Model S P100D, Purchased 12/2017, HW 3.0 upgrade, FSD option (which I don't use because it performs so poorly)
When I purchased, I thought SW updates were going to be good thing, and for the first 4 years or so they were. In the last 18 months, updates have made TACC worse and worse. The latest update, 2023.7.10 has made TACC all but unusable and has ruined my car. TACC was once very good and, honestly, was one of the main reasons I bought the car. I once used TACC (and Autosteer) almost continuously every day on my daily commute and on trips. My Model S was hands down my preferred long-distance car because of TACC and Autosteer. Even my non-tech wife loved it. On our last long trip, it broke my heart to leave the Model S in the garage. We took my wife's Hyundai SUV, because its version of TACC now performs MUCH better than my $140K Tesla.
TACC is not safe. When a car drives in a way that is unexpected to other drivers, it creates a potential for a collision. Phantom braking is a big problem. I, too, have almost been rear-ended multiple times. Some brakes are so dramatic that they they send items on the seat flying in the air, and I know I would be rear-ended if someone was behind me. With the latest update, it's much worse. I would call it "phantom deceleration" (PD). For example, there's one place on my daily commute where the speed limit is 55. I'm using TACC and Autosteer set to 60 on a 4-lane road. PD slows the car quickly to 35, every time! My best guess is that it sees the small orange road cones on the side of the road (in the grass, about 20 feed from the edge of the road). On another 4-lane road, PD slows from 50 to 35. No cones anywhere this time. My guess is the yellow lines in the middle of the road just before a left-hand turn lane. Again, likely I would get hit if someone was behind me. In my 18 min drive to/from work, PD occurs at least 10 times every trip. I frequently have to fully disengage TACC/AP. My wife's Hyundai SUV does not have ANY of these problems.
TACC causes traffic congestion. Two of the biggest causes of traffic congestion are (1) cars accelerating too slowly when a light turns green (which limits the number of cars that can get through an intersection before the next red), and (2) excessive spacing between cars in traffic. TACC is HORRIBLE in both cases. (1) When the light turns green, my car accelerates VERY slowly. I always have to manually accelerate, which means I can no longer use TACC in stop and go traffic. (Performance in stop/go traffic used to be one of the features I liked best about TACC). (2) If I come up on a car driving more slowly, I'm happy with the distance TACC puts between me and the car ahead. But, when the car ahead accelerates, my car always accelerates very slowly, opening up a huge distance between me and the car ahead. I always have to manually accelerate. Bottom line, TACC is only useful if there are no other cars on the road. If I am in traffic, I am CONTINUOSLY having to accelerate manually. I.e. TACC is all but useless. My wife's Hyundai SUV is not great in this category either, but it's better than my Model S.
TACC gives a very uncomfortable ride. Phantom braking and PD make for a very uncomfortable ride. Also, "normal" braking is not smooth at all. The worst is when I am coming up on a car that is stopped at a red light. The car brakes very abruptly. I now almost always disengage TACC when approaching cars that are moving slowly or stopped. If I forget, my wife asks me to disengage. The way my car brakes upsets her stomach. My wife's Hyundai SUV always brakes smoothy in every situation. It is 10x better than my Model S.
Since this has been going on for over a year and because it gets worse with nearly every update, someone at Tesla apparently thinks this kind of performance is desirable. If this is the case, I fear there's little chance that it will ever get any better. Given this, as much as this kills me, I will very likely sell my Model S. I once loved my car and loved driving it. Now, I can't stand driving it. It is unlikely that I will EVER buy another car that updates it's software like this. The software updates have ruined my car. Tesla has stolen my car from me.
I would like to complain to Tesla and see if they recognize the issues that we are all having and if they intend to fix them. Does anyone know of a way to reach them?