Tesla cars ‘phantom braking' complaints at high speeds spur formal NHTSA probe
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating complaints of Tesla cars with Autopilot driver assist that suddenly brake at high speeds, the latest in a string of confrontations between the company and safety regulators. The agency said it is launching a preliminary investigation after receiving 354 complaints that “unexpected activation of braking system may cause rapid deceleration.” NHTSA previously confirmed it was reviewing complains about the phenomenon, which has been dubbed “phantom braking.”
Driver complaints include an unidentified 2021 Tesla Model 3 driver in Madison, Wisconsin, who complained in January of his car braking unexpectedly at highway speed, according to a filing on the NHTSA website.
“I was driving north on Wisconsin route 14 at about 60 mph in my Tesla model 3 using the cruise control,” the driver said in the complaint. “When a large transportation truck came from the opposite direction, my Tesla suddenly braked sharply. A Ford F150 truck was following behind me and almost crashed into the back of my car.”
The probe adds to a slew of recalls and investigations of Tesla vehicles. Two weeks ago Tesla announced its 11th U.S. vehicle recall in roughly four months, the latest in a spurt of safety-related fixes that have coincided with regulators subjecting the carmaker to greater scrutiny.
In August, the agency opened a defect probe of Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system known as Autopilot after repeated collisions with police cars and fire trucks. Weeks later, the company beamed an over-the-air update to its vehicles that sought to improve how Autopilot handles crash scenes. NHTSA asked the carmaker in October to justify making the software change without filing a recall.
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