The “phantom braking” bug will trigger an investigation by the American auto regulator. 416,000 vehicles are potentially affected.
A vehicle which brakes suddenly on the motorway, for no apparent reason: such is the bug potentially identified by several drivers of Tesla brand cars. A problem commonly referred to as “phantom braking” or “phantom braking” in French.
After complaints from several owners of the brand’s vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the American automobile regulator, decided to open an investigation. It is the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y marketed in 2021 and 2022 that would be affected. 354 complaints were recorded by the regulator. The survey is expected to cover more than 416,000 cars.
A bug in autopilot mode
The symptom of “phantom braking” occurs when the driver activates autopilot, a feature that (partially) takes over the throttle, steering and brake. In its recommendations, Tesla makes it clear that the ADAS Autopilot system does not “does not make the vehicle autonomous“.
“Complaints allege that while using ADAS features, including adaptive cruise control, the vehicle brakes unexpectedly while traveling at high speeds on the highway“, details the report of the NHTSA.
The administration office responsible for investigating the defects will conduct a “preliminary assessment“, for “determine the scope and severity of the potential problem and fully assess potential security issuesThis investigation paves the way for an official vehicle recall procedure.