2023 Tesla Model Y · symptom sheet
Brakes on its own (automatic emergency braking)
- 229owner reports
- 4,000median miles
- 21involved a crash
Newest report Sep 9, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
560 of the 1,166 complaints on this car are about collision avoidance. 229 of those describe phantom braking. Only driver assist is reported more often on this car.
Tick what matches of 229 reports
Phantom braking on other Model Y years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2025.
What this problem usually is
Phantom braking is a car that brakes hard on its own, often at highway speed, with nothing in the road ahead. About one owner in five mentions a near miss with the car behind.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the software (30 reports), the radar or camera sensor (24 reports) and the windshield (6 reports).
Recalls and investigations
One recall on collision avoidance covers the 2023 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
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.
All 17 recalls on the 2023 Tesla Model Y, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
NHTSA investigations into collision avoidance on the Model Y
Sudden unintended acceleration. Open.
Unexpected brake activation. Closed jun 29, 2026.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 2,000 and 8,000 miles, from the 20 reports that gave a mileage.
What owners wrote
“New car with less than 1800 miles. Multiple times where The car will frequently and unexpectedly slam on the brakes while in autopilot on the highway. Almost caused an accident twice and I was terrified. Did not know about this problem but this can cause an accident.”
Filed Mar 15, 2023 · 1,800 miles
“Car did phantom breaking when I was driving with my wife, 2 kids and Niece from NJ to Pittsburgh, PA. I was driving on autopilot and There was no car in front or on side and yet it suddenly applied break and car went doen to appx 40 mph. Luckily the car behind was at distance and they managed their breaking well. I see it as a big risk to me and my family while being on long rides on autopilot.”
Filed Feb 19, 2023
“Was using the adaptive cruise control in addition to lane keeping assist, collectively known as Autopilot. Was in the left most lane with no cars in front or beside and a car about 5 car lengths behind when max auto regen occurred aka "phantom braking". There were no indications of obstacles in front based on the screen rendering.”
Filed Feb 14, 2023
“Had Adas engaged for about 180 miles and had phantom braking atleast two times. There was no one in front or on side”
Filed Feb 12, 2023
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 21 of 229 reports involved a crash and 12 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Paid for this repair before a recall covered it? How recall reimbursement works
Other problems on this car
- Adaptive cruise or lane keeping misbehaves 259 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 154 reports
- Suspension noise, struts or alignment 126 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 106 reports
- Forward collision warning goes off or the camera drops out 92 reports
- Power steering cuts out or goes heavy 77 reports
- Wheel bearing, tires or wheels 58 reports
- Seat belt or seat problems 45 reports
- Windshield cracks or distorts 42 reports
- Full Self-Driving (FSD) does something unsafe 41 reports
- Airbag warning light or recall 40 reports
- Windshield wipers stop working 32 reports
- Hybrid or EV system warning, loss of power 27 reports