Tesla Model 3 Complaints (2023)

417 consumer complaints on file.

#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
#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
#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
#11605855August 1, 2024
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Car stopped working in middle of road How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Luckly there were no traffic or car behind , I am not moving the lane. Personal safety and passenger safety Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Tesla service center at spring field NJ , told me, Front module was at fault and replaced Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? By Tesla Service Center at Spring Feild NJ Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Car shows CP_A044 Unable Charge error while car is running suddenly Car shows move the vehicle side , it will shutdown then shut down the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11605314July 30, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
On several occasions, the last being July 19,2024, auto correct on steering took control of my vehicle when no correction was needed. I’ve been taken by surprise and struggled on all occasions to gain full control of the vehicle. In addition, my car is not able to receive the over-air update to address the hood latch recall which leaves me more vulnerable to a catastrophic event. I can not reach a person in Service as Tesla pushes every communication through the app. My appointment was pushed out over three weeks and I still have not heard from Tesla to confirm this appointment nor reach out with any concern whatsoever regarding this horrific safety concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11603943July 23, 2024
STEERING, SUSPENSION, WHEELS
This complaint is about a Tesla rental car from Avis which has just shown up in the salvage yard. Because the VIN of the wreck can not be identified I have used the VIN of another wrecked Tesla. Here is the wreck in question. [XXX] It is available for inspection. The front wheels have clearly fallen off BEFORE the crash since they are shown in almost undamaged condition apart from popped ball joints. Your database has thousands of perfectly valid complaints on Teslas. You are publishing those complaints but taking no action. I suspect political interference. Tesla whistleblowers have been silenced. Norway has now cleared a whistleblower and he reports that he has already sent his evidence to NHTSA. People are dying. Stop the cover-up. Here is the report about the whistleblower in Norway. [XXX] Even a proxy for this whistle-blower has been gagged. [XXX] GET ON WITH YOUR JOB. Regards [XXX] Please note that I have used a dummy USA address to satisfy yopur webmasters requirements. My correct contact details are attached. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11601015July 10, 2024
AIR BAGS, STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES
The components that failed or malfunctioned include the braking system, steering system, and the airbag deployment mechanism. These critical systems experienced sudden and unexpected failures. Yes, the vehicle and its components are available for inspection upon request. -The sudden brake failure and steering wheel lock resulted in a complete loss of control over the vehicle. The inability to stop or steer the car properly led to it veering over the curb/grass area, posing a severe risk of collision. Additionally, the failure of the airbags to deploy during the impact further compromised my safety. This incident not only endangered my life but also posed a significant threat to the safety of other road users on Highway I676. -At this time, the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. Further investigation and inspection are necessary to determine the root cause of these critical system failures. -There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms indicating any issues with the braking system, steering system, or airbags prior to the sudden failure. The malfunction occurred without any prior warning, which exacerbates the concern regarding the vehicle’s safety systems.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11599846July 7, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
On [XXX], I was driving my Tesla model 3 from California to my new home in Idaho as part of my move there. During the day, I had 6 or 7 situations where the car would suddenly go into full regenerative braking, or outright apply the brakes for no apparent reason. Most of these events took place of freeways at freeways speeds, or on highways (not freeways) at the local speed limit. Every situation was when I had supervised self drive or traffic aware cruise control enabled. These situations were extremely startling and in my opinion potentially dangerous. I don't want to imagine what might have happened if one of these "phantom braking" events had occurred with a heavy 18 wheeler behind me in traffic. 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
#11598032July 1, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, an alert chimed for several seconds before the infotainment screen went blank. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power, the A/C became inoperable, the windows failed to roll down, and the doors failed to open as needed. The contact attempted to reboot the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to respond immediately. The contact was very concerned about her and her grandson's safety while the vehicle was inoperable. The contact and her grandson were unable to exit the vehicle immediately in hot weather. Moments later, the vehicle inadvertently rebooted, and the contact was able to drive to the residence, where she and her grandson exited through the front driver's door. Upon checking the Tesla app, four error codes were displayed: VCFRONT_a592, VCFRONT_a191, DI_a174, and DI_a183. The dealer was made aware of the failure, and the vehicle was diagnosed through the Tesla App. The dealer determined that the high-voltage controller and relay needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,725.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11597512June 28, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Opening the car door of the Tesla, my fingernail got caught between the handle and the handle frame and was completely ripped off.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11597099June 26, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER, POWER TRAIN
1) Driving at highway speed on a highway, the windshield wipers stopped and would not restart in the middle of a pouring rainstorm. We could barely see, but we pulled to the roadside and stopped the car. We put the car in park. Once we put the car in drive again, the wipers would work again. We took the car to the Tesla service center and they replaced the wiper module. 2) When stopped at a stoplight the car would not drive forward when the light turned green. The car would not go again until I put it in park and then back into drive. When exiting a parking lot and pulling out into traffic, making a right turn, the car just stopped and would not go. The car would not go forward in drive and would not go backward in reverse, it just sat there. I put the car in park. Then I put the car in drive again and it went forward as usual. I took the car to the Tesla service center and here is their report: "Repair Notes: Technician verified customer concern through review of vehicle alerts at customer timestamp and tow. Technician performed a very exhaustive circuit integrity check on the vehicle communication network and found no faults. Technician then investigated closer at the customer timestamp and found the vehicle Car Computer restarted itself due to an over memory condition upon wake, resulting in the experienced symptom. This is a know firmware characteristic that Tesla Engineering is aware of and actively working on a permanent fix to be released in future firmware. Technician also removed and replaced the faulty wiper motor.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11596070June 24, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, AIR BAGS, SEATS
On 5/28/24, while pulling up the driveway, the car suddenly accelerated and it’s so fast that we couldn’t react. The car crashed into the garage, knocked down one wall along with the main electrical panel. It stopped because it got stuck on 10 in foundation’s of garage structure. The collision mitigation feature did not get triggered and didn’t give any alert or helped to stop the car from crashing into the garage. Airbags on both driver and passenger sides did not deploy. Prior to this accident, the car already had issue with the driver’s profiles and the seat just moved back and stuck at the easy entry mode. The car became inoperable because the driver’s seat can’t be moved forward to a position where I could reach the gas and brake pedal. I contacted Tesla service and was told to delete the driver’s profile and create new one , power off the screen, power cycled the car. I’ve done all of that but the problem kept happening on and off. The car was scheduled to be looked at by Tesla on 6-20-24 but the accident happened on 5-28-24. We’d like to find out the root cause of the accident whether the car has any malfunction that could’ve triggered the sudden unintended acceleration. We’ve reported the accident to both Tesla and my insurance company. Tesla confirmed that the data was downloaded and being reviewed and there is no available information to be shared with me at this time
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11594373June 14, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
after heavy rain and some driving the Horn was not audible. wrong way driver almost hit me and the horn was useless to alert them
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11592950June 6, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING
Full self drive FSD took car in opposite road direction, sudden lane changes, almost crash in upcoming traffic. Sudden stops in middle in road. FSD autopilot very dangerous driving that could cost crash. I can’t trust FSD
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11592873June 6, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Tesla Motors has two self-driving features, a mode they call enhanced autopilot and Full Self-Driving. Enhanced Autopilot is used primarily on freeways, and allows the car to switch lanes without driver's assistance, while maintaining the speed of traffic. Full Self Driving is a separate system in and of itself that relies on far more sensors, and is far more complex, as it needs to be in order to handle all the nuances of allowing a car to drive itself on and around city streets. During the month of April ,Tesla previewed the supposed improvements in its full self driving mode by releasing it to everyone for free for that month. I was exiting the [XXX] freeway in Los Angeles, utilizing the enhanced autopilot feature to navigate myself to my destination. At this exit, the car makes a right on [XXX], drives down about 500 feet and then makes another right so that you're briefly traveling underneath the freeway from you'd just exited. As the car made that second right, while on what should have full self-driving mode, the car failed to navigate the angle of that turn and ran right into a steep curb at a fairly fast speed, destroying the right drive train, the right tire, the entire front bumper, and the cars wheel chassis and suspension system all still have to be fixed. I believe the malfunction was caused by the car failing to properly switch between enhanced autopilot and full self-driving if they utilize GPS to make that determination, because it felt almost as if the car was trying to switch into the lane to the right (which didnt exist there was the curb there) and not like it was attempting to negotiate or preparing to make a wider turn maneuver. I don't believe it even decelerated as it hit the curb. I broke my toe but otherwise am all right. Tesla won't honor their warranty and is threatening to repo the car they won't fix. 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
#11592680June 5, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed in the rain with the windshield wipers activated, the windshield wipers became inoperable. The contact was able to turn the switch for the windshield wipers and the wiper blades started operating as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the contact was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the failure began after an OTA update. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 11,800.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590171May 22, 2024
POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I was turning onto a busy street and the car suddenly stopped and would not respond to the gas pedal. A message said "shift into drive". I had been driving for about a mile already and had not touched the shifter. I then tried to shift into drive and it would not change. I tried multiple times. I then opened the driver door, shut the door, pressed the break to put in my pin, and then it would shift into drive. This was very dangerous as it stopped with the car partially in the road. Luckily there were no cars around.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11589988May 21, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving approximately 72 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle abruptly decelerated and nearly came to a complete stop. During the failure, there were no other vehicles or objects nearby. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 6,730. The contact stated the primary concern is that unexpected emergency braking for no apparent reason on our 2023 Tesla Model 3 was dangerous. The dealer indicated that their review of the data for the approximate date and time did not show anything and cancelled the appointment.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11589415May 18, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES
I was turning into a parking garage when my car suddenly slammed on the brakes very hard to a sudden stop. Like there was an imagined hazard. I did not have the car on auto Drive as I do not trust the technology, but Tesla had just offered everyone full self driving automation that month. I did not elect to use that, but I feel that technology had something to do with this. Not only the incident scary. The stop was so hard. I was in pain after.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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