NHTSA complaint: 2016 TESLA MODEL S — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
ON 1/18/20, I WAS TRAVELLING IN MY 2016 TESLA MODEL S P100D EASTWARD ON ANDERSON HILL ROAD TOWARD THE INTERSECTION WITH PURCHASE STREET. THE STOP LIGHT WAS RED. I WAS DRIVING 1MI UNDER THE SPEED LIMIT OF 35MPH. THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS AROUND FREEZING, AND A WET SNOW HAD BEGUN 5-10MIN EARLIER, WITH MINIMAL ACCUMULATION. I KNOW EXACTLY HOW FAST I WAS GOING BECAUSE I HAD CRUISE CONTROL ON. I WAS NOT ON AUTOPILOT. JUST CRUISE CONTROL. WHEN THE INTERSECTION AND STOP LIGHT CAME INTO VIEW, I TAPPED THE BREAK TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL, AND THEN DEPRESSED THE BREAK TO SLOW THE CAR. NOTHING HAPPENED. THE BREAKS WOULD NOT ENGAGE. AND NEITHER DID THE REGENERATIVE BREAKING. I DO NOT FEEL THAT I WAS SKIDDING OR SLIDING. IT SIMPLY FELT AS IF THE CAR HAD NO IDEA I WANTED TO BRAKE. IT WAS VERY VERY STRANGE. IN THOSE FEW SECONDS IT BECAME CLEAR TO ME THERE WAS A GOOD CHANCE I WOULD BE DEAD SHORTLY. AS IT HAPPENS, I WAS STRUCK BROADSIDE BY A LARGE SUBURBAN TRAVELLING NORTHBOUND ON PURCHASE STREET PERHAPS 25 MILES AN HOUR. BOTH HE AND I SEEM TO HAVE EMERGED RELATIVELY UNSCATHED (PHYSICALLY, ANYWAY) THANK GOD. BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR. CAN YOU PLEASE CONTACT TESLA AND DEMAND ALL THE INFORMATION FROM THE CARS COMPUTERS - AND THEIR COMPUTERS AT HQ - SO WE CAN FIND OUT??? WHAT HAPPENED WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, AND COULD HAVE KILLED BOTH ME ND OTHERS. TO SUMMARIZE: BRAKE FAILURE, BOTH MANUAL AND DEGENERATIVE, IN 2016 TESLA MODEL S CAUSED MASSIVE COLLISI
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation