Braking and Stopping

Braking Systems

Warning: Properly functioning braking systems are critical to ensure safety. If you experience a problem with the brake pedal, brake calipers, or any component of a Model 3Model Y braking system, contact Tesla immediately.

Model 3Model Y has an anti-lock braking system (ABS) that prevents the wheels from locking when you apply maximum brake pressure. This improves steering control during heavy braking in most road conditions.

During emergency braking conditions, the ABS constantly monitors the speed of each wheel and varies the brake pressure according to the grip available.

The alteration of brake pressure can be felt as a pulsing sensation through the brake pedal. This demonstrates that the ABS is operating and is not a cause for concern. Keep firm and steady pressure on the brake pedal while experiencing the pulsing.

Yellow icon with the letters "ABS" inside a circle.
The ABS indicator briefly flashes yellow on the touchscreen when you first start Model 3Model Y. If this indicator lights up at any other time, an ABS fault has occurred and the ABS is not operating. Contact Tesla. The braking system remains fully operational and is not affected by an ABS failure. However, braking distances may increase. Drive cautiously and avoid heavy braking.
Red icon with an exclamation mark and word "BRAKE" underneath.
If the touchscreen displays this red brake indicator at any time other than briefly when you first start Model 3Model Y, a brake system fault is detected, or the level of the brake fluid is low. Contact Tesla immediately. Apply steady pressure and keep the brakes firm to bring the vehicle to a stop when safe to do so.
Yellow icon with an exclamation mark and word "BRAKE" underneath.
The touchscreen displays this yellow brake indicator if a brake booster fault is detected. Apply steady pressure and keep the brakes firm to stop the vehicle when safety permits. Hydraulic Boost Compensation will be active (see Hydraulic Boost Compensation).

Emergency Braking

In an emergency, fully press the brake pedal and maintain firm pressure, even on low traction surfaces. The ABS varies the braking pressure to each wheel according to the amount of traction available. This prevents wheels from locking and ensures that you stop as safely as possible.

Warning: Do not pump the brake pedal. Doing so interrupts operation of the ABS and can increase braking distance.
Warning: Always maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you and be aware of hazardous driving conditions. While the ABS can improve stopping distance, it cannot overcome the laws of physics. It also does not prevent the danger of hydroplaning (where a layer of water prevents direct contact between the tires and the road).
Note: Automatic Emergency Braking (see Automatic Emergency Braking) may intervene to automatically brake in situations where a collision is considered imminent. Automatic Emergency Braking is not designed to prevent a collision. At best, it can minimize the impact of a frontal collision by attempting to reduce your driving speed. Depending on Automatic Emergency Braking to avoid a collision can result in serious injury or death.
CAUTION: In emergency situations, if the brakes are not functioning properly, press and hold the Park button on the drive stalk to bring the vehicle to a stop. Do not use this method to stop the vehicle unless absolutely necessary.

Brake Disc Wiping

To ensure brakes remain responsive in cold and wet weather, Model 3Model Y is equipped with brake disc wiping. When cold and wet weather is detected, this feature repeatedly applies an imperceptible amount of brake force to remove water from the surface of the brake discs.

Hydraulic Fade Compensation

Model 3Model Y is also equipped with hydraulic fade compensation. This assists in monitoring brake system pressure and ABS activity for instances of reduced brake performance. If reduced brake performance is detected (for example, as a result of brake fade, or cold or wet conditions), you may hear a sound, feel the brake pedal pull away from your foot, and notice a strong increase in braking. Brake as you normally would and continue to press the brake pedal without releasing or pumping the brakes.

CAUTION: If brakes are not functioning properly, stop the vehicle when safety permits and contact Tesla Service. See Park for information on using the Park button to stop the vehicle in case of emergency.
Warning: Always maintain a safe driving distance from the vehicle in front of you and exercise caution when driving conditions are hazardous. Brake disc wiping and hydraulic fade compensation is not a substitute for adequately applying the brakes.

Hydraulic Boost Compensation

Model 3Model Y is equipped with a brake booster that activates the brakes when the brake pedal is pressed. Hydraulic boost compensation provides mechanical assistance if the brake booster fails. If a brake booster failure is detected, the brake pedal feels stiffer to press and you may hear sound when you press the brake pedal. To stop Model 3Model Y, apply steady force to the brake pedal without releasing or pumping. Drive cautiously and maintain a safe distance from other road users—brake pedal responsiveness and braking performance may be degraded.

Regenerative Braking

Whenever Model 3Model Y is moving and your foot is off the accelerator, regenerative braking slows down Model 3Model Y and feeds any surplus energy back to the Battery.

By anticipating your stops and reducing or removing pressure from the accelerator pedal to slow down, you can take advantage of regenerative braking to increase driving range. Of course, this is no substitute for regular braking when needed for safety.

Note: Installing winter tires with aggressive compound and tread design may result in temporarily-reduced regenerative braking power. However, your vehicle is designed to continuously recalibrate itself, and after changing tires it will increasingly restore regenerative braking power after some moderate-torque straight-line accelerations. For most drivers this occurs after a short period of normal driving, but drivers who normally accelerate lightly may need to use slightly harder accelerations while the recalibration is in progress.
Warning: In snowy or icy conditions Model 3Model Y may experience traction loss during regenerative braking, particularly when in the Standard setting and/or not using winter tires. Tesla recommends using the Low setting (see To Set the Regenerative Braking Level) in snowy or icy conditions to help maintain vehicle stability.

The amount of energy fed back to the Battery using regenerative braking can depend on the current state of the Battery. For example, regenerative braking may be limited if the Battery is already fully charged or if the ambient temperature is too cold.

Note: If regenerative braking is limited, a dashed line displays on the energy bar (see Driving Status).

To Set the Regenerative Braking Level

Note: The regenerative braking setting is not available on all vehicles.

You can use the touchscreen to change the level of regenerative braking:

  1. Touch Controls > Driving > Regenerative Braking.
  2. Choose from two levels:
    • Standard: Provides the maximum amount of regenerative braking. When you release the accelerator, Model 3Model Y slows down, reducing the need to use the brakes.
    • Low: Limits regenerative braking. When you release the accelerator, Model 3Model Y takes longer to slow down and coasts further than if set to "Standard".

Stopping Mode

Regenerative braking decelerates Model 3Model Y whenever you release the accelerator pedal when driving. You can choose what you want Model 3Model Y to do once the driving speed has been reduced to a very low speed (almost at a stop) and both the accelerator pedal and brake pedal are released. While in Park, touch Controls > Driving > Stopping Mode and choose from these options:

  • CREEP: When close to, or at, a complete stop, the motor continues to apply torque, moving Model 3Model Y slowly forward (in Drive) or backwards (in Reverse), similar to a conventional vehicle with an automatic transmission. In some situations, such as on a steep hill or driveway, you may need to press the accelerator pedal to continue moving or to prevent Model 3Model Y from moving in the opposite direction.
    Warning: Never rely on CREEP to apply enough torque to prevent your vehicle from rolling down a hill. Always press the brake pedal to remain stopped or the accelerator pedal to proceed up the hill. Failure to do so can result in property damage and/or a collision.
  • HOLD: Maximizes range and reduces brake wear by continuing to provide regenerative braking at speeds lower than with the Creep and Roll settings. When Model 3Model Y stops, the brakes are automatically applied without you having to put your foot on the brake pedal. Whether stopped on a flat surface or a hill, Vehicle Hold keeps the brake applied, provided your foot remains off the accelerator and brake pedals. See Vehicle Hold.
    Warning: Never rely on HOLD to adequately decelerate or fully stop your vehicle. Many factors can contribute to a longer stopping distance, including downward slopes, the low regenerative braking setting, and reduced or limited regenerative braking (see Regenerative Braking). Always be prepared to use the brake pedal to adequately decelerate or stop.
  • ROLL: When close to, or at, a complete stop, Model 3Model Y becomes free rolling like a vehicle in Neutral. Therefore, if stopped on a slope, Model 3Model Y will roll downward. The brake does not engage, and the motor does not apply torque (until the accelerator pedal is pressed).
    Note: If you choose CREEP or ROLL, you can still use Vehicle Hold to apply the brakes. However, you will need to briefly press the brake pedal when the vehicle is stopped. See Vehicle Hold.
    Note: When Model 3Model Y is in Track Mode (see Track Mode), the Roll mode is automatically enabled, regardless of your chosen setting. When no longer in Track Mode, Model 3Model Y reverts back to your chosen setting.
Warning: Press the brake pedal if Model 3Model Y moves when unsafe to do so. It is your responsibility to stay alert and be in control of the vehicle at all times. Failure to do so can result in serious damage, injury, or death.
Warning: Do not rely on regenerative braking and your chosen Stopping Mode to keep you and your vehicle safe. Various factors such as driving with a heavy vehicle load, on a steep hill, or on wet or icy roads affect deceleration rate and the distance at which Model 3Model Y will come to a stop. Drive attentively and always stay prepared to use the brake pedal to stop as appropriate based on traffic and road conditions.
Warning: Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking (if equipped) do not operate when driving at very low speeds (see Collision Avoidance Assist). Do not rely on these features to warn you, or to prevent or reduce the impact of a collision.
Note: Your chosen setting is retained in your Driver Profile until you manually change it.

Parking Brake

To engage the parking brake, touch Controls > Safety & Security > Parking Brake. Follow the onscreen instructions. You can also engage the parking brake by pressing and holding the button on the end of the drive stalk while in Park.

Drive stalk shown with an arrow pointing to the button on the end.
Note: The parking brake operates on the rear wheels only, and is independent of the pedal-operated brake system.
Warning: In snowy or icy conditions the rear wheels may not have sufficient traction to prevent Model 3Model Y from sliding down a slope, particularly if not using winter tires. Avoid parking on hills in snowy or icy conditions. You are always responsible for parking safely.
Warning: Your Model 3Model Y may display an alert if the road is too steep to safely park on, or if the parking brakes are not properly engaged. These alerts are for guidance purposes only and are not a substitute for the driver’s judgment of safe parking conditions, including specific road or weather conditions. Do not depend on these alerts to determine whether or not it is safe to park at any location. You are always responsible for parking safely.
Red icon with the letter P in a circle and the word "PARK" underneath.
When you manually apply the parking brake using the touchscreen, or by pressing and holding the button on the end of the drive stalk when in Park, the red parking brake indicator lights up on the touchscreen.
Yellow icon with the letter P inside a circle.
If the parking brake experiences an electrical issue, the amber parking brake indicator lights up and a fault message displays at the top of the touchscreen.
CAUTION: In the unlikely event that Model 3Model Y loses electrical power, you cannot access the touchscreen and are therefore unable to release the parking brake without first jump starting Model 3Model Y (see Instructions for Transporters).

Brake Wear

Model 3Model Y brake pads are equipped with wear indicators. A wear indicator is a thin metal strip attached to the brake pad that squeals as it rubs against the rotor when the pad wears down. This squealing sound indicates that the brake pads have reached the end of their service life and require replacement. To replace the brake pads, contact Tesla Service.

Brakes must be periodically inspected visually by removing the tire and wheel. For detailed specifications and service limits for rotors and brake pads, see Subsystems. Additionally, Tesla recommends cleaning and lubricating the brake calipers every year or 12,500 miles (20,000 km) if in an area where roads are salted during winter months.

Warning: Neglecting to replace worn brake pads damages the braking system and can result in a braking hazard.