The agency said it is lunching a preliminary investigation after receiving 354 complaints that “unexpected activation of braking system may cause rapid deceleration.” NHTSA previously confirmed it was reviewing complains about the phenomenon, which has been dubbed “phantom braking.”
Driver complaints include an unidentified 2021 Tesla Model 3 driver in Madison, Wisconsin, who complained in January of his car braking unexpectedly at highway speed, according to a filing on the NHTSA website.
“I was driving north on Wisconsin route 14 at about 60 mph in my Tesla model 3 using the cruise control,” the driver said in the complaint. “When a large transportation truck came from the opposite direction, my Tesla suddenly braked sharply. A Ford model F150 truck was following behind me and almost crashed into the back of my car.”
Tesla, which has disbanded its media relations department, did not respond to a request for comment on the NHTSA investigation.
The investigation covers an estimated 416,000 2021-2022 Tesla Model 3 & Y vehicles.
