2017 Tesla Model S automatic emergency braking problems
87 of the 424 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2017 Tesla Model S 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. 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 database12 of the 87 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2020: 4 · 2021: 12 · 2022: 45 · 2023: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2025: 10 · 2026: 3
Half of the 15 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the automatic emergency braking problem between 24,000 and 47,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
424 complaints in all about the 2017 Tesla Model S, 3 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 S 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.
Additional report for same problem with DIFFERENT car. This report is not about a single incident, but rather a REPEATED problem over several years with the adaptive cruise control on 3 different Tesla cars I have owned. These cars are a 2017 Tesla S, and 2 different 2021 Tesla Y models.
Four separate issues to report: 1.) multiple instances of car braking while in self-drive mode. This has included driving at high speeds on highway and having vehicle slam on brakes nearly causing an accident. I took over as I was paying attention on all occasions.
2/23/2022. Driving on highway with Tesla autopilot on and speed set to 65 MPH. Car was suddenly braking without any obstacle in front. Good thing that car behind me was quite a distance away, and I also noticed it slowed down immediately after seeing my car slowed down.
My Tesla suddenly brakes, without any input or action by me, on the highway without warning causing me to take corrective action to avoid being rear ended. My wife refuses to drive with me. She feels unsafe in the car. I have submitted complaints to Tesla multiple times. The frequency of sudden braking has decreased but it still exists
My Tesla Model S has emergency braked several times on a divided highway when I was driving at about 65 mph. This has happened multiple times over the last 4 years. Sometimes it happens when I drive under a bridge overpass. Sometimes it happens if the camera sees roadwork equipment on the side of the road - no where near I'm driving.
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.
Other systems with a record on the 2017 Tesla Model S
Source: the same files- electrical problems 114 complaints
- suspension problems 107 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre automatic emergency braking problems common on the 2017 Tesla Model S?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 87 owner complaints naming the automatic emergency braking on this model year (21% of everything owners filed about it), and 1 recall 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 2017 Tesla Model S?
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 2017 Tesla Model S?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 31,000 miles; half of them between 24,000 and 47,000. 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.