Tesla Model 3 Complaints

2,178 consumer complaints on file.

#11527405June 16, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
On several occasions ( 8 or 10 times) while driving at highway speeds, with little traffic, on an extended trip, the vehicle suddenly applied the brakes for no apparent reason. I have learned that this is called "phantom braking". On one such occasion, I narrowly avoided being struck from behind by another vehicle following me by applying the accelerator. I have not yet reported this problem to Tesla, but intend to.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527361June 16, 2023
SEAT BELTS
When trying to seat belt on, under normal conditions, seat belt fails to engage. The belt is stuck in full locked mode. Issue happens intermittently. Failure of seat belt forces no occupancy of front passenger seat, as the only alternative would be to not wear a belt. This raises the following concern: 1. Will the belt fail to work properly in case of a crash event? 2. Will the belt disengage when normal driving. TESLA did NOT replace the belt under warranty and out of concern for my passengers, I replaced it under my own cost
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527186June 15, 2023
STEERING, AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently turned to the right and then to the left. As a result, the contact stated that he momentarily lost control of the vehicle and collided with a barrier wall before careening to the right again into traffic. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were displayed on the instrument panel. A police report was not filed. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the failure has yet to be diagnosed. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 27,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527048June 14, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car was purchased on Tuesday June 13th, on Wednesday June 14th with 50 miles on clock travelling down the centre lane of a Texas highway the vehicle presented a warning that it was powering down and to get off the road. The car slowed down due to the regen breaks 60-0 in just a few seconds resulting in a near miss pile up. When the Tesla tow truck arrived the driver advised that this was not the first time he has seen this issue. The error codes i managed to gather from the vehicle were as follows: DIR_a126, DIR_a137, DIR_a063, BMS_a170 (coolant and rear drive unit issues) The consumer is requesting help with his vehicle. If you require further information please let me know, this nearly caused a serious incident on an extremely busy highway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11526945June 14, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While driving on 15 freeway between Riverside CA to Las Vegas NV, I put the car in cruise control. While near Barstow, the car hard brakes dropping speed quickly. Luckily no other car was near. I changed lanes to pull on the side as I wasn’t sure what was happened, as it actually felt like the car had locked up. I did take the car out of cruise control and that seemed to fix the problem. I’ve used cruise control before and the adaptive braking has been manageable, this was extreme. On 4 June 2023.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11526811June 13, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The incident first happend (and has been happening ever since) on I-8, I-10, I-20 east bound 2 days ago. Driving on EB I-8 with speed limits 75MPH, engaged Tesla's well touted onboard Enhanced Auto Pilot (EAP) with Auto Steer control. There was no one ahead of us for over a mile. The weather was clear and sunny, time of incident around noon. Max speed was set to 75 on EAP. All of a sudden, we felt a jerky motion, and realized the EAP has activated brakes, dropping speed from set 75 to about 50mph. No visual or audible alarms, the EAP did not disengage. The driver took over to speed up to avoid being rear ended by vehicles coming behind us. It happened several times more during our trip and then we decided to manually drive. We have video documentation available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11526627June 12, 2023
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Vehicle was being moved across the parking lot in Summon mode. It crossed a parking aisle and went into the next aisle, striking a parked vehicle with a passenger inside.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11526136June 8, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
When adaptive cruise control is engaged, the vehicle harshly brakes. This occurs very randomly and is abrupt. The operator needs to quickly take control and accelerate as the speed is reduced significantly. One incident, the speed was 80 mph and it reduced to less than 60.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11525496June 5, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
This was a case of phantom braking. While on the freeway with the cruise control set to 80 mph the car suddenly and unexpectedly slammed on the brakes. I had to step on the throttle to make the car stop braking. We were nearly rear ended by the car behind us. You can definitely come and inspect the car. I have not taken the vehicle to Tesla for inspection. No accident resulted from this incident, however it was definitely a very close call. There wasn’t a vehicle in sight ahead of us for at least a half mile. The car had no reason to slow down the way it did. I use Autopilot on my Tesla all the time. This is the first time I’ve experienced this behavior.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11525481June 5, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I was driving on Interstate 25 north towards Santa Fe NM at about 75mph with the cruise control engaged. The car abruptly slowed down to about 60 mph for no apparent reason. The slow down was so quick that passengers were pushed forward in their seats. This has happened before when cruise control was engaged. I had hoped that this was resolved by Tesla. There was not any vehicles in front of me for the car to believe a slowdown was necessary. I reported this to Tesla for repair and they replied that a repair was not necessary. They gave me instructions to override the action by pressing the acceleration pedal. I don't believe that is the solution to the problem and fear that if another car was following to close behind me that an accident could have happened. This car was purchased with cruise control but I cannot utilize it for fear of this braking problem
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524758June 1, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
"Phantom braking:" Vehicle has braked Multiple times on the freeway while using adaptive cruise control, when no objects were In the vehicle's path. Typically occurs when driving on curved section of freeway at speeds above 50 mph.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524252May 28, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
During a 30 mile trip on a two lane highway I activated the cruise control. A number of times the car made significant slow downs. They seamed to be associated with oncoming trafic. I then shut off the cruise control. Later on when I could see there where no oncoming cars I again set the cruise control for 65 MPH. After only about 15 seconds the car made a rapid deceleation. The deceleration was rapid enough to cause an ice chest sitting on the passangers side of the front floorboard to roll over. I shut of the cruise control and did not use it again for the remainder of the trip
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524199May 28, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
On multiple occasions (100+) during a 4,000 mile road trip, (May 7-26, 2023) this vehicle slammed on its brakes while driving down the highway while using the adaptive cruise control feature. Speed reduction was up to 25 MPH from highway speeds of 65 - 80 MPH. This braking was quite dramatic, just short of locking the brakes up. Traffic conditions varied from very light (no vehicles in sight) to moderate traffic (vehicles in front, in rear and/or to the side). Weather was mostly clear, roads were mostly in good shape, there were no animals, people or other non-vehicle obstacles noted. Several instances were lodged in the vehicles "bug report" functionality, but not all, so Tesla should have a pretty good record of the status of the vehicle when several instances occurred. On more than one occasion we were very close to being rear ended because of this phantom braking. In contact with a Tesla Service Center, we were told this is a known issue but no fix had been found.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524186May 28, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While in cruise control the vehicle initiates braking rapidly for no reason. This happens at high speeds 55, 65 and 70 mph on clear roads. No vehicles in front of or coming from the other direction. There may be vehicles behind at times. It doesn’t happen all the time but happens enough to be a concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524180May 28, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
My car engaged the automatic emergency braking (AEB) when the car in front of me lightly tapped on their brakes-- When the AEB engaged, my car come to a complete stop... I tried to accelerate to prevent being rear ended, but my accelerator was disabled and I had no control of my car... Nearly causing me to get rear ended and probably causing a 5+ car collision. MANY Tesla drivers have experienced this, and it is absolutely TERRIFYING and NEEDS SERIOUS attention because lives are absolutely endangered due to this, and Tesla will not take responsibility, nor have they acknowledged the problem, at all. I've had this happen several times in the last week and I am just waiting to get in an accident at this point. This is unacceptable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524171May 27, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While in cruise control, the car suddenly reduced its speed; there is no obstacle in the path of the cat that would warrant such an action. This deceleration is sudden and violent and when it happens is dangerous for following drivers.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524155May 27, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
On a clear sunny day driving on the freeway at 75mph on a 70mph speed limit, the regular cruise control(not Autopilot) was engaged. Experienced 4 separate incidents of strong emergency brakes being activated by the vehicle automatically for 2-3 secs, dropping speed by 10-15mph. As the driver I disengaged the cruise control by strongly accelerating the vehicle. Also multiple incidents of brakes engaging slightly for 1 second , always when driving on a straight freeway, with zero other vehicles present in the front or rear. The road had a slight incline then a slight decline. Just as the vehicle reaches the top of the incline the brakes activated. No warning lamps of sounds, just immediate sharp braking one all incidents. As the driver I felt very unsafe, and glad there were no vehicles close behind, which could have resulted in a rear collision. Vehicle has not been inspected by any party. As a Tesla driver I do not trust the Standard Cruise control feature any more.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524148May 27, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
In about a dozen incidences with my 12,000 mile model 3 the breaks come on unexpectedly. In one case i was on I-70 being followed by an 18 wheel truck / trailer when the phantom breaking occurred. Except for the attention of the truck driver and him slamming on his breaks to avoid rear ending me, I wouldn’t be here. I’ve opened 2 service complaints with Tesla and their response is that it is a learned correction for the car - Well it isn’t working.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11524131May 27, 2023
SEAT BELTS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Software Version: 2023.12.10 Over the past month, I have experienced a recurring problem with my vehicle's auditory notification system. The issue first began a couple of software updates ago and has persisted through the most recent update. The problem manifests sporadically, having occurred three times within the past month. When this issue arises, all system sounds, excluding radio and media, cease to function for the duration of my ride and persist across all future rides until the vehicle is hard rebooted. There are no visible warning signs or error messages on the dashboard to indicate that the system sounds are malfunctioning. Proof of issue - https://youtube.com/shorts/VbDErQVVzp4?feature=share The malfunctioning system sounds include but are not limited to: 1. Forward Collision Warning Sounds 2. Seatbelt Warning Sounds 3. Blinker Indicator Sounds 4. EV Reverse Sounds 5. System Notifications 6. All alerts and warnings Attempts to Resolve the Issue: To temporarily rectify the issue, I performed a hard reboot on the vehicle's system. This measure restored the sounds, but the problem consistently returns. **Safety Concerns:** This issue poses a significant safety concern as the lack of audible notifications increases the risk of accidents, particularly due to the absence of forward collision warning sounds, seatbelt warning sounds, and blinker indicator sounds. Additional Observations: It is important to note that this issue began a few software updates ago and has persisted despite subsequent updates. There are no error messages or warnings on the dashboard when the auditory system malfunctions, making the problem harder to detect until an auditory notification is expected but not heard.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11523996May 26, 2023
AIR BAGS
My 2022 Tesla Model 3 was hit on a highway from behind the car with 100 mph , the car spun multiple times and hit the guard rail. The Car Rear and front side was heavily damaged due to the impact but the Air bags were not deployed. The Car is declared total loss. The car is less than a year old and does not have any issues. Police report says that the Car Air bags are not deployed. There are no warning sign or any failures before the crash. I want to bring this incident ( Tesla AirBags for Model 3) to you attention as this is a Safety and risk to other drivers driving the same car.Also, i do have the Crash report if required.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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