2018 Tesla Model 3 complaints

I have been receiving an error message that there is a safety restraint system failure. I reached out for service and have been advised it will cost $195 minimum just for them to tell me if my safety is at risk. I don’t understand how if there is a safety issue regardless of being out of warranty why I should be responsible for their systems failing in a 5 year old car

Vehicle displays alert "Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault." Tesla repaired my vehicle last year for this same alert and now it has returned. Tesla claims the Occupant Classification System and passenger airbag must now be replaced. These critical safety components should not fail only 5 years after I purchased this vehicle. Many other Tesla owners report this same issue indicating it is a safety-related defect.

I lose all steering assist while driving, have no power assist

Front left tire control arm completely separated from suspension with no obvious warning. Fortunately happened while backing out of driveway otherwise could have been catastrophic on street/freeway.

I was traveling about 10-15 mph and my car unexpectedly activating the automatic emergency braking system. It was very scary and dangerous

My car has has very loud creaking sounds coming from stabilizer links and upper control arms. This is a known defect and there are already service bulletins about this. Those bulletins are: SB1831005R1, SB-20-31-006 R3, SB-18-31-005 Unfortunately, when I took my vehicle into be repaired, they said that my VIN isn't covered by this recall... Yet, I am having the same issue. Tesla charged me $2,186.46 to fix it when it should have been free.

Car no under warranty anymore. Front left safety restraint system failed (It looks like the cable is a little too short to accommodate the full range of the seat and ends up getting damaged) . It looks like a widespread issue on online forums.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the Front Passenger Safety Restraint System (FPSRS) fault warning illuminated. The contact continued driving and later contacted the manufacturer. The contact was advised by the manufacturer that he had the option to repair the Safety Restraint System by a mobile technician or the vehicle could be driven to a dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the Restraint System fault warning failure was intermittent at first but had become a recurring failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to the FPSRS wiring located under the seats, which was being damaged by the seat auto adjustment feature. The seat adjustment feature moved both seats to an upright and back position to allow ease of entry of the driver and passenger. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,900.

I was parallel parking the vehicle and I heard a loud "thunk" sound. I looked under chassis and came to learn that arm connected to wheel had completely fallen off. Luckily, this was not on freeway or with my family. Vehicle was taken to Tesla for inspection, they mentioned this should NOT have happened and they couldn't explain for how this would have been undone, initially. They stated they'd replace both arms but would be fee on customer $1200+ which I was bewildered that not only is this part not supposed to easily come off but that this would be something I needed to pay for. I asked that they take this up with management, they came back 20min later to state they notice slight deterioration and sent me an image, which I could barely see and now explained this "could" have been the cause. I've had some folks share that this may be a known issue with 2018 Model 3, which is also same year my vehicle was made it. I'm really disappointed as this is our second Tesla and this has been first huge incident and luckily it wasn't with others inside, as this could have turned out very differently

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, a message was displayed alerting the driver to a passenger safety restraint fault. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular failure. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V389000 (Seat Belts) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 60,000.

For the past 2-3 weeks, my vehicle has been intermittently displaying an error message that reads “Front left safety restraint system fault,” accompanied by the error code RCM_a021. This error has been appearing nearly every day and seems to indicate a malfunction in the Restraint Control Module, specifically relating to the front left safety restraint system. Importantly, the vehicle has not been in any accidents, and no recent repair work has been done that could explain the onset of this issue. This malfunction poses a significant safety risk. The front left safety restraint system, which includes crucial components like the seat belt latch sensor and the pretensioner system, is designed to protect the driver in the event of an accident. Given the critical nature of these safety features, the issue at hand could compromise the vehicle’s ability to protect its occupants, thereby placing both the driver and passengers at considerable risk. The vehicle has not been inspected or diagnosed by a Tesla dealer, an independent service center, or any other entity such as police or insurance representatives. This absence of professional evaluation further underscores the urgency for a thorough investigation into the root cause of this fault. There were no precursors or warnings prior to the appearance of this error message. The issue spontaneously manifested and has been consistently reoccurring. This lack of predictability elevates the risk associated with the fault, making it vital

I received a warning message that displayed, “Front Left Safety Restraint System Fault.” This is an engineering problem as the cables associated easily detach under the driver’s seat. Tesla has been long aware of this problem. They came out to my home and replaced the wire connection by installing sturdier connectors. I was subsequently was charged $329.40.

The front passenger seat driver occupancy system started sporadically malfunctioning and showing the "air bags disabled" warning even while the seat was occupied. This would put the passenger at risk in the event of a crash. The manufacturer's technician arrived to inspect the vehicle and upon hearing the description of the problem said it was likely that a cable in the seat's wire harness probably wore out from friction and that "it was a common issue in these vehicles". Upon examining the wire harness the technician confirmed that this was the issue, and the harness had to be replaced.

I was turning into a parking spot when I heard a loud clanging sound, and I was unable to complete the turn. When I came out to look, the front driver's side wheel was slanted, as if in a turn, the passenger side wheel was straight. I had returned the steering wheel to center before I came out. I found a bolt behind the car, and through visual inspection saw that the front driver's side wheel was no longer attached to the steering shaft. The tow truck driver found another bolt under the car. Neither nut was recovered despite searching. Tesla support told me to tow it to their service center, where they repaired it for me for free, despite the fact that I was no longer under warranty. 1) Component that failed: Front Driver's Side control assembly 2) Safety at risk: the car was unsteerable at that point, at a higher speed, it would have cause d a crash 3) Confirmed by dealer, repaired by dealer. Invoice attached. 4) Has not been inspected by anyone other than the dealer, and superficially by the tow truck driver. 5) no warnings or symptoms observed before the incident. Attached: a) picture of the steering arm on the ground, disconnected from the steering shaft. b) picture of one of the recovered bolts. c) repair invoice from Tesla.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at various highway speeds with the Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking, causing the vehicle to stop abruptly in the middle of the highway. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on four separate occasions. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 27,000.

I tried to open the back door (the rear drivers side.) I could not get the handle to pop out as it normally does when I push in. I hand to push it very hard to get the handle out and once I grasped the handle I cut my hand on the handle. It seems the chrome wrap on the handle had started to come off some how, which is what was preventing the handle from opening in the first place. This must be a defect as there is no way a person could possibly damage this chrome wrap, as the handles are always tucked away.

When driving couple of days back an alert "UI_a020 stating steering assist disabled" appeared on screen and the steering became stiff. Luckily I was on local road; so I slowed down and pulled over. This could cause a big safety issue if I am on a highway and unable to steer easily at high speed. I contacted Tesla; they suggested getting the steering rack replaced for ~$3000. This is a basic safety issue; fixing it should be covered by Tesla.

Car swerved into my lane and horn failed to work to notify them that they were serving. The large push area at the bottom of the horn on my model 3 does not work. Service told me this was the design in the older models, and has been corrected only in newer models. So that means all older model 3's have a horn that does not work properly.

Power steering assist failed. I drove to work just fine but after briefly putting the car in park and then back into drive, an error message appeared on the screen (UI_a020 Steering assist reduced) and I could no longer steer the vehicle. I was fortunately able to drive straight ahead into a parking spot and turn it off. I tried waiting a few minutes but was unable to regain any ability to steer the car. He error message only showed after the condition occurred. There were no other warning signals ahead of the failure. Had this happened at speed the outcome could have been catastrophic. This just happened and I have not yet had the car inspected.

Received a Front passenger safety restraint system fault warning on my Tesla that went away but the service tech claims that they don't see that warning when brought to service center. I am concerned that they are not transparent or not seeing something that I clearly saw. Or if there is some software/technical glitch that displayed it. They were not clear on why it showed to me. The other issue is related to A/C compressor failing due to their software for cabin overheating. I had to pay for the A/C compressor to be replaced but feel that their software contributed to the problem.

"Front safety restraint system fault" message comes up sporadically and then regularly. Tesla has address this issue at least four times but it has not been resolved. I was told they ordered a new seat but now they are backtracking on this.

Steering well locked up after parking . Unable to turn wheel. Error code power steering failure . UI a020. Forced reset and then had to power down car. Waited 10 minutes. Then steering resumed. Drove to repair shop.

While driving my Tesla Model 3, using the ACC and self-steering option, I occasionally get "forward collision warnings" when going over a hill, where you can't see the road until you get over the hill. I have also had the same "forward collision warnings" on a flat stretch of road when there is clearly nothing in front of me in my lane. I have also been experiencing "phantom braking" episodes, noticing a pattern where they will happen as I approach a bridge overpass, as if the car thought the bridge overpass was perhaps an obstacle. These occur on a fairly regular basis, as in, at least 5-10 times per month. I drive a lot of highways, and drive approx 20,000 miles per year

The brake lines rusted out and caused the brake to go out while my wife was driving with our newborn baby. The car is not even 5 years old. I have read of other cases of this happening.

While traveling approximately 20mph, I heard a loud noise from the front of the vehicle. It sounded like I hit a road hazard, but the road was clear. I inspected the front of the vehicle and there was no visible damage. However, from then on, the vehicle would make a loud clunking noise whenever I made a turn, no warning lamps or messages. I was able to drive to a Tesla Service Center and they diagnosed it as a failure of the Front Lower Lateral Link. There have been recalls associated with the lower lateral link (SB-21-31-001) for 2018-2019 Model 3 vehicles, but my VIN was not part of that recall. It should have been part of recall.

On 9/25/23 I was driving the Tesla Model 3 and had entered a parking garage when the steering suddenly locked and would not work while I was in drive mode. The Tesla screen gave a warning that additional force may be required to manouver. It was with a lot of difficulty that I was able to safely park the car in the garage and called Tesla support. I was instructed to power off the car and reboot. It was a situation that could have potentially put my life in danger and led to an accident had there been other vehicles nearby. I have owned the Tesla since April 2018 and have 39,000 miles.

The front suspension started making a lot of loud noises, the service center acknowledged that it's a control arm issue potentially however my VIN is not listed in a recall that was conducted for this manufacturer and they're doing more recalls on it but the manufacturer says that I have to pay for the repair despite it being a safety issue for the control arm not being tightened to the frame and suspension and potentially dislodge.

I have had a safety restraint fault on the vehicle once before and Tesla came and replaced something. It never came back. Until I'm a couple thousand miles over the warranty and I "randomly" get another safety restraint fault. I filed the service report for them to tell me it's the seatbelt. I replaced the seatbelt and the error continues. This is a safety issue that needs to be addressed as thousands of people are having the same "fault" codes. This is a known problem teslas have and they are doing nothing to address it. I'm in shock this is allowed to happen

Front passenger safety restraint alert continuously stayed on with and without passenger seated. Took vehicle to solve problem immediately on 9/4/2023. After it was diagnosed, the occupancy sensor was faulting and the concerned technician had to retrofit the sensor system to address the problem. Technician replaced the front AIR BAG AND THE SEAT HARNESS for the new sensor costing approximately $1,300. This was thought to have been covered since it was seat belt/air bag issue but I had pay to have them replaced.

Front passenger safety restraint system fault error message. Error messages comes up most of the time when starting a drive. Tesla reviewed the error message remotely and provided a repair quote.

The passenger safety restraint system fault message pops up when driving normally. The diagnostic came up to replace the whole airbag after communicating with service center.

Dear NHTSA, I am writing to report a safety defect with my Tesla Model 3, VIN [XXX] . On July 28th, 2023, at 3:34 PM PST, My wife [XXX] was driving into my driveway at my home at [XXX] . The weather was sunny and car was traveling at 5-10 mph. The car was not in Autopilot and the driving mode was set to Chill mode. When pressed the brake pedal to slow down, the car did not stop and went straight into my garage, causing significant damage to my home and the car. Very experienced driver and I am confident that wife was applying the brake pedal correctly. However, the car simply did not stop. I am very concerned that this is a software glitch in the Tesla car, and I am worried that it could happen to other Tesla drivers. I have tried to contact Tesla to report the issue, but I have not been able to reach anyone. I had the car towed to a body shop, but the car is now totaled and I cannot take it back to Tesla. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this safety defect and take appropriate action to protect Tesla drivers. I am also requesting that NHTSA help me to get in touch with Tesla so that I can resolve this issue. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Charging port door won’t open and ports won’t unlock when the button to unlock the charging port door is pressed on the app. Previously, the charge port door would open automatically when the unlock charge port door button is pressed on the app and touch screen. Now, I have to open the charging port door manually. However, the charging ports will unlock after I repeatedly press the button to unlock charge port door on the touchscreen. The ports have to unlock in order for the charger to be inserted to charge the car. I have requested service and cancel service when I was informed of the price to replace the charging port door. Recently, I requested service then a pop-up message appeared stating that several Tesla 3 users have been experiencing problems with the charging port door. If that is the case, there should be a recall And Tesla should replace the charging port doors/charging port apparatus for Tesla 3 owners that are experiencing the problem.

Charge port door won’t open and charging ports will not unlock when the “unlock charge port” button is pressed on the app. I have to open the charge port door manually. However, the charging ports will unlock when I press the “unlock charge port” button on the touchscreen repeatedly. Previously, the charge port door and charging ports will open and unlock when the “unlock charge port” button is pressed on the app. I have previously requested service, then canceled service once I was informed of the price to replace the charge port door. Recently, I requested service through the app. Before I scheduled a service appointment, there was a pop-up message educating how to open the charge port door. I believe Tesla created the pop up because other users are experiencing the same issue. If that is the case, Tesla should issue a recall to replace the charge port door/charge port apparatus for the Tesla 3 vehicles that are experiencing the problem.

I noticed noise coming from the front driver's side wheel especially when turning. Upon inspection, I found that a nut was missing from the front suspension lateral link that fastens the link to the sub-frame. Also, the 2nd bolt fastening the link was very loose. This is exactly what happened as noted in the NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report - 23V-235. Tesla service says that "there are no open campaigns for your vehicle for nuts missing". Well there needs to be as this is very dangerous.

On 8/26/2023 @10:44AM, received a message on the vehicles display that stated, "Front Passenger Safety Restraint Fault, service is required". This fault is intermittent. Set up a service appointment and after diagnosing the problem remotely, received this response: there are currently no faults/alerts, so it is at your discretion as to when you would like to address this. When the alert is present, the front airbag deployment will not be optimized for the passenger weight. Airbag replacement is necessary to be compatible with the seat sensor update and will ensure better serviceability for the future if it becomes necessary. Let me know if you have any further questions about the repair. Estimate of repairs, $1760.00. I have another tesla model 3, 2017 model year with the same fault. First of all, I drive the vehicle as a commuter car, and 99% of the time I drive alone. Secondly, I am concerned that in the event of an accident, the passenger airbag either won't be deployed at all, or may not be deployed correctly and may injure a passenger by deploying too little or too much.

The PASSEMBLY POWER CONVERSION SYSTEM- 48AMP 1PHASE(1135558-04-A part is part of the powertrain attached to the battery pack.. Without it, the car is unable to charge. This failed at approximately 32,000 miles on 8/29/23 on my 2018 Tesla Model 3. The repair was not covered under the powertrain warrenty despite being a critical component.

The cameras used to display the repeater cameras (eg replace the mirrors) and displayed the image on the center console as a safety feature has a defect where light from the blinker leaks into the housing and partially or entirely blinds the camera when the blinker goes off. As this is a safety feature intended to look for cars in a blind spot and the camera gets entirely blinded while the turn signal is on, this is a safety hazard that requires a recall. Tesla says that it is “operating normally” but literally the screen goes bright white and the video of the road disappears so maybe this is normal with the flawed design but is not actually normal to have a defective safety feature. This design flaw was later designed out to avoid light leakage but makes this safety feature completely unusable right when it is supposed to be working (checking for cars when turning including when turn signal is on). Needs a safety recall.

Cabin noise is over the normal threshold creating distraction and discomfort for concentration. Submitted multiple complaints and repair request through car app for diagnostic and possible repair, but nothing has been addressed. I bought a sound level meter to measure the distracted noise and the sound level was measured at 87 dB. Asked Tesla repair center if they can measure the sound level to confirm my complaint, but they are not will to do so. All the complaints were submitted during manufacture warranty period, but nothing has been done and now my car is out of warranty and Tesla wants ti charge me $265 per hour for the diagnostic. What is Tesla’s published or acceptable cabin sound level? The high sound level is now causing my ear to occasionally have ringing and discomfortable feeling.

Driving in full self driving made a sharp unexpected last second turn directly into a pilón at 30 mph causing front end damage. I have the the incident recorded on video from the Tesla. Full self driving did not disengage prior to crash and hands were on the wheel, it just happened within .5 seconds and there was no way to react in time. I reported to Tesla many times and was ignored Here is a link to the video [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My car no longer has ability to use the horn after a software update. I've had two dangerous incidents in the past month where a working horn would have allowed me to make another driver aware of my vehicle.

I was driving down a residential street at approximately 20 miles per hour. The emergency braking system suddenly activated and the car slammed on the brakes. There was nothing in the road at all. Some people were on the side of the road and they confirmed that there was absolutely nothing in front of the car to cause the braking. The brakes engaged so rapidly that I have whiplash in my neck. This was a very scary incident and felt very unsafe. Had there been a car behind me, they would have rear ended me for sure. I feel traumatized by this event and am now scared to drive. The emergency braking warning came on at the same time the brakes slammed.

Steering column locked up in a left hand turn, braking system is the only thing that kept the car from going off a cliff. Steering column was just replaced, but I was told this wasn't a manufacturing default and was asked to pay. I was told the part is available if requested. Under 40K miles on the car. No accident occurred, no police or insurance companies have inspected anything because of this. I did not ask for the part and just picked up the car today, please let me know if I should request it.

When driving using Full Self Driving or Autopilot, the car unexpectedly and suddenly brakes as if there is something on the road which is in the way even though there is nothing there. On one trip of 260 miles, the car unnecessarily braked twice on the freeway. Had someone been following too closely to me it could have caused a collision.

The power conversion system is failing in the car and Tesla is not covering it under the Battery Limited Warranty. The car only has about 30,000 miles on it.

Re NHTSA recall 21V00D The rear view back up camera of my Tesla 2018 Model 3 went black on August 21 starting at approx 3pm and remained black for the rest of the day through August 22. I'm planning to check today, August 24 to see if the problem still persists. Lack of the backup camera makes it very difficult to park and to see people in the car's blind spots. I've informed the dealer of the problem but I've decided to have an independent third party repair service take a look to see if the problem could possibly pertain to recall.

Tesla recalled wiring components for the Rearview camera (for parking / driving in reverse) as it suffered from severe latency. They claim to have fixed the recall but nothing changed. They don't respond to complaints that it doesn't work. This work was "completed" under the Trunk harness retrofit on the statement provided . The trunk harness affected the wires to the camera causing the latency, per recal info/Tesla rep.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the front upper control arm, and the shifter cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 39,000.

I hit a medium sized pothole on a freeway in 2019 and cracked 2 rims. After replacing the rims and tires, I still had vibration. Now, over about 100-1000 miles, my alignment goes out and my suspension and steering begins to loosen (or feel that way), leading to steering instability, bounciness and vibration through the steering wheel. There are no warnings to identify this, but the car's own "applied offset diagnosis" will show this problem. I've been to Tesla over 10 times to attempt to repair this and they say the car is working as designed after redoing the alignment and torqueing suspension. On about 3-4 of these visits, Tesla has reproduced the problem on a test drive. In 8 of 10 of the visits, the alignment printout afterward shows the front left toe is out. Because they say this is how it is designed, I believe this is a design issue that could put myself and others at risk. I've replaced so many parts, I can only assume through process of elimination that it's the steering rack or something in the subframe being loose that's causing this. Maybe all the bolts in Teslas just get loose too easily. Overall my issue is that Tesla is unwilling to correctly diagnose or repair the problem, not necessarily that this happened in the first place. There could be thousands of other customers driving vehicles and Tesla deems as safe, but really are not.

Only when driving on HWY speeds 65 mph and above the steering pulls, while correcting to drive safely the car jerks and is very unsafe during hwy speeds as if i'm fighting to keep straight on the road. Tesla confirmed it was the lower lateral links which was replaced but did not fix the issue. the vehicle continues to have the same issue and now Telsa is saying the steering rack may need to be replaced. seems this is a common issue with this car!