Tesla Model 3 Complaints (2023)

429 consumer complaints on file.

#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
#11589169May 16, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, STEERING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
when I was driving my Tesla Model 3 with FSD exiting [XXX] , the FSD directed me to a wrong routing. I corrected the direction by taking over the FSD, the car then lost its full braking system. I was not aware of it until my car slipped backward at a stop and hit a car behind me. The other driver is good enough to let me go, but my Tesla back bumper was damaged. When I got home and read the message on the screen, I was told that the braking hold was disabled, autopilot was disabled, braking charge was disabled, and wheel alignment was disabled, and more. I contacted Tesla and make an appointment half a month later. I was also told that the Tesla recommends to have alignment adjusted every 6000 miles or every 6 months- while I was not aware of this, I thought Tesla is maintenance free. This was what I told Tesla representative then: If this disfunction is safety related, it should be mandatory, not recommended! I feel I was lucky that I only have a small accident, it could be worse. I just dropped my car to Tesla for repair yesterday, the estimated costs was originally $275, then it went up to ~$1500, then ~$1800, When I was talking to a representative, the costs increased to $2167 in a few minutes! I asked why the prices go up, they said the previous prices are mistakes, and if I don't want to pay, I can drive my car home! I believe this happens to many other Tesla users as well, it needs to be addressed before more accidents and damages. The fragile safety operation and the way Tesla treat its customer are not acceptable, at least to my case. Thanks for your attention, if you need more information about my report, or have any question, please feel free to contact me. [XXX] [XXX] [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
#11588864May 15, 2024
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1. My 90 year-old mother-in law got trapped inside the car in very bad weather because my phone key wouldn't open the door after I got out and walked her elderly friend to the door of her house about 20 feet away, and then walked back to the Tesla. I've been able to reproduce the problem repeatedly, of course without my mother-in-law in the car. 2. Several near-misses because, unlike most other cars, the Tesla's blind-spot warning system, and many other basic control functions such as adjusting the windshield wipers, opening the glove compartment, etc, require you to take your eyes off the road. For example changing lanes requires you to look away from the lane you're about to move into to check the blind spot display on the touch screen. 3. Several near misses because easing up on the accelerator slows down the car forcefully 98% of the time, but does nothing 2% of the time. Specifically, accidentally flicking down on the right-hand control stick, which turns on the windshield wipers in most cars, activates cruise control and gives minimal feedback to the driver that cruise control has indeed been activated. In this circumstance, easing up on the accelerator pedal doesn't slow down the car at all. This is very frightening and unexpected and could easily cause an accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587341May 6, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
When using cruise control, my 2023 Tesla Model 3 will aggressively brake without warning or apparent cause. The braking is near maximal - as though the vehicle is attempting to prevent an imminent collision. This defect poses a hazard to occupants of vehicles behind mine as well as myself and my passengers as sudden braking could cause a rear-end collision and cascading loss of control. Inclement weather would have exacerbated the problem. This problem is documented. From my brief research it appears Phantom Braking has been the subject of a NHTSA investigation previously but for prior model years. The issue persists. When I questioned Tesla Service regarding this life and limb threatening problem their staff was aware and well versed at requesting the customer report the issue as though it were a minor software glitch. This is a significantly more serious problem necessitating an appropriate response.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11586958May 4, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
I was driving behind someone when a suv came over from left lane into the right lane in front of the cars that were in Front of me and made a sudden turn into a business. I was already applying the brake and was the 3 second rule behind the car in front of me, however the car did not stop as I slammed on the brakes as hard as I could. There have been other times that the car will automatically slammed brakes on because it feels that it need to…when it’s not necessary at all. But the other day when I needed the brakes to help me stop abruptly…they failed to do so. I hit the car in front of me and was cited as well. If I had been going faster..this could have been way worse. This definitely needs to be evaluated on Teslas. I have a dahcam video that I’m unable to upload.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11586892May 3, 2024
SEAT BELTS
my model 3 is less than one year old, the both rear seatbelt buckles won’t latch
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11585444April 26, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The adaptive cruise control of the Tesla Model 3, like other Tesla models, rely on the cameras for determining speed. While driving on the freeway the Tesla Model 3 began to abruptly break almost causing a car to rear-end me. This has occurred multiple times since the full self driving was released to everyone. I discovered that the software reads the freeway's "Minimum Speed Limit" signs as the maximum speed limit. I reached out to Tesla and was told that there would be a firmware up-date but one has not come out since.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11584975April 24, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While the car was on the full self-driving it hit a metal block on the road. After the accident there was leakage behind the left front wheel of blue liquid and was suspected to be battery coolant. The car was not drivable due to safety concern. The car functions were degraded and air conditioning was not working. Sensors were on and off. The self-driving could not identify block and did not slow down. The self-driving system has major defect which is not safe to use at all.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11584169April 19, 2024
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Design defect that caused the cooling system to fail and potentially not cooling the battery system. Per Tesla service center, leaves and debris which are common in everyday use got on top of the radiator, the fan on the back of the radiator sucked the debris and caused the damage to the radiator to leak. the radiator’s design may be inadequate, leading to the issue and caused potential damage to the battery pack or computer as a result of overheating which might leads to fatal accidents.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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