The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into complaints about Tesla Inc. vehicles that abruptly stop at high speeds, the latest in a series of clashes between the company and safety authorities.
After receiving 354 complaints that “unexpected activation of braking system may cause rapid deceleration,” the agency announced the launch of a preliminary inquiry. The NHTSA previously stated that it was investigating complaints concerning the issue, called “phantom braking.”
The probe involves an estimated 416,000 Tesla Model 3 & Y vehicles manufactured between 2021 and 2022. There have been no recorded incidents or injuries due to the braking issue.
According to a filing on the NHTSA website, an unidentified 2021 Tesla Model 3 driver in Madison, Wisconsin, complained about his car stopping suddenly at the highway in January.
“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 has not yet responded to the NHTSA investigation, even though it had disbanded its public relations division.
The probe involves an estimated 416,000 Tesla Model 3 & Y vehicles manufactured between 2021 and 2022. Tesla has not yet responded to the NHTSA investigation, although it had disbanded its public relations division.