Phantom braking survey

[JohnB007]

I was going to create a new post similar to this, since I am also concerned about the phantom brake issue, given that my new MYLR is expected to be here in Aug. I was hoping to hear that the complaints are a small minority but loud. I'm not so sure anymore....

I do rely heavily on smart cruise right now (2016 X3), and I was hoping that the Tesla's AP/FSD will be a nice upgrade... I currently drive 40,000km per year.

When does VIN get issued? My understanding is that once you have VIN, you can't pull out, correct?

 

[voyager]

Wow, so far only 5% did not experience phantom braking...

 

[JohnB007]

Wow, so far only 5% did not experience phantom braking...

I'm sure there are many more people with no complaints on phantom brakes with no interest in seeking forums like this, so in reality, the numbers are probably much higher than 5%.

But still...

 

[OncomingStorm]

Wow, so far only 5% did not experience phantom braking...

yeah gotta keep in mind that people who are 100% happy with their car are not going to come to this or any other forum to post about it, aside from a few technophiles like myself lol, i personally have experienced braking but its always been proactive braking in response to a potential threat, yes its not perfect but it hardly detracts from the overall experience for me, in fact i'd prefer it be responsive to threats rather than the other way lol, i use AP every chance i get and love it

 

[SpaceShipDrvr]

My own personal anecdote - I did a long drive last weekend, with about 24hrs driving total over 5 days:
The phantom breaking seemed slightly improved, but that may just have been different lighting conditions compared to the same route a few months ago. On normal (undivided) highways it still often panics when it sees a truck coming (but not always, not sure I understand why yet), but unlike the last time it did actually drive through a truss bridge without breaking hard. But again light conditions could explain the difference.

(It still works great on divided highways, very nice to use, only a few slight slowdowns - no hard brakes)

 

[sckor]

I do rely heavily on smart cruise right now (2016 X3), and I was hoping that the Tesla's AP/FSD will be a nice upgrade... I currently drive 40,000km per year.

Assuming you are buying an Y or a 3 (which has no radar... this would not apply to an S or an X which are still shipping with radar.)

In my experience so far, I would say that if you are driving primarily on 4 lane divided highways / freeways during the day it'll probably be OK.

On the other hand, if a significant chunk of that is on 2 lane highways, or if you are frequently driving in the dark you might want to reconsider. TACC (or AP) under those conditions will likely make you wish you were still driving your X3.

Tesla still considers TACC/AP on vision only cars as a "Beta" product... and it been this way for at least 8 months. Will they finally make it out of beta in 2022? Who knows. Elon seems to be trying to solve the virtually impossible city street driving FSD problem rather than trying to solve what should be a considerably easier problem first.

 

[JohnB007]

Assuming you are buying an Y or a 3 (which has no radar... this would not apply to an S or an X which are still shipping with radar.)

In my experience so far, I would say that if you are driving primarily on 4 lane divided highways / freeways during the day it'll probably be OK.

On the other hand, if a significant chunk of that is on 2 lane highways, or if you are frequently driving in the dark you might want to reconsider. TACC (or AP) under those conditions will likely make you wish you were still driving your X3.

Tesla still considers TACC/AP on vision only cars as a "Beta" product... and it been this way for at least 8 months. Will they finally make it out of beta in 2022? Who knows. Elon seems to be trying to solve the virtually impossible city street driving FSD problem rather than trying to solve what should be a considerably easier problem first.

Yes I have a MYLR on order for Aug 2022, hence the concern.

Fortunately, most of the roads I expect to commute are 4+lane roads, but some of that will be during the dusk/dark.

I'm still tilting towards Tesla, despite these issues with hopes that they will fix this issue within the foreseeable future, but I've read quite a few people who have been in this waiting mode for the past several years...

 

[SalisburySam]

…hopes that they will fix this issue within the foreseeable future, but I've read quite a few people who have been in this waiting mode for the past several years...

Phantom braking has been the behavior that has most soured me on my Tesla. It has happened since getting the car over 3 years ago and through 87 software updates. Mine is a radar car and at one time the radar was believed to be causing the problem. Newer non-radar cars and radar cars with FSD Beta software that doesn’t use existing radar are still reporting phantom braking in these fora. Some posit phantom braking is a problem with ALL traffic-aware cruise control, not just Tesla, but it certainly is a problem for me in my Tesla. Service attempts show the relevant systems are operating normally; there is nothing to be fixed other than the next software update.

Over time, some software updates have reduced phantom braking incidents for me, others have increased it, none has eliminated it. It seems to be a problem Tesla cannot solve or has prioritized below more important work such as the FSD Beta or Sonic the Hedgehog. Regardless, phantom braking for those of us who have it does not appear to be going away anytime soon if ever. The result: no use of TACC with passengers in the car. When it occurs, it is annoying to the driver but varies from annoying to terrifying to passengers/pets.

What is most concerning to me about all this is that Tesla steadfastly refuses to give the option for plain, old dumb cruise control, even as a stop-gap salve to us. Disclaimer: all of this is my personal experience, and my feelings expressed in these rants and whinings. Tesla got so very many things right on my car, but this is not one of them. Phantom braking is a constant reminder that I cannot use my car as I intended, or as I use my other vehicles. Not pleased.

 

[mswlogo]

I have a radar car, but FSD Beta disables it.

I didn’t notice any difference in phantom braking. It always varied some.

I have “annoying” (tolerable) phantom braking.

 

[sckor]

Yes I have a MYLR on order for Aug 2022, hence the concern.

Fortunately, most of the roads I expect to commute are 4+lane roads, but some of that will be during the dusk/dark.

I'm still tilting towards Tesla, despite these issues with hopes that they will fix this issue within the foreseeable future, but I've read quite a few people who have been in this waiting mode for the past several years...

4+ lane roads will probably be fine. And if there is traffic that you can follow, that generally seems to help things as well. The worst offenders tend to be 2 lane roads when a semi-truck is heading in the other direction.

Just in case you haven't seen this yet:

https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/sj9j80