Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2023 Tesla Model X submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
On two occasions while driving using Tesla’s FSD, the brake has failed to engage in emergency situations after engaging the brake pedal. I have reported this issue to Tesla as part of a broader buy back request for my car which has had multiple issues and continues to have multiple issues. Tesla simply stated they could not replicate this issue and denied my buyback request. I do not feel safe driving this car around.
Episode #2 'Near-death-Experience" Tuesday[XXX] Tesla Model X "Auto Steer" abruptly Stopped on [XXX] between 1.10PM - 1.15PM Sent a message to Tesla around 1.30pm, Exactly the same scenario happened on [XXX]. Coming from [XXX] going to [XXX] , after 10-15 seconds, car STOPPED abruptly. I do not know what happened and still shaken from Episode #1, this incident happened with in 2 weeks apart. After Tesla's review, it was noted that Autopilot was not active at 1.30pm. Tesla can't do anything about this incident, as it is under Beta version and it is the responsibility of the driver to be aware of such situations and should take full control of the vehicle. At that time in this situation, what control I have to take immediate control of when car stopped abruptly. Luckily no vehicles were coming behind and survived second time. Laptop screen blank, pressed gas pedal, breaks and after 30-45 seconds, laptop screen started showing up on the left side panel and quickly drove from the ramp. Basically malfunction of the software and/or a glitch caused car to stop abruptly. Now. we are shaken and worried what to do and go to work and do other chores. We have two Tesla and we are totally lost, now what to do and what options to choose for driving. Based on details posted on internet and number of complaints filed, it looks like that no action has been taken. what are the next steps from Tesla's perspective and NHTSA? F In the last couple of years, more than 1500 hundred complaints have been filed, fatal accidents and people died. Your help is much appreciated so that more lives could be saved, INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Episode # 1: Sunday, [XXX] NEAR-DEATH-EXPERIENCE 2 times in 2 weeks while driving Tesla Model X 2023 with FSD. Both myself and wife were travelling and coming from Toronto to Lake George, NJ All of a sudden car STOPPED in the middle of the highway. Laptop screen was blank. In the mean time, turned on the Emergency Light. After a minute or so, white UTE came (white) color came behind us with in less than a minute came from behind but he was able to steer on the left, honked couple of times and drove. I started panicking and do not know what to do and kept on saying what happened, what happened,,.... and at the same time, my wife asked me to pull car aside quickly otherwise someone is coming from behind is going to hit and that is going to be the end of our life (die) in a crash. Somehow started pedalling gas, break and then noticed laptop screen lightning up and quickly put the car in Drive and pulled the car on the right hand side (extreme right) and no service lane. Pulled the car partially on road and partially on the road. Reached Lake George late evening and stayed in Sleep In & Suites, Queensbury, stayed over night, Monday and left Sleep In on on TUesday, [XXX]. I just drove couple of miles and was not feeling and was looking unstable and wife did not let me drive all the way from Lake George to New Jersey. As we parked our car at Quick Chek for a short break for few minutes. She noticed that instead reversing car from the car park and put car in Drive and immediately applied breaks and at that time she did not let me drive. As soon as we reached back and went straight to our son's house and as our son is a Dr., and when told him about the episode he took me straight to Jefferson's ER worrying that I may have small strokes. Emergency admitted me in the hospital and started diagnostics e.g., CTC, MRI and other blood tests. Next day they released from the hospital and referred for a followup to Neuro Dr. Next day reported to Tesla. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA),
Description of the Problem: Component/System Failure: On [XXX], while using the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature of my Tesla Model X, the vehicle experienced severe phantom braking and unexpectedly veered off the road near Rio Vista, Antioch, CA. The failure appears to be related to the FSD system, braking, and steering. The vehicle is currently in Tesla’s possession and available for inspection upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) Safety Risk: The malfunction put my safety and the safety of others at significant risk. The sudden phantom braking and veering off the road could have caused a serious accident. Fortunately, there were no immediate external damages or injuries, but the incident highlighted a critical safety failure. Reproduction/Confirmation: The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by an independent service center. Tesla has had the vehicle for over three weeks, claiming to conduct a diagnostic check, but has not communicated any findings. Inspection: The vehicle has been inspected by Tesla, but no results have been shared. No inspections have been conducted by the police or insurance representatives as there was no collision or external damage. Warning Lamps/Messages: There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure. The incident occurred suddenly and without prior indication of a malfunction. Summary: The incident highlights a severe malfunction in the Full Self-Driving system of my Tesla Model X, posing significant safety risks. Tesla’s lack of communication and failure to provide a loaner vehicle during the extended diagnostic period is unacceptable. I am requesting NHTSA’s assistance in addressing this safety concern and ensuring a thorough investigation.
I was driving the car in stop-and-go traffic on a city street. After another stop, the car in front of me started moving. I pressed on the accelerator with the usual force, but my car took off like crazy. I pressed on the breaks, but the car didn't seem to respond to the brake pedal and ran into a car in front of me. Automatic emergency breaking system didn't engage as well. Luckily, nobody was injured. Had there been any pedestrians crossing the street, they would have been badly injured or killed. This uncontrolled response from the car is very dangerous and I cannot trust it anymore. As a result of this accident, the car in front suffered damage in the amount of a few thousand USD, and my Tesla Model X - $40k.
I was the passenger in this Tesla. When we turned the Tesla accelerated and the driver tried to brake but she screamed to me they weren’t working. The Tesla slammed into the back of my parked SUV and pushed my parked car and us through the garage and my car through the back brick wall. We were both at high risk of possibly dying in the car crash. We suffered injurys and still are suffering. There has been a recall on the model Tesla’s brakes I will attach a picture. Some of the questions are unknown because I was the passenger of the car.
The contact owned a 2023 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while driving into her driveway, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated, and conversely, with the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard, the vehicle failed to come to a complete stop. As a result, the vehicle collided with the rear of another vehicle parked in the driveway, sending the other vehicle careening into the garage. The air bags did deploy. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The occupants transported themselves to an area hospital for treatment; the contact was treated for a broken hand and two broken ribs, and the passenger was treated for bruising and a sprained ankle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V679000 (Electrical System, Service Brakes, Hydraulic), but the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 5,000.
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model X. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle in a parking lot, the vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into a supermarket door without warning. The air bags deployed upon impact. The contact was taken to the hospital for a checkup but did not sustain any injuries; no other injuries were reported. A police report was filed. The supermarket door was damaged as a result of the accident. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it remained in their possession. Recently, the contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V679000 (Electrical System; Service Brakes, Hydraulics) which was linked to the vehicle failure. The contact called the dealer about the recall and was informed that the part remained on backorder. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100. Parts distribution disconnect.
The brake pedal feels off due to low brake fluid
Using Tesla Autopilot I was passing a semi truck on Ohio Turnpike and as I was right next to the semi truck my Tesla suddenly started to flash red warning light and make a loud squealing sound and began to rapidly decelerate. Luckily no one was right behind us or likely a rear collision would have occurred. The semi truck was a little closer than normal to me but was still within its lane. This happened twice that day so I stopped using Autopilot as it was dangerous and very frightening to me and my passenger.
When driving at highway speed and using cruise control, the car periodically applies its brakes. Sometimes it will only do so for a second or two, then return to the cruise control speed; other times it will continue longer and I will have to intervene by applying pressure to the accelerator pedal. In shorter "phantom braking" episodes the speed may only be reduced by five or ten miles per hour; in longer episodes it could drop by twenty miles per hour before I intervene. I have driven the car for almost three months and have experienced this no fewer than twenty times. To be fair, I have driven almost nine thousand miles during that time, so I have spent a considerable amount of time on highways. When communicating with Tesla's service department, I received a reply message reading, in part: "... slowdowns for apparently no reason are generally caused by a few reasons ... This can easily be overridden by pressing the accelerator pedal ... There are no faults with any of the driver assistance hardware in the vehicle ... these behaviors are a limitation of software in the system ...A service visit is not needed at this time." I have owned cars for almost forty years and have never had these issues while using cruise control. That Tesla finds this acceptable is absolutely not acceptable. I believe it is an unsafe condition, as I have no control over drivers behind me and how they may act in the case of my car decelerating for no apparent reason.
The windshield wipers, which are automatic only do absolutely NOTHING when it is raining. The only thing I can do is hit a button on the steering wheel each time I need the wipers to clear the windshield. Tesla claims is it working as intended...which apparently is not at all. When it began raining the last time I drove the car, it was nighttime and I had to stop in the middle of the road because the car gets overwhelmed when you hit the wiper button too many times in a row and it stops wiping entirely. This is very unsafe. And here is the much worse issue. The automatic emergency braking triggers randomly all the time. If there is a shadow across the road, it might slam on the brakes. If there is an overpass, it might slam on the brakes. If there is nothing in front of you on a perfectly straight freeway with no other vehicles around, it might slam on the brakes out of nowhere. I just drove this car 60 miles today and had 6 braking events where it went from 60-70 MPH to 30 MPH or less. A few of these incidents happened with cars directly behind me. This car is going to cause me to be injured when it suddenly stops for no reason and a driver behind me cannot react in time. It needs to be recalled or taken off the road. One of the braking events was so sudden and harsh that the tires squealed for a moment. Also, this is my 4th Tesla. The first three had none of these issues. The latest one is dangerous to the point that I am not comfortable driving it anymore.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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