YearToAvoid

2020 Tesla Model S Collision Avoidance & Cameras Problems

Owners filed 25 Collision Avoidance & Cameras complaints for the 2020 Tesla Model S, 31% of that year's 80 total complaints, tied to 4 crashes and no fires or injuries. Four related recalls cover forward-collision and pedestrian-warning software issues.

Collision Avoidance & Cameras complaints
25
31% of 80
Crashes reported
4
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
0
Median mileage
100 mi
Related recalls
4

Typical collision avoidance system symptoms owners report

  • Adaptive cruise control or Autopilot triggers sudden, unexplained hard braking (phantom braking) at highway speeds with no obstacle present.
  • Forward collision warning alerts fire repeatedly even when the vehicle ahead is several car lengths away and speeds are moderate.
  • The car brakes abruptly when oncoming vehicles use high-beam headlights at night, even though low beams do not trigger the same response.
  • Full Self-Driving or Smart Summon has steered or driven the car into guardrails, parked vehicles, or fixed obstacles like a cart return station, in some cases totaling the car.
  • Backup camera and backup sensor systems have failed simultaneously along with GPS and data logging, leaving Tesla unable to diagnose the cause after the fact.

When 2020 Tesla Model S collision avoidance system complaints were filed

First complaint Oct 20, 2021, latest Sep 23, 2025.

2020 Tesla Model S collision avoidance & cameras complaints: complaints filed per month5Oct 2021Jul 2022Nov 2022Apr 2023Jan 2024Dec 2024
25 complaints filed with NHTSA from Oct 2021 to Sep 2025; peak Feb 2022 (5).

Collision Avoidance & Cameras recalls for the 2020 Tesla Model S

  1. NHTSA 24V153000Feb 27, 2024Collision Avoidance & Cameras6,557 vehiclesOver-the-air fix

    Forward collision avoidance: warnings:external/pedestrian alert

    Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2013, 2018-2021 Model S, 2020-2021 Model X, 2018-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. A factory reset muted the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."

    Risk: Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are muted, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, release 2023.44.30.14, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 27, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-006.

  2. NHTSA 22V235000Apr 12, 2022Collision Avoidance & Cameras594,894 vehiclesOver-the-air fix

    Forward collision avoidance: warnings:external/pedestrian alert

    Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model Y, Model X, Model S, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."

    Risk: Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are obscured, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will disable the Boombox functionality when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse modes, including Summon and Smart Summon, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 6, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-003. Note: This recall supersedes recall 22V-063. Vehicles configured with Summon or Smart Summon and already remedied under 22V-063 will need to have the new remedy software installed.

  3. NHTSA 22V063000Feb 4, 2022Collision Avoidance & Cameras578,607 vehiclesOver-the-air fix

    Forward collision avoidance: warnings:external/pedestrian alert

    Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model S, Model X, Model Y, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."

    Risk: Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are obscured, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will disable the Boombox functionality when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse modes, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 5, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-003. Note: This recall has been superseded by Recall 22V-235. Tesla's number for the new recall is SB-22-00-003.

  4. NHTSA 21V846000Oct 29, 2021Collision Avoidance & Cameras11,728 vehiclesOver-the-air fix

    Forward collision avoidance: sensing system: camera

    Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Model S, Model 3, Model X, and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles operating software version 2021.36.5.2. A communication error may cause false forward-collision warning (FCW) or unexpected activation of the automatic emergency brake (AEB) system.

    Risk: Unexpected activation of the AEB system may cause the car to stop suddenly, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Tesla Service has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. The recall began October 25, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-00-004.

Collision Avoidance & Cameras complaints by Model S model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 20122 (3%)
  2. 201311 (2%)
  3. 201413 (4%)
  4. 201544 (7%)
  5. 201659 (9%)
  6. 201784 (20%)
  7. 201850 (30%)
  8. 201913 (30%)
  9. 202025 (31%)
  10. 202148 (27%)
  11. 202235 (25%)
  12. 202318 (16%)
  13. 20242 (5%)
  14. 20250 (0%)

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints did the 2020 Tesla Model S get for Collision Avoidance & Cameras?
NHTSA lists 25 complaints in this area for the 2020 Model S, which is 31% of the 80 total complaints filed for that model year.
Were there crashes linked to this problem area?
Yes, NHTSA records show 4 crashes associated with Collision Avoidance & Cameras complaints on the 2020 Model S, with no fires or injuries reported.
Is there a recall for these issues?
Four recalls touch this system on the 2020 Model S: 24V153000 (muted pedestrian warning sounds), 22V235000 and 22V063000 (Boombox function playable while driving), and 21V846000 (false forward-collision warnings from a software communication error). All were fixed with over-the-air updates.
Does phantom braking show up often in complaints?
Yes, several sample complaints describe adaptive cruise control or Autopilot applying sudden, unwarranted braking at highway speeds, sometimes repeatedly on a single drive.
How does 2020 compare to other Model S years for this problem?
The 31% share for 2020 is close to 2019's 30% and slightly above 2018's 30%, and higher than earlier years like 2015 (7%) and 2016 (9%), based on NHTSA's model-year complaint data.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.