2020 Tesla Model Y automatic emergency braking problems
137 of the 280 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2020 Tesla Model Y 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 database18 of the 137 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 8 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2020: 5 · 2021: 8 · 2022: 64 · 2023: 35 · 2024: 14 · 2025: 5 · 2026: 6
Half of the 12 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the automatic emergency braking problem between 1,000 and 20,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
280 complaints in all about the 2020 Tesla Model Y, 6 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 Y 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.
I saw the article today that other Tesla Model 3 and Model Y drivers were reporting phantom braking. My model Y has been doing this at a specific spot on the 5 Fwy south in the carpool lane in Santa Ana, CA. I now avoid that spot.
We experienced multiple (4-5) "phantom" braking events while driving cross-country using Adaptive Cruise Control & Lane Keeping Assistance on open Interstate highways during the summer of 2021. There were no vehicles or other obstacles in our driving lane ahead. Sometimes it seemed like it happened when we approached a shady underpass.
While using the Tesla auto pilot in highway conditions the car would suddenly break or slow down as if the car was trying to avoid another car. There were no other cars in the area. This has happened several times but only in auto pilot
Phantom Braking constantly. Forward collision whole on Autopilot. Tried recalibrating the camera and the problems persist
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the cruise control set at a designated speed, the cruise control feature would malfunction and reset the speed to 20 MPH slower than desired.
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.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre automatic emergency braking problems common on the 2020 Tesla Model Y?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 137 owner complaints naming the automatic emergency braking on this model year (49% 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 2020 Tesla Model Y?
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 2020 Tesla Model Y?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 4,000 miles; half of them between 1,000 and 20,000. 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.