2022 Tesla Model S Driver assistance Problems

2022 Tesla Model S Plaid purchased CPO from Tesla Florida Inc. Jacksonville on 8/29/2025 for $75,533.19. Multiple unresolved safety defects. (1) Trunk closure obstacle-detection failure 10/15/2025: key fob fell in gap between liftgate and roof; powered liftgate continued upward opening cycle and compressed fob against fixed roof glass until rear glass shattered. $4,100 repair. Same cycle on a child hand or finger would cause crush injury or amputation. Tesla Model X tailgate and falcon doors have obstacle detection; Plaid liftgate lacks it. (2) Passenger-side rear door handle requires extreme pressure to operate, raised 10/25/2025; iced over 1/19/2026 compounding egress hazard. (3) Center console haptic backup gear selector non-functional plus observed main touchscreen reset/blackout events: no manual gear control during foreseeable touchscreen failure event. (4) HV battery umbrella valves and flood port plunger required replacement 10/25/2025. (5) Rear spoiler bilaterally detached as of 5/13/2026 on 200mph-capable vehicle. (6) Front trunk latch unreliable; requires 2-3 commands to open; risk of hood opening at speed. (7) USB charging circuit melted a portable battery bank 11/2/2025; fire-risk overcurrent indicator. (8) Tire sidewall damage Tesla circled "OK" at CPO delivery; refused replacement 5 times; Tesla SMS 1/13/2026: "sidewall damage would need to be replaced." (9) Multiple unauthorized digital-access events: Track Mode created post-service; Charge Current set to 5A; Dog Mode disabled; pre-delivery key card 8/28/2025; phone key 3/14/2026; both front door reflectors found loosened 11/8/2025. Warranty defect notice sent certified 4/20/2026; Tesla declined 5/7/2026 without addressing any item. Full documentation, SMS thread, photographs attached.

NHTSA ID

11737697

Incident

Aug 29, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11707047

Incident

Dec 23, 2025

Vehicle: 2022 Tesla Model S (HW 3.0) System in Question: Full Self-Driving (FSD) Capability, initially purchased (Level 1 equivalent) for $6,000, and then upgraded (Level 2 equivalent) for an additional $3,000 (Total $9,000). I. Initial FSD Purchase and Unsafe Performance (Level 1) Upon initial purchase of the FSD package, the system (what Tesla later called FSD Beta, or its precursor) consistently demonstrated unsafe and aggressive behavior that necessitated immediate driver intervention to prevent a crash. Specific Safety Concern: The system would often execute turns, both in city and highway off-ramp scenarios, with excessive speed and aggressive lateral acceleration. This erratic behavior felt uncontrolled and risky, frequently causing the driver to feel unsafe and to rapidly override the system by taking manual control of the steering wheel. Resulting Risk: The system was virtually unusable for anything beyond basic highway cruising (a feature standard on many vehicles), yet its aggressive behavior posed a safety risk on the highway when attempting lane changes or taking exits. II. Upgrade and Deterioration of Practical Safety (Level 2) I upgraded to the top-tier FSD package with the hope of receiving a safer, more functional system that matched the "Full Self-Driving" name. Instead, the system introduced new safety and usability defects: Forced Disengagement/Driver Monitoring Defect: The system's driver monitoring is overly aggressive and interferes with safe, necessary driving actions. It delivers constant "nag" warnings and requires disengagement when the driver performs a brief but necessary safety check, such as looking at a side mirror, checking over the shoulder for a lane change, or briefly glancing at the car's screen to adjust climate/radio. Safety Implication: This defect forces the driver to prematurely disengage FSD in complex traffic situations to avoid a warning/lockout, which is counter-productive to safety. I am effectively penalized for

NHTSA ID

11698829

Incident

Nov 10, 2025

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH in inclement weather with no other vehicles nearby, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. The contact stated that the brakes were applied without driver input. The contact stated that the emergency stop message was displayed during the failure. The contact stated that on another occasion, while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stopped. The contact had since stopped using the Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 50,320.

NHTSA ID

11660717

Incident

Jan 1, 2022

Mileage

50,320 mi

The horn is in a difficult place to access compared to ALL other vehicles in the USA making it a safety concern and hazard will driving should an emergency arise and you can’t get to the horn quickly. This has happened to me driving the 2022 Tesla Model S and I could not get to the horn swerving violently to avoid a collision.

NHTSA ID

11584865

Incident

Apr 23, 2024

The update that you required for Auto Steer has made the car undrivable. I get a written and audible warning IMMEDIATELY when I engage Auto Steer. Literally within 2 seconds. I always keep my hands on the wheel, lightly, while I drive on the highway. Anything short of a death grip on the wheel causes the warning to go off. However, the nag feature (after the changes you required) goes off constantly. Honestly, it's very distracting. If I look at the radio to change the channel, the warning goes off. You need to undo the changes you required. It makes Auto Steer less safe, not more.

NHTSA ID

11572535

Incident

Feb 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while reversing in her driveway, the front driver's side camera did not indicate there was a gate in the viewing area. The driver crashed into a metal gate on her property. The front bumper was damaged. There was no beeping sound while approaching the object. There were no warning lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries. The vehicle was taken to a body shop, where it was diagnosed that the bumper needed to be replaced. The rear bumper was damaged while at the body shop. The mechanic stated that the clips were missing. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact removed the USB and was unable to locate the incident. The manufacturer was contacted, who referred her to an approved body shop. The approximate mileage was 11,544.

NHTSA ID

11568799

Incident

Nov 20, 2023

Mileage

11,544 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11561927

Incident

Dec 26, 2023

Tesla, in multiple cars that I own, has repeatedly changed user-preferences of user-selections, without warning, or update notes, for a variety of functions. This seems to be a consequence of sloppy software coding and seems to coincide with new software releases. In recent months, Tesla has attempted to inform people of new software update functionality with ‘release notes’. However, these notes seldom, if ever, explain that a user’s preference is getting discarded (though could be restored -- if the user were aware). One example, is the operation of ‘Traffic Aware Cruise Control’ was changed from a double click of a scroll wheel to a single click. No release nor or manual page was called out to indicate the change — at least prior to this driver’s noticing and diagnosing the problem. Nor was any pop-up message explaining the new, and surprising functionality of a ‘double-click’ — which was to momentary activate and deactivate TACC. Other functions that get changed, without notice: 1) operation of automatic windshield wipers is deactivated (and set to ‘manual) — from the user-preference of ‘auto’; 2) Auto park chimes sounds are turned off — despite a user-preference setting them to 'on'. These changes to the UI, necessitating guesswork using the large glass screen, prove to be highly distracting to a driver in the midst of driving. In addition, these undocumented and un-communicated changes lead the consumer to contact Tesla and even setup ranger service to make a repair for what ends up being a sloppy manual — to the detriment of Tesla’s effectiveness of their Service Department. If Tesla cannot make the user interface operate in a coherent manner day-to-day, there is no hope that any alleged full self driving will avoid reverting to some unknown configuration on unknown time scales. Perhaps Tesla should repurpose engineers that make video games for the car to the purpose of regression testing to avoid surprises like these.

NHTSA ID

11557795

Incident

Nov 30, 2023

"Tesla Vision" is the ADAS sensor system in the car which relies exclusively on video cameras with no LIDAR or ultrasonic sensors to measure distance. It is highly inaccurate and prone to failure. It consistently reports false warnings and fails to identify actual threats.

NHTSA ID

11545573

Incident

Sep 20, 2023

Phantom braking continues to be a problem. I've never had it happen in the city or in traffic. I also owned a 2015 Tesla MS that NEVER had a phantom braking problem. For me PB has always occurred on a freeway with no traffic around at all. No overpass involved. Suddenly TACC thinks it must apply the brakes. Surely at least Tesla could log this kind of event and fix it. It's aggravating for me as a driver and terrifies passengers.

NHTSA ID

11529676

Incident

Jun 22, 2023

When using traffic-aware cruise control at normal highway speed, on regular, clear days — including when there is no glare — the system often brakes abruptly, despite the absence of obstacles or even shadows that could be misinterpreted as obstacles. This is extremely dangerous, and it has happened (1) when there are no other vehicles on the road, and (2) when the only other vehicle on the road is directly behind me. The latter scenario is particularly dangerous. Notably, the only cruise control available is traffic-aware cruise control. There is no ‘basic’ cruise control, which means there is no way to avoid this scary phantom braking other than by not using cruise control at all. I have tried disabling all ADAS automatic braking features, yet this phenomenon still occurs. This has been occurring with all software up to date. I am scared that my car is going to kill me.

NHTSA ID

11526515

Incident

Jun 11, 2023

Dangerous Phantom Braking: this has occurred many times including very dangerous situations in high speed interstate hwy settings. The car will slam on the brakes for no apparent reason often with cars following closely behind. I have completely stopped using “full self driving” as it is a death trap and people will certainly die because of its use.

NHTSA ID

11526512

Incident

May 7, 2023

While utilizing the car’s cruise control (TRAAC) and the advanced autopilot features, the car brakes often, unexpectedly and without warning when there are no hazards or vehicles in its path. This is a well documented problem called “phantom braking” involving Teslas. My experiences include traveling on straight open highway with no other vehicle’ within hundreds of yards. Scary and unsafe.

NHTSA ID

11514107

Incident

Feb 27, 2023

We had the adaptive cruise control, turned on and the car braked violently on I 90 in Washington state heading east. The brakes slammed on so hard that the tires screeched. We were in the fast lane and it was fortunate that no one was directly behind us or there would’ve been a serious accident. It happened again about 5 miles later, but not as violently.

NHTSA ID

11509551

Incident

Feb 28, 2023

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while her husband was driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced "phantom braking" approximately 8-times in total. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.

NHTSA ID

11503174

Incident

Jan 3, 2023

Mileage

2,000 mi

Malfunctioning system: AUTOPILOT, Self Driving. The vehicle is available for inspection. We were put at RISK following having several 'NEAR MISS' incidents. None of which resulted in an accident. The 2022 Model S PLAID with less than 2,929 current miles as of this entry, while being driven in daylight & evening hours on major freeways and interstate roads in Central & Southern California while using the "AUTOPILOT" FULL SELF DRIVING (FSD) has multiple times for NO APPARENT REASON & WITHOUT WARNING suddenly 'PANIC' BRAKED the vehicle from freeway speeds to less than 30 MPH. In one instance this caused the late model vehicle following us to take immediate evasive action and swerve into the adjacent lane without warning and then the vehicle HONKED continuously at us while passing us to our left. On each of the occasions I have had to OVERRIDE the Autopilot by pressing on the accelerator pedal as soon as I realized what was happening! On other occasions when in 'AUTOPILOT' self-driving mode, the vehicle has attempted to change lanes to exit the highway without awareness of how close the vehicle was to the end of the exit lane. Again I had to OVERRIDE the Autopilot by turning the yoke back into the lane to avoid running into barriers. I had believed that because this is a 'BETA' version that these conditions were being worked on and would be corrected with a software update. I have had numerous software updates installed. The current Version is 2022.44.30.10. For this reason, I have not reported these incidents to the manufacturer or made an appointment with the Local Tesla Service Center. The problems continue even with the current software update. Until recently, I was unaware of others having these same issues or that significant injury, death, damage, have occurred. However, since being made aware of this problem, I chose to report my experiences. I will follow-up and make an appointment with the manufacturer to have the vehicle inspected.

NHTSA ID

11503070

Incident

Nov 19, 2022

Sudden braking while using Adaptive Cruise Control. Multiple “Phantom Braking “ incidents during a long road trip.

NHTSA ID

11501779

Incident

Jan 13, 2023

The Traffic Aware Cruise Control disengaged suddenly and unexpectedly multiple times during highway driving and rapidly decelerated from 70 mph to 35 mph. This occurred several times on a clear freeway without any obstructions or any basis for disengagement and placed vehicles behind at risk due to the sudden deceleration.

NHTSA ID

11498813

Incident

Dec 25, 2022

The adaptive cruise control will erroneously do a hard stop for no reason. This could cause an accident if someone is following me. The owners manual has a disclaimer / warning and Tesla states this feature is beta. They (Tesla) need to step up and fix this issue.

NHTSA ID

11495428

Incident

Sep 1, 2022

Recurring uncommanded FIRM phantom braking for no apparent reason. At risk of being hit from the rear. Driver & passengers frightened & panicked. It has occurred a number of times but cannot be reproduced at will. Vehicle inspection has not been performed. Dealer says it's a software issue. No warning lamps, messages or any other symptom prior to event. Event has recurred multiple times.

NHTSA ID

11493857

Incident

Oct 4, 2022

Driving midday on interstate 90 at 78 mph. The car was in cruise control. Four passengers. No other cars in front of me. Luckily there were no cars directly behind me. The car violently slammed on the brakes. My passengers thought I had hit a dog. Very scary. I am glad no one was hurt. But it is dangerous. I think the car had a recent software update. I have heard that the phantom braking issue can be worse right after a software update.

NHTSA ID

11493174

Incident

Nov 10, 2022

The car requires swiping the touchscreen to place it in drive or reverse. The touchscreen does not always register the intended change of direction, leading to unexpected, unsafe motion of the car. The area of the touchscreen that one must swipe is also often occluded by the steering yoke. This has happened multiple times, where the lack of strong enough feedback (or a mechanism that allows for less error-prone input) as to D vs R allows for an unsafe movement in the opposite direction of what was intended. In one case, there was traffic approaching, and the car ended up further in the path of that traffic. In another case The car should provide instantaneous tactile, visual, and/or audio output to clearly indicate that the car has shifted from D->R or R->D. A mechanical stalk or button, as was present in previous model years, would certainly be adequate.

NHTSA ID

11492442

Incident

Sep 1, 2022

We took our first major road trip in our new 2022 Tesla Model S on Friday 10/14, leaving at 10:00 am for a 9 hour trip. During the trip the car experienced multiple severe incidents of the car braking hard while at highway speeds and two of the incidents almost caused an accident. The car drops 10 to 15 mph instantly for no reason. We drove the car home on Monday 10/17 without AEB, Auto Steer, FSD Beta, Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance and Obstacle-Aware Acceleration and used TACC occasionally and still had the issue but wasn't as severe. Even on the day we purchased the car (Sept 30) and drove it home (a short drive on highway 95) we had a similar incident but it was so new we weren't sure if it was us or the car but now we know it is a fault of the car and creates a very dangerous driving situation which could result in an accident or death to a passenger in our car or in the car behind us when our car decides to slam on the brakes for no apparent reason. There were no warning lamps, messages or symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. We turned in a service request to Tesla and their response was to drive the car and have it happen again and create a Bug report. So basically Tesla is asking us to put our lives on the line to help them diagnose the problem because they don't want to take the time to review the diagnostic data that is readily available to them. In our opinion, this is a very serious and dangerous problem and the car needs to be taken off the road until Tesla resolves the problem.

NHTSA ID

11490108

Incident

Sep 30, 2022

While ADAS is engaged, vehicle occasionally suddenly breaks and disengages while the road is clear and obstruction free. This happens frequently.

NHTSA ID

11489894

Incident

Sep 28, 2022