Tesla Autopilot Phantom Braking Investigation by NHTSA

In February 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened formal investigation PE 22-004 into reports of sudden, unexpected braking in Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles equipped with Autopilot. The investigation covered approximately 416,000 vehicles from model years 2021-2022, making it one of the largest automotive safety investigations in recent years. The phantom braking incidents began increasing significantly in late 2021, coinciding with Tesla's decision to remove radar sensors from its vehicles and rely solely on camera-based vision systems for Autopilot functionality. NHTSA received over 750 complaints from drivers reporting that their vehicles would suddenly decelerate from highway speeds without warning, often dropping 10-20 mph instantly. These incidents typically occurred on highways at speeds above 55 mph, with drivers reporting the braking happened when passing under overpasses, encountering shadows, or in areas with no visible obstacles. The sudden braking events created significant safety hazards, as following vehicles were often unable to react quickly enough to avoid rear-end collisions. NHTSA documented multiple crashes and injuries directly attributed to the phantom braking phenomenon. Drivers reported being rear-ended, having to swerve into other lanes, and experiencing close calls that could have resulted in multi-vehicle accidents. The incidents were particularly dangerous because they were unpredictable and occurred during high-speed highway driving. Tesla's internal data showed that the company was aware of the increased phantom braking incidents following the removal of radar sensors. The vision-only system, while theoretically more advanced, had difficulty accurately interpreting certain visual scenarios. Shadows from overpasses, bridges, and large vehicles were being misidentified as solid objects requiring emergency braking. The neural networks had not been sufficiently trained to distinguish between actual obstacles and visual artifacts that posed no collision risk. Throughout 2022, Tesla released multiple over-the-air software updates attempting to address the phantom braking issue. These updates refined the vision system's object detection algorithms and adjusted the sensitivity of emergency braking scenarios. However, complaints continued to be filed with NHTSA even after several software iterations. The company eventually acknowledged the issue and worked to improve the system's accuracy, though many affected customers had already experienced dangerous incidents. In June 2023, NHTSA closed its investigation after determining that Tesla's software updates had substantially reduced the frequency of phantom braking events. However, the agency noted that the issue highlighted significant challenges with deploying advanced driver assistance systems without adequate real-world validation. Multiple class action lawsuits remain pending against Tesla, with plaintiffs alleging that the company knowingly deployed defective software that endangered public safety.