Tesla Model 3 Complaints

2,178 consumer complaints on file.

#11449863February 2, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Phantom braking when using cruise control. Car suddenly braking or rapidly decelerating for now discernible reason when traveling at speed on highways, both two-lane and multilane. The problem has occurred many times since first acquired in December 2021.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449825February 1, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The car on a day basis exhibits random braking incidents when utilizing traffic aware cruise control (TACC). These have happened since the car was new (now has over 2,500mi) and can range from mild to severe. All of them happen without an obstacle ahead. Some times it seems the vehicle reacts to shadows from trees or larger structures, other times there's no obvious reason behind the reaction. The braking happens both on interstate highways as well as county two and four lane roads, and isn't related to elevation change or curves (happens straight and level). Several of these instances have been close to causing accidents due to traffic behind me getting caught off guard, which is usually followed by some sort of road-rage-like reaction. I no longer use the system when there's any traffic behind me due to the fear of getting rear-ended. I have recalibrated the cameras 3 times to no avail.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449816February 1, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Emergency braking is applied while using adaptive cruise or autopilot. This happens on two lane undivided roads with larger vehicles approaching on the opposite side. It does not happen with cars or pick ups. For no reason the forward collision warning will sound and emergency braking is applied. If a vehicle is behind my car I would have been rear ended. I have sent error reports over the air to Tesla at the moment. I also brought my car into service and documented this issue. They did recalibrate the forward cameras but no difference was seen. Just out of the blue the car will.reduce speed by 20 mph. In my video the speed went from 46 to 29. The funny thing is it did not slow fir the oversized truck. I have videos if the incidents but I cannot upload them on here.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449801February 1, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Since purchasing my Tesla new in 6/21, I've been experiencing random and dangerous "Phantom Braking" where the vehicle will suddenly brake hard on the highway for no reason. On a few occasions, this created a hazard for motorists behind me. This has been occurring in rural and urban settings with the vehicle's cruise control or AutoPilot set. It doesn't matter which system I use, phantom braking is persistent in both. I contacted Tesla service twice on this issue and each time I was informed "no malfunction found with sensors or vehicle operation." I was hopeful that Tesla would release a software update to mitigate this issue (other Tesla owners have voiced this issue on social media and forums), however nothing has been resolved in the 7 months I've owned this vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449562January 31, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES
Hello, Driving on a snowy road around 20 MPH. Attempted to slow down in a straight line, used the brakes to try and slow vehicle to go into a driveway. Vehicle would not respond to any inputs. The brake pedal seemed frozen, coming off and back on the brake pedal did not change anything. There sounded like an ABS pulsing but it was not working. Post accident pictures showed it looked like the car was dragging one axle like it was locked in the snow. Car ending up grazing a mailbox post and afterword said 'take control'. I believe the car tried to do an automated braking maneuver which did not work. The road was covered in 1-2" of snow and the mailbox would have been a reference point in the distance. When turning the steering wheel away from the object that was hit, the car continued to go straight like the wheels were not attached. The car never veered left or right during this whole event even though i tried to turn.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449538January 31, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS
While driving in cruise control at set at 75mph, the car suddenly started to slow down. (Note, the nearest car ahead of me was at least 15 car lengths away and was not braking, so it should not have affected my speed) When I tried to accelerate, the car continued to de-accelerate. I looked at the screen and it indicated that cruise control was set at 50. When the car reached 50 mph, it stopped de-accelerating and I was able to increase my speed. I tapped the brake to get out of cruise control and continued my trip.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449493January 30, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Purchased my Model 3 in August 2021. Autopilot and cruise control features worked flawlessly for the first few months of ownership. In September of 2021 after a software update, the vehicle started to perform unsafe reactions while on autopilot or cruise control. If any large vehicle like a semi-truck or vans were traveling in the opposite direction of travel on any two lane road, cruise control or autopilot will slam on the breaks and activate the forward collision warning tones. Reactions like this from driver assist technology could easily result in a multi-car accident. While commuting on a busy road (10 miles) on cruise control/autopilot, this issue could occur over 10 times on one drive. While making contact with Tesla service in September, a representative said that Tesla's autopilot software team was aware of the issue affecting Model 3's similar to my VIN. The representative ensured that the team was working on a software update to fix this issue. This problem continued until January 13th when I had a service appointment where I stated the same issue. The technician wanted a ride to experience the issue the car had. After getting the issue to reoccur, the technician stated that "he had never seen this problem before." After he fixed an unrelated issue with the car, he reassured me that the issue is know by Tesla and they were working on a software update to resolve the issue. After over three months with this major safety defect, I am reporting this issue to NHTSA.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449417January 29, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Driving on two lane road with oncoming semi truck traffic causes adaptive cruise control to abruptly apply brakes. As this has happened numerous times, I called Tesla who advised me to not use adaptive cruise control. I do most of my driving on two lane roads over long distances to shop or see a doctor, etc. Not having ANY cruise control is better than causing an accident, but why cant Tesla program a simple non-adaptive cruise control?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449109January 27, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Dangerously brakes for no apparent reason while using adaptive cruise control. Especially common on two-lane roads. Occurs approximately once every 20 miles of driving. Has caused near accidents on three occasions. Tesla does not take any action. Car has the most recent software update.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11448951January 26, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
On 1/24/22: 9:11 am eastbound Redden Road east of Bridgeville, DE. This is flat terrain with mostly open fields on east side of the road. On a straight Regular 2 lane road, center yellow strips and white edging. West bound truck triggered braking and swerve to left. 9:14 Another truck and same circumstances further east and same result. Turned off steering assist and cruise control. 10:42 westbound on Redden Road roughly same area. Truck eastbound. Slight braking 150 yards in front of me then brakes slammed on while passing each other. Braking reduced speed by 10 mph or more and swerve to right. Hard braking and a swerve to the right for no reason. Anyone behind me would have hit me. Basically I have to make sure road behind me is completely clear before turning cruise control or auto steer on! Anyone within 5 car lengths would hit me. Not safe. Can they remotely download these events from the car? TESLA VIRTUAL DIAGNOSTICS Reviewed the logs and confirmed the phantom braking and confirmed it was due to not having a forward facing radar. System overly sensitive to err on the side of caution. They hope to fix it eventually via software updates. In my opinion, it isn't safe and should be de activated and money refunded.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11448854January 25, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Phantom braking in city and highway with no obstacle in vehicle path. Sudden and strong emergency braking enough to cause a rear end collision if being followed. Very scarry in one 700 mile road trip we had 11 such occurrences . Thank you for your help. Mike
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11448556January 23, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Dangerous or phantom braking of vehicle on two lane road at highway speed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11448542January 23, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, VISIBILITY/WIPER
My vehicle has a VCFRONT_A447 error code and will not heat up. With temperatures as low as -20 and highs of 25 not only is just the temperature potentially deadly but im unable to defog my windshield without freezing. I feel my car is entirely unsafe to drive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11448347January 21, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Last night I plugged in the car (2022 Tesla Model 3 Long Range) as I normally do and, via the Tesla app, scheduled the car cabin to be heated and the battery to be pre-conditioned by a specified time. When I entered the car at that time, the cabin had not heated up - the message on the display screen stated that the cabin heater was not functioning properly and that I should seek service. The temperature here in northern Wisconsin at the time of this incident was -13 F. Since I had planned to take a long trip across Michigan's Upper Peninsula this morning where there are few charging opportunities, and since I cannot assume that the battery pre-conditioned (which extends the range of the vehicle), if I had not aborted my trip I feel I could have been in a life-threatening situation due to extreme cold.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11448332January 21, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On a recent road trip (8-9 hours) my car had a number of software tics that had been noticed (music skipping, screen responding slowly, etc.). After 7 hours on the road, while the Autopilot system was engaged my main screen froze on the car. Out of caution, I moved to exit the highway. While exiting, the entire screen in my car turned off, but all car functions were operable (turn signals, braking, accelerating, etc.). Once safely in a parking lot, I tried to do a soft reset with no success. After contacting service they told me the log indicated an issue that required a tow. In the interim I was able to do a power cycle which resolved the issue (but was difficult to perform since the screen was flashing on/off). The service rep recommended driving home but scheduling a follow up service. Subsequently the follow up team has informed me this is a "known software issue which is currently under investigation". Given the impact this software bug has on the primary information screen it seems to be a valid safety concern and should be issued as a recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11448260January 20, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
On *multiple occasions* when driving on a highway and using cruise control, the car has suddenly and severly decelerated. Tesla advises that for my vehicle the safety system to detect possible collisions is still in the "BETA phase" and has initially been programmed to be over-sensitive. Tesla claims that as software updates are made, this issue will improve. [See uploaded screenshot of text chat I had with Tesla service on 1/19/21.] I have an appointmnet to take the vehicle in, but Tesla says I must be able to give then exact dates and times of occurrences or otherwise there is too much code on the vehicle's computer log for their systemt to be able to analyze. (I am able to give them some dates but not exact times.) My fear and concern in the meantime is that such unpredictable deceleration events when traveling at highway speeds could result in a rear-end collision with a vehicle behind me. When I expressed this to Tesla, their reply was: "It is the driver's responsibility to stay alert, drive safely, and be in control of the vehicle at all times." I pointed out to them the obvious fact that none of those things can prevent this issue from happening, and received no further reply.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11448117January 19, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I was driving north on Wisconsin route 14 at about 60 mph in my Tesla model 3 using the cruise control.. When a large transportation truck came from the opposite direction, my Tesla suddenly braked sharply. A Ford model F150 truck was following behind me and almost crashed into the back of my car. Fortunately the driver was alert and by sharply apply his brakes on driving into the ditch he avoided colliding with me. This could have been (and nearly was) a lethal accident. I would urge that you put a recall on a Tesla vehicles until this problem is corrected. I have contacted other Tesla owners and they have experienced similar problems. I contacted my local Tesla service station and they seemed unconcerned about the problem. I urge you to issue a recall before someone is seriously hurt or killed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11448052January 19, 2022
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The windshield wipers are controlled by a sensor and the computer. Unfortunately, they come on too slowly. Several times I have been driving in the rain, waiting for the windshield wipers to start clearing the windshield. Each time, the rain on the windshield has gotten so bad that I was unable to see anything out my windshield. If the car in front had braked quickly, or if some pedestrian was trying to cross the street, I would not have known. I tried to tell this to a Tesla service rep, but was told the wipers are controlled by the computer and there is nothing they can do.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11447944January 18, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The automatic rear trunk closure button gets water inside wetting the electrical wiring. It has caused my trunk to randomly open at times and more importantly, can cause an electrical fire. This has put my safety, as well as any passengers at risk for injury and or death. I have not reproduced the issue because it has not rained, nor have I had the car washed. I have notified Tesla of this approximately a month ago and they continue to cancel & reschedule my appointment. There seems to be no urgency to investigate or fix the issue. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone to date. There was no warning lamps or messages prior to the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11447934January 18, 2022
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I took delivery of my Tesla Model 3 in mid December and have have driven approximately 2,000 miles, almost all highway commute miles. I have had horrible experiences with the Autopilot cruise control slamming on the brakes for no apparent reason. Nothing in front of the vehicle, sometimes nothing around the vehicle at all. Behavior is sometimes a quick deceleration of 10 mph or so; however, in some cases FULL brake is applied, coupled with an audible collision warming. Again, these things are happening with NOTHING present in front of my vehicle, and sometimes with nothing around me at all. During my daily commutes, I experience, on average, 5 to 10 instances of this unsafe slowing/stopping procedure. In one instance, the vehicle decelerated from 64mph down to 37mph, for no reason, with a line of other vehicles following me. We narrowly avoided a multi-vehicle collision, caused by a completely unnecessary braking application. Needless to say, as the line of cars passed me, each of the other drivers were very unhappy with me, probably assuming I had “brake checked” them, considering there was no one in front of me and no reason to quickly decelerate from 64mph to 37mph. Had they been following closer or not paying attention we surely would have all be involved in a collision. I reported the issue to Tesla and was told “the vehicle detected a ghost object…This is currently a normal characteristic of autopilot…” There is no other “normal” cruise control feature on the vehicle, it’s either use Autopilot and risk being involved in a collision, or drive the vehicle myself (which defeats the purpose of purchasing the vehicle for commute reasons). Very unhappy that Tesla did not offer to even look into my issue, considering it’s not an occasional problem, it occurs several times per commute trip,
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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