2024 Tesla Model Y automatic emergency braking problems
174 of the 325 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2024 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 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 database38 of the 174 reports a crash · 2 a fire · 30 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2024: 96 · 2025: 41 · 2026: 37
Too few of these complaints carry an odometer reading to say when the problem shows up.
325 complaints in all about the 2024 Tesla Model Y, 37 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.
While driving between 50-55 mph the Tesla applied emergency breaking even though there was nothing in front of us and no risk of accident. The car went from 55 to about 5-10mph in the matter of a second. We are lucky no one was directly behind us or it would have led to a high speed rear end accident
I have had multiple incidents of “phantom braking” when using traffic aware cruise control and auto steer. It usually happens on one lane state highways with opposite direction traffic, sometimes with turns or hills. The vehicle has slammed on the brakes without warning, sometimes the warning tone also sounds.
In a 90 mile drive I experience phantom breaking 4 different times. No car was in front of me, in fact nothing at all was in front of me when my car slammed on the brakes 4 separate times. One time there was a car somewhat close behind me.
I was driving on across Kansas and my car suddenly braked hard. I was in cruise control when it occurred. I was not in automated driving mode as I don’t have that feature. This happen once before earlier this year on a two lane highway when a truck was coming toward me in the opposite lane.
I was driving on a street at the speed limit there were no cars in front of me and behind me thankfully the car just braked very hard suddenly for no reason and I lost complete control over the vehicle after the car came to a complete stop I was able to continue driving.
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 2024 Tesla Model Y
Source: the same files- electrical problems 62 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre automatic emergency braking problems common on the 2024 Tesla Model Y?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 174 owner complaints naming the automatic emergency braking on this model year (54% 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 2024 Tesla Model Y?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 5 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 2024 Tesla Model Y?
Too few of the complaints carry an odometer reading to say. The model year's page shows the mileage curve across every system where it can.
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.