2018 Tesla Model S Complaint Log

While driving on the highway using cruise control, the car unexpectedly and rapidly slowed down. This has happened several (5-10) times, day and night, generally in low traffic areas (mostly with no traffic anywhere nearby). I have experienced this issue throughout my ownership of the car. In the most recent case, the car seemed to think that the speed limit had dropped to 35mph, perhaps seeing a sign from a nearby road. Other times, I could perceive no cause, so UNKNOWN. The date below is the most recent time, where the car thought the speed limit dropped.

My wife, [XXX] was driving the car on April 12, 2023 and following is her statement of the incident. April 12, 2023, I was pulling my car into a parking space of a supermarket. It was about to come to a stop and all of a sudden it accelerated, hit the car parked facing it and then dragged for about 20 feet before coming to a stop. it was an unintended acceleration, which I have been trying to contact Tesla for investigation. I requested pre-accident scan data using Tesla App. Did not get any response from Tesla for weeks. After making numerous calls and spending 40-50 hours on the phone trying to get a hold of someone regarding the data I requested, I drove down to West Covina (CA) Tesla service. The service manager told me that the report has been run and reviewed by Tesla and it is determined that the car did what it was supposed to be doing. I requested a copy of the report (scan) to understand how it was determined. He said it can not be released. I have to formally request using the link he provided. I did so and the report (vehicle data) that I received is a bunch of matrix which can not be understood. I am trying to contact Tesla and once again "No Response". It is very frustrating. I am afraid of driving my car so have not used since the day of incident. I want the bug to be fixed before using my car. Anybody whom I have spoken with knows somebody who has experienced similar situation. All of the Tesla owners are unhappy about Tesla's customer support. I am reaching out for a help to investigate the glitch in the software and also to get it fixed. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Steering wheel buttons INCLUDING HORN have stopped functioning. Not able to use the horn seems to be a serious safety issue to prevent accidents. Not repairable due to parts shortage. Epidemic failure according to Tesla Service.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 10-15 MPH, the rear subframe assembly failed inadvertently. The contact stated that the rear driver’s side wheel appeared to be caved inward. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear subframe and rear wheel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000. The contact stated that the failure can be explained by poor design. The vehicle was repaired at the contact's own expense, and they are requesting a reimbursement from the manufacturer. The contact has concerns that even after the repair that the vehicle will eventually fail again.

I have repaired my Tesla door handles once under warranty and then again to a “3rd generation” out of warranty by a Tesla Service Center. 2 weeks after the “upgrade repair” another door handle stopped operating and would not close the car door continually unlocking and propping the door open while driving. I had to drive home with an open door handle. There was most recently a class action with another owner having the same issue, and numerous videos and articles posted online regarding the faulty safety defect.

On March 17, 2023 at approximately 4:00 pm MT, I was traveling at approximately 75 MPH with adaptive cruise control and auto pilot engaged when the car suddenly applied brakes with no obstruction ahead or behind or on the side. The car quickly slowed down to approximately 55 MPH, released the brakes and began to accelerate back to the speed limit of 75 MPH.

Maryland State Police Report [XXX] says: On [XXX], [XXX] was driving his 2018 Tesla Model S in Maryland on what is known in the DMV as the important highway, "The Beltway". According to Police Report [XXX], "Unit 1 was traveling southbound in Lane 1 on [XXX]. The Autopilot feature on the Tesla was engaged. The Autopilot malfunctioned causing the Tesla to lose control and leave the highway on the Left Side. The Driver was Transported by ambulance to the hospital ...." "Equipment Failure, Ran Off Road Left" INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that he noticed that the display screen was distorted and that the adhesive around the display touchscreen was leaking. The contact stated that the adhesive also leaked onto the console. Additionally, the contact stated that due to the toxicity of the adhesive, he started to get headaches. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the display was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed to contact the Service Center, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

Second door handle has failed and no longer unlatches door from outside, therefore dangerous to be unable to reach the back seats

I was using the vehicle's traffic aware cruise control, but not autopilot and the vehicle experiences sudden braking without warning or reason. I had no other vehicles near me, on a straight, flat road with no bridges, signs or other things to cast shadows. The weather was sunny, but the sun was not shining on the front of the vehicle. The most extreme instance starting braking the vehicle from 84mph and the vehicle reached close to 40mph before I could overtake the system by pressing on the accelerator. My passengers were thrown forward as well as our items within the vehicle. I'm thankful there was no vehicle behind me that could have rear-ended me. There is no reasonable way to contact the manufacturer other than asking for a service appointment which can't fix software errors. The manufacturer should provide an option for basic cruise control.

On freeway in traffic, autopilot is enabled. Vehicle is running perfectly fine in start stop traffic slowing down and speeding up as needed. Traffic starts to clear up, and as vehicle speeds up, there is a sudden slowdown again. Instead of braking/slowing down, autopilot turns off without an additional audible alarm (just the standard sound for turning off autopilot), instead the forward collision warning alert goes off. Able to brake in time to prevent accident.

Repeated problems with "phantom braking" when adaptive cruise control or autosteering is engaged. The vehicle would make unexpected hard breaking without any obvious triggers. In the past, I have made multiple "report bug" to Tesla immediately following phantom breaking, but no improvement noted thus far. This problem recurred yet again on I-5 today; the vehicle suddenly made a hard break despite absence of any issues in front of me; this resulted in the vehicle behind me having to take immediate evasive action by breaking and making a sudden lane change to avoid a collision.

I was pulling into my driveway and beginning to pull into the garage. Immediately after straightening the car out to fit the space in the garage, the car immediately launched itself, accelerating extremely quick with no chance to brake or brace for impact. The car and the house suffered damage and I’m currently awaiting MRI results for possible injuries. It was an evident malfunction in the car’s system.

Door handle not working and not popping out as expected and driver can’t go inside the car. A few complaints already from the internet and a lawsuit already filed by other owner and this seems to be recall already but nothing was mentioned yet Camera get blinded or get block easily with rain or sun. This is an issue if you’re using the autopilot.

While driving out 2018 Model S, it will brake hard while in adaptive cruise control of full self-driving mode for no reason. This happens frequently, whether driving on the highway or on city roads. It is terribly unsafe. I'm afraid eventually someone following too close will hit me.

Driving down an interstate at the speed limit, with light traffic. No cars immediately or in ahead of me. The car put on the brakes, or what is commonly referred to as "phantom braking" as I understand it. It has done this on prior occasions and I am familiar with it. It generally seems to be triggered by inconsistent pavement coloring or shadows. The car rapidly braked until I took over (I was using "Navigate on Autopilot" which was managing the speed and lane-keeping). There were no injuries or dangerous situation created during this event, besides being quite abrupt and startling. There are no known failures or issues in my vehicle that would have been likely to contribute. This occurred on Nov 24 in the late afternoon, driving westward. Weather was overcast.

I was travelling on the highway at high speeds when the traffic suddenly comes to a halt. My tires were screeching without any signs of ABS kicking in whatsoever. My car slid 20-30 feet since i braked.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at a complete stop, he activated the Auto Park feature to park the vehicle. The vehicle unexpectedly rolled forward and crashed into another vehicle next to his front passenger's side. The contact stated that it was a minor collision and that no police report was filed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle away from the scene. The vehicle was taken to a body shop, where it was diagnosed that an unknown part near the passenger's side front wheel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the Auto Park feature was activated; however, the Auto Park inadvertently disengaged, causing the vehicle to roll. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

Apparent software issue with Adaptive Cruise Control causing unexpected hard braking at highway speeds. Random hard braking occurs on open road when road is clear, flat, and no other vehicles nearby. Narrowly avoided being 'rear-ended' during several occurrences by car behind. I drove the car this week on a two day road trip from Palm Springs to Santa Fe and this issue must have occurred 18-20 times during the 750 mile trip. I also tried using difference settings and nothing seemed to eliminate the issue.

MCU2 Failure. Dashboard and Screen no longer works Turn signals and headlights do not work There are no seatbelt warning Can no longer see battery levels / range (via app or inside car) Can no longer see car's location (via app) The car will drive, brake lights and windows work THAT'S IT. Car it totally unsafe to drive otherwise. Tesla is charging $1965.75 plus taxes which equals $2083.70 Parts $1800 Remove and Replaces $165.75

The contact had rented a 2018 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while his wife was making a U-turn at a low rate of speed, the vehicle accelerated with her foot on the brake pedal and crashed into a tree. The contact stated that his wife heard two warning beeps prior to the failure which the contact stated it signaled that the autopilot had independently engaged. The air bags did not deploy during the accident. The contact's wife did not suffer any injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The rental company had yet to receive a diagnosis as to the cause of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

Tesla designs a single piece headlight with no serviceable parts. This includes headlights, high beams, and namely daytime running lights. All of these components are on an LED strip that overheats and un-solders due to this high heat, which causes premature failure. Some owners have reported as little as 3 months of life before failing. The daytime running lights are essential for safety driving in low light situations. These daytime running lights are seemingly built to fail. The lights dim then eventually no longer work. Tesla's solution is to have the customer purchase a brand new headlight at $1500. My vehicle is 4 years old and has been through 3 pairs of headlights already, when the last set burnt out I just left them as is. Tesla should either goodwill swap out these headlights for a non-built to fail component, or offer a repair for a quality LED strip with proper heat distribution. Without daytime running lights safety is a major concern on foggy, rainy, and low light situations. I have attached an image showing how the failure begins on top then slowly goes all the way down to the side of the headlight which fails later.

Component that failed is daylight running lights and is available for inspection. Daylight running lights are important to be seen easier by other vehicles and pedestrians, since they don’t work my vehicles is more difficult to be seen during the day. Confirmed by service center. Unknown if inspected by manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others, most likely not. No warning lights, no messages, no symptoms, first appeared approximately sept 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while pulling into a parking space, the vehicle accelerated at high speeds without any warning, causing the vehicle to run through a construction site and collide with a building. The air bags were deployed, and the passenger in the vehicle was injured and sought medical attention. The contact was unsure if a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

On August 4th, 2022, I got in my car to continue north...and got a "can't drive not enough power" report on the dash. The car is still (as of today, 9/10/2022)in North Carolina ( at the Matthews-Charlotte Tesla service center, 9140 East Independence Blvd, Charlotte-Matthews, N.C.). Tow/hauler also took toll lanes to bring car to service. I received $20 in toll charges while I wasn't in the car for that day. This happened once before to this vehicle (in Charleston, S.C. serviced in Savannah, Ga 10/11/21 to 12/01/21), and twice before to a formerly owned Tesla. Battery died unexpectedly, suddenly (but while parked). I am still renting a gas car (being charged by Enterprise, weekly at over $500 a week) and I'm not happy with the car (engine light on twice RA # 766VYT) unit #7TBJHP ). Not comfortable driving with rental. Help, please?

The emergency release pull for the manual trunk open does not work. Truck is stuck closed and the release cable does nothing in case of emergency…

As I was driving alone on July 13th 2022 on the Capital Beltway 495 and was nearing exit 44 the rear passenger window exploded spontaneously. This occurred at 9:08am ET. I have footage of this (I was not able to upload the file as it is not in one of the acceptable formats (MP4)) which confirms there was no object that caused this breakage.

I experienced multiple incidences with phantom breaking today. Multiple times per hour of driving (average of 5 times per hour on a ling 10 hour drive) Events occurred on open highways/freeways with no other vehicles or objects around. Thankfully. But these incidences could have lead to a crash if other vehicles were following closely.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the Self-Driving feature activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

The car brakes when it is on Adaptive Cruise Control mode. The braking happens for no reason. It happens when the car is approaching an overpass. I have to take control of the car immediately.

My Model S routinely experiences "phantom braking". I'm driving down the freeway with the Tesla "autopilot" engaged and it momentarily hits the brakes, usually slowing 15-20mph before it either it recovers or I intervene. I've also experienced "phantom braking" with just the traffic aware cruise control engaged and not the "autopilot".

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving down an inclined driveway the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration causing the driver to lose control of the steering and crash into the nearby RV garage. During the incident, the airbag was deployed and the driver sustained injuries to both knees and left hand. No police report was taken. The cause of the failure was not determined. The contact indicated that the failure had previously occurred in 2018. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 38,000.

I HIT A DEER ON INTERSTATE. AIRBAGS AND PRETENSIONER DEPLOYED. AFTER VEHICLE SHUT DOWN NO DOORS CAN BE OPENED FROM INSIDE OR OUTSIDE. NO INJURIES BUT COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTER IF SOMEONE WAS TRAPPED INSIDE.

On 3/15/2022, I was driving on I405 with auto-pilot engaged. My car (Tesla Model S) suddenly braked hard for no apparent reason. I had to disengage auto-pilot and quickly accelerate to avoid the car behind me from rear ending my car. Fortunately, I remembered to save the event recorded on Tesla cameras. Take a look at 2022-03-15_12-24/2022-03-15_12-24-53-back.mp4 file around 46 sec ~ 51 sec within the file. You will notice that the car suddenly braked around that time causing the car behind to nearly rear-end my car. If you watch recording from the side+front cameras around the same timeframe, you will notice that there was nothing in the front or on the sides that warranted sudden braking. Those files are 2022-03-15_12-24-53-front.mp4, 2022-03-15_12-24-53-left_repeater.mp4 and 2022-03-15_12-24-53-right_repeater.mp4 The Tesla app does not allow me to create a new service request for this issue because I have another request open for a minor and unrelated issue. Therefore, I have not been able to report this to Tesla. I will do so after 3/22 when the current request is resolved. Note your site does not allow uploading video files therefore I could not attach them to this report. I can make them available if you need them.

Vehicle will routinely reboot while driving. During this time the turn signals, speed information and other vehicle information is not available while driving.

I have experienced many times "phantom braking". When I reported that to a Tesla service center 2 years ago, they did not know of this problem. It is scary and dangerous especially for the cars following me It only happens to me on the freeway when in ADAS mode. There is a exact place on the 5 freeway SB near Disneyland, that each time I drive there, phantom braking happens. Further also random without noticing any reason for it.

Operating vehicle on highways while utilizing Autopilot and/or Autosteer(FSD) braking will randomly occur without any warning. This is commonly referred to as “Phantom Braking.”

Phantom breaking. Car Suddenly breaked on highway going at 70 miles per hour. No crash. This has happened 5-10 times over the last year

I purchase a used 2018 Tesla Model S about two months ago. Braking is very "jerky, causing me and my passenger to "lurch forward" unnecessarily. I run into this "phantom braking" issue numerous times every time I drive. It happens both on Automatic Cruise Control and FSD and under different circumstances" and encompasses: (1) Sudden braking for no apparent reason; (2) Sudden braking that is unnecessary or is too forceful for the circumstances; (23 If the car is on automatic cruise control or FSD, it will slow down and stop too far away from the car in front. So, I push the accelerator to close the gap. When I left my foot off the accelerator, the software apparently thinks it's too close the car in front, and jams on the brakes unnecessarily. Also, when on automatic cruise control, if the car in front of me goes around a curve and then shortly thereafter stops a stop sign/light, my car, sensing that the coast is clear, will accelerate to the speed limit. as it approaches the curve, which it should not do. Then, when the car in front suddenly comes into view, my car will have to "jam on the anchors" in order to stop in time. While I'd rather be "safe" than "sorry," the degree of this phantom braking should be addressed.

This incident happened some time ago but I read recently about complaints related to "phantom braking" which I also experienced. I was driving on the highway at speed with my cruise control activated. There was no traffic close in front of me, but a large semi was in the lane to my right. This vehicle triggered sharp braking of my car. It was very scary, but I immediately overroad the braking to avoid being hit by a vehicle behind me. I have never used my cruise control since that incident.

Hello, I am a Tesla Model S owner for the past four years (bought it on june 15, 2018) and I absolutely love my Tesla and its autonomous driving auto pilot. It generally performs well except for a very serious glitch of Phantom braking when approaching overhead bridges / passes. When on autopilot, many times when the car approaches an overhead bridge / highway pass or train bridge running perpendicular to the highway, the car will abruptly brake very hard and give warning for forward collision. I think this started happening after Tesla modified the auto pilot software in the wake of a collision between a Tesla Model S and a tractor trailer that was perpendicular to the car in sunlight and that killed the driver. Now very often the software mistakes the bridge as a big tractor trailer or something that is about to be hit and jams on the brakes, greatly increasing the risk of my car being rear ended by another car from behind who on an empty highway has no reason to expect me to brake suddenly (in fact I have no reason to expect it either). I reported this to Tesla engineers on phone and during routine service and they said they could not replicate it and instead asked me to report such incidents when they happen by using the voice command button on steering & say "Report Bug", which automatically transmits all logs of car for the last few minutes to Tesla engineering directly. I have been regularly reporting such phantom braking incidents to Tesla this way (which I think is actually another really amazing invention by Elon Musk, kudos to him), but not sure if they have taken action on this as it still happens once in a while and is very scary. Again to clarify, I love my Tesla Model S and am a huge fan but really worried that this phantom braking of my car, which I have after four years of driving my Tesla, noticed ALWAYS happens when the car is approaching an overhead pass or bridge, is a HUGE safety risk and hope you can convince Tesla to fix.

While driving at approximately 40 MPH the car suddenly braked by itself! A sound alarm and display indicator were also activated. After a couple of seconds the event resolved without any intervention. Their was no warning lamps or messages prior to the event. At the time I was driving on a divided road and there was light traffic at the time. The car was not on cruise control or auto-pilot. My concern was being rear-ended by the vehicle behind me! The car has not been inspected by anyone since the event.

Driving on a freeway at 75mph with autopilot turned on, the car suddenly braked, requiring manual intervention to accelerate to intended speed. After this the car continued as normal. There was no visible obstruction. Fortunately I have had this happen while a vehicle has not been behind me otherwise there is a possiblity of a crash.

I purchased the Tesla Mold S with Autopilot feature in August 2018, then upgraded it to Full Self Driving for $5,000 and got it through a software update at the end of 2021. But this FSD feature has many defects such as hesitating before turning or stopping at a sign, which makes the car swing around like a drunk; Sometimes it doesn't turn the turn signal on when changing the line, and even enters into the reverse lane. If the above problems can be taken over by switching human drive to avoid accidents, phantom braking is a terrible safety problem that can not avoid accidents. There have been many times in which the vehicle suddenly decelerated and braked without warning while driving by FSD. Fortunately, the rear vehicle did not follow too close or the rear driver took deceleration measures in time to avoid rear-end collisions. But on January 5 this year, not so lucky, I was just out of the Tesla services center of Berkeley, my vehicle under SFD to the Ninth Street and Gilman Street intersection and is turning left from north to the east after the green light on, but the phantom braking happened when driving road central, the vehicle behind me didn't react and bumped into my car. The rear-end collision not only caused serious damage to the vehicle but also caused very discomfort in the driver's neck from the violent vibration of the collision. Although the accident was dealt with by the insurance companies of both parties and the damaged body was repaired in the Bodyshop designated by the insurance company, I contacted the customer service of Tesla many times and reported the accident to them, hoping that they could arrange a comprehensive inspection to make sure that no other parts were damaged in the accident besides the body. However, Tesla's customer services reacted badly, either prevaricating or ignoring it. The accident has been nearly half a year since the accident happened, but I have not received a positive response or solution from them.

Without warning, the car will phantom brake at highway speeds at least once or twice on every highway trip I take. It will slam on the brakes automatically even though nothing is in front of the car, putting us at risk of losing control or a rear end collision if someone is following closely. This has been happening since I purchased the car in 2018 until I sold it in late 2021. Tesla cancelled my mobile service appointment about this issue, saying this is "normal environmental conditions" without even looking at the car. I have since sold the car due to this issue and frustration with their response, but wanted to report the safety issue here.

Three of four (3/4) of door handles failed simultaneously. Doors failed to open resulting in inoperable doors. Driver’s door suffered random catastrophic failure, resulting in door abruptly opening while in motion. Brought to Tesla service center and notified that parts are on back order. With no other solution. Primary safety concern is door will randomly open again during operation. Service center could not offer alternate solution to securing or operating doors. Only solution until parts are received is to access doors from inside the vehicle through the one single operable door. This is a potential entrapment and major safety issue.

Driving west on Interstate 295 at the Scudders Falls bridge from NJ to PA, adaptive cruise control suddenly slows from a set speed of 65 to a set speed of 30, then restores to 65 after a second or so. This predictably and repeatedly happens just before and just after the bridge itself, at locations 40.26068356165738, -74.84459141709418 and 40.25572592962884, -74.85316191866097. I have reported this to Tesla a couple of times over 6 months or so but with no improvement. As mentioned, it is 100% repeatable, in any of the 3 lanes, regardless of weather or traffic conditions. It happens with no other nearby vehicles, so it is location based, not conditions. It could be extremely dangerous if someone did not expect this and a vehicle was close behind.

On Sunday, October 10th. I arrived at a friends home in Charleston S.C. with about 35 Miles left on the Odometer. In the AM I awoke to find only 5 miles left. As I knew that I was 21 miles away from a Tesla Supercharger I called for a tow truck, and paid $265 to get taken to the charge site. I hooked up and the car began to charge. When I was close to capacity I disconnected - and the charge dropped to zero. I called Tesla. They sent a tow truck and took me to Savannah Ga. Tesla (80 miles south....no charge). 7 weeks later - on Dec 1st...I got my Tesla back from Savannah Ga. Tesla. Immediately I got a warning "Power reduced - service required". I called and arranged for service (set up for Dec 14...two weeks away). This morning I got a similar message; 'Coolant for battery low - Service required" (see image, below)

MCU will not keep up with basic standard features. Map would not load mid trip causing autopilot to fail during a turn causing car to veer wide and almost crash into a wall. Advised Tesla service and they said the only fix is to spend $2000 to upgrade the MCU.

I have been complaining since I got this Tesla in late 2017, that the car brakes unexpectedly on the Freeway. Tesla claim that nothing is wrong & this will happened if the sensor received a signal like light from another car, but I was driving on the Freeway during daytime? On 10/31/21 while driving autodrive on the freeway the car suddenly skid to the right twice, around 6.50 PM & 9.05 PM. My Grandson was in the car with me and witness the incident. Luckily I was able to straighten the car without any accident. Tesla made an appointment for a mobile visit on 11/5/21, but cancelled on 11/4/21 and reschedule one month later on 12/9/21 to a Service Ctr in Walnut. This is a Safety issue and Tesla is not seriously taking care of.