Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Tesla Model S owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while driving down an inclined driveway the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration causing the driver to lose control of the steering and crash into the nearby RV garage. During the incident, the airbag was deployed and the driver sustained injuries to both knees and left hand. No police report was taken. The cause of the failure was not determined. The contact indicated that the failure had previously occurred in 2018. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 38,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while pulling into a parking space, the vehicle accelerated at high speeds without any warning, causing the vehicle to run through a construction site and collide with a building. The air bags were deployed, and the passenger in the vehicle was injured and sought medical attention. The contact was unsure if a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
I pulled my Tesla Model S in a parking lot, and as I turned the car into a parking spot, the car suddenly accelerated, jumped the curb next to the parking lot and hit a tree. The car speed when I pulled into the parking lot and then into a parking spot was very low. so I was very surprised and startled to see the car suddenly on its own accelerating and jumping the curb.
While driving using cruise control, in the space of 9-10 miles, the vehicle had 14-16 instances of sudden, unexpected braking for no reason. Most were moderate braking incidents slowing the car 15-30 mph before I hit the accelerator to get the car back up to speed. 2 incidents were where the car slowed 5-10 mph then resumed speed. Very disconcerting. There was little to no traffic on the road and in every case, there was no other car within a 1/2 mile or more to the front. Finally got fed up with this and turned off cruise. Left cruise control off as I passed through a city then decided to try it again. Soon after engaging cruise at 72 mph, the car suddenly and violently braked for no reason. It was such a hard braking that one of my dogs in the back seat crashed into the front seat. …
Driving down an interstate at the speed limit, with light traffic. No cars immediately or in ahead of me. The car put on the brakes, or what is commonly referred to as "phantom braking" as I understand it. It has done this on prior occasions and I am familiar with it. It generally seems to be triggered by inconsistent pavement coloring or shadows. The car rapidly braked until I took over (I was using "Navigate on Autopilot" which was managing the speed and lane-keeping). There were no injuries or dangerous situation created during this event, besides being quite abrupt and startling. There are no known failures or issues in my vehicle that would have been likely to contribute. This occurred on Nov 24 in the late afternoon, driving westward. Weather was overcast.
Apparent software issue with Adaptive Cruise Control causing unexpected hard braking at highway speeds. Random hard braking occurs on open road when road is clear, flat, and no other vehicles nearby. Narrowly avoided being 'rear-ended' during several occurrences by car behind. I drove the car this week on a two day road trip from Palm Springs to Santa Fe and this issue must have occurred 18-20 times during the 750 mile trip. I also tried using difference settings and nothing seemed to eliminate the issue.
This incident happened some time ago but I read recently about complaints related to "phantom braking" which I also experienced. I was driving on the highway at speed with my cruise control activated. There was no traffic close in front of me, but a large semi was in the lane to my right. This vehicle triggered sharp braking of my car. It was very scary, but I immediately overroad the braking to avoid being hit by a vehicle behind me. I have never used my cruise control since that incident.
On freeway in traffic, autopilot is enabled. Vehicle is running perfectly fine in start stop traffic slowing down and speeding up as needed. Traffic starts to clear up, and as vehicle speeds up, there is a sudden slowdown again. Instead of braking/slowing down, autopilot turns off without an additional audible alarm (just the standard sound for turning off autopilot), instead the forward collision warning alert goes off. Able to brake in time to prevent accident.
Driving on a freeway at 75mph with autopilot turned on, the car suddenly braked, requiring manual intervention to accelerate to intended speed. After this the car continued as normal. There was no visible obstruction. Fortunately I have had this happen while a vehicle has not been behind me otherwise there is a possiblity of a crash.
While driving out 2018 Model S, it will brake hard while in adaptive cruise control of full self-driving mode for no reason. This happens frequently, whether driving on the highway or on city roads. It is terribly unsafe. I'm afraid eventually someone following too close will hit me.
NHTSA investigations
Sudden Unintended Acceleration
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP20-001 on the basis that intermittent high electrical current demands on the vehicles' 12VDC systems may have caused some or all of the incidents examined by ODI in DP20-001. The petitioner bases this information on a review of open-source research and the DP20-001 denial.
Acceleration complaints in other Model S years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2018 Tesla Model S?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2018 Tesla Model S, 16% of the model year's 170 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2018 Tesla Model S acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2018 Tesla Model S, though it has 11 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2018 Tesla Model S acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 7,000 miles, and 100% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 16 crashes, 1 fire and 10 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.