Tesla is facing a new probe by U.S. auto safety regulators, who said they had received a few hundred complaints alleging unexpected brake activation in some Tesla models, an issue consumers have dubbed “phantom braking.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in a Feb. 16 notice (pdf) that the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) had received 354 complaints claiming that 2021–2022 Tesla Models 3 and Y unexpectedly hit the brakes while the vehicles were driving at highway speeds. The models in question were equipped with Tesla’s advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), otherwise known as Autopilot, which Tesla says let the vehicles steer and brake automatically. NHTSA said the individuals filing the complaints said the Autopilot features were engaged when the vehicle “unexpectedly applies its brakes while driving at highway speeds,” with the activation of the system slowing the cars down fast. “Complainants report that the rapid deceleration can occur without …