Tesla Model S Collision Avoidance Problems

Owners have filed 469 complaints about driver assistance problems with the Tesla Model S — 14% of all Model S complaints. The worst model years are 2017 (98), 2016 (67) and 2018 (53). Problems typically start around 50,000 miles. 7 related recalls have been issued.

469complaints
2017worst year
50ktypical miles
7related recalls
52crashes
0fires

Collision Avoidance complaints by model year

’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’2631414506798531425523720202
Collision Avoidance complaints per model year, Tesla Model S.
YearComplaintsShare of year's complaintsTypical mileage
2026229%—
20242053%—
20232018%16,000 miles
20223727%12,000 miles
20215229%6,000 miles
20202531%0 miles
20191432%25,000 miles
20185331%45,000 miles
20179823%35,000 miles
20166710%61,000 miles
2015507%64,000 miles
2014144%100,000 miles
2013143%99,000 miles
201235%51,000 miles

Which parts fail

  • Adaptive cruise control
    220
  • Automatic emergency braking
    159
  • Warnings
    84
  • Assist
    64
  • Warning
    43
  • Blind spot detection
    30
  • Rearview system braking
    4
  • Display function
    2

Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).

Mileage when the problem started

  • Under 25k
    3130%
  • 25k–50k
    2423%
  • 50k–75k
    2019%
  • 75k–100k
    1817%
  • 100k–150k
    1010%
  • 150k+
    11%

What owners report

I have lane departure, avoidance in lane departure assist both turned off in the settings. Despite this, The alarms are constantly going off (Even when I am not departing a lane). It even overrides my steering inputs incorrectly! 8:28am 5/24/2024 for example, I am pulling into my garage and it's yanking the steering wheel trying to crash me into the wall. I immediately verified the settings are all still turned off. I have an open service ticket with Tesla where I am supplying them dates and times every time it happens and no one is responding. Previously had them replaced the whole vehicle (lemon law), and it still happening.

2024 Model S · Assist · May 2024

Sept 25 2:14pm pulling into garage and it swerved towards wall and sounded alarms 7:04pm turning into stonestown shopping center right from stop sign, alarms and jerking wheel force to go straight. Blinker was on. I have lane departure disabled, am manually driving under 15mph, and use proper blinker but this "safety feature" causes it to "jerk" the wheel and display warnings to the detriment of safety. This affects the entire fleet and was never an issue before around 2022-2023.

2024 Model S · Assist · Sep 2024

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse the vehicle, the Collision Avoidance Assist system failed to operate as designed while reversing from the garage. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a dealer or independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that a representative would be sent to the residence to inspect the vehicle. The failure mileage was 16,000.

2023 Model S · 16,000 miles · Jul 2025

As I approached a red light with a car in front of me, I took my foot off the accelerator to use Tesla's regenerative braking, but instead the car rapidly accelerated and crashed into the car in front of me. It seemed like unintended acceleration.

2023 Model S · Automatic emergency braking · Dec 2024 · crash

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that while reversing in her driveway, the front driver's side camera did not indicate there was a gate in the viewing area. The driver crashed into a metal gate on her property. The front bumper was damaged. There was no beeping sound while approaching the object. There were no warning lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries. The vehicle was taken to a body shop, where it was diagnosed that the bumper needed to be replaced. The rear bumper was damaged while at the body shop. The mechanic stated that the clips were missing. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact removed the USB and was unable to locate the incident. The manufacturer was contacted, who referred her to an approved body shop. The approximate mileage was 11,544.

2022 Model S · 12,000 miles · Nov 2023 · crash

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH in inclement weather with no other vehicles nearby, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. The contact stated that the brakes were applied without driver input. The contact stated that the emergency stop message was displayed during the failure. The contact stated that on another occasion, while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stopped. The contact had since stopped using the Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 50,320.

2022 Model S · Adaptive cruise control · 50,000 miles · Jan 2022

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle approached another vehicle that had slowed for a traffic light and did not automatically start braking. The contact manually applied the brakes, but the vehicle crashed into the rear end of the vehicle in front. The contact stated he noticed no warning lights illuminated nor warning chimes sounded advising of a vehicle ahead. The contact said both air bags deployed. The vehicle had crashed and damaged the entire front end which crumpled to the front tires. The police were on the scene and filed a report. The contact and the occupant of the other vehicle were not injured. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

2021 Model S · 1,000 miles · Mar 2022 · crash

Beta Autopilot was engaged, driver had hand on steering wheel, vehicle was traveling less than 35MPH (speed limit) and coming around a corner when it misjudged the road curve. The road curved to the left and as the car took the turn it took too wide of a turn and veered slightly off the road. Unfort the front right side of car went up and over the begining of a rock incline. The front right tire blew out and ONLY the side AIrBags deployed (both sides). The car traveled about 500 yards along the road and then turned itself off. I could not get the horn to work, nor put it in neutral. There were no warning signs before incident. In fact the I belong to a beta driving scoring rating and for that day Tesla rated me a 91/100. I called Tesla roadside assistance and they said they would not provide any help as it was viewed as an accident and not a self-driving issue. …

2021 Model S · Warnings · Nov 2021 · crash

Related recalls (7)

Back over prevention › Software

NHTSA recall 26V-283 · May 4, 2026 · 218,868 vehicles

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017, 2021-2023 Model 3, 2020-2023 Model Y, 2021-2023 Model S, and Model X vehicles operating software version 2026.8.6. The rearview camera image may be delayed when the vehicle is placed in reverse.

Remedy: Tesla has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 3, 2026. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.

Forward collision avoidance › Warnings › External/pedestrian alert

NHTSA recall 24V-153 · Feb 27, 2024 · 6,557 vehicles

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.

Remedy: Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, release 2023.44.30.14, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 27, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.

Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera

NHTSA recall 24V-035 · Jan 22, 2024 · 199,575 vehicles

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2023 Model S, X, and Y vehicles equipped with full self-driving computer 4.0 and running a software release version 2023.44.30 through 2023.44.30.6 or 2023.44.100. Software instability may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying.

Remedy: Tesla has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 22, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.

Forward collision avoidance › Sensing system › Camera

NHTSA recall 23V-489 · Jul 14, 2023 · 1,337 vehicles

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 warning, and lane assist to become unavailable without alerting the driver.

Remedy: Tesla Service will inspect and adjust the pitch angle, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 12, 2023. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.

Back over prevention › Display function

NHTSA recall 22V-169 · Mar 18, 2022 · 947 vehicles

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Model S, Model X, and 2017-2020 Model 3 vehicles equipped with Autopilot Computer 2.5 and operating certain firmware releases. The rearview image may not immediately display when the vehicle begins to reverse.

Remedy: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 17, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.

Show 2 more recalls

Forward collision avoidance › Warnings › External/pedestrian alert

NHTSA recall 22V-063 · Feb 4, 2022 · 578,607 vehicles

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model S, Model X, Model Y, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds.

Remedy: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will disable the Boombox functionality when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse modes, free of charge.

Forward collision avoidance › Software

NHTSA recall 21V-846 · Oct 29, 2021 · 11,728 vehicles

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) or unexpected activation of the automatic emergency brake (AEB) system.

Remedy: Tesla Service has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. The recall began October 25, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752.

NHTSA investigations

Loss of rearview camera

NHTSA investigation PE20010 · opened Jun 22, 2020 · closed Nov 22, 2020

On June 22, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE20-010 to investigate incidents of media control unit (MCU) failures resulting in loss of rearview camera in model year (MY) 2012-2015 Tesla Model S vehicles equipped with the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor with an integrated 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device.

Loss of rearview camera

NHTSA investigation EA20003 · opened Nov 12, 2020 · closed May 2, 2024 · led to recall 21V-035

On November 20, 2020, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis (EA) 20-003 to investigate incidents of media control unit (MCU) failures resulting in loss of rearview camera in model year (MY) 2012-18 Tesla Model S and model year (MY) 2016-2018 Tesla Model X vehicles equipped with the NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor with an integrated 8GB eMMC NAND flash memory device.

Automatic vehicle control systems

NHTSA investigation PE16007 · opened Jun 28, 2016 · closed Jan 19, 2017

On May 7, 2016, a 2015 Tesla Model S collided with a tractor trailer crossing an uncontrolled intersection on a highway west of Williston, Florida, resulting in fatal injuries to the Tesla driver.Data obtained from the Model S indicated that:1) the Tesla was being operated in Autopilot mode at the time of the collision; 2) the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system did not provide any warning or automated braking…

Unexpected Brake Activation

NHTSA investigation PE22002 · opened Feb 16, 2022 · closed Jun 29, 2026

On February 16, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE22002) to investigate reports of unexpected deceleration while driving with the adaptive cruise control system engaged in Model Year (MY) 2021 - 2022 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles manufactured by Tesla. The subject systems include Autopilot (all versions), Full Self-Driving (FSD) and Traffic Aware Cruise Control (TACC).

Frequently asked questions

Which Tesla Model S years have collision avoidance problems?

By NHTSA complaints, the 2017 (98), 2016 (67), 2018 (53), 2021 (52) and 2015 (50) model years. Collision Avoidance complaints make up 23% of all complaints for the 2017.

Is there a recall for Tesla Model S collision avoidance problems?

Yes — 7 recalls, including 26V-283 (software, May 4, 2026); 24V-153 (external/pedestrian alert, Feb 27, 2024); 24V-035 (camera, Jan 22, 2024). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.

At what mileage do Tesla Model S collision avoidance problems start?

Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 50,000 miles; 53% happened before 50,000 miles.

What part fails most often?

Owners most often name the adaptive cruise control (220 mentions), followed by the automatic emergency braking (159).

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.