— Tesla "phantom braking" incidents and complaints got the attention of federal safety regulators who opened a formal investigation in February 2022.
The initial Tesla braking investigation was opened after reports of unexpected deceleration when drivers had the adaptive cruise control systems engaged in 2021–2022 Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.
Tesla drivers complained their vehicles suffered a 10-20 mph speed reduction at highway speeds and there were no vehicles in front of the Tesla vehicles. Drivers reported their vehicles didn't leave their travel lane and no vehicle came to a complete stop.
Data indicate speed reduction complaints increased when Tesla switched from a radar-vision fusion system to vision-only in 2021. But complaints also increased after a Tesla phantom braking recall was announced in 2021.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed that unlike most unintended braking incidents, the Tesla phantom braking occurrences related to this investigation have nothing to do with the automatic emergency braking systems.
NHTSA learned the Tesla sudden deceleration events occurred while using Autopilot, Full Self-Driving and Traffic Aware Cruise Control.
Tesla released firmware updates 2022.4.5.1 and 2022.4.5.17 to decrease unexpected deceleration incidents which resulted in a decrease of incidents.
In 2024 there were 45 sudden braking incidents, but in 2025 the complaints dropped to 19 and since the beginning of 2026 only three sudden braking incidents have been reported.
NHTSA has closed its investigation based on Tesla's actions, the decrease in braking incidents and the low hazard to drivers and occupants.