NHTSA complaint #11372879

Owner complaint summary

1. PHANTOM BRAKING WHILE DRIVING ON AUTOPILOT: MOSTLY ON HIGHWAYS, WHEN DRIVING ON AUTOPILOT, THE CAR SUDDENLY APPLIES BRAKES FOR NO REASON AND NO OBSTACLE OR VEHICLE IN FRONT OF THE CAR. THIS MAY LEAD TO SOMEONE HITTING ME FROM BEHIND (REAR ENDING) AS THAT DRIVER WOULD NOT EXPECT MY CAR TO SLOW DOWN. 2. HOMELINK SYSTEM CLOSES GARAGE DOOR RANDOMLY: THE HOMELINK GIVES COMMAND TO GARAGE DOOR TO CLOSE WHEN IT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO. THERE WERE AN INCIDENT WHEN THE CAR WAS UNDER THE GARAGE DOOR AND ONE INCIDENT WHEN THE CAR WAS BACKING OUT. 3. LANE DEPARTURE ALERT: ON NEWLY MARKED ROAD, THE CAR DID NOT TAKE ANY ACTION WHEN THE LANE WAS CROSSED WITHOUT ENGAGING TURN SIGNAL. THE LANE DEPARTURE ALERT SYSTEM SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR BACK IN LANE. TESLA'S RESPONSE IS THAT THE SYSTEMS ARE "BETA VERSIONS". I CAN UNDERSTAND A SYSTEM NOT WORKING (LIKE LANE DEPARTURE ALERT). HOWEVER, PHANTOM, BRAKING AND HOMELINK ISSUES ARE OUT OF DRIVERS' CONTROL AND THERE IS NO CORRECTIVE ACTION A DRIVER CAN TAKE. FOR EXAMPLE, A) "THE CAR DOES NOT APPLY BRAKES IF THERE IS OBSTACLE", DRIVER CAN APPLY BRAKE AND MITIGATE THE RISK. B) "THE CAR APPLIES BRAKES WHEN THE ROAD IS CLEAR". DRIVER CANNOT HELP AS IT WILL BE FEW SECONDS BEFORE THE DRIVER REALIZES THAT THE CAR APPLIED BRAKES FOR NO GOOD REASON AND THEN HE/SHE WILL HAVE TO CANCEL THE AUTOPILOT SYSTEM AND TAKE CONTROL. IT MAY BE TOO LATE... THERE WERE SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF PHANTOM BRAKING. THERE WERE 4 INCIDENTS RELATED TO HOMELINK. DATE BELOW IS THE DATE OF LATEST PHANTOM BRAKING INCIDENT.