Australian class action against Tesla (cars) for "Phantom braking"

[Bob Crowley]

There is an Australian class action against Tesla due to what is known as "phantom braking".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-11/tesla-phantom-braking-australia-class-action-lawsuit/10539

Some Tesla drivers have reported phantom braking while their car is in autopilot mode, which, according to Tesla, "enables your car to steer, accelerate and brake automatically within its lane".

It is not entirely autonomous driving, but you can take your foot off the accelerator while the car drives along at a set speed and slows down for other vehicles.

The company also maintains that autopilot is designed to make driving safer, but in the US, Tesla has been sued over several deadly crashes in which the system was enabled.

We've got a hybrid Toyota. We've had it for about 18 months. It has a similar system except they call it "adaptive cruise control" and "lane centering". If I set the cruise control, the car slows down if the car in front slows down and then picks up speed if the gap opens us. Likewise it will steer itself in the centre of marked lanes if I push the centering button.

One minor issue is that if there is pull over bay on the side of the road, and the left hand white line dives off to allow for the bay with no dotted line as a "barrier", the car will temporarily try to veer left to stay right in the centre of the "lane" (we drive on the left in Australia). But it only lasts a second as we go past the bay in a very short time.

So far we haven't had any problems with "phantom braking" touch wood. Apparenlty other brands have had issues, including Toyota, but it seems to be a persisent problem for Tesla.

Safety Systems May Cause ‘Phantom Braking’

While automakers continue to improve the reliability and performance of automatic emergency braking systems, issues can still occur, such as sudden, unexpected vehicle deceleration or braking.

www.automotive-fleet.com

Other Manufacturers Report Issues​

While AEB systems are designed to improve safety on the road, issues have been reported with vehicles from several different automotive and truck manufacturers.

In addition to Tesla and Nissan, other manufacturers reporting issues with AEB systems include:

• Subaru: In 2019, Subaru announced a recall of more than 1.3 million vehicles due a system problem that could cause the AEB to activate unexpectedly. The recall affected several models, including the Forester, Outback and Crosstrek.
• Toyota: Toyota has issued several recalls related to AEB system issues in various models, including the Camry and the RAV4. In some cases, the AEB system failed to activate when it should have, while in other cases, it activated unexpectedly.
• Ford: In 2020, Ford issued a recall of 600,000-plus vehicles because the AEB system activated randomly and without cause. The recall affected several models, including the Fusion, Edge and Lincoln MKX.
• American Honda: In 2019, Honda recalled more than 118,000 CR-V models due to a software issue that could cause the AEB system to engage unexpectedly.
• General Motors: GM has also issued several recalls related to incidences when the AEB system either unexpectedly activated or failed to activate when needed in various models, including the Chevrolet Malibu, GMC Acadia and Cadillac XT5.

I do remember driving a Mercedes Sprinter van for my job which tended to go into "Go slow" mode due to road surfaces. There might have been a rough patch or some potholes when I braked or cornered. I assume the car's computer thought it could be dangerous and it went "go slow". Even that could be risky as I might have been trying to turn right across fast moving oncoming traffic and the van decided to slow down which meant it took longer to cut across the oncoming traffic.

 

[timewerx]

I do remember driving a Mercedes Sprinter van for my job which tended to go into "Go slow" mode due to road surfaces. There might have been a rough patch or some potholes when I braked or cornered. I assume the car's computer thought it could be dangerous and it went "go slow".

I never driven anything with automated controls.

But I've been driving for more than 20 years now and by experience, I drive at significantly less speed over poor quality / bumpy road segments and this happens often over rural roads and/or on very poorly maintained roads.

This helps prolong the life of the vehicle's suspension system and helps delay loosening of the countless parts that can eventually cause annoying noises every time the car hits rough patches.

Hitting a rough patch isn't really dangerous unless it's incredibly bad, the vehicle is bottoming out on the road and/or you're on low profile wheels which is more prone to sidewall punctures. I used to do it at around speed limits including tight turns (accounting for the recommended max speed on road signs posted on tight turns). It didn't really affect the handling much if the suspensions system is fully functional. When I learned it accelerated aging of vehicle, I learned to drive slower over rough patches.

However, your habit of how fast you drove over rough patches affected, the vehicle's longevity, particularly, the suspension system and how long it delivered that "brand-new feel". In a sense, if your vehicle is aging prematurely, it can certainly handle more dangerously at some point and put you at risk.

Even that could be risky as I might have been trying to turn right across fast moving oncoming traffic and the van decided to slow down which meant it took longer to cut across the oncoming traffic.

I agree it would be risky if the vehicle did the opposite of what you're trying to do especially if you're doing a calculated move.

I still drive a "stick" fully manual transmission with clutch and an old and somewhat inadequately maintained vehicle. It can sometimes be shifted in the wrong gear. On few occasions, it did and I was trying to accelerate to pass, cross traffic, merge, etc because I shifted in the wrong gear, I got much weaker acceleration than I'm hoping for and sometimes, even slowed down if shifted in lower gear. It can be very distracting in the worst case scenario as well so yes, it's absolutely dangerous.

 

[Bob Crowley]

As a matter of interest, I wasn't driving the Mitsubishi Sprinter on rough roads. I may have hit a pothole, bumpy or slippery patch on a usually well maintained urban road. It was just before I wanted to turn right across incoming traffic.

If I remember rightly the vehicle went into what they called "limp mode". It limped all right - it took me about three times longer than I was expecting to cut across the oncoming line of traffic. It was disconcerting to say the least.

I pulled up somewhere and phoned the fleet manager who told me how to fix it (in the short term). They've probably fixed the issue now as that was some years ago, but sometimes the technology gets too smart for its own good. One notable case was the Boeing MAX 7373 aircraft crashes and the subsequent grounding of all MAX 737 aircraft tillpot the problem was fixed.

What Causes a Sprinter Van to Go into Limp Mode? Understanding This Protective Mercedes Setting - Supertech Diesel Truck Specialists

Imagine you’re driving along the roads in the beautiful country around Nanaimo, BC. You intend to merge onto Highway 19, but when you try to accelerate, your Sprinter van simply won’t give you the juice you need. You put your pedal to the floor…and still nothing. You can’t even get above 80 kph...

supertechonline.ca