2022 Tesla Model 3 automatic emergency braking problems
790 of the 765 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2022 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 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 database20 of the 790 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 14 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2021: 17 · 2022: 576 · 2023: 124 · 2024: 34 · 2025: 27 · 2026: 12
Half of the 31 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the automatic emergency braking problem between 1,000 and 13,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
765 complaints in all about the 2022 Tesla Model 3, 12 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.
As widely reported by Tesla owners, I have also experienced issues with the TACC - traffic aware cruise control - feature of this vehicle. I have owned it for almost 2 weeks and in that time on both highways and city streets the 'cruise control' feature has initiated braking for no reason.
Traffic-aware cruise control unexpectedly decelerated and/or activated collision warnings and automatic braking approximately 20 times during a 300 mile, 5 hour drive. All incidents occurred on undivided highways and state roads. This unexpected braking reduces speed by 10 to 30 miles per hour on 60 mile per hour roads.
The cruise control and 'autopilot' features will panic brake when oncoming traffic passes car. It is more common on two lane highways. There are no overrides and the issue occurs in all modes of cruise control.
Using the cruise control frequently results in the autopilot system abruptly applying the brakes, risking a rear-end collision. This happens even when no car is in the lane in front of me. The cruise control is integrated with the autopilot system, which apparently is mistaking oncoming traffic with a car in my lane.
Car brakes randomly when using traffic aware cruise control. Dozens of events every hour of driving, some of which caused the car to brake to the point of losing traction
What is on file about the automatic emergency braking
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsNHTSA 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 2022 Tesla Model 3
Source: the same files- cruise control problems 171 complaints
- electrical problems 59 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre automatic emergency braking problems common on the 2022 Tesla Model 3?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 790 owner complaints naming the automatic emergency braking on this model year (103% of everything owners filed about it), and 1 NHTSA investigation is 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 2022 Tesla Model 3?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 18 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do automatic emergency braking problems show up on the 2022 Tesla Model 3?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 5,000 miles; half of them between 1,000 and 13,000. 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.