2022 Model 3 SR Accident: Acceleration While Braking to Park

[costaj31]

While braking (accelerator was not applied) to park in a parking lot, the car accelerated, ran over two poles & bushes going through a walkway and swiped a parked car before finally stopping.

Has anyone experienced sudden acceleration while braking? Car was not in cruise control and autopilot isn't enabled on the car.

Does anyone know if Tesla can determine the state of the car when this happened?

Thanks.

 

[jjrandorin]

Usually, when people say this, we find out later that they "think" they were braking, but they were actually decelerating using one pedal driving, got a bit confused because it wasnt slowing down fast enough, then applied the accelerator.

if thats not what happened in this case, it will be the first one of these "unintended acceleration" claims that is actually that.

File a report with the NHTSA, and be prepared for all the scrutiny that will come with that, and tesla to pull the logs. They will probably show what I said above, but, perhaps you are the first one who this actually happened to.

Were you present in the car when this happened (were you either driving or present) or was someone else driving the car (perhaps someone who is new to driving teslas like a spouse / child), and they told you this is what happened?

 

[costaj31]

Usually, when people say this, we find out later that they "think" they were braking, but they were actually decelerating using one pedal driving, got a bit confused because it wasnt slowing down fast enough, then applied the accelerator.

if thats not what happened in this case, it will be the first one of these "unintended acceleration" claims that is actually that.

File a report with the NHTSA, and be prepared for all the scrutiny that will come with that, and tesla to pull the logs. They will probably show what I said above, but, perhaps you are the first one who this actually happened to.

Were you present in the car when this happened (were you either driving or present) or was someone else driving the car (perhaps someone who is new to driving teslas like a spouse / child), and they told you this is what happened?

Thanks.

How does one get Tesla to look at the logs w/o reporting first to NHTSA? Will Tesla do this upon a request by an owner?

 

[jjrandorin]

Thanks.

How does one get Tesla to look at the logs w/o reporting first to NHTSA? Will Tesla do this upon a request by an owner?

I believe in CA you can request the car data. Perhaps start with requesting the car data here:

Obtain a Copy of the Data Associated With Your Tesla Account

Obtain a copy of the vehicle data associated with your Tesla Account.

www.tesla.com

 

[Tam]

Thanks.

How does one get Tesla to look at the logs w/o reporting first to NHTSA? Will Tesla do this upon a request by an owner?

Officially, you should get what you asked for.

I think in reality, Tesla would be more willing to provide your crash data if you go through your insurance or lawyer.

 

[jjrandorin]

Officially, you should get what you asked for.

I think in reality, Tesla would be more willing to provide your crash data if you go through your insurance or lawyer.

Like I said in the first post, if this actually happened the way it was described ( the car actually accelerating through someone pressing the brake pedal) it would not only be the first time this actually was confirmed, it would be a complete failure of several systems designed to ensure that this exact thing is not possible.

If it actually happened the way they said it did, they should file with the NHTSA as that type of failure of multiple systems designed to prevent that, should be tracked.

Its usually someone regen braking and panickng , because they forget that the pedal that they are letting off of to slow down is also the one that accelerates the vehicle. This OP is claiming that not only did the car accelerate through pressing the brake, it was enough to run over two poles, some bushes, and hit a parked car. That sounds a lot like someone pressing the accelerator pedal to me. if its not, and is proven by an investigation to be what they say it is, this OP will likely end up very rich.

 

[UncertainTimes]

If you were indeed pressing the brake pedal as hard as you could, it would be nearly impossible for the car to accelerate.

 

[SpencerR]

I'll bet your dog had to get his stomach pumped after all the homework he ate over the years.

 

[father_of_6]

You have to be very careful with the right brake pedal. It only brakes when letting it go. Pressing it puts the car into exhilaration mode.

 

[KenC]

While braking (accelerator was not applied) to park in a parking lot, the car accelerated, ran over two poles & bushes going through a walkway and swiped a parked car before finally stopping.

Has anyone experienced sudden acceleration while braking? Car was not in cruise control and autopilot isn't enabled on the car.

Does anyone know if Tesla can determine the state of the car when this happened?

Thanks.

Definitely get your lawyer involved, to request the data logs. Have you had your 2022 SR long?

 

[costaj31]

Definitely get your lawyer involved, to request the data logs. Have you had your 2022 SR long?

Just a couple of months

 

[PWlakewood]

Honestly it would be better to admit If you did accidently push the go pedal instead of the brake and save yourself and others the headache and waste of time. I know it can be embarrassing.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Honestly it would be better to admit If you did accidently push the go pedal instead of the brake and save yourself and others the headache and waste of time. I know it can be embarrassing.

To be fair to OP, many people who press the accelerator pedal by accident (including in ICE cars) are 100% convinced and telling the truth when they are saying they thought they did that (not just coming up with an excuse while knowing they didn't). This is because it typically is a slight misapplication where their brain thinks they are pressing the brake pedal, when they are actually not.

The other possibility is cruise control being toggled on (accidental activation), but OP already said that wasn't what happened.

 

[parrainx]

Activating cruise control isn’t going to launch the car all of a sudden. Not sure what went down, but I’m pretty sure the brake pedal was not involved.

 

[stopcrazypp]

Activating cruise control isn’t going to launch the car all of a sudden. Not sure what went down, but I’m pretty sure the brake pedal was not involved.

Tesla had a recall in China to add a chime because people unknowingly knocked the cruise control stalk:
Tesla 'massive recall' in China is as ridiculously simple as adding a chime when activating cruise control

From a quick search there was a recent thread that described this happening:
How do I stop this unintended acceleration?

I remember other older cases in the forum, but I just link the above because it's even more relevant being recent.

 

[BitJam]

Tesla now automatically prevents 40 accidental accelerations per day when people mistakenly use the accelerator instead of the brake. It's too bad this didn't happen for the incident reported by the OP.

OT: Two weeks ago, a small fawn darted right in front of my car at night when I was on a back road going about 20 MPH. I was certain there was going to be a big mess but the car stopped magically fast and we missed the deer by inches. This is a single anecdote but I am confident that Teslas stop quickly when you step on the brake.

The minimum stopping distance going 20 MPH is 20 feet. I am certain the deer was much closer than 20 feet when I saw it in front of my car therefore AP must have started applying the brakes before I even saw the deer.

 

[sightman]

I once had a brain fart with my Tesla where I needed to slow down further when getting ready to park and pressed the accelerator to slow down. Realized it quick and had the time to switch pedals. Never happened in my previous vehicles. This was about 2 yrs ago now.

 

[rpiotro]

Maybe all auto makers should do something like VW with their ID.4. Yes, this is for real.

 

[father_of_6]

Maybe all auto makers should do something like VW with their ID.4. Yes, this is for real.

View attachment 859489

LOL. Who looks down at the pedals before pushing them? I don't even think I could see mine if I wanted to after sitting in the car.

 

[SageBrush]

Has anyone experienced sudden acceleration while braking?

The only confirmed cases are mistaken application of the go pedal. The drivers are always sure that could not have happened, but the car's logging tells the tale.