Tesla Model 3 Complaints

2,178 consumer complaints on file.

#11631236December 17, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Issue is with Tesla's new turn signal buttons. They removed regular turn signal stocks with a left/right button on the left side of the steering wheel. This is a safety issue because it hardly works because you have to tap it dead center and I would have to take my eyes off the road to do that. If I'm on the curve already, with the buttons being on one side of the steering wheel, it's very difficult to click when the buttons are upside down. I have to take my eyes off the road more often than not which makes it a safety concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11630985December 16, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Screen cracked without any direct cause. Manufacturer defect. Manufacturer will not cover under warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11630921December 16, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I was driving on the highway when the touchscreen lit up with multiple error messages including: - Steering assist reduced (Steering may require increased effort) - Traction control disabled (Drive with caution) - Stability control disabled (Drive with caution) - Parking brake functions degraded (Parking brake may not apply or release) - Lane Departure Avoidance features unavailable (Features may be restored on next drive) Also, the speedometer changed to 0 (while we were going 70 mph). When I pulled onto the next off-ramp the steering was very heavy and the regenerative braking was not working. Pressing the brakes (even slightly) felt like the ABS was pulsating. This was extremely dangerous and easily could have resulted in a serious accident in heavy traffic or if the road had not been straight. It was a rental car so I have not seen the car since the rental company towed it away. I have not heard from the rental company about the car's status or their findings. Prior to the catastrophic failure of multiple systems, there were two other warnings messages: - Left front fender camera blocked or blinded (Clean cameras or wait to regain visibility) - Autopilot safety/convenience features unavailable (Features may be restored on next drive) These had been coming on and off for a couple hours but I had assumed they were due to driving through heavy rain.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11630432December 12, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped accelerating after 3-seconds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the tires needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 48,426.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11630197December 11, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL
The buttons on the steering wheel stick and do not work. These include the turn signals and also bright lights and windshield wipers. They stick on my car, and I am renting a 2024 model 3 that they stick on as well. It’s not possible to signal a turn or wipe the windshield when this happens, which is a safety issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629835December 10, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STEERING
Occasionally, the Turn Signals decide to not work for a 5 second period. This is a car that is "stalkless" (meaning there isn't a physical turn signal stalk to press), but rather it's touchpad buttons on the steering wheel. While these usually work fine, occasionally when I depress one, I can feel that it does not press down at all, and the turn signal does not turn on. I view this as a SAFETY ISSUE in that a Turn Signal indicates intent to other drivers, and it's unsafe to not be able to use it. Tesla has replaced my steering wheel once (after 2+ months of waiting for "diagnostics") but the new wheel has the same issue. This has been occurring ever since I got this car, and that was many months ago. And I've heard other Model 3 and Model S customers have similar complaints. There is something fundamental going on, and Tesla does not seem to want to solve it on their own. They need to have NHTSA add some priority to this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629823December 10, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
See attached document for complaint.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629524December 8, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My left and right turn signal buttons stick, and do not work randomly. I see that this is a very common problem on newer Tesla models with push button turn signals. Turn signals are important and this issue needs to get fixed ASAP.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629486December 8, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Traveling with cruise control with the flow of traffic at 75mph and the setting dropped to 60mph. I thought FSD/Beta programming was not allowed as regular vehicle settings so why does this continue?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629485December 8, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Traveling with cruise control at 80mph with the flow of traffic and the speed setting dropped to 60mph. Why do you still allow this?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629484December 8, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I reduced my set standard cruise control speed when traveling on a road curve and the speed drastically reduced by over 15mph lower than my setting on it's own. If i was traveling in a group then this would have created a dangerous situation for the following vehicles. This is another FSD/Beta programming in regular cruise control. Why are you still allowing this to exist???
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629438December 7, 2024
STEERING
The car's steering wheel locked unexpectedly, rendering the vehicle undrivable. Additionally, multiple alerts appeared, indicating that the car's hold feature, traction control, and steering assist were reduced. This issue occurred while the car was parked but still running. When I shifted into drive, the car unintentionally rolled backward, forcing me to press the brake pedal to prevent a collision. If this had happened while driving, it could have resulted in a serious accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629435December 7, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Tesla needs to be required to implement trailer mode to all model 3/Y vehicles (not just those equipped with a tow hitch from the factory) because the basic autopilot and existing safety software does not correctly identify when the vehicle is towing a trailer. Legal Aftermarket tow hitch installations exist for small trailers, such as U-Haul trailer. However Tesla does not recognize these aftermarket installs. And Tesla needs to be required to add the required trailer software mode for vehicles with aftermarket hitches to provide the required safety software when towing. It is needed because of the cars emergency braking, collision avoidance, navigation, and autopilot modes need to know that a trailer is connected so that the vehicle software does not make an unsafe maneuver depending on the driving situation/condition.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629381December 7, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, STEERING
The right and left turn indicator buttons freeze up, and will not operate for indefinite periods. The problem is intermittent, however, the buttons may be frozen for several minutes before the problem clears. I believe the manufacturer is already aware of this problem affecting numerous 2024 model 3 vehicles. I believe this appears as a definite manufacturer design flaw, and does not appear as reasonable user error, or other isolated random defect. The problem is presently becoming well known to 2024 model 3 owners in all markets, and there are now many online posts by other owners of this vehicle model for this identical problem. I encourage NHTSA to conduct a quick online search of user reported incidents, as an easy starting point. This problem creates a serious safety risk to other drivers, since other drivers cannot be made aware of affected vehicle's driving intentions. There is no reliable means for affected vehicle drivers to predict or reliably control this problem, that I am aware of. The problem also creates a significant distraction for the driver of the affected vehicle, and particularly in situations that require rapid signal intentions, such as multiple immediate left and right turns in quick succession, or, emergency lane change to avoid stalled vehicles, or, intended driver direction following a four-way stop, etc. This problem may also create a potentially unavoidable legal jeopardy for any affected driver, who may face reasonable driving penalties enforceable by police, or, may be held at fault for accident, despite affected driver's best intentions to use or rely on the faulty equipment. I truly believe this is a serious problem worthy of immediate manufacturer recall and permanent remedy by the manufacturer. It is only a matter of time before a serious accident occurs, resulting in possible injury or death to anyone who either drives, or encounters, an affected vehicle. I hope NHTSA will promptly investigate. Thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11628633December 3, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Hi. My issue is partly related to case PE-22-002 and may also contribute to it as well. I will forward my dash-cam videos (the false detection of cars in-front of me for 63.5% of that drive is included here) to your email as support for the investigations. I have been noticing warnings that a car is in the lane I am changing into when there is no car present. This has happened several times, despite the camera showing no cars and checking for myself showed no cars. The first time it happened, it scared me so bad I jerked back into my lane and could have lost control of being safely in the lane. I filed a service request and was told it would cost me an est. $195.00 to have them look at it, but they said they think it is software related and tried to say they don't deal with software issues. It has experienced many occasions of decelerating for no cause when using the Full Self Driving, Autopilot and Cruise Control. It would cause me to have to disengage them as I felt it was effecting my distance efficiency. I found a new issue last night that caused concern. We have been getting high reports of following too closely, so I drove from Plainview, Tx to Amarillo, Tx in complete control myself while driving 100% perfectly and it reported that it claimed 63.5% of that drive was "Following To Closely" when in-fact any time a vehicle was in-front of me by (I think) 30 car lengths, I changed into the other lane where the was no vehicles in the lane at all. It is my personal opinion that it is a combination of the cameras not being infrared and not seeing well enough in low light situations, and the software unable to tell the difference between darkness/shadows and objects that should be avoided. These false alerts occur more for me in low light conditions, but the unneeded deceleration has occurred in all conditions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11628595December 3, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING
UNKNOWN
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11628269December 2, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Intersection collision with airbag deploy. Vehicle was totaled. Vehicle remained locked. Even after the collision when the doors were closed the vehicle remained locked. Unable to open rear doors from the inside.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11628144December 1, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
vehicle constantly phantom brakes while driving. i have reported 100+ incidents thru my tesla "report bug" feature. It will read the speed limit sign on the off ramp and slow the vehicle down 20mps abruptly, it will see a car on an onramp and slam the brakes on thinking there is a collision coming. it is every single day using cruise control
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11628107November 30, 2024
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
While merging into heavy highway traffic, turn signal failed to turn on when button was pressed. This made me have to merge without a turn signal on putting me at a higher risk of a collision and surprising the drivers behind me. Immediately after the merge was complete I attempted to troubleshoot the button and found that it was stuck in the up state, flicking it multiple times made it possible to press the button again. Later that day experimentation showed that the button was prone to sticking if pushed at an angle but would work correctly as long as a deliberate and vertical press is applied. Specifically pushing the button with force pushing the button outwards relative to the steering wheel would cause the button to shift to the outward edge and get stuck on the plastic housing rendering the button impossible to depress. This angle is typical as the persons thumb would naturaly slide outwards when interacting with the button. The vehicle has not been inspected by any third parties (including manufacturer), but a video was recorded reproducing the malfunction and demonstrating how pushing the buttons inward resolves the issue. No warnings about the button no longer being operation were displayed. On a somewhat related note, its nearly impossible to signal that one is exiting a roundabout with the buttons as they change location before being pressed (steering angle) and depending on angle change meaning (upper button means right or left turn for example).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11628010November 30, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, SEAT BELTS
Software updates caused failure notifications (seat restraint system) and disabled cameras/emergency brakes, happened immediately right after software updates. All hardware performed and properly functioned before the software updates. 1. First failure noticed on the begin of March 2024, component affected : " Rear center safety restraint system fault". Second failure noticed on [XXX] component affected: " Autopilot cameras unavailable", "Automatic emergency braking is unavailable" 2. I feel extremely unsafe now when using the vehicle with failure notification of the car's components, especially while driving my children to school. I am unsure if the system failure that could causes accidents and put my kids at risk or danger. 3. First issue was notified Tesla representative immediately right after the software update (happened over night). They scheduled an appointment, but I saw a charge bill that I have to approve before taking the car in for an inspection. It happened when my car is just out of warranty. I called Tesla dealership in Buena Park, CA to discuss about my safety concerns and got told it might be just a software glitch and I should be ok to drive. (??). Second issue was also notified Tesla and got a schedule for an inspection/service on December 10th, 2024, and again with an approval of $650 that I might got charged for ahead of the service ???? (Why do I get charged for something that wasn't my false until Tesla pushed a bad software to make us pay for their bad scripts?) 4. There was no failure notification "at all" before the last 2 or 3 software updates. Tesla offered some kind of 1 month free FSD then software updates to remove the FSD then everything started to fall apart. I am very concerned with Tesla software updates now and failures it might cause that put our family at risk because of their bad scripts or batches. 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

← Back to Tesla Model 3