Tesla Model S automatic emergency braking problems, 2016–2026
391 of the 1,842 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the Tesla Model S 2016–2026 name the automatic emergency braking (NHTSA’s “Forward Collision Avoidance” heading — forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, including phantom braking). The loudest years: 2017 (87), 2018 (70), 2021 (63). Filed under the same heading across these years: 2 recall campaigns, 2 NHTSA investigations. Every figure is a linked federal record; none is a failure rate, none a repair cost, and none a verdict on one car.
Tesla Model S automatic emergency braking problems by model year
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsOne row per model year on file, newest first. A year marked in depth has its own page: the complaints, the owners’ words and every document under this heading for that year.
| Model year | Complaints naming the automatic emergency braking | Share of the year’s | Typically at | On file under the heading | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 50% | — | — | the year → |
| 2025 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2024 | 2 | 5% | — | — | the year → |
| 2023 | 25 | 22% | — | 1 recall | the year → |
| 2022 | 46 | 33% | — | 1 investigation | the year → |
| 2021 in depth | 63 | 35% | — | 1 recall · 1 investigation | the record → |
| 2020 | 31 | 39% | — | 1 recall · 1 investigation | the year → |
| 2019 | 15 | 34% | — | 1 recall | the year → |
| 2018 in depth | 70 | 41% | — | 1 recall | the record → |
| 2017 in depth | 87 | 21% | 31k | 1 recall | the record → |
| 2016 in depth | 50 | 8% | 71k | 1 investigation | the record → |
Two things the counts carry that are not the car: how many of each year were sold, and how long each has been on the road — an older year out-counts a newer one before anything is wrong with it. The share column is the honest comparison across years: what part of that year’s complaints named the automatic emergency braking. Nothing here is a rate.
When the automatic emergency braking complaints were filed, and at what mileage
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled per calendar year, every model year together: 2016: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2020: 12 · 2021: 25 · 2022: 177 · 2023: 79 · 2024: 40 · 2025: 37 · 2026: 19
Across the model years, half of the 48 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the automatic emergency braking problem between 19,000 and 61,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the automatic emergency braking, from the model years with the most to say. 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.
Repeated problems with "phantom braking" when adaptive cruise control or autosteering is engaged. The vehicle would make unexpected hard breaking without any obvious triggers. In the past, I have made multiple "report bug" to Tesla immediately following phantom breaking, but no improvement noted thus far.
System: Autopilot, emergency braking, collision detection. Vehicle IS available for inspection if requested. --- How safety was put at risk: In 2018, while driving on the interstate at about 70-80 mph with Autopilot enabled the car suddenly braked for no reason.
While using wildly falsely marketed $10k "full self driving" add-on across multiple software revisions and after reporting each and every bug to company I have experienced potentially fatal phantom breaking while at highway speeds and could have been killed by rear ending on at least 4 occasions.
What is on file about the automatic emergency braking, across the years
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsRecall campaigns filed under this heading, any model year
- 23V489000 ModerateJul 14, 2023 · 1,337 vehicles
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2023 Model S, Model X, and Model Y vehicles. The forward-facing camera may be misaligned, causing some of the active safety features such as emergency braking, forward collision warning, and lane assist to become unavailable without alerting the driver.
- 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 investigations
- 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…
- PE16007 Automatic vehicle control systemsopened Jun 28, 2016 · closed Jan 19, 2017
- On May 7, 2016, a 2015 Tesla Model S collided with a tractor trailer crossing an uncontrolled intersection on a highway west of Williston, Florida, resulting in fatal injuries to the Tesla driver. Data obtained from the Model S indicated that:1) the Tesla was being operated in Autopilot mode at the time of the collision; 2) the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system did not provide any warning o…
Other systems with a record on the Tesla Model S
Source: the same filesEvery system, every model year: Tesla Model S problems by year →
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsWhich Tesla Model S years have the most automatic emergency braking complaints?
2017, 87; 2018, 70; 2021, 63. Raw counts, and an older year has had longer to collect them; by share of each year's own complaints the loudest is the 2026 (50%).
Is there a recall for the automatic emergency braking on the Tesla Model S?
Yes — 2 campaigns are filed under this heading across these model years: 23V489000 (2023), 21V846000 (2021). A recall is matched by VIN, and applies to specific years; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
When do automatic emergency braking problems show up on the Tesla Model S?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 36,000 miles across the model years; half of them between 19,000 and 61,000. 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.