Tesla Model 3 Complaints (2021)

674 consumer complaints on file.

#11601211July 11, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Horn does not work. Seems to be a regular occurrence in this model. SAFETY ISSUE!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11598091July 1, 2024
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS, SEATS
Passenger SRS system fault. Initial error is due to a fault with the occupancy sensor. Presumably disabling or degrading seatbelt pre accident tensioning and proper airbag deployment. Also causes repeated & distracting beeps throughout drive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11595575June 20, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Ever since Tesla rolled out an update for everyone to beta test FSD, the adaptive cruise control has been changing speeds when near interstate type exits and entrances. I've had it change from 75 down to 40 mph which is dangerous in traffic. This change in speed some times is just a drop to the next 5mph increment, such as from 73 to 70. Sometimes it is more from 73 to 65 at the same place/exit. It is not consistent. The only thing consistent is it's near exits even when not in an exit lane or nearest lane to the exit. This "Feature" needs to be removed as it is unpredictable which makes it dangerous. Owners manual [XXX] Cruising Near or On Exits 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
#11592876June 6, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The vehicle, a 2021 Tesla Model 3, had an episode of sudden unintended acceleration. I was almost stationary waiting to make a left when the car accelerated by itself, left the road, crossed a grass field at high speed and crashed into bushes. The vehicle was not on auto pilot, it resulted in damage of almost $ 20.000 as estimated by insurance. The vehicle is available for inspection, it will be checked by Tesla service after the damage is fixed. There were no previous warnings, this is the first incident of this kind. It is not clear what component malfunctioned, probably some electric/electronic device in charge of acceleration. It was obviously a very dangerous event that could have jeopardized my safety and/or some others.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11591417May 29, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving, no warning, car went dead, no control over lights, windows (can’t use hand signals), power steering, unclear if parking brake worked. Had towed. 12v battery died. No explanation as to why there was no warning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11586244May 1, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, VISIBILITY/WIPER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Tesla ADAS detects non existent objects and issues collision alerts and phantom brakes randomly if there is no cars in front of the Tesla, braking abruptly and almost getting me into rear end accidents. Tesla ADAS freaks out when making lane changes randomly, shaking violently and giving the driver and its passengers a fishtailing simulation. Auto wiper triggers randomly while it's sunny, distracting the driver and forcing an interaction on the center console to stop it. Auto wiper cannot be turned off as it reengages upon using Tesla ADAS. The rear view camera lags. It stutters and shows me a delayed view. Compounded by the Model 3's very small rear view mirrors and side mirrors, this is incredibly dangerous as I have no way of gaining sufficient visibility of the back of the car. Tesla service told me this is all normal.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11585722April 29, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The current owners manual shows how to open the rear doors in the event of loss of power using an emergency latch at the bottom of the door pocket. Our car doesn’t have that latch in the rear doors (though the front doors each have one). This concerns us and we feel it is unsafe for the back seat passengers.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11585174April 25, 2024
STEERING
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle made a violent right turn inadvertently crashed into a ditch, and rolled on the driveway. The contact sustained a concision. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 44,410.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11584446April 22, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While using the Full Self Driving Mode (FSD) the vehicle will randomly and without warning slam on the brakes at highway speeds and decelerate to 30-50mph on an active highway. If the highway is multilane, the car will slow and attempt to change lanes. It appears the vehicle thinks that something is in the road, even if the road is clear. This happens multiple times on my longer road trips, and is very concerning. It did this yesterday with a semi-truck closely behind me. The vehicle has gone into service and I did bring up the issue, but the service team was unable to assist on this issue (screenshots attached). The software currently installed in my vehicle is 2024.3.15, the latest available from Tesla. This issues has been ongoing from every software update I have had in the car however.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11583618April 17, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS
See attached document for complaint
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11582925April 14, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
When using cruise control, auto lane assist and auto pilot, the vehicle will brake or slow down without apparent reason. This can happen suddenly and dramatically. This can happen when there are other cars nearby, but also when there is no other traffic on the road. It is distressing enough when there are no other cars nearby, but can be a hazard when there is other traffic behind me and they have no warning this is happening.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11582795April 13, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
This car, like many Teslas, is experiencing what has been come to be known as phantom braking. When in the autopilot or full self driving, this car will occasionally to frequently, depending on the day, suddenly break where it will decelerate from say 65 mph to 45 or 50 in a very short period of time. This can happen in very busy traffic conditions. It seems to happen when I'm going faster rather than slower. For example, I haven't experienced it so much on City Street. It seems much more prominent on highways. This is an issue that has many YouTube videos about. It has been reported by many Tesla owners as well as the media.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11581833April 9, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On March 31st, Tesla alerted me that I had been "granted a 30-day complimentary trial of Full Self-Driving" capabilities. They didn't make it clear that the service was automatically enabled (vs. allowing me to opt-in) and did not provide any information about how it operates. Because I have no interest in the service, I didn't click the "Learn More" button in the email. Since the service was turned on, the car has unexpectedly "grabbed" my steering wheel twice while I was driving. I now understand that it's possible that I turned it on without knowing it but, again, I wasn't given any instructions. I was terrified. When I pulled over and tried to find an "off" button, I discovered there is none. When I spoke to Tesla today, I was told that there is no "off" for the service and that all I can do set it to the least invasive setting and "live with it" until the trial period expires on April 30th. I can still feel the car self-adjusting my speed and steering. I remain terrified that it's going to cause an accident. The bottom line: because I've had the car for two years and did not purchase AutoPilot, I KNOW there's a way to disable it entirely. Tesla is simply refusing to do it and using me as a lab rat with no regard for my safety.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11581524April 6, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Latest update changed the cruise control to force inclusion of autopilot. Cruise control function is now unavailable with without this autonomous feature. It's not only distracting, but aggravating. What's worse, is there's no online ability to inform or complain directly to Tesla. This isn't the first safety-related software glitch. Please get them to fix these issues.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11581476April 6, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
My vehicle is 3 years old and has roughly 52000 on it. After a recent software update (within the past month or so) all of the automatic safety features such as automatic braking, blind spot monitoring, cruise control stopped working on the vehicle. I brought it to Tesla and they confirmed the issue and said the entire ECU needs to be replaced, a $2700 expense on a 3 year old car. There is a warning message every time I start the car that says the automatic breaking is not working.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11581335April 5, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, STRUCTURE:BODY
I was driving in the street at 10 miles, I turned to the right and I push the break but the car didn't break and I crashed with the car in front of me.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11581258April 4, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Autonomous Driving Problem [XXX] Driving from Cornelia, GA to Commerce, GA on [XXX] at 60 mph driving on the right lane with very lite traffic. 6 different times the FSD (Full Self Driving) (Supervised) 2021 Tesla Model 3 starts signaling left and changes lanes with no traffic or vehicles in front. The 5th time FSD (Supervised) changed lane to the left was a near car accident because a car was speeding at 70-80 mph from the rear and the vehicle changed lanes in front of the speeding car nearly causing an accident. The autonomous cabin driver detection sensor does continuously give false positive warning messages to the driver to "Pay attention to the road" when I am wearing my glasses, so I have to drive without my glasses. 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
#11581256April 4, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY
Automatic Trunk (Lift Gate) Guillotine Problem: The convenience of the trunk (lift gate) is a helpful feature to the driver and/or passengers of the vehicle, but this feature can be deadly at the wrong place and wrong time, for example: The driver/passenger presses the open/close trunk (lift gate) and a child’s hand, head, and/or body part is against/leaning/underneath/over that opening while the child is blocking/obstructing the opening/closing which can cause injury and/or death. That child’s body part can be crushed/trapped in between the closing/opening between the truck (lift gate) vehicle frame, for example: While a young child spontaneously darts in/around the vehicle during the opening/closing of the trunk (lift gate) and looks/sees/wants an item and instinctively runs to and grabs the item not knowing or forgetting about the opening/closing of the trunk (lift gate) and at that moment the trunk (lift gate) strikes and/or traps the child’s extremities causing injury, amputation, and/or death. * There should be an audible noise and sensors notifying the vehicle occupants about the opening/closing of the trunk/door/lift gate and 2 detection sensors. Audible Noise - A beeping noise or gentle soft song during the opening/closing of the trunk (lift gate). * Trunk (lift Gate) Opening/Closing Motor and Motion Detection Sensor. Trunk (lift Gate) motion motor freeze and stop - If there is an opening/closing abnormality the trunk (lift gate) would immediately freeze operation until the button is pressed to open/close. * Trunk (lift Gate) Opening/Closing Sensor. Trunk (lift Gate) that would make sure the trunk (lift gate) is completely open and/or completely closed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11581250April 4, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Problem: As the vehicle is driven and the Adaptive Cruise Control, AutoSteer, FSD, …. is activated. As the system detects an unexpected outside event, the vehicle would slow down for a few seconds, then it would continue driving and re-accelerate to about the same speed that it was before and/or to the maximum set speed. Opinion: This is can be dangerous if the driver is not observant, alert, and does not control the vehicle which can be dangerous and cause death, destruction, and/or damage to the driver, passengers, pedestrians, vehicle, surrounding vehicles, fixed objects, etc. Possible Solution: As the vehicle is driven and the Adaptive Cruise Control, AutoSteer, FSD, …. is activated. Once the system detects an unexpected outside event the system should: * Temporarily Disable Adaptive Cruise Control, AutoSteer, FSD, …. * Interior Cabin LCD would flash Yellow/Orange and beep quickly 3 times in a row - Showing a message on the screen “For the safety of you and others _____ (Adaptive Cruise Control, AutoSteer, FSD, …. ) has been temporarily disabled due to an unexpected outside event. Please re-enable ____ (Adaptive Cruise Control, AutoSteer, FSD, …. ) when it is safe.” Possible Solution Reason: * Temporarily Disabling Adaptive Cruise Control, AutoSteer, FSD, …. disables the drivers dependence on the system, slows the vehicle, and forces the driver to take control of the vehicle, situation, and avoid the unexpected outside event. * Alerting/notifying the driver alerts the driver to a dangerous unexpected outside event that the driver needs to assess and know the best course of action.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11581044April 3, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
On or around March 31, 2024 Tesla delivered a software update to my vehicle that changed the way adaptive cruise control is engaged, as well as the behavior of the vehicle when the setting is activated. In the few days since the change, I twice inadvertently engaged the adaptive cruise control, once while attempting to park on a congested residential street where it was very dangerous to have the vehicle accelerate without my taking action. I panicked and was able to shut it off quickly, but I didn’t know why it had been enabled. Today I was driving and had intentionally engaged the adaptive cruise control when the car attempted to signal and change lanes. This was wholly unexpected, and I was not prepared to monitor the vehicle taking other actions besides maintaining its lane and speed in traffic. I reviewed the settings for the feature and discovered the adaptive cruise control with lane guidance, termed “Autosteer” in the Tesla vehicle, had been replaced by “Self-Driving (Supervised).” The activation of the feature was changed from a double pull on the shift lever to a single pull. This explained my twice inadvertently activating the feature, and the car propelling itself forward unexpectedly, on those two other occasions. It is extremely dangerous for the car manufacturer to suddenly and without warning change the way the vehicle is operated. I believe I was fortunate to avoid an accident on two occasions while the vehicle unexpectedly took control over driving. Had I not reacted within one second to disable the feature, I might not have avoided a collision.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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