Tesla Model 3 Complaints (2022)

773 consumer complaints on file.

#11466602May 29, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Frequent incidents of phantom braking when autopilot is engaged at highway speeds. Usually occurs on 2 lane roads, but has also happened on divided highway as well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11466523May 28, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Hello. My name is [XXX] and I need to speak to someone from Tesla or somewhere about the horrible customer service and service that I have received by the Tesla dealership in Littleton Colorado who the supervisor is [XXX]. I refuse to pick up my car because I am very concerned about the consistent safety issues that I have been experiencing that have not been addressed after four times bringing my car in and Dwayne told me that this will not go past him in refused to give me anybody else’s number who is in charge of him or the dealership or the district or the region or anything. Can somebody who is in charge of either the dealership or higher up than the manager at the dealership in Littleton please give me a call Or anyone who deals with safety concerns with vehicles that are not being addressed by the dealership. I am currently using a loaner right now and feel unsafe to bring that back in until I get a phone call from someone higher up in this company. I have never been more disappointed in a car company ever in the service that I have received. I have plenty of documentation as well to show that they refused to fix anything and consistently blame me for all of the issues that are going on with this car. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11466323May 27, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - Touchscreen goes black while driving. It can be inspected, but Tesla has not fixed the issue in the last 2 months. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Can't tell what speed I am going and can't hear turn signal active sound since screen is black and I have to wait 2-5 minutes after doing the steering wheel reset to see what speed I am going and if turn signals are on/off. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - Had two appointments so far for the issue and the issue is confirmed by me but cannot be reproduced by the service center after two separate appointments even with detailed accounts of when the issue appeared. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? - Yes, the result was that a software update is required and after two updates the issue keeps happening more frequently. This is with the active recall fix update and one more update after that. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? - Only warning sign that sometimes happens is when playing music through the bluetooth audio, there would be 1-5 second period of a "buzzing" sound before the screen would shut off. Other than that, the screen would shut off randomly with no warning at all.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11466129May 25, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at 40-60 MPH and making a turn using the self-driving mode, the brake pedal was depressed. However, the vehicle accelerated inadvertently at a higher speed. The contact depressed the brake pedal several times but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle crashed into the front passenger's side door of another occupied vehicle. The air bags deployed. The contact briefly lost consciousness. The contact sustained soreness on the nose, the throat, the upper back shoulders, and increasingly on the back. Additionally, the contact sustained emotional trauma. The contact stated that she was in the process of seeking medical assistance. The two passengers occupying the front driver's seat and the front passenger's seat of the other vehicle sought medical assistance. There was no further information provided. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 3,500.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
3
Deaths:
0
#11465741May 23, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The vehicle while in adaptive cruise control or autopilot will brake hard at high speeds on wide open highway. It has always done this from day one but while on a Kansas open highway it almost caused a major accident 3 times in a short period of time. After the third incident I discontinued any driver assistance. The speed limit was 75mph, the autopilot was set at 75mph, in under 2 seconds we were at 35mph for no reason 3 times in row. I contacted Tesla after a few days after purchase and they said they know about it and it will get fixed in the future but its been 4 months. I had my 4 year old in the car and this is a very concerning issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11465298May 19, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Driving at 80 mph down divided highway, with emergency braking disabled on system and using only adaptive cruise control, when car slams on brakes so hard speed goes from 80 mph to 65 mph, causing the tires to screech from breaking so hard, and nothing in the road ahead of me, and nothing on the sides of the road.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11465223May 18, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
When in cruise control and no obstacles in site, about every 10 minutes the brakes come on in varying degrees, sometimes a very hard brake. Once a vehicle was behind me and it nearly ran into me. It does not happen when anything is in front of me, such as following behind another vehicle, which I found I need to do to stop this from happening.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464951May 17, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Vehicle brakes randomly when in autopilot or cruise control. It happens at least every 15 miles. There seems to be no cause or current emergency which would cause this to happen. Vehicle brakes hard, which is dangerous to myself and all traffic behind me. Was reported to manufacturer as a warranty item. Was told that this is not a defect or broken component, and could not be fixed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464870May 16, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Tesla alpha numeric data & instrument function icons are fearfully too small on giant screen. Returning Saturday nite on unlit Merritt parkway in CT suddenly began to rain. My eyes glued on dark winding highway, unable to look away to Tesla screen. My wife in front of screen could NOT find dimly lit 3/8” windshield wiper icon too small, dimly lit, arrayed along bottom with five other tiny icons. Was forced to exit hiway barely able to see road. AT full stop searched bottom to find & press icon. Luckily not hit or crashed. Tesla is only computer screen does not provide user to customize font or icon size! One cannot reach any responsible person by phone, email or Tesla service app to appeal this needed software upgrade. Many driver complaints online Tesla chat rooms pleading for improvement. Tesla instrument control icons worst visual presentation of any car. A significant safety hazard for driver in all conditions but magnified terribly at nite in rain storm. Please report & seek correction.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464369May 12, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
When my wife was driving the vehicle this morning by herself, she heard a noise behind her. It was the driver's side rear door unlocked itself and popped opened. The vehicle immediately made a warning sound that a door was opened while the vehicle was in motion. She pulled over and noticed that the driver's side rear door can be opened without touching the door handle. The door was opened, not locked or partially locked. It would be extremely dangerous if there was a passenger next to the door.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464349May 12, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Pedestrian Warning System not available under 15 mph during forward. Service representative claimed sound only operating in reverse direction. I disagreed because a pedestrian walk in front of the tesla when pulling in to the street parking driving forward. Since the design of the system removed the option not to engage this safety feature, this should be fix, and to be meet or go beyond the standard of the industry around world.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464342May 12, 2022
BACK OVER PREVENTION, EQUIPMENT
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH in reverse, the Back Over Prevention camera lost connectivity and became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V296000 (Back Over Prevention, Equipment) for which the VIN was included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,724.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464303May 12, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
In the past month, I've experience at least four sudden breaking experiences: 1. About a month ago I experience a sudden dramatic deceleration on Interstate 70 driving 67 mph. No vehicles in close proximity. 2. 5/8/22 on Hwy 7 driving 65 mph when car suddenly hard breaked. There were no vehicles near by. 3. A few miles later a red car driving 75-80 mph, at least, pasted me and as as soon as the car was ahead of me, the Tesla breaked. This was not as hard as (2) 4. A few minutes later a white car passed much like (3) above. Again a sudden break as (3) Other info: Mid nineties, bright sun, strong headwind and dry pavement.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464282May 11, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Driving down Highway 54, a divided highway in southern New Mexico with adaptive cruise control set at 85 miles an hour, speed limit 75, with automatic emergency braking disabled, my car slammed on the brakes so hard, that the tires were screeching, with multiple vehicles traveling similar speeds to me approaching from behind. I had to press the gas pedal immediately to resume speed. When I looked at my speedometer, it showed a decrease in speed instantly of approximately 7 to 10 mph. While using adaptive cruise control, this frequently happens, despite automatic emergency braking being disabled. There was nothing in the road ahead of me to cause this breaking to occur, to include no animals, no humans, no items in the road, no other vehicles in front of me For at least half a mile in front of me, And the other car was not even in my lane, and not crossing the center markings. I have made a report through my in car system, however Tesla refuses to address the situation at this time directly with my vehicle. I called to schedule an appointment so they could download the data from my car to see what happened in the event, and they refused to provide service, nor an explanation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11464232May 11, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My Model 3 rear glass has stress fractures. This can be a safety issue being it can block rear visibility. There is no warning when this can happen. Most likely due from sitting out in the sun then while driving the stress on the structural rear glass causes it to crack.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11463866May 9, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
2022 TESLA MODEL 3. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO DEFECTIVE BRAKING SYSTEM. THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL, THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES. THE CONSUMER REFERRED TO THE FAILURE AS "PHANTOM BRAKING".
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11463450May 5, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was using Tesla's Traffic Aware Cruise Control. I was traveling at approximately 75mph on a highway. There was a car approximately 6 car lengths ahead of me traveling at approximately the same speed. There may have been cars next to me on both sides. For no apparent reason, the Tesla braked and the speed was reduced from 75mph to approximately 35mph. I disengaged the Traffic Aware Cruise Control and accelerated back to approximately 70mph. My safety was put at risk because the car behind me had to slam on their brakes and I assume the car behind them had to do the same. This was dangerous for my safety and the safety of the people in the car(s) behind me. The vehicle has not been inspected. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11463195May 3, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I experienced phantom braking on multiple occasions when using either the cruise control or the autopilot. I experience various levels of braking force, and am unable to discern any pattern. The vehicle exhibits this unexpected braking most days that I engage those functions. Yesterday, on an approximately 350 mile cross country trip, the vehicle phantom braked on probably 10 different occasions. Two of those were what I would consider maximum braking effort. If another vehicle was following closely at those times it is very likely I may have been rear ended.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11462334April 26, 2022
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While driving on the highway with standard autopilot engaged and speed set, multiple times the car would apply brakes suddenly without warning. This typically would happen while cresting a hill. This is dangerous and could cause an accident if cars are following too closely behind. Also with standard autopilot engaged and while in the rightmost lane on the highway any time a road merged on the right side of the vehicle it thinks the lane got wider and will swerve to the right then left to try and maintain the center of the lane. This unnecessary turning could cause an accident or confuse other nearby drivers. During both of these events no warnings are displayed or heard in the vehicle. Both these issues are well known and discussed on Facebook, reddit and teslamotorclub forums.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11461991April 25, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I also shared this on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TeslaLounge/comments/ubcbuc/phantom_brake_occurence/ My brand new, (February-2022), Model 3 Performance Phantom Braked hard yesterday and almost killed me and my daughter. We were on a road-trip driving from Arizona to California, on the 8 freeway westbound. It was running Tesla software version. 2022.12.3.1. Conditions were ideal. Clear sky, open road, no opposing traffic since the opposing lanes were across about 200 feet of desert. No cars in front of us for any visible distance, road was straight for miles, no shadows, no reflections, just open road. I had the cruise control on and locked at 75 MPH. I wasn't using Auto Pilot, just cruise control, (single press down on the drive stalk). After cruise control had been on for a few minutes suddenly, the car hard braked, throwing myself and my kid forward. Decelerated from 75 to 30 MPH in about 2 seconds. Scared the shit out of both of us. We were just sorting out the confusion when we hear honking horns, cars would be on us soon. I slammed the accelerator to move. I later checked the outside of the car wondering if maybe a camera had become obstructed but nope, all the cameras had perfectly clean surfaces. This phantom braking issue is going to kill someone.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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