Phantom Braking On Tesla Cars Invites US Federal Investigation

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched a federal safety probe into a phantom braking problem that Tesla car owners have been complaining about for more than a year. Phantom braking refers to an issue where a vehicle’s self-driving or advanced driver assist system (ADAS) randomly applies the brakes for no apparent reason. So far, Tesla hasn’t provided a technical reason covering the inexplicable braking woes in its electric cars, but there is the possibility that the driver-assist system is mistakenly detecting an obstacle or anticipating a collision before braking.

Irrespective of the technical snafu causing the problem, phantom braking is a serious safety issue, especially if there are vehicles close behind on a highway lane. Tesla even had to pull a beta build of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software owing to a bunch of issues, with phantom braking one of them. Tesla chief Elon Musk labeled it a software problem, but the number of complaints continued to increase even after the FSD beta was pulled. Earlier this month, an NHTSA spokesperson confirmed that the agency was considering an investigation into the complaints, adding that it poses a safety risk.

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A federal probe to look into the phantom braking issue has now finally been announced. The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) operating under NHTSA has revealed that it is opening a Preliminary Evaluation (PE) after receiving 354 complaints of malfunctioning brakes affecting Tesla Model 3 and Model Y cars over the course of the past nine months. The agency’s evaluation covers some 416,000 Tesla vehicles.“Complainants report that the rapid deceleration can occur