Tesla Model 3 Complaints

2,178 consumer complaints on file.

#11552293October 27, 2023
BACK OVER PREVENTION, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated there was wiring that was loosened from the ground unit. The camera was making an abnormal crackling sound when it was hot. The contact stated that the screen was pink or blank at times. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer six times, where it was diagnosed that the wiring was loosened. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 500.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11552145October 26, 2023
STEERING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The car lost all adaptive driving features and power steering.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11552051October 26, 2023
POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
While driving on 4 lane Pkwy at 45 mph then slowing down to move into left turning lane, my model 3 gave warning of "parking brake failure" and stopped working at the same time. This means it slowed down to a stop on its own. I was "manually driving" the vehicle when this occurred. Luckily for me I was able to be in a "slower" left turn lane and I knew where the emergency blinker button was located and turned them on. The vehicle didn't even go into coast mode to allow me to move over to side of road. It just decided to stop where it was at. After reading about Tesla's stopping on their own in traffic and people crashing into them I knew this is a serious problem. Weather was clear, my car and its cameras were clean.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551609October 24, 2023
POWER TRAIN
While drive after dark on a four-lane city road with no breakdown lane my vehicle alerted me of a problem and I should slow down. About five second later the car came to a stop and placed itself in park in the right-hand lane with traffic coming up behind me at 50 MPH. I was unable to locate the emergency flasher so I turned on the turn signal (I later found out the emergency flasher was located on the ceiling with white marking which were not visible in the dark). With the right turn blinker on I attempted to exit the vehicle but when I did, the turn signal turned off. This left me with a choice to leave a dark vehicle in the right-hand lane with moderate traffic or sit inside keeping the lights and signals on. No accident resulted but this was a very dangerous situation. The failure was a power converter which led to the disabling of both the front and rear drive motors. I was also unable to put the car in neutral and move it as far right as possible. I would have expected this type of failure to at least turn on the emergency flashers and give the driver the option of placing the car in neutral so it could be moved off the road. When i bought the car I specifically ordered the one with front an rear drive motors so failure of one would not completely shut down the vehicle. Seem like this power converter is a single point failure which leave the operator and other vehicles in a very dangerous situation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551561October 24, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at various speeds with the cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The vehicle was diagnosed by a mobile application where it was diagnosed that the firmware needed to be updated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551517October 24, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
the car suddenly braked while using autopilot drivers assist while at highway speeds. There were no cars in front of me when it occurred. I had to take control of the car and accelerate to avoid causing a crash.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551238October 22, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Will Randomly slam on the brakes saying that there is something in front of cars on the highway. This has caused me to almost get into a few accidents suddenly slamming on the breaks at 75 mph. It has happened numerous times and the car feels unsafe to drive. One example it slammed on the brakes in front of an 18 wheeler causing it to almost hit me but I had to slam on the gas very rapidly. There is usually a warning light on about parking break not working when these happen.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551232October 22, 2023
STEERING
Steering Issue Will be calling Tesla Service about this problem. Put the vehicle in Reverse to back out of a driveway and a message stating “Steering Assist Reduced” appeared on the display. Did not back up; could not turn the steering wheel. Put vehicle in Park and exited. After ten minutes put the vehicle in Reverse, no message, and was able to steer again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551204October 21, 2023
WHEELS, STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES
On October 20th, 2023 around 3:00 pm I was driving eastbound on the highway 69 in Michigan. A friend of mine was seated on the front passenger side (no more other passenger). Autopilot was not installed on the car and the driver had both hands on the steering wheel. I was driving on the most left lane at speed about 75 mph. At about Exit#131, Suddenly, I felt the steering wheel turned right a little by itself and the car slowly drifted to the right a little, then the steering wheel quickly turned to left by itself and the car quick turned to the left. I tried to control the steering wheel but couldn't. The car zig-zagged forward and hit the center guardrail at about 45 degree angle. The car was pushed away from the guardrail and stopped in the middle lane. After the crush, the left side of the car tilted to the ground. The left side airbag was deployed and my head hit on the airbag (not injured). The bottom of the drivers side was steaming. At this point I thought the car was going to explode or catch a fire since EV's are known for doing that. My friend and I exited the car immediately and we called the police. No other car was involved and no people get injured. The wheel axle on the front left side collapsed and the wheel fell down on the ground but the tire did not blow up. There were severe damages on the left side of the vehicle: the lamp, the mirror, doors and charging port. The accident report can be retrieved at www.flinttownshippolice.org, report # [XXX]. 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
#11551202October 21, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
On 2 separate occasions, the cruise control set to 80 and suddenly decelerates. Very scary. Term being used in Tesla chat rooms is 'phantom breaking'.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11550609October 18, 2023
STEERING
1. Power steering diminished as I was driving. As the steering wheel was turned their was a "clicking feel" , more than a vibration. I drove slowly and safely returned home. The message on the screen was "steering assist reduced" steering may require increased effort. 2. I did fear for my safety and the safety of others on the road because I did not have full normal control of the steering wheel. I slowed speed to 20mph and carefully made my way home. 3. Yes, they determined my steering rack needed to be replaced. 4. Tesla service inspected the steering rack and determined it needed to be replaced. 5. The message displayed on my Tesla screen was "Steering assist reduced, steering may require increased effort".
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11550569October 18, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Going down secondary road with cruise control on at 42 mph ; no auto steer just plain cruise control. The car all the sudden slams on the brakes for no reason causing the car behind to slam on brakes and almost causing a accident. This needs to be addressed or the cruise control disabled until they fix the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11550423October 17, 2023
STRUCTURE:BODY, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Tesla Model 3 Policy #: [XXX] Claim Number: [XXX] I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to report an incident involving my Tesla Model 3 (Blue) and to initiate the process for an insurance claim. The incident occurred on [XXX], at approximately 2:15 PM. My fiancée was the driver of the vehicle at the time of the incident. Incident Details: - Date: [XXX] - Time: Approximately [XXX] - Vehicle: Tesla Model 3 (Blue) Location: The incident took place on the freeway merge from [XXX], where it merges onto [XXX]. Heading home. Circumstances: My fiancée was operating the vehicle in Autopilot mode while maintaining her hands securely on the steering wheel. As she approached the freeway merge from ramp [XXX], heading onto [XXX], she experienced an unexpected jolt. Despite her continuous control of the steering wheel, the Autopilot system seemed to be accelerating without her input. Simultaneously, my fiancée felt a sudden tire malfunction, which resulted in a significant loss of control over the vehicle. Despite her best efforts to maintain the car's position within the lane, the Tesla Model 3 veered off the freeway and entered the adjacent Ravine area. Impact and Airbags: Upon entering the Ravine area, the vehicle experienced a collision. multiple plants/highbrush/uneven terrain as well as having to maneuver around 2 large palm trees which resulted damage to side mirror. Notably, none of the vehicle's airbags were deployed during the incident, and there were no sensor alerts, except for the tire pressure warning light. Also there wasn't any record of dashcam recording when we checked the car. We are seriously concerned that the airbags did not deploy , attached are photos concerning the damage. I would like to emphasize that my fiancée was diligently following safety guidelines and had her hands on the steering wheel while using Autopilot. This incident occurred suddenly and unexpectedly. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11550381October 17, 2023
STEERING
Lost power steering while driving. Luckily this occurred while I was going less than 5mph and near a parking lot, so was able to muscle the steering to a safe place. Received a warning from the car that “steering assist is reduced” randomly. Luckily we were going slowly and able to find a safe place to park, so my wife and kids were safe. Could barely turn the wheel enough to park safely. Once restarted a few hours later power steering worked again. Car has now been in a manufacturers shop for a week to try and figure out the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11550324October 17, 2023
STEERING
Steering is very jerky/choppy - vehicle is hard to keep straight while driving on freeway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11550166October 16, 2023
STEERING
No problems prior to today. 22500 miles on vehicle. Delivered Nov 2021. Got in car to drive to work today, and power steering would not work. Error message on the car display stated there was a power steering failure. Put the car in park, waited about a minute, and tried again, and it worked. I see that there is a NHTSA investigation looking into this, so I wanted to let you know about it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11550163October 16, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
Tesla cars have a feature that when turn signals are used associated cameras also turn on and display image for blind spots of lane attempting to enter cameras have quite a delay in displaying image. When going in reverse cameras can also have a delay in displaying image there was a prior recall but issue still happens
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11549701October 12, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Phantom braking continues. This time the vehicle was traveling on an Interstate highway at 70mph, until the phantom braking occured, which caused the speed to drop immediately (within a few seconds) to less than 30mph. This safety problem was extremely prevalent when the car was within its first six months of use. It has improved, but has not gone away completely.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11549464October 11, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
I was driving to work that all of sudden heard warning sound and the monitor displayed the "Shutdown" sign as well. The car lost its power and came to complete stop in the middle of the street. Luckily there was no car near me. I was not able to drive the car and had to tow it to the dealership. According to mechanic “the rear drive unit has failed internally”. This was extremely scary and dangerous and may have caused a fatal accident. The problem has been fixed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11549168October 10, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
While on a cross country trip and while on the highway using the Tesla auto pilot and/or adaptive cruise control, we experienced numerous phantom braking incidents. Several while driving during the day with no other vehicles around and several while passing semi trucks in the other lane. At night the same thing occurred and on one occasion, with no other vehicles around, suddenly braked from 70 mph to near stop. Had we been on a wet or icy surface, there is the possibility of control issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to Tesla Model 3