Accelerator on lunch break

[father_of_6]

Please forgive me if there are already threads about this... I searched but really didn't know what to call it.

I've had my M3LR for almost 4 months now and it's great. Sometimes, when I feel it's safe to do so, I'll really floor it when the light turns green. Twice in the past few weeks though, the accelerator just... didn't work. I basically had to let off the pedal completely and try again. I have a service appointment for an unrelated issue in a few days (PT sensors), so I'll mention in then as well.

More information:

• I know 100% for sure that I'm pressing the pedal... just so that's out of the way.
• It seems like *something* happens (maybe a noise, maybe a tiny bit of forward motion). Since it caught me "off guard" both times, I don't entirely recall. I'll try to pay more attention from now on.
• It has only happened from a stand-still... not while already in motion... and both times I was intending to really floor it.

Has anyone had a similar experience or know anything about this? Thanks in advance.

 

[Payjack]

Any cars or motorcycles next to you when this happens? I noticed this happened occasionally in my performance when a car was close to me and when I turned off obstacle avoidance it stopped happening. There are a few threads about it.

 

[father_of_6]

Hmm... both times, yes. I'd feel better to know that the car did it intentionally than to think it is a defect of some type.

Since the vehicles were on the *side* of me though, it didn't keep me from avoiding them. If we really wanna get technical about it, I would've been avoiding them more from 100 feet away after the light turned green

Thanks @Payjack - that gives me something to research.

 

[father_of_6]

After a cursory search of "obstacle avoidance" and "collision avoidance", I just want to clarify... when I said *maybe a noise* happened, it definitely wasn't a chime. I've heard those when I drive too close to a car turning up ahead. The noise may have been something mechanical perhaps. I'm not certain, but think more like the rando buzzes one might hear while charging.

I believe if this were due to collision avoidance it would have indeed chimed at me. This *seems* like a mechanical (or other) defect. Since it's only just happened in the past 2ish weeks, my assumption is that this may increase in frequency. I'll deal with it when the time comes.

 

[rincewind]

Obstacle avoidance doesn't chime, no noises at all - it just knocks the power right back for a brief time, almost like silent wheelspin, then the car resumes it's proper acceleration. It was annoying me too - had it happen every week or so about 4 months back (maybe an update made it more prevalent?). I turned it off, the problem went away. It's stayed off ever since.

 

[Rhytid]

I have a Performance and it happened to me yesterday. I was at red light. There was a car to my left and the curb to the right. I stepped on it when light turned green and there was nothing. I am not clear on exactly what I did next as it happened very fast but I think I let off and then feathered the accelerator and once I felt the car moving, I gradually pushed it down all the way.
Never happened before. I chalked it up to obstacle avoidance flaking but I know for sure there was nothing in front of the car.
Wonder if this is a bug with the latest update. It seems to also not be able to do scheduled charging anymore.
Running 2021.4.12

 

[thor_2019]

Obstacle avoidance doesn't chime, no noises at all - it just knocks the power right back for a brief time, almost like silent wheelspin, then the car resumes it's proper acceleration. It was annoying me too - had it happen every week or so about 4 months back (maybe an update made it more prevalent?). I turned it off, the problem went away. It's stayed off ever since.

Mines been off since 05/2019

 

[MoreAgain]

I have experienced this a few times in both my RWD and Performance. I believe it is related to the level of grip the car senses. Whether real or perceived (check your wheel speed sensors- they can get damaged easily), the car will cut power if it thinks the amount of throttle being applied will cause too much wheel spin. Most of the times it has happened to me the road surface was damp, rough or uneven.

 

[Irata]

Interesting that the pedal was fully pressed and zero power, no movement forward at all.

That's behaving like it's not yet in drive. I wonder if any other situation blocks movement, like a sensor thinking the frunk is open for example. I don't know if that does, but something like that.

 

[jjrandorin]

The times this has happened to me, its normally the obstacle avoidance feature that is mentioned by a few others in this thread. It doesnt chime, as said. it just cuts power temporarily. Unlike a few mentioned, I left mine on, because I felt the car cutting power a few times when I didnt expect it would be ok if even one time it prevents me from accelerating when I dont see a motorcycle splitting lanes next to me racing up, or something like that.

 

[father_of_6]

I left mine on, because I felt the car cutting power a few times when I didnt expect it would be ok

Same here, I'm leaving it on... but I'm glad to know *why* it happened. Maybe it'll save my life one day... I got kids to feed

 

[thor_2019]

Same here, I'm leaving it on... but I'm glad to know *why* it happened. Maybe it'll save my life one day... I got kids to feed

IMO it can be extremely dangerous and the reason why I turned it off. I was needing to cross the highway and accelerate fairly aggressively. I would accelerate right after a cross traffic car passed, but the car hardly moved. Once I figured out what setting caused this as there was no indication why, it has been off ever since. If the cross traffic was any faster I might have been in serious trouble. You expect the car to go when you step on the pedal.

 

[Rhytid]

I just had this happen again. Stopped at red light. Unlike last time, no car next to me. Stepped on pedal and there was a slight initial power but then cutoff. Had pedal pushed all the way down and the power came back on a split second later.
Road was dry. 56 degrees. Winter tires on 19 inch wheels.
Came home and did a reset as I never had this problem before 2021.4.12
Will have to see if it persists

 

[diamond.g]

Turn off Obstacle Aware Acceleration and see if you still have issues. It is found under Autopilot settings at the bottom of the screen.

 

[Rhytid]

Turn off Obstacle Aware Acceleration and see if you still have issues. It is found under Autopilot settings at the bottom of the screen.

I turned it off after the second episode but considering it never happened before with it turned on, I suspect it’s something else.

 

[OneOhEd]

Please forgive me if there are already threads about this... I searched but really didn't know what to call it.

I've had my M3LR for almost 4 months now and it's great. Sometimes, when I feel it's safe to do so, I'll really floor it when the light turns green. Twice in the past few weeks though, the accelerator just... didn't work. I basically had to let off the pedal completely and try again. I have a service appointment for an unrelated issue in a few days (PT sensors), so I'll mention in then as well.

More information:

• I know 100% for sure that I'm pressing the pedal... just so that's out of the way.
• It seems like *something* happens (maybe a noise, maybe a tiny bit of forward motion). Since it caught me "off guard" both times, I don't entirely recall. I'll try to pay more attention from now on.
• It has only happened from a stand-still... not while already in motion... and both times I was intending to really floor it.

Has anyone had a similar experience or know anything about this? Thanks in advance.

Exactly the same experience today. Also never experienced this before in the past 2+ years of Model3. Convinced this is a software thing in latest update.

Felt faulty. No chime or so.

 

[captBill]

I just received a notice of a new download but i do not see it yet, maybe tonight.
I had experienced the lack of acceleration when there were carburetors, a leaky accelerator pump (Pontiac OHC 6 with a quatrojet). Then in 2011 with an Acura TSX with a throttle by wire I would experience the same condition randomly. I told the service rep several times but they could never duplicate the condition and wrote it off that I was just an other crazy customer, It would happen in the summer every couple of months. Then at 125k miles I sold it for a Volt.
So now the accelerator pump fairy will be back to haunt me??

 

[Joe_P3D]

This is definitely obstacle avoidance kicking in. There is no chime when you’re trying to stomp the pedal from a stop. The chime/beeping only comes on while in motion and you’re coming up fast on an object to warn you of a potential collision. It’ll also slam on the brakes if there was no action from the driver to slow down.

Sometimes you’ll also experience the dead pedal when coming out of a steep driveway where your nose is pointed slightly lower and toward the pavement because it thinks you’re trying to accelerate into a wall.

 

[George702]

Within my first year, this has happened probably 6 times. Usually months apart. Various traffic conditions being at a stop light with a car next to me, to me literally the only thing on the road, a flat road. Adjusted all the settings anyone could ever recommend, including obstacle avoidance, but it still happened. Never take my foot off the pedal and maybe 2 seconds later the car accelerates. So while everyone mostly says to turn off obstacle avoidance, it's not the culprit. Luckily, hasn't happened so far this year. At least I don't remember if it did.

 

[father_of_6]

So... should we call this "Sudden Unintended Nonacceleration"? I guess it's better than the inverse.