down •vcfront_a192: electrical system unable to support all features – switching off features to conserve energy •bms_a151: vehicle may not restart – service is required •di_a227: please wait while high voltage system powers up •safety risk: the unexpected shutdown posed a serious safety risk. If this had occurred in high-speed traffic, it could have led to a crash, endangering my safety and that of others on the road. •reproduction of issue: the issue has not been reproduced yet, but it is an ongoing concern. I have not received a resolution from Tesla at this time. •inspection by authorities: the vehicle has not yet been inspected by Tesla, law enforcement, or insurance representatives. However, I am willing to make it available for investigation. •warning signs: there were no prior warning signs before the failure. The alerts appeared shortly before the vehicle lost power completely. This issue raises concerns about the reliability and safety of Tesla’s electrical system. I urge the NHTSA to investigate this matter to prevent potential accidents caused by similar failures in other vehicles.

This is my 4th safety report about the same issue: unexpected braking while on cruise control. Since my last report, Tesla offered another free month of auto pilot but I did not take it for fear of this braking issue. On Tuesday [xxx] I was returning to my home in las cruces nm from colorado. I was on [xxx] toward albuquerque, and there was very little traffic. I decided to see if I could get away with the cruise control. As I was pulling into bernalillo, there were some oncoming cars in a left-turn lane at a signal, and my car braked automatically. . . Enough to lurch me forward. I decided to stop at the "new" Tesla dealer in bernalillo (I got my car in santa fe) and ask about the automatic breaking and whether they'd fixed it. The 2 service employees looked at each other and one said "no". I then asked about whether I needed to re-boot my key card since my screen went blank while I was in CO, during a snow storm, parked. I luckily had my phone and on the Tesla app, under roadside service, it gave me the option to re-boot the screen! I did so. The serviceman said he didn't think the blank screen had anything to do with my key card, but I could re-boot it if I want to. (a prior complaint also reported the failed key card in less than a year and Tesla's unwillingness to replace it). Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Alerts regarding vehicle steering, stability, emergency braking, lane control traction, received all at once and the Tesla ai advisor indicated others were reporting the same. No other vehicles in lanes around us showed up on the vehicle lcd screen as normally they do too. Car did not brake normally (foot off accelerator and no braking) and handling seemed different although we were very cautious. Tried to resolve with screen reboot and multiple drives as ai advisor suggested and it did not self resolve. Contacted Tesla service and they suggested hcu was faulty (hydronic control unit) and abs modulator. Also wanted to look at vehicle low voltage circuit. They scheduled me for a first available $1600 service on Feb 26th (in 9 days). See attached. Seems like a significant safety issue and defect and should be recalled before some gets hurt, especially if others are seeing this too.

Per the Tesla service team, there is a defect in the car computer which causes intermittent signal of the backup camera, failure of automatic emergency braking, and also autopilot unavailability in a 2021 Tesla Model Y with less than 40k miles on it. This issue only occurred after a software update and affects key safety features such as blind spot warning proximity warnings. The Tesla service team said the only way to solve it was to replace the entire car computer and charged us $2,583 for their own product defect. The car did issue alerts to us saying that autopilot and automatic emergency braking were unavailable, but did not detect issues with intermittent camera signal.

After a snowstorm, I shoveled my driveway in front of the car which was facing toward the road (the driveway is on an incline, not steep), cleared the snow off the car and then pulled the car forward/put it in park so that I could shovel the rest of the snow. It took me and my 15 year old son 10 or so minutes to clear the snow behind the car. Then I started to salt the driveway behind the car and a snowplow driving by started honking. I looked up and the car was sliding down the driveway towards the road. Luckily it slowed and stopped, only slightly into the road and did not hit the snowplow, or anything else and I was able to get in and move it. I have a video clip of it which I am unable to upload here - the front tires were rotating while the back tires were locked in place.

After leaving the supercharger (car charged to 92%) I came to a stop light. The car was not in autopilot. I took my foot off the accelerator pedal. The car had nearly come to a complete stop when it starting accelerating again. My foot was not on the pedal. I tried to brake and the brakes would not work. I turned the car to try to avoid hitting the car in front of me while pressing on the brake. Brakes still would not work and I slammed into the car in front of me. I believe that the car was not able to put the energy from the acceleration back into the battery (regenerative braking technology) and therefore pushed it back into acceleration mode. I also believe this caused the brakes to not work. I know there have been many recalls in china and other complaints of the same issue. I've had the car for 2 years and had never had this problem before. Another note when the accident happened the screen was showing a software update that wanted to be installed. This was a very disturbing and rattling happening and I'm not worried to drive the car after a super charge.

Was driving in traffic and when the cars were coming to a stop I was putting my foot on the break to prepare for a stop but it kept creeping forward and I’m pushing down the breaks as hard as I could but nothing. It ended up hitting the big rig in front of me. The mode of my breaks is on hold it’s always been on hold I even tried to push the parking button but it would not budge, continued forward the collision stopped the car.

I was driving at a speed of 60 miles per hour in rainy weather when the car’s emergency braking system suddenly activated. At the same time, the steering wheel locked due to the braking, and I completely lost control of the vehicle. The car spun multiple times before crashing into the center divider of the highway and finally coming to a stop. This was an extremely dangerous incident from a safety perspective. This was the first time such a braking malfunction occurred. The incident has not yet been investigated by the insurance company, and no warning or notification was displayed by the vehicle at any point.

At 10:11 pm driving on 95 south at 78 miles per hour the car stopped on its own violently braking and swerved across the intersection. Then we kept getting alerts about the cameras. I have pictures of the alerts. There was no obstruction on the highway. Car just braked for no reason. Very scary.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? there were multiple component and system failures that were experienced. My vehicles autopilot and full self driving took over causing my vehicle to crash head on into a tree. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? my safety and others were at risk because I had no control over my vehicle. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no. The car was taken into custody of the insurance company. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no.

Sudden acceleration, I was driving in my own driveway and a modest speed t15 mph I have a circular driveway and I was ascending up the circle when the car suddenly accelerated without my action. I took myi foot off the accelerator and hit the break but the car did not stop or slow down. It continued up my driveway on my lawn and accross my lawn through a fence and I wound up in my neighbors lot with considerable damage. I was shaken but did not seek medical attention at the time. My neighbor and my wife assisted. The car was towed to Tesla contractor body shop -recon. Where it is now. I have requested that Tesla evaluate and repair the car before I drive it again and pick it up from the body shop. I notified the body shopp(toni mccarthy) and Tesla service(radcliffe service person works for don haddon service manager) . So far nothing has happened . Tesla asked me to send a photo of the accelerator but since the car is still in their authorized body shop, I am unable to do it. I am afraid to drive the car and asked them to tow it from the body shop to the rockville Tesla dealer but they seem reluctant to do this. My wife had a separate prior experience with sudden acceleration . N hoping for NHTSA intervention.

Here is my draft: vehicle information: • make: Tesla • model: Model Y • year: 2024 description of the problem: after a software update pushed by Tesla, the ap4 computer in my 2024 Tesla Model Y shorted out, causing a complete failure of all systems controlled by this computer. The following safety-critical and driver-assist features have become non-functional: 1. ?cruise control (adaptive or otherwise) 2. ?forward collision warning 3. ?lane departure warning 4. ?lane keeping assistance 5. ?blind spot warning 6. ?parking collision warning 7. ?full self-driving and auto park features 8. ?cameras required for autopilot functionality additionally, because the gps system has failed, the vehicle’s navigation system is inoperable. This impacts Tesla’s unique route planning feature that sets up supercharger stops during long journeys. Without a functioning navigation system, I cannot properly plan my travel or locate charging stations, which severely affects the usability of the vehicle. Safety concerns: the failure of these systems, especially safety features like forward collision warning, lane keeping assistance, and blind spot monitoring, puts both the driver and others on the road at risk. Losing access to safety-critical functions after an update is unacceptable and poses a serious danger to vehicle occupants and surrounding traffic. Incident details: • the issue occurred immediately following a software update. • Tesla pushed the update remotely without providing any warning or indication of potential risks. • the failure appears to be related to a hardware short in the ap4 computer, directly caused or exacerbated by the update. Desired outcome: • a thorough investigation into Tesla’s software update process and its effect on vehicle hardware and safety systems. • a resolution that prevents similar failures in other vehicles and ensures system updates do not compromise vehicle safety or critical functionality.