2015 Tesla Model S driver assist problems

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

This issue involves critical safety systems, including the rearview camera, front camera, and Autopilot/driver assistance features. The vehicle was taken to Tesla for a recall related to the MCU system. Tesla marked the recall as completed, but no effective repair was performed. The rearview camera remains unavailable, the front camera system is not functioning properly, and driver assistance features continue to be disabled. Tesla returned the vehicle without resolving the safety issue. This condition poses a serious safety risk, as essential visibility and safety systems are not operational despite a completed recall.

NHTSA complaint #11730301 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

Tesla Model S has a notorious back hatch latching failure. It’s a flawed design that every replacement is a “when” and not “if for failure. As an owner its failed be about 4-5 times in 5+ years of ownership. The hatch back latching issue causes cruise control as well as their Autopilot steering navigation feature to be disabled when latch starts acting up or failing to fully close, which are helpful safety components to keep your car on the road going at proper speeds and staying in lane. Reporting this in hopes someone pushes Tesla to do something about this flaw that should be a manufacturers defect.

NHTSA complaint #11714890 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

Tesla Model S has a notorious back hatch latching failure. It’s a flawed design that every replacement is a “when” and not “if for failure. As an owner its failed be about 4-5 times in 5+ years of ownership. The hatch back latching issue causes cruise control as well as their Autopilot steering navigation feature to be disabled when latch starts acting up or failing to fully close, which are helpful safety components to keep your car on the road going at proper speeds and staying in lane. Reporting this in hopes someone pushes Tesla to do something about this flaw that should be a manufacturers defect.

NHTSA complaint #11714890 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

What happened? While driving my 2015 Tesla Model S, the main touchscreen (MCU) began intermittently going black, disabling access to essential vehicle controls, navigation, climate settings, and rear-view camera display. At times when the MCU was functioning, the rear-view camera feed would still display a black screen upon shifting into Reverse, leaving me without any rear visibility. Component or system that failed: Media Control Unit (MCU1) / eMMC memory failure Rear-view camera and/or associated wiring harness Safety risk: The intermittent blackouts of the MCU and loss of rear camera feed created significant safety hazards, especially when reversing or attempting to adjust driving settings while in motion. The loss of rear visibility increased the risk of collision with pedestrians, cyclists, or obstacles. The MCU failure also limited access to defrost/defog controls and turn signal audio feedback. Problem reproduction and confirmation: Tesla Service has confirmed both the MCU1 hardware failure and the rear-view camera malfunction. The problems occurred repeatedly before being inspected. Inspection: The vehicle has been inspected by Tesla Service Center technicians, who diagnosed both the failing MCU1 and the defective rear-view camera. Warning messages or symptoms prior to failure: For MCU: slow system performance, frozen screen, then intermittent complete blackouts while driving. For rear-view camera: black or distorted camera feed when in Reverse, even when the MCU display was otherwise operational. These issues began occurring in June 2025 and became progressively worse until Tesla inspection on July 6, 2025.

NHTSA complaint #11680801 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

EMMC failed prior to recall and was replaced by 3rd party vendor. Recall reimbursement was denied. Emailed Tesla multiple times without response

NHTSA complaint #11583598 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

The MCU that controls the climate and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems stops working while driving. I sent a service request to TESLA and they replied that my older MCU1 is failing because of the new software updates. It isn't the eMMC card hardware failure, but the symptoms and safety concerns are the same. None of the controls work, as the main screen goes blank and resets while driving. TESLA told me the fix for this problem is to upgrade to MCU2, which they fail to provide for free as a safety recall. There was already a recall for the MCU memory chip failing and causing the same safety concern. The car disables the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems when this problem occurs. It happens about once or twice a month for the last year.

NHTSA complaint #11581437 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

Unknown

NHTSA complaint #11572224 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

Unknown

NHTSA complaint #11572224 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING

1)MCU1 flash memory failure in production from 2012 to 2018, part is available, but would require downing the car to remove/replace. 2)The symptoms of this failure include the loss of indicated gear state and reduced driver visibility from the loss of rearview camera, defrost/defog and exterior signal lighting which increases the risk of an accident. Driver display is black or booting up slowly during this time and the car can be put into gear and driven prior to the display showing DNR gear state making it a safety risk to anyone walking near the vehicle if it was accidently put into gear. 3)Issue was confirmed by Tesla and was told an update to MCU2 hardware at $2250 was needed at the customer (my) expense. The vehicle was under a full Tesla warranty, so I refused and asked them to fix this issue. Tesla Service cleared/freed up some memory but said the issue would return unless I paid to update to MCU2 hardware. The issue has returned as they stated. 4)Yes, by Tesla Service and Tesla Engineering. Both confirmed that this was a known issue with the MCU1 hardware in production from 2012 to 2018 and recommended that I (the customer) update the vehicle to MCU2 hardware for $2250. 5)There are no warning lamps or messages to inform the operator of an issue. Only the black driver display, but that doesn’t prevent the operator from putting the vehicle in gear. The symptoms start with slow driver display boot times and progressively get worse over time losing the rearview camera, defrost/defog and exterior lighting controls. The display lag becomes enough to be able to accidently put the car in drive or reverse without displaying indicated gear state on the dash making it a safety risk to anyone walking near the car.

NHTSA complaint #11552280 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

1)MCU1 flash memory failure in production from 2012 to 2018, part is available, but would require downing the car to remove/replace. 2)The symptoms of this failure include the loss of indicated gear state and reduced driver visibility from the loss of rearview camera, defrost/defog and exterior signal lighting which increases the risk of an accident. Driver display is black or booting up slowly during this time and the car can be put into gear and driven prior to the display showing DNR gear state making it a safety risk to anyone walking near the vehicle if it was accidently put into gear. 3)Issue was confirmed by Tesla and was told an update to MCU2 hardware at $2250 was needed at the customer (my) expense. The vehicle was under a full Tesla warranty, so I refused and asked them to fix this issue. Tesla Service cleared/freed up some memory but said the issue would return unless I paid to update to MCU2 hardware. The issue has returned as they stated. 4)Yes, by Tesla Service and Tesla Engineering. Both confirmed that this was a known issue with the MCU1 hardware in production from 2012 to 2018 and recommended that I (the customer) update the vehicle to MCU2 hardware for $2250. 5)There are no warning lamps or messages to inform the operator of an issue. Only the black driver display, but that doesn’t prevent the operator from putting the vehicle in gear. The symptoms start with slow driver display boot times and progressively get worse over time losing the rearview camera, defrost/defog and exterior lighting controls. The display lag becomes enough to be able to accidently put the car in drive or reverse without displaying indicated gear state on the dash making it a safety risk to anyone walking near the car.

NHTSA complaint #11552280 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

When backing out of my garage, and reverse my car often times stops violently on its own

NHTSA complaint #11521634 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

BACK OVER PREVENTION

The contact owns a 2015 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the center display screen became inoperable. The contact stated that the defroster, exterior lights, back-up camera and radio were inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle occasionally stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the center display screen needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

NHTSA complaint #11521301 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

The issue began during the week of April 10, 2023. I started to experience significant steering wheel resistance in 90 degree intervals. My initial assumption was the power steering was starting to fail. The amount of force required to turn became progressively worse towards the latter half of the week. However, there were no warning lamps or messages indicating there were issues with the car. On the morning of Friday, April 14th after dropping my kids off at school, I was using the vehicle's Autopilot function while turning on an eastbound interstate on-ramp and noticed the car began to veer off course towards the concrete ramp barrier, forcing my to immediately grab the wheel to prevent a collision. It felt as if the wheel was stuck again at one of the 90 degree intervals mentioned above. I've driven this route countless times utilizing the feature and have never had an issue. It's worth noting that the resistance was felt regardless of whether or not the Autopilot feature was turned on. That afternoon I took my vehicle to the local Tesla service center and the representative immediately said it sounded as if the u-joint was going bad. They took the car in and had the part replaced within 24-hours. That evening I browsed numerous forums and learned this is a common issue due to the u-joint's lack of protection and exposure to the elements. I have never submitted a safety complaint before but the fear I experienced that morning combined with the lack of any warning lamps or notifications from the vehicle compelled me to share. I do believe this is a broader issue that needs to be reviewed.

NHTSA complaint #11517371 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

My 2015 Tesla Model S was driving with autopilot on 3-17-2023 at 5:45 pm PST near the intersection of Lafayette St and Memorex Dr. in San Jose California when I noticed it panicked and slammed on the brakes while traffic was flowing at about 40 mph. The day was clear no rain, fog, or obstructions. There was a Jeep approaching faster from my rear left in the next lane but it wasn't in front of me. No other cars were in front of me either. There was traffic directly behind me and the car suddenly braked nearly causing an accident from the rear. The car showed an icon of a person in red (An indication of what it was braking for). However, there was no person in the area. I immediately hit the acceleration pedal to avoid the accident from the rear and to keep the car moving. The car never showed a "person" indicator before in the 4 years I have owned it. I know the newer models show it but not this year. I immediately requested service through Tesla as the car has phantom braked for ghost cars in the past but never a ghost person and it almost caused a serious accident. I was told by Tesla that there is nothing they can do and that I needed to press the "Push to talk" button in the car and say "Report a bug". I told them in a moment like that I am more focused on preventing an accident and that is not a good solution. I did provide the time, day and conditions to them.

NHTSA complaint #11513609 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

My 2015 Tesla Model S was driving with autopilot on 3-17-2023 at 5:45 pm PST near the intersection of Lafayette St and Memorex Dr. in San Jose California when I noticed it panicked and slammed on the brakes while traffic was flowing at about 40 mph. The day was clear no rain, fog, or obstructions. There was a Jeep approaching faster from my rear left in the next lane but it wasn't in front of me. No other cars were in front of me either. There was traffic directly behind me and the car suddenly braked nearly causing an accident from the rear. The car showed an icon of a person in red (An indication of what it was braking for). However, there was no person in the area. I immediately hit the acceleration pedal to avoid the accident from the rear and to keep the car moving. The car never showed a "person" indicator before in the 4 years I have owned it. I know the newer models show it but not this year. I immediately requested service through Tesla as the car has phantom braked for ghost cars in the past but never a ghost person and it almost caused a serious accident. I was told by Tesla that there is nothing they can do and that I needed to press the "Push to talk" button in the car and say "Report a bug". I told them in a moment like that I am more focused on preventing an accident and that is not a good solution. I did provide the time, day and conditions to them.

NHTSA complaint #11513609 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

When driving with autopilot engaged, the vehicle sometimes gives alerts even when there is no vehicle or obstacle in its path. Immediately once the driver takes control, the autopilot does not disengage but continue as usual. The autopilot suddenly brakes or slows down even when there is no obstacle on a freeway.

NHTSA complaint #11506804 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

Tesla sent an “Over the Air” software update to my car that compromised the original functionality as designed at the date of manufacture. The software includes advancements that when installed on the original MCU1 hardware causes connectivity issues and significant delays in the Tesla Autopilot system, making the safety assistance system untrustworthy. Tesla informed me this is expected behavior when using the new software on the MCU1 hardware and that it was on the customer to upgrade to the newer MCU2 hardware at a cost of $2250 even when the car is covered under a full warranty.

NHTSA complaint #11488815 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Tesla sent an “Over the Air” software update to my car that compromised the original functionality as designed at the date of manufacture. The software includes advancements that when installed on the original MCU1 hardware causes connectivity issues and significant delays in the Tesla Autopilot system, making the safety assistance system untrustworthy. Tesla informed me this is expected behavior when using the new software on the MCU1 hardware and that it was on the customer to upgrade to the newer MCU2 hardware at a cost of $2250 even when the car is covered under a full warranty.

NHTSA complaint #11488815 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

Tesla sent an “Over the Air” software update to my car that compromised the original functionality as designed at the date of manufacture. The software includes advancements that when installed on the original MCU1 hardware causes connectivity issues and significant delays in the Tesla Autopilot system, making the safety assistance system untrustworthy. Tesla informed me this is expected behavior when using the new software on the MCU1 hardware and that it was on the customer to upgrade to the newer MCU2 hardware at a cost of $2250 even when the car is covered under a full warranty.

NHTSA complaint #11488815 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

When passing an off-ramp with a vertical wall next to the lane in which the car is travelling, the car sometimes rapidly slows down for no apparent reason. This has occurred at only two such off-ramps: North bound I-5 at 317th in Federal Way only while in the HOV lane and North bound on I-5 at the Berkeley Avenue SW exit at Camp Murray from the right lane.

NHTSA complaint #11485675 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

When passing an off-ramp with a vertical wall next to the lane in which the car is travelling, the car sometimes rapidly slows down for no apparent reason. This has occurred at only two such off-ramps: North bound I-5 at 317th in Federal Way only while in the HOV lane and North bound on I-5 at the Berkeley Avenue SW exit at Camp Murray from the right lane.

NHTSA complaint #11485675 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

Instrument cluster not powering on or crashes/glitches while operating the vehicle. This makes the vehicle unsafe to drive while auto pilot is engaged because the auto pilot system stops operating which could lead to a serious accident. The vehicle speedometer and all other instrument cluster warning systems are unavailable because the screen is off/not working. Tesla has performed a remote diagnostic and claims no issues are identified. They then proceed to upsell me the new infotainment system that will rectify this problem for $3,000 dollars.

NHTSA complaint #11481478 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

Two issues to flag: 1) Door handles are defective. I have now had to replace all 4 door handles at $500+ each. There is clearly a design issue that should have been addressed and every part failing in the same way is unacceptable. 2) Phantom braking when 'Autopilot' engaged... rarely the car will brake hard at highway speeds for no apparent reason. I have noted this seems to occur on specific parts of road such as driving under an overpass with an uphill slope... this has been dangerous and required quick reactions to prevent the car from stopping on the highway.

NHTSA complaint #11474720 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.