2023 Tesla Model 3 complaints

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

My model 3 is less than one year old, the both rear seatbelt buckles won’t latch

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.

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.

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.

While driving in rain, the windshield wipers will randomly stop. This will happen both in AUTO and in MANUAL modes, especially at night in poor visibility. I contacted Tesla and they came and replaced the wiper motor assembly but the problem was not resolved. I believe it is a software issue. I nearly had a crash as this happened to me first at night in a very busy and complex highway intersection and resulted in me being stuck in the middle and blocking traffic until I could navigate the touch screen and find the wiper option to get it restarted.

Using the Tesla "Autopark", the car backed right into a pole in back of the parking space. When the car hit the pole, it kept trying to back up rather than disengaging. It was a clear day, there was no traffic and there was no car in the adjacent parking space. This is using the latest version of Tesla's self-driving software, 12.3.3.

Automatic wipers are very erratic. Sometimes it works like crazy. Sometimes it never cleans the windshield even though it is soaking limiting visibility. Using it in manual mode is also very difficult as all adjustments are done on the screen forcing you to take your eyes off the road. There are no levers to adjust it.

The contact owned a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and merging right, the contact lost control of the vehicle and the vehicle stalled after crashing into the center median. The vehicle was totaled. No injuries were sustained. Medical attention was not sought. The contact stated that a Police report was not filed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 500.

Constant lane change while driving has gotten out of control. A couple of instance the vehicle has changed lanes without manual manipulation. This is getting out of hand and has certainly put risks on my family while operating vehicle.

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V838000 (Electrical System) however, the instructions to do the recall repair were not accurate. While using the Tesla App, the Software version failed to display. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that the instructions were not accurate to do the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool shows no open recall.

The car phantom brakes constantly (at least every 10 miles) when using cruise control. You will be driving highway speed and the car will slam on the brakes for no reason,, making the cruise control dangerous and unusable

I am writing to express my frustration with the excessive nagging prompts I've been experiencing while using Tesla's Autopilot feature. While I appreciate the safety measures required by the NHTSA, the frequency and intrusiveness of the alerts have become disruptive and distracting, ultimately compromising the driving experience.The Autopilot system's constant reminders to keep my hands on the steering wheel, despite maintaining proper supervision, interrupts my focus and undermines the entire principle by forcing drivers to focus on the nag rather than the road. The frequency of these alerts feels excessive and unnecessary, especially on familiar routes where the system performs reliably. Requiring Tesla to nag the driver more often is an unreasonable measure that ultimately does little for driver attention.

When using FSD beta, vehicle would fail to stop for red lights. Vehicle also attempted to merge me both into a tractor trailer traveling the opposite direction and a jersey barrier. This is a very dangerous and unsafe system that will lead to many fatalities

The car went forward when in reverse mode. After going to other modes (drive/neutral/park) and back to reverse, the car kept going forward. Reset the system and the issue persisted. Finally resolved after third restart. The car bumped up against the driveway gate because it wouldn’t reverse despite the dashboard clearly indicating being in reverse. Contacted Tesla, who examined the system remotely and said no issue was identified. This was the second time this issue occurred, and Tesla offered no fix.

Tesla autopilot drifted over two lanes and into the side of a semi-truck on the freeway. It was night time but with plenty of light, no rain, and clearly marked lines separating the lanes. Not only did autopilot fail, but the features to help avoid drifting out of a lane even when not using autopilot, also failed. Those features are supposed to auto-steer back into the lane and beep to alert the driver. None of this occurred. 1. Yes vehicle is available for inspection upon request 2. Could have easily led to extensive damage, injuries or fatalities. Everyone got lucky 3. Problem has not been reproduced by dealer, but I have video of the event 4. Vehicle has not been inspected by any 3rd parties

The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently. The contact lost control of the vehicle, coming to a complete stop after crashing into two poles and veering into a brick wall, where the vehicle briefly continued to accelerate. The air bags did not deploy. A Police report was filed. There were no injuries were reported. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: DP23002 (Speed Control). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Unintended acceleration after I tried to park take off before I can parked it violently crash into the wall.

Driving normally down I-5, no other cars nearby and system suddenly phantom brakes. I am lucky no other cars were behind me as it may have well caused an accident. There were no other cars in front of me within at least 1 mile.

I have twice experienced a sudden acceleration when decreasing pressure on the accelerator pedal. It felt like the motor was producing full power. In both cases, I was able to quickly apply the brake which stopped the acceleration. Both episodes happened at slow speed, less than 20 mph, while either starting to slow for a stop or making a turn. Software on the car is fully up to date as of February 2024.

My Auto Hold feature will intermittently malfunction. Although there's electronic (car's log) and I have pictures, Tesla service center is advising this is not a "serious" problem, I should pick up the car and re-create the error message and then return the car

The Tesla App allows the owner to transfer the App to another user for access to the vehicle. The App allows the other user to enter the vehicle and drive it. It also allow the other user to enter a credit card for the purpose of using the Tesla charging stations and purchasing Tesla products and services. However, when the other user tries to charge the vehicle (or make purchases of products and services), the credit card is not recognized. I was stranded in Lone Pine, CA in freezing temperatures because the App DOES NOT indicate that ONLY THE OWNER'S CREDIT CARD IS AUTHORIZED FOR THIS VEHICLE. I had to find out the hard way that my credit was not going to allow me to charge the vehicle. I could have been in serious trouble if I had been in the middle of nowhere.

Back in February my Tesla Model 3 started acting up Emergency Brake was disabled, automatic vehicle hold was disabled, and traction control was disabled all issues I reported to the company app with photo. This problem stated when a software update happened after the Tesla app requested it.

This incident is reported by a law office. The car being driven by our client was a TESLA Model 3 which made a SUDDEN UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION when our client was slowly looking for a parking space at a parking lot. The TESLA car suddenly accelerated at a high rate of speed without client pressing on the accelerator. On the contrary, our client was stepping on the brakes in an attempt to stop it but the TESLA did not stop but still continued to accelerate. This accident caused property damages and injuries to our client, his passenger, and others.

Unable to upgrade software. No yellow clock icon on my screen

As I was approaching my off ramp (which has a very tight turn), my automatic brakes failed which caused me to slam onto the brakes, and skid into one of the off ramp signs. All 3 of my children were in the back, the back driver side window shattered, I lost my driver side mirror, and there was damage done to the back door and wheel well (all on the driver's side). Although the damage looked minimal, no one was willing to work on the vehicle and I was strongly encouraged by my insurance company to claim it as a total loss. Granted, I had this vehicle for approximately 2 months, and had put at least $4,000 into it.

I leased a Tesla 3 Performance Package on Oct 24, 2023. It was delivered to Connecticut, with the cold weather package, and unbeknownst to me, summer tires. Due to the summer tires and driving with them in temperatures unacceptable for their compound, I damaged the passenger rear sidewall. But again, I did not know this was the reason. I brought it to the Milford, CT service center on [XXX] where they replaced the tire. Yet, replacing the tire was unsafe because it was, of course, also a summer tire. Nobody told me what was going on at any point in the process. A week after, I damaged 2 additional tires (photos attached) and at that point, I investigated and was frustrated to find that they were summer tires. I purchased 4 Continental All Season tires and had them installed on my vehicle. While the tires were replaced, the technician showed me that the 3 rims involved with the 3 tire malfunctions were slightly bent as the tires afforded inadequate protection. Nowhere on the purchase order or in the purchase agreement did it state summer tires were equipped, I had no idea to even check, and I'm guessing there are a LOT of people driving unsafely on inappropriate tires because of the lack of disclosure. This seems like a big hazard and that's why I'm reporting this. I believe Tesla should be made to proactively convey this information and should be responsible for repairs and damages that occurred as a result. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOI

Vehicle does not have the proper software updates needed to clear the two NHTSA recalls for my VIN.

Wiper control is limited requiring the driver focus on the touch screen. Auto wipers activation is slow and does not keep windshield clear from rain, forcing the driver take the eyes off the road and find the small area on the touchscreen to control the various wipers speed.

Went to tesla service and they told me its a 3rd party issue about the rear tint. The defroster was to hot for the tint to burn. I was worried about the tesla could cause fire because of the electrical heating element that could cause it.

Steering requires notably more effort to turn left than right, particularly as speed increases, putting vehicle control in question. Service Center was able to duplicate issue, but claims (after four failed service attempts) that the behavior is within limits, and "normal because the vehicle has 20" wheels." The service center claims that engineers from the company remotely inspected the steering system. There have been no associated warnings or indications, but the issue has been present since the vehicle was delivered with 3 miles on the odometer.

We picked up a brand new car and as soon as we drove it off the lot, we noticed that the steering was pulling hard to the right as if the steering wheel were too loose, especially at high speeds on the highway. There were never any alerts or warnings about this issue in the car. But if we took our hands off the wheel, it would have driven off the road fairly quickly. We immediately reported it to Tesla since it was a new car and dropped it off for servicing. They realigned the car, but again after driving it it was still noticeably pulling to the right. We brought it in again and they did another realignment that ended up not making a difference. We brought in a 3rd time and they manually realigned it and tightened some bolts and said that should fix it, and again the problem persisted. So the 4th time we brought it in, we said this is on the verge of lemon-status, so they ended up replacing the whole steering rack and that ended up fixing the issue finally. Luckily they didn't charge us given it was under warranty and reported immediately. But given the recent news on your investigation into related steering issues, we wanted to flag this. Tesla clearly has quality control issues and didn't address the issue until we pressed them after 3 visits to the shop.

On [XXX], around 1:00, I was driving normally on the highway. I remember using autopilot, and the speed limit was 55 mph, but I'm not very sure. At that time, it was raining heavily, and I was following the car in front, not doing anything else. Suddenly, I noticed that the Tesla car turned sharply to the left by itself! I couldn't control it. Let me repeat: the Tesla car suddenly turned left by itself. I instinctively grabbed the steering wheel, turned in the opposite direction to correct it, and pressed the brakes, but it was too late. I collided with a car in the adjacent lane, and the car later turned about 180 degrees and stopped! The left side airbags in the front and back all deployed! However, I were not injured. I got out of the car, immediately called the police, and contacted the owner of the collided vehicle. Later, the police arrived to document the incident. I believe it was a malfunction of the Tesla that caused the accident! I did not make a left turn manually! It was in normal driving mode. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I have no idea, should check Tesla's driving records and the recorded video from the incident. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? No. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem pri

I turned into a parking lot across a gutter filled with ice from a snow plow and drug a block of ice under the car about 50 feet. When I stopped there was a blue fluid leaking out from under the car. I had the car towed to a collision repair shop. Estimated cost to repair $21,591.79. Damage seems excessive for a low speed collision.

WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL TO RIGHT OR LEFT AT LOW SPEEDS, I EXPERIENCED SUDDEN LOSS OF CONTROL, GRINDING, CLUNKY SOUND SUDDEN JERK IN DIRECTION OF THE TURN.

I decided to take my first road trip in the new Telsa Model 3. The trip was from Seattle to Portland down [XXX] which is a pretty straight and easy road. Because of this I decided to use the Autopilot feature (I purchased the FSD package) to help take the stress out of driving. (Note, this is my first Electric Vehicle AND even my first vehicle with a screen, so I stayed very aware and present the whole time driving with hands on wheel). After a while of driving I noticed the 'Arrow' icon on the maps, which indicates my car, wasn't centered on the road and was in fact about quarter to half an inch to the right of the road. I didn't think much of it as I've seen my Google maps do this before and after a little bit it readjust and fixes it. As the car was driving, it performed a SUDDEN deceleration and then put on the blinkers to turn left (which I'm on the interstate so there was no left turn). What I noticed was that because the icon on the map wasn't centered on the road, it thought I was off the side of it. When it came up to a side street, it then thought I was on the side street. Thus it rapidly slowed me down to the side street speed limit (35 mph vs the 70 on the interstate), and then thought it needed to turn left to get on to an on-ramp to get me back on the interstate highway. Luckily I was able to catch it in time, but I had to fight with the blinkers for almost a full minute to get them to turn off. After this happened again several more miles down the road, I decid

On December 24th 2023, I was reversing into a parking spot with a protruding wall that was only 4 feet high, but the Tesla Model 3 reverse camera was unable to detect the wall. From the angle of the mirrors, it was difficult for me to tell there was a protruding wall, so I was relying on the reverse camera to warn me about any obstacles. However, there was no warning sound as I backed up the car, even as it collided with the protruding wall and shattered the rear roof glass. This ended up costing me almost $700 in repairs out-of-pocket to replace the rear roof glass.

The Autopilot feature of my Tesla Model 3 was safe and effective prior to the update mandated by NHTSA. With the recent update, I now receive multiple warnings during my drive on a daily basis for checking my mirrors or adjusting the radio. These are loud and startling. This update was completely unnecessary and counterproductive to my safety. I'm sure some Tesla drivers drive recklessly, but it makes just as much sense to require ICE vehicle manufacturers to install hardware/software to prevent drivers from doing donuts. Please reconsider the "recall" you mandated of Tesla. It was unhelpful. Respectfully, [XXX] Palmdale, CA INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While driving down the highway at less than 60 mph the rear drivers side window spontaneously exploded. There was no one next to me at the time. Nothing hit the window. It exploded and most of the glass blew out of the car onto the highway. I have video of the incident but can't upload that.

Ever since software release 2023.44.30, there has been a serious issue with automatic wipers and visibility during driving. It has been documented by drivers on the internet, however I simulated driving conditions in a car wash that has triggered auto wipers atleast a dozen times in the past. Today I recorded a 4 minute and 30 second video where there was zero activation of wipers at all with torrential rain simulated as well as soap fully covering the field of view. Since the auto wipers are tied to the autopilot and FSD system this could cause serious injury or death if not rectified.

Driver seat will adjust itself while driving down the road. While the seat is moving by itself it will also roll the da window down and no way to roll it up. While all things happening the heat will also stop working.

On Jan. 1, 2024 at around 2:19-2:20PM, the vehicle in front of me made a sudden brake causing my vehicle to trigger the Automatic Emergency Brake. My foot was on the brake pedal as well, I even floored the pedal to make my car stop right away but it continued anyway, the pedal felt so loose/soft. My car almost made a full stop but when the vehicle in front of me started moving, the car started to somehow accelerate, I was confused as to why the car was moving when my foot was firmly pushing the brake. This unexpected move caused me to rear-end the vehicle in front when they abruptly stopped for the second time. My thought is since the car in front moved, the Tesla thought the vehicle in front was no longer a threat and stopped applying the brake to make a full stop. I watched a lot of AEB videos online. 1. Automatic Emergency Brake - malfunctioned, maybe, the car log has it but I took a photo that AEB was in progress during the incident 2. My experience is similar to a car without a brake - no matter how hard I pushed the brake pedal, the car didn't stop. It's frightening because I'm out of control over the situation. 3/4. My car was already repaired but I haven't taken it to a Tesla Service Center to inspect the system - the manual brake is working though 5. There were chimes and screen notifications that an Automatic Emergency Brake was in progress. I can upload the dashcam recording if you need it.

I am writing to report several safety issues that I have experienced with my Tesla Model 3. These issues pose a significant risk to my safety and the safety of other road users. I kindly request that you investigate these matters thoroughly and take appropriate action to address them. 1. Steering Wheel Failure: On three separate occasions, the steering wheel of my Tesla Model 3 suddenly stopped working. Two of these incidents occurred while driving on the highway, which made it extremely difficult for me to maintain control of the vehicle. This sudden loss of steering functionality is a serious safety concern and could potentially lead to accidents and injuries. 2. False Forward Collision Warnings: The car's forward collision warning system has been providing false warnings, which has had a negative impact on my insurance premiums. Despite the fact that my insurance company is aware of the issue and acknowledges that it is a system failure, they have been automatically increasing my insurance rates on the leased vehicle. This has resulted in a significant financial burden, with my insurance premium increasing from $120 to almost $400 per month. Furthermore, I have been informed that next month, my premium will be raised to $600. I would like to emphasize that I have a clean driving record with no previous accidents or traffic violations. 3. Slow Charging Speed: Another issue I have encountered is the extremely slow charging speed of the vehicle. Despite the fact that the Tesl

Car windshield cracked when the defrost run after snow fall. Car was parked in the driveway.

When involved in a rear-end collision the drivers seat malfunctioned. It went into a laid down position and twisted causing a back injury.