Which Tesla Model S years have the most automatic emergency braking complaints?

Model year 2021 has the most, with 333 complaints and the highest rate per cars sold. Model years 2022 and 2023 follow. Model year 2020 also has a notable count. Years with few complaints, such as 2025, have had less time to collect them, so a low count there does not mean the problem is absent.

Is it safe to drive a Model S with phantom braking?

The data shows real risk. Owners report sudden speed drops that force following drivers to swerve, and rear-end crashes are reported. Crash and injury reports appear across most years. Anyone who sees the symptom should stay alert, keep distance from traffic behind, and get it documented by service.

Does a recall cover Model S emergency braking problems?

Two recalls on the list address it. Recall 21V846000 covers 2018 to 2021 cars for false collision warnings or unexpected emergency braking. Recall 23V489000 covers 2023 cars with a misaligned forward camera. Both are free fixes. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and the work is done.

How much does it cost to fix Model S emergency braking problems?

The data gives no repair cost for this problem. The listed recall remedies are free of charge. Outside recalls, owners mostly describe service visits that found no fault, plus weeks of waiting for parts in AP4 computer cases. Ask for a written estimate before paying for any repair.

Can the Model S fail to brake at all?

Yes, according to owner complaints. Some describe no braking and no warning before rear-end crashes in slowed or stopped traffic, and others say the car missed stationary objects. A recall also covers a camera misalignment that can make emergency braking unavailable without alerting the driver.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Tesla Model S Automatic Emergency Braking Problems

Tesla Model S owners report phantom braking most: hard stops at highway speed with nothing ahead. Some cars also fail to brake for stopped traffic.

Owner complaints: 979
Share of all complaints: 21%
Crash / fire / injury reports: 57 / 0 / 16
Related recalls: 4

Model S automatic emergency braking complaints by model year

Model year 2021 leads by a wide margin, with 333 complaints and by far the highest rate per cars sold. Model years 2022 and 2023 follow with 253 and 218. Model year 2020 has 74. Model years 2018 and 2024 sit in the 30s and 40s. Model years 2019 and 2025 have the fewest, at 10 and 11. The 2025 count mostly reflects less time on the road, so it says little about how that year will hold up. Owner complaints for several later years also name Model Y cars, so read those counts with care.

2018
32 · 10.7/10k sold
2019
10 · 6.9/10k sold
2020
74 · 36.5/10k sold
2021
333 · 288.2/10k sold
2022
253 · 28/10k sold
2023
218 · 81.6/10k sold
2024
48 · 30.2/10k sold
2025
11 · 12/10k sold

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA under forward collision avoidance. Newer model years have had less time to collect complaints.

What goes wrong

Phantom braking is the main complaint. On Autopilot, Full Self-Driving, or adaptive cruise, the car slams on the brakes with nothing in the road. Drops range from a brief 10 mph dip to 30 or 40 mph. Owners name oncoming traffic, passing trucks, bridges, and changes in road color as triggers. Service often checks the logs and finds nothing wrong. The opposite failure also shows up. Some owners say the car never braked, and the collision warning stayed silent, before a rear-end crash into slowed or stopped traffic. Others report the car steering sharply into barriers or curbs while the warning beeped.

This is a real safety problem. Drivers behind have to swerve or brake hard, and rear-end hits are reported. Across all years, 979 owner complaints fall in this area. Crash reports appear in every listed model year except 2019, and injuries appear in most years. No fire reports appear. The data does not say whether cars end up undrivable, but at least one crash filing describes a totaled car.

Symptoms owners report

Hard braking with nothing ahead

The car sheds speed suddenly at highway speed with a clear road. Owners tie it to bridges, oncoming traffic, passing trucks, and hill crests. Some say it repeats several times on one trip, and following drivers have to swerve.

No braking before a crash

Some owners say the car did not brake for slowed or stopped traffic and gave no chime. One 2021 filing describes a rear-end crash at about 45 mph with no warning lights or sounds before impact.

Missed obstacles

Filings describe the system failing to see a stationary object on the highway while on Autopilot, and failing to brake for a deer at night. Neither driver reports any warning before the hit.

Steering jerks with the warning

A smaller group reports the forward collision warning beeping, then the wheel pulling hard toward a lane edge, barrier, or guardrail. Several of these ended in crashes, some in rain, and owners say they could not take over in time.

Skidding under automatic braking

One 2021 owner on cruise control in rain says the car auto-braked, skidded, spun around, and hit a rail. Others report braking that caused whiplash or a rear-end hit from the car behind.

Safety features switched off by computer fault

Newer-year filings describe an AP4 computer failure that disables emergency braking and collision warnings. Owners say they waited weeks for parts. Some of these filings name other Tesla models.

When the problems start

Most owners do not give a mileage. Where they do, trouble can start early. Some 2022 cars brake hard within their first 500 miles. Filings for the AP4 computer failure put the loss of emergency braking at around 1,000 to 2,500 miles in the 2024 group, and within the first few hundred miles in the 2025 group. Several owners report phantom braking at a steady rate, such as about once every 100 miles.

Repairs and recalls

Owners rarely report a lasting fix. Many say service visits ended with no fault found or an unreproduced problem, and some say camera cleaning did not help. Some AP4 owners describe weeks of waiting for parts. No repair costs appear in the data. Recall 21V846000 covers 2018 to 2021 Model S cars and addresses false forward-collision warnings or unexpected emergency braking, with a free over-the-air software update. Recall 23V489000 covers 2023 cars with a misaligned forward camera that can make emergency braking unavailable without alerting the driver. Tesla inspects and adjusts the pitch angle for free.

Model years	Campaign	Problem
2023	23V489000	Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2023 Model S, Model X, and Model Y vehicles. The forward-facing camera may be misaligned, causing some of the active safety features such as emergency braking, forward collision…
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022	24V153000	Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2013, 2018-2021 Model S, 2020-2021 Model X, 2018-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. A factory reset muted the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these…
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021	21V846000	Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Model S, Model 3, Model X, and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles operating software version 2021.36.5.2. A communication error may cause false forward-collision warning (FCW)…
2021	22V317000	Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Model 3 and 2021 Model Y vehicles. The fisheye and narrow camera cable terminals were incorrectly installed in the cable harness connector, resulting in swapped camera…

Checking a used Model S for automatic emergency braking problems

Enter the VIN on the NHTSA recall site and confirm recalls 21V846000 or 23V489000 show as completed, if your model year is listed.
Ask for service records showing any visit for braking, camera, or collision warning faults, and what Tesla found.
On a highway test drive with cruise on, watch for sudden speed drops with a clear road, especially near bridges and passing trucks.
Check the screen for active safety warnings or disabled-feature messages, and confirm all cameras show clear views.
Ask the seller if the AP4 computer was ever replaced and whether emergency braking was ever disabled.
Confirm the car is on current software, and ask whether braking behavior changed after recent updates.

4 automatic emergency braking recalls cover the Tesla Model S. A VIN check shows whether the car you're looking at had its recall work done, plus accident and title history.

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