Tesla Model 3 Complaints (2023)

417 consumer complaints on file.

#11537335August 9, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I was driving on a rural, two-lane highway with no other cars around and with cruise control engaged. Without warning, the car decelerated suddenly and rapidly from about 60 MPH and continued to decelerate until I pressed on the accelerator pedal (at about 40 to 45 MPH) to stop the deceleration. It happened at least 5 times during a drive from Spring Grove, IL to Champaign, IL on July 7, 2023, between 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM. If there had been a car following close behind me it would have been very dangerous. I had the Basic Autopilot engaged with Traffic-Aware Cruise Control (but not Autosteer). Weather conditions were bright sunlight with a few clouds. The problem has occurred several times (at least 4 times) since then. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. I have not had the vehicle inspected by anyone. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failures.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11537287August 8, 2023
STEERING
I took delivery of a Tesla Model 3 on July 7. On July 18, I received a digital message indicating that the software needed to be updated, and I complied. Later, when I got into the car to drive it, I got two error messages -- one indicating that the driver-assist steering might not work and the other relating to warning of approaching vehicles. I drove the car about 50 feet before realizing that I had no power steering and would not be able to control the car. Using all my weight to turn the steering wheel, I managed to pull over to the righthand shoulder of my street, where I left the car. A few hours later, I tried to drive the car again, and the problem had resolved itself. But I was nervous about driving it without an assurance from Tesla that it would not happen again, especially wile driving it, so I reported it to Tesla. Tesla's "remote team" did an analysis and reported six days later: "After reviewing your concern we have concluded that it can be chalked down to a known firmware issue that appears during the first start after completing the most recent update and goes away after leaving the vehicle and coming back. We are seeing no further issues with the steering assist, and no repair is needed at this time." Meanwhile, I had not driven my new car for six days out of concern that the steering wheel could freeze up while driving. When I search online, I found many, many reports from drivers about this problem, some of whom said they'd had to have their whole steering column replaced. I read this week that NHTSA had opened an inquiry, so I am submitting my experience so you can see the problem is not limited to 12 vehicles. Also, I suggest you do a Google search to amass more evidence of how common it is.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536791August 6, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, VISIBILITY/WIPER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Emergency braking applied when no other vehicles were in sight. Braking was hard enough to spill coffee. Seems to occur when adaptive cruise control is on. Happened about 10 times on recent road trip. Lucky no one was behind us! Felt very unsafe.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536774August 6, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STRUCTURE:BODY, LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH
On August 5, 2023, my car charge got too low for me to make it to a charging station in Lafayette Louisiana. I had the vehicle towed on a flat bed. I put the car in Tow Transportation mode. While we were towing the car, I opened the car to check the battery level and somehow the frunk was activated (perhaps I accidentally hit it, I'm not sure). The frunk opened while we were going about 60 mph down the highway, the wind lifted the trunk up and it crushed my front windshield and the frunk and opening mechanics were damaged. Had we not immediately pulled over the frunk hood could have been ripped off the car by the wind and caused a major accident. This seems to be a flaw in the Tesla electronics/app system - you should not be able to open the Frunk once it is put into Tow Transportation mode.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536750August 6, 2023
STEERING
2023 Tesla Model 3 with 3,000 miles. No accidents or impact with potholes or curbs. Started vehicle, put in drive, pressed accelerator, car went forward but would not turn. Steering wheel was stuck in straight position. I stopped the vehicle and put it in park, same symptom of stuck steering wheel. My wife (passenger) and I did not notice any error lights or messages. I exited the vehicle walked away to trigger automatic locking. Returned to the vehicle, started it , and tested steering. Steering was free. Took approximately 5 mile test drive. Steering was erratic, making small movements to the left and right. At times it felt the car would veer offroad or into oncoming traffic. Contacted support. Dealer dispached tow truck to return vehicle for inspection. Was informed by dealer that no loaner vehicles are available, they only offered Uber credits.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536744August 6, 2023
STEERING
On May 22, 2023 I had an annual physical exam at the doctor's office at 9:00 am. Upon completion of the visit, I drove my model 3 from the parking spot (3rd level) towards the ground floor. At the final turn, at the ground floor, I felt that the car had an unusual resistance when I tried to navigate the turn. The steering wheel felt as if it were locked. As a result of not being able to turn the steering wheel, I hit seven cars that were parked at the ground floor and incurred substantial damage. The car is totaled unfortunately. I am hoping that the NHTSA may have a way to analyze the true cause of this accident before they send the car to the salvage market.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536715August 5, 2023
STEERING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Steering wheel stuck in straight position, unable to turn. Also, A/C line supermanifold defect present, needed to be replaced. Steering rack and harness both needed to be replaced. Tesla model 3, only had 40 miles before needing to be towed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536692August 5, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
The vehicle applied sudden and strong braking in clear road for no reason. It has done it on many occasions in the 2000 miles we have had the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536526August 4, 2023
STEERING
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while decelerating to make a right turn, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver as the lane shift avoidance reduced, and power steering assist reduced warning messages displayed. The contact stated that she pulled into a parking lot and parked the vehicle and after 20 minutes restarted the vehicle and resumed to normal functions. The manufacturer Tesla was contacted and advised her to reboot the computer as well as make an appointment with the Tesla service center. The computer was rebooted however several days later while making a left turn the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver with no warning messages displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the power steering rack was replaced. The failure reoccurred for a third time on July 7th while she was making a right turn with the message displayed steering assist reduced. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer where they replaced the steering rack and updated firmware however the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer they diagnosed the failure as a power steering harness that was replaced. The contact was relating the failure to a NHTSA Action Number: PE23014 (Steering) The failure mileage was 480.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536260August 3, 2023
STEERING
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn, the vehicle experienced gradual loss of power steering assist. The contact veered to the side of the road and contacted roadside assistance. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the steering wheel responded as needed; however, the contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 834.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536242August 3, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
My vehicle constantly slows down and occasionally even slams on the brakes to slow down for nonexistent obstacles. I believe this is a serious safety concern if there is a vehicle behind mine, as the driver of that vehicle would not expect mine to rapidly slow down. The root cause seems to be that the camera vision system frequently mistakes certain signs and dark cars reflected in mirages as pedestrians.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536158August 2, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I was stopped before turning left into a parking space. I was driving slowly. The car stopped but I did not engage the brake as a Tesla will stop once the foot is removed from the accelerator. At that point the car leaped forward at full speed hitting parts of a building and a fence. I did NOT step on the accelerator. No one was injured. The airbags did not deploy even though there was $17,000 damage to the front of the car. There were no warning signals. The person inside the building was waiting for me and saw the car come to a stop.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536067August 2, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The ADAS regularly brakes suddenly for no apparent reason. There does not seem to be a consistent reason. Yesterday, during a 90 mile drive EB on the interstate in the afternoon it braked (scaring us) suddenly so often that it made cruise control more of a hazard than a help. This morning between 9-11 am, westbound on the same interstate it braked suddenly 20-30 times. This sudden braking is dangerous as unexpected behavior could cause an accident with any vehicle behind us.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536042August 2, 2023
STEERING
Car started pulling to the right after leaving the parking lot and vehicle warning stating Steering assist reduced. I pulled over to see the left wheel was turned in while the right wheel was straight ahead. Towed to nearest Tesla service center where they stated the steering rack failed and would require a complete replacement. I was told this was not a warranty issue and I must have hit something. I protested stating there was nothing abnormal about the drive. Took to the nearest certified bodyshop where the steering rack and front control arm were replaced.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11535903August 1, 2023
STEERING
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel stiffened and became difficult to maneuver. The contact stated that he turned off and restarted the vehicle and the steering assist reduced warning light illuminated and a message displayed “Steering – Increased Effort Required”. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11535876August 1, 2023
STEERING
I was driving to work in the morning and there was a sudden jolt and then the steering wheel became very heavy and I had to pull over and stop the car, when I did do it showed me power steering failure and the steering was very hard to control and could not drive straight and kept sway from side to side. The steering wheel was very heavy and unreliable. Tesla had to come and tow my car to service center and provided me with loaner car
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11535812August 1, 2023
STEERING
I just read an article on Yahoo Finance detailing steering issues with a few Tesla Model 3 and Model Y's. This issue involves loss of steering completely or loss of power steering. Additionally the screen says "power steering is reduced or disabled". Well, I had this exact thing happen to me. I bought the car on May 6, 2023. Two weeks later, May 20th, I went to leave the house and my Model 3 had no steering. I literally could not turn the steering wheel and the screen said "power steering is reduced or disabled". I tried everything to fix the issue. I even did a complete "reboot", but to no avail. I submitted a service claim to Tesla and told them they would have to come pick up my car as there was no way the car could be driven to Atlanta for service. Later that day, I remembered my screen also said "charging error", along with "power steering is reduced or disabled". So, I decided to charge the car to 100%. Well, that seemed to fix the problem. Since then the steering has worked fine. (I am thankful the car was parked at home when it lost steering.) Just an FYI - I have a screen shot of my service request filed with Tesla back on May 20th should you need that.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11535760August 1, 2023
STEERING
Steering rack failed. Not able to steer vehicle The consumer stated that the vehicle was repaired.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11535708August 1, 2023
STEERING
On 7/21/2023, I received an alert saying “steering assist reduced”. I could not turn the steering wheel. Luckily I was parked and trying to back out of my spot. The steering assist came back after getting in and out of the vehicle. Contacted Tesla about this and they told me to monitor the situation. I took delivery of my vehicle 7/20/2023 around 3pm EST. So I had the car less than 24hrs.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11535686August 1, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The car has a tendency when I’m on rural highways to suddenly emergency brake when I have the auto pilot on
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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