2018 Tesla Model 3 vehicle speed control problems

“While driving, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own and began operating without my control. Despite my attempts to steer away from surrounding traffic, the vehicle continued to self‑propel, crossed the median, and entered oncoming lanes, resulting in a head‑on collision with another car.”

“While my wife was driving, the high-voltage battery failed and the car went into reduced power/limp mode. Tesla later determined that coolant had gotten into the high-voltage battery and caused it to fail. My main concern is that we had no warning that there was a coolant leak or that coolant was getting into the battery. There was no low-coolant warning or anything telling my wife that there was a serious problem developing. By the time the car started giving high-voltage and reduced-power warnings, the damage had already occurred and Tesla said the battery needed to be replaced. What concerns me even more was what happened after Tesla received the car. Tesla removed the battery and quarantined it in the parking lot. They told us in writing that it was removed because of coolant ingress as a safety precaution and that a specialized technician had to determine whether the battery was safe to discharge. During a phone call, a Tesla employee also told me they quarantined it because there was a possibility the battery could explode and they did not want anyone injured or anything damaged if that happened. That was alarming because my wife had just been driving…”

“I am reporting a major safety defect that began immediately after Tesla installed the Full Self-Driving (FSD) hardware upgrade on my vehicle. After paying $2,000 for FSD and receiving the hardware retrofit, the car now instantly veers left toward oncoming traffic whenever FSD is engaged. This began immediately after Tesla’s installation. Before this service, my vehicle operated safely. I have contacted Tesla Cherry Hill Service Center in New Jersey multiple times. The advisors there repeatedly told me to “just recalibrate the cameras from the touchscreen.” I’ve done this numerous times, following every instruction carefully, but the issue persists. When I called the Service Center, I was told that “everything looks fine remotely,” even though the problem continues and is clearly dangerous. I was also told they could take it for a test drive, but that if they couldn’t find anything, I would have to “wait for a future update” to make FSD usable. This is unacceptable and unsafe. Tesla delivered this car to me in a dangerous condition that could easily cause a serious crash. A car that steers itself into oncoming traffic under FSD control should never have been…”

“Repeatedly and randomly, with cruise control (not FSD) engaged, the car would brake, sometimes aggressively. The last time, it braked so hard the tires or brakes squealed and the car swerved slightly before I was able to regain control. This was on the freeway (in Colorado, if I remember correctly) while I was cruising at 70 or 75 MPH. I decided that that was the last time I would use cruise control; it was just not safe. I had an appointment on October 22 to take the car in for service. But then a friend told me this was called "phantom braking" and that there was no fix. A friend suggested that I contact the NHTSA.”

“The center display (Vehicle Pad) on my 2018 Tesla Model 3 went completely blank while driving. This eliminated access to all vital driving information including the speedometer, gear selection, and safety indicators. Safety Concern: Without visible speed data and wipers the vehicle cannot be operated safely or legally. I attempted to reboot the system and power cycle the vehicle but the screen still failed.”

“I was at a stoplight behind a Toyota Tacoma. I must have stopped around 8 feet behind it. I was not using FSD and I was not one-pedal driving. My foot was on the brake. I must have been at a complete stop for approximately 10 seconds when my Model 3 suddenly accelerated full throttle on its own and rear ended the Tacoma, directly hitting its trailer hitch, causing my car's driver-side airbags to deploy. When it happened, the light was still red and my foot was still on the brake. I never touched the accelerator. Luckily I was driving alone. After the inital contact, my car sort of bounced off of his hitch then slowly lurched forward before it stopped. After that, it was immobile, leaving me stuck in traffic until it was towed away.”