2021 Tesla Model 3 automatic emergency braking problems
593 of the 664 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2021 Tesla Model 3 name the automatic emergency braking (NHTSA’s “Forward Collision Avoidance” heading — forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, including phantom braking). Filed under the same heading: 1 recall, 1 NHTSA investigation. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the automatic emergency braking
Source: NHTSA complaint database14 of the 593 reports a crash · 2 a fire · 11 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2021: 63 · 2022: 381 · 2023: 78 · 2024: 41 · 2025: 14 · 2026: 16
Half of the 17 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the automatic emergency braking problem between 4,000 and 31,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
664 complaints in all about the 2021 Tesla Model 3, 16 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Forward Collision Avoidance” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Tesla Model 3 automatic emergency braking problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the automatic emergency braking. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Traffic Aware Cruise Control in the 2021 Model 3 is down right dangerous. Constant random braking for no reason at all. Happens multiple times if I use TACC on 2 lane roads. Happens nearly every time I use TACC on a 4 lane road. If I have traffic behind me I cannot use TACC at all for fear I would be rear ended
I have been experiencing very frequent adaptive cruise control breaking for no reason. It is getting worse with every software update. It seems like the car is very scared of oncoming traffic and will hit the breaks or slow down for no reason. Sometimes there will be no traffic at all and it happens.
I was using auto pilot. The road was pretty empty single lane road. There was no car in front of me or coming in opposite direction. The car automatically slammed the brake pretty hard. We were lucky enough no one rear ended us. Looks like a software bug in Tesla. Please investigate.
When driving using the traffic aware cruise control, the vehicle experiences frequent abrupt and random rapid deceleration. This causes a safety issue when other vehicles are behind due to the rapid change in speed. Occasionally the vehicle will produce a forward collision warning with nothing in the path of the vehicle.
Car hits the brakes and activates the emergency braking and forward collision warning very frequently (10+ instances during a 1 hr drive) in instances that absolutely do not warrant it (no obstacles or cars in the lane of traffic).
What is on file about the automatic emergency braking
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsRecall filed under this heading
- 21V846000 HighOct 29, 2021 · 11,728 vehicles
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Model S, Model 3, Model X, and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles operating software version 2021.36.5.2. A communication error may cause false forward-collision warning (FCW) or unexpected activation of the automatic emergency brake (AEB) system.
NHTSA investigation
- PE22002 Unexpected Brake Activationopened Feb 16, 2022 · closed Jun 29, 2026
- On February 16, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE22002) to investigate reports of unexpected deceleration while driving with the adaptive cruise control system engaged in Model Year (MY) 2021 – 2022 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles manufactured by Tesla. The subject systems include Autopilot (all versions), Full Self-Driving (FSD) and Traffic Aware Cru…
Other systems with a record on the 2021 Tesla Model 3
Source: the same files- brake problems 126 complaints
- cruise control problems 123 complaints
- electrical problems 79 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre automatic emergency braking problems common on the 2021 Tesla Model 3?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 593 owner complaints naming the automatic emergency braking on this model year (89% of everything owners filed about it), and 1 recall, 1 NHTSA investigation are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the automatic emergency braking on the 2021 Tesla Model 3?
Yes — one campaign is filed under this heading: 21V846000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
When do automatic emergency braking problems show up on the 2021 Tesla Model 3?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 13,000 miles; half of them between 4,000 and 31,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Forward Collision Avoidance" heading cover?
Forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, including phantom braking. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.