Tesla Model 3 Complaints

2,178 consumer complaints on file.

#11607645August 9, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Turn signal buttons on steering wheels. Place finger over turn signal toggle area continuously without pressing on the steering wheel for less than a minute or longer, unable to engage the turn signal after when pressing. Able to reliably and repeatedly replicate the event. Could be a hazard if unable to signal turn direction when needed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11607626August 9, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER, STEERING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Since I purchased my car in July 2023, I’ve had multiple false forward collision warning resulting in my insurance premium increasing by sizeable amounts and has caused me undue stress. I’ve reported this problem to Tesla but to no avail. Today 8/9/2024, between 5:17 and 5:21 pm, while driving my cars forward collision warning was activated while no vehicle was in front of my but instead to a parked car on the pavement. This has happened multiple times and Tesla denies being aware of any issues.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11607565August 9, 2024
SUSPENSION
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed the contact noticed a knocking sound coming from the suspension with no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed as the front suspension lateral link separated. The contact was informed that the front suspension lateral link needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,543.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11607538August 9, 2024
STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES, WHEELS
This is a duplicate of the letter I sent to Tesla on June 25, 2024. “For the past two weeks I have traveled to New Jersey and back to North Carolina. I’m writing to you because of my experience with TESLAS FSD. On one occasion I was traveling on [XXX] (NJ) heading to [XXX] -with my navigation and FSD engaged, I approached north and south exit ramps, my Tesla could not make a decision - I had to bring my car to a full stop before the apex of the exit. Cars wizzing by me on both sides. On [XXX] heading home on [XXX] somewhere in Virginia- with NO ONE around me doing about 65 mph, my car almost came to an abrupt stop ON THE HIGHWAY - once again, FSD FULLY ENGAGED - MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND MY HANDS LIGHTLY ON THE STEERING WHEEL. WHY? I have NO CLUE - fortunately it reversed itself back into normal. Of course, both of the above incidents frightened me. I’m writing to you because I want a record of these events. I know my software is up to date and I’m not quite sure what to do about this. PLEASE ADVISE: Thank You [XXX] The above was sent to Tesla Inc 7101 Glenwood Ave Raleigh, NC 27612 0n June 25 and July 9, 2024 NO RESPONSE- 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
#11607429August 9, 2024
AIR BAGS
I am writing to report a serious safety concern regarding the non-deployment of airbags during a recent traffic accident. The incident involved a collision where I was struck on the driver’s side front. Despite the severity of the impact, the airbags did not deploy, which raises significant concerns about the effectiveness and reliability of the airbag system in such scenarios. Incident Overview •Accident Type: Collision with impact on the driver’s side front •Airbag Response: No airbag deployment Safety Concerns The non-deployment of the airbags during this incident is alarming, as airbags are a critical safety feature designed to protect occupants during a collision. In this case, the failure of the airbags to activate could have resulted in serious injury or even death, depending on the circumstances. The lack of deployment suggests a potential defect in the airbag system that may compromise the safety of other vehicles of the same make or model.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11607131August 7, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The right turn signal button was disabled while highway driving. I tried pressing the top/bottom/left/right and center of the turn signal button and could not engage the right turn signal to indicate a lane change. Google search suggests this is a common issue for this model/year.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606952August 7, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This vehicle lacks a stalk for turning signals. Instead, there are two buttons on the steering wheel that are used to activate the turning signals. When the steering wheel is far from its regular position (i.e. with the front wheels pointed straight ahead), it is difficult to quickly figure out where the buttons are and which is which. This is dangerous in avoidance maneuvers. It also makes using the signals difficult in other situations, such as roundabouts. I believe that this lack of a stalk will eventually lead to accidents as users will occasionally have to change lanes or turn without signaling because they can't quickly activate a turning signal.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606930August 6, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The turn signal buttons on the steering wheel stick at random. It is extremely dangerous and doesn’t allow for communicating to other drivers when needing to quickly turn or merge. You also have to feel around for these buttons as they’re very small and are not user friendly. You often need to take your eyes off the road to find them, and it’s increasingly dangerous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606916August 6, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES
Vehicle was in cruise control, and cruise control did not deactivate causing the vehicle to propel into a building, causing airbag deployment. Safety sensors of car failed to recognize building, other vehicles, and obstructions as required.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11606849August 6, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On [XXX] around [XXX], my daughter drove her Tesla Model 3 on [XXX] from school. Two strange/scary accidents happened to two different Tesla cars (Model 3 and Y). It was raining with low/medium visibility. One of the cars was driven by my daughter, and luckily, both drivers were safe with very minor injuries. The cars had significant damage but were drivable, and there were no airbags out. These two accidents occurred within 3 to 5 minutes at the “SAME LOCATION.” When I asked them what happened, my daughter and other Model Y drivers described a sudden loss of control, with their cars spinning and becoming unresponsive to steering and braking. They then hit the guardrail on the center line. I checked the video recordings of our car multiple times; no vehicle-to-vehicle collision was involved. I also checked the road to see if there was any oil spillage, but the lane was clean. She didn't use Auto Pilot, FSD, and Cruse Control. The office recorded it as Hydro Plane in his report, but my concern was incidents that happened only to Teslas. Also, when I posted this incident on a Tesla WhatsApp group, multiple Tesla owners reported that they had a similar issue when it was raining. It seems like Sensors malfunctioning in the rain. Also, my daughter was driving below the posted speed (68/70), and she gave a written note to the officer too, but the officer recorded it as 70/70. I need to check that in the Wake County traffic court. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606838August 6, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
When I indicate to turn right, the indicator sometimes indicates to turn left. This happens randomly but approximately once every eight times that I indicate to turn right. I reported the issue to Tesla in April 2024 and they replaced the steering wheel to verify if there was a hardware issue. This did not fix the problem. Tesla Service then informed me that it was a known software issue and that I would have to wait for a software update to fix the problem. I have been waiting for four months but no software fix has been forthcoming. I took the car back to Tesla today, and they told me that they had no ETA on the software fix. This is a dangerous issue because if I indicate to go into a right hand lane and the car signals left, then another car can turn into me from the right hand lane, which has happened on one occasion.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606800August 6, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS:AUTONOMOUS/SELF DRIVING
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at various speeds with the Adaptive Cruise Control or ADAS Self Driving feature activated, the vehicle would independently decelerate without warning. During the failure, there were no other vehicles or objects nearby. The Service Center was notified of the failure through the Tesla App. The contact was informed that since a time stamp could not be provided for each failure, the Technician could not determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet made aware of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606677August 6, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Tesla vehicles do not have “Trailer Mode” available when aftermarket trailer options exist. Tesla only installs this required software when the towing hitch option is installed from the factory. When U-Hual or other services install aftermarket towing capabilities, Tesla does not add this necessary software package which is required for the safe operation of the vehicle when towing. This applies to the Model 3 and Model Y. The trailering mode software does the following: - Disables autopilot when trailering or towing. - Traffic aware cruise control increases the following distance for a safe stopping distance. - Side collision warnings are active which automatic steering interventions are disabled. - Collision Avoidance assistance is modified to accommodate the trailer and trailer weight. - EV Supercharger navigation only routes through “pull through” / “trailer capable” charging stalls. - Trailer sway mitigation. The vehicle’s stability control system maintains traction and stability and accommodates for the trailer sway/weight. (I may be missing some stuff but this is the most complete list I could find). Again, Tesla only adds this software to vehicles that get a hitch from the factory. If you have a U-Haul Hitch or other installed hitch on the Model 3 / Y, Tesla does not add this software. The easiest and most cost effective way to fix this would be to require Tesla to include the trailering mode software on all vehicles by default through a recall update.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606598August 5, 2024
STEERING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The turn signal buttons on the wheel frequently fail to turn on the turn signals when pressed. It always seems like when I most need to use them, they fail. I already had the wheel replaced by tesla and was told "this is just how they are" To be clear, when I press the turn signal button on my steering wheel, it will feel like the button will not depress, the turn signal will not turn on, and attempting to lift my finger and place it in other locations to try to press the button will not enable the turn signal. Pushing extremely hard does not work either. It seems like I need to press the opposite direction turn signal button or randomly wait sometimes for it to resolve itself and for the turn signal buttons to work again
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606441August 5, 2024
STEERING
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, and it became difficult to steer the vehicle. The contact stated the vehicle failed to respond while the brake pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle shuddered and almost caused the vehicle to crash against a guard rail. The contact stated that the auto steer avoided the rail but caused the vehicle to spin out. A Police report was filed but was not available. There were no injuries sustained. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606236August 3, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Several times while using Traffic Aware Cruise Control, the system will suddenly brake severely for apparently reason. At these times, I was on a lightly traveled Interstate with no vehicles ahead of me. Each time, it was during daylight hours and it was sunny. This has also occurred while using Autopilot with Autosteer and with Full Self Driving. Once, there was a vehicle close behind me, so this sudden braking can be dangerous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606235August 3, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
While driving in the right lane of an Interstate using Full Self Driving (Supervised) mode (version 12.3.6), I was behind a motorcycle that was traveling slower than I. FSD was gaining on the motorcycle, but failed to move to the passing lane. I had to disengage the system so that the car didn't get too close to, or strike, the motorcycle. I manually moved to the passing lane and reengaged FSD. The car eventually decided to move to the right lane, behind the motorcycle. Again, it was gaining on the motorcycle and got too close, so I once again had to disengage FSD. It seems like the system didn't recognize the motorcycle or didn't recognize that it was traveling than slower than my vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606194August 2, 2024
SEAT BELTS
I am writing to file a claim concerning a recall affecting my Tesla vehicle, identified by NHTSA Recall Number 24V376. The recall involves a defect in the seat belt reminder system software logic affecting certain Tesla models, including my own. The defect causes a failure to provide audible and visual seat belt reminders when the driver’s seat belt is not fastened after the ignition is turned to the “on” or “start” position. This issue does not comply with FMVSS No. 208, S7.3(a)(1). Safety Concerns: While this defect has not led to any injuries, it has caused considerable anxiety regarding the safety and compliance of my vehicle. The absence of seat belt reminders can increase the risk of driving without a fastened seat belt, potentially leading to serious injury in the event of a collision. Remedy and Actions Taken: I understand that Tesla is providing an over-the-air (OTA) software remedy, firmware 2024.20.3, to address this issue. The remedy involves updating the seat belt reminder logic to rely solely on the seat belt buckle and ignition status, independent of the driver seat occupancy switch. Impact and Request: The ongoing concern about the functionality of the seat belt reminder system has affected my confidence in the safety of my vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11606193August 2, 2024
SEAT BELTS, STRUCTURE:BODY
I am writing to file a claim regarding a safety issue with my Tesla vehicle, which is subject to the recall identified as NHTSA Recall Number 24V554. The recall involves a potential defect in the hood latch assembly, which may not detect an open condition. As a result, this defect can cause the front hood to unintentionally open while driving, potentially obstructing the driver’s view and increasing the risk of a collision. Safety Concerns: Although no crashes or injuries have been reported related to this issue, I experienced significant safety concerns while driving my vehicle. The possibility of the hood unexpectedly opening and obstructing my view caused considerable anxiety and distraction while operating the vehicle. Remedy and Actions Taken: Tesla has issued an over-the-air software update (firmware release 2024.20.3) to address this issue. However, despite the update, I remain concerned about the reliability of the latch system and the potential risk it poses to my safety and the safety of others on the road.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11605916August 1, 2024
STEERING
The right turn signal button has become stuck for a few seconds at random times and on multiple occasions. While driving on the freeway, I pushed the button to turn the turn signal on, but the button won't push down. I keep trying to push the button, but it is stuck for a few seconds. I either have to change lanes without a signal or wait until the button works again. It is unsafe because I look down at the steering wheel to see why it isn't working. There is no warning for it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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