NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Tesla Model 3. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
Power Steering stopped working suddenly while driving. This was a OEM part replaced on 2021 Aug 30. The car was unable to be controlled and luckily I was driving at slow speed when I realized this issue. This issue happened without any warning and there should be monitoring if this fails and warn the customer to take necessary precautions. Also wondering if the warranty of 1 year for a part like this is sufficient and customer to bear 2750$ cost to replace is a big burden to an average consumer especially if not his fault.
There are 2 separate issues with our door handles. The first issue is that they are slow to retract, and in the cold, the often remain in an open position. This has happened numerous times over this winter when my child gets in her car booster. The second issue relates to the method in which tesla adhered the chrome to the handles. There is a small seam on the bottom of the handle that peals off, This results in a VERY sharp metallic layer on the handle. I have now sliced my hand twice on this handle. (I’ve scheduled Tesla to replace this handle. Unfortunately this is coming at a cost to me as the consumer.
Front passenger safety restraint system fault. This is the second time this has happened.
While driving normally, an error warning was received that stated "Front Left Safety Restraint System Error" and the icon for an airbag fault would come in simultaneously. This error would disappear and reappear, sometimes up to 10 times per minute, creating a driver distraction due to the loud error chime. The error code identified for the fault when checked on the Tesla service screen corresponded to pretensioner wire harness. The pretensioner harness connects the seat sensors for driver weight and positioning to the car's airbag control system, which then classifies passengers and ensures that the airbags fire correctly in the event of a collision. For example, if a smaller female driver was operating the car but was incorrectly classified as male, the airbag could fire with excessive force and cause injury. The set of symptoms occurs commonly in Tesla Model 3s and are caused by the wear over time of a poorly designed wiring harness, which chafes as the seat is moved forward and backward until it breaks. This is a known problem by Tesla and they have a specific service bulletin designed to address it, which I have attached below. When taken in to address the issue, Tesla performed the procedure in the attached bulletin and identified a damaged harness, which was subsequently replaced. I retained the damaged harness for inspection. The invoice for this service is attached. No other defects were identified that could have caused the issue. This is a safety related issue occurring due to a manufacturing related defect and should be a mandatory recall with complimentary repair.
The rear-passenger door handle decorative chrome came detached in a strip from the middle of the underlying stronger material. It was *SHARP* and cut my wife's hand. Web searches showed others with the same issue, even one reporting being cut by it. Tesla said it was not a warranty item and cars break but did say it was odd to see it break in the way it did.
Front Passenger OCS errors - Tesla work quote (via Tesla Service Bulletin, not Recall) is to replace the OCS system & front airbag - totaling $1,200 for the repair. This is extremely common error code for Tesla's "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault".
The turn signal stalk does not differentiate between a partial (lane change) press or a full turn press. The signal will remain on until the stalk is moved in the opposite turn direction. This sometimes results in the opposite turn signal activating. This entire process is intermittent while driving. This happens mainly on the highway where an intermittent (half press) of the stalk is performed to switch lanes. When switching lands I have no idea whether it'll work as designed or fail to register a half press or full press of the stalk.
Suspension bushings failing after 40,000 miles. There is ample evidence online that Tesla's have serious suspension and steering issues, just do a search for Tesla Whompy Wheels. In China the government cracked down on Tesla and required a physical recall and replacements of defective parts. Why is the US not protecting drivers the same way the government of China is? Please issue a recall on Tesla suspension and steering issues. Tesla is quoting us $1,300 to repair a suspension with 40,000 miles on it. The attached invoice does not show their quote, they deleted the quote when we told them no. We cannot afford this repair at this time but this is a serious safety issue on a low mileage car and I am disappointed that NHTSA is not requiring Tesla to fix this obvious defect.
I have a 2018 Tesla Mode 3. It is one of the early Model 3 on roads. I have had around 10 issues in the car over the past 6 years of ownership; and most of them were fixed during warranty. My car has no accidents, no water damages (only hand washed), single driver driven and well maintained. Around a month ago, I got an alert in the car “Condition Detected with Controller”. Tesla Service did remote check and stated that VCFRONT (Front Body Controller) needs to be replaced for $900. I took the car for this fix and then heard that VCFRONT Controller is fine, but I need a replacement of Harness and Steering Rack for $4200, as they see corrosion. I told them that I have no issues with driving or anything else, as $4200 is around 25% of the value of the car. I was advised, pay for this amount or take the car. I got my car without fix. My concern include (i) if this is corrosion issue (Model S 2018 and before also had the same issue and there was a recall), then is it their part quality or design quality issue or is it a normal car’s aging issue? (ii) I see malpractice of charging exorbitant $4200 for something I do not see any issues in driving or anything else, and importantly, not sure how are my future repairs going to look like $$ wise. I have request for NHSTA – can I show my car to any entity like yours (and not Tesla Service) to get an advise whether (a) this is a corrosion issue by manufacturer or normal car’s aging issue (b) is it critical car to replace one or both parts (c) is this a malpractice to burden owners with this high cost of maintenance, once it is out of warranty? (Please note that Tesla never offered extended warranty for my car)
I purchased the car new in 2018. About two years into owning there would be a random notification about an "rcm_a036 : passenger safety restraint system fault". I reported and was told that the seat occupancy sensor was responding to noise from my cell phone. I stopped putting the cell phone on the seat, it kept happening with increasing frequency in 2021 and 2022 and I reported it two more times and was told to keep charging cables away from the seat, and then in 2021, they added a noise filter. I was told repeatedly that the fault was caused by noise and was not a real issue. The alert occurred with increasing occurrence and today I took it in and Tesla charged $1533.16 to replace the airbag and the occupancy sensor. I thought it was unsafe for Tesla to tell me the issue is a noise-related issue when it was related to the airbag and to tell me that the issue was not actually a real fault when both the OCS sensor and the airbag needed to be replaced. I think it's absurd to have a car 6 years old with 66,530 miles have to have an airbag replaced. I thought Tesla's comments about noise were disingenuous attempts to put off the repair until after the car was out of warranty.
I am unable to open my rear passenger car door from the outside or the inside. Also the rear passenger door also lacks a manual release like the front doors have. This, coming off of [XXX] 's death, and Tesla's service apathy and insistence on first collecting money before solving this problem is incredibly dangerous. So I am now driving a death trap, and this is my only car, and Tesla should have to pay for the fix, yet they are insisting I pay for the full price because my car is now "out of warranty." But with this kind of LIFE-THREATENING failure of a door that should honestly just work, is reprehensible. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that on several occasions while making left or right turns, there was a loud clanking noise emanating from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the lower control arm bushings had deteriorated and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several months later where it was diagnosed that the bushings and one of the well nuts had sheared off, and the subframe needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Front control arm and ball joints have been replaced twice for the same issue and I have looked into a bunch of message board groups and it's a common issue. Ball joints and control arm wear and rust abnormally and unusually fast. It happens about every 2 to 2.5 years.
Error message displays confirming: “Front left safety restraint system default” Error code displayed: RCM_a021 Service is required but Tesla is charging for this safety issue. Researched this and other drivers are reporting same issue.
Two recent incidents/repairs related to both driver and passenger Curtain Airbag, replacement of Occupant Classification System, replacement of first row seat cushions, first row harness assembly, first row occupancy sensor, first row seat belt reminder sensor box. Total out of pocket cost of approximately $2,075!
I'm getting an error for "Safety restraint system fault" on my Tesla Model 3. When I booked a service appointment it turns out they are wanting to charge $1,955.11 for replacing the Occupant Classification System (OCS) of the front passenger, updating the front passenger airbag, and installing a OCS filter module. This seems to be safety related and should be part of a recall. I have seen similar reports from other drivers on Reddit.
In several accidents and fires in model 3s it became apparent that when the electric door openers on the rear door fail the backup mechanical system is completely inadequate particularly for incidental passengers. Unlike the front seats which have a level to pull up to open the door the rear doors require a number of steps that are odd and certainly not obvious or intuitive leading to a very dangerous situation when a very fast exit is needed. The rear should have the same type of level to provide consistency for riders in an emergency situation. As someone who owns Tesla and uses many UBER Tesla's in the back seat I have quired drivers who generally have no idea that the rear seat passengers could easily trapped in the car in an emergency and do not know how to open the doors from the inside. Please refer to this YouTube video for a better understanding of this issue [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Left and right upper control arms failed, as did both front lower lateral links. Same issues as the vehicles recalled as part of 2 different recalls by Tesla: [XXX] Car requires over $2,000 of out of warranty repairs despite this clearly being a manufacturer defect and car should have been included as part of the previous recall(s). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Apparently faulty sensor that then needs to replace airgbag and now it’s costing $1833!
The front right lower control arm, sub frame, and bolt(s) failed causing unsafe driving conditions while myself and my kids were in the car. There is a recall on this part for many of the exact same year, make, and model as my car: NHTSA campaign ID: 23V235000. Tesla recall SB-23-31-001 (info pulled from NTSB site). My VIN wasn’t on the recall, but there is clearly an issue, so I was forced to pay for this. Please add my VIN so I can be reimbursed and also get the other side repaired for safety reasons.
1. The Power Conversion System (PCS), still in the vehicle and not available for inspection 2. 2 of the 3 controllers have failed, resulting in limited AC charging (16A out of 48A max). The PCS helps regulate AC and DC electricity and connects the 12V batter to the HV battery. If it fails, it could lead to dangerous situations since the electricity from the HV battery wouldn't be as controlled. I'm worried that if the final controller fails while driving it could lead to a loss of power. 3. Problem throws an error code when charging that the dealer has verified, they will not replace it unless I pay for the part+labor which is roughly $1,800. 4. Vehicle inspected by dealer, they will only fix if I pay for replacement part. 5. Car has warning message when charging.
PTC Heater failed. This is a critical component that helps to maintain the battery's temperature within safe operating range. The only alternative is to replace this PTC Heater. Till the replacement is done, EVs battery may not maintain safe operating temperature range and could cause the car - not drive able. I consider this a significant safety risk. Cabin temperature cannot be maintained as well. Cause for PTC Heater failure is known - "change in temperature" could cause this item to fail per Tesla. i.e. when cold air blows over the heating element. Not sure if enough has been done to fix this from occurring for such a critical component with some hardware or hardware recall for several vehicles on the road. Else these cars must be considered for sales only for few states in the USA which have a stable operating temperature ranges for their PTC heaters to not run into the risk of failure due to big change in temperature.
Horn stopped working. I see other people have this problem with Model 3. Tesla does not cover this after warranty period.
Get an error message - Front Passenger safety restraint system fault. - This is front passenger safety issue - This can put the front passenger to serious risk to injury or death - This message does not go away & Tesla acknowledges they need to fix it - Its not been inspected by police or insurance reps - Yes there is a warning message as noted above Tesla is failing to admit its their fault. They are giving me a quote of $2300 to fix this issue which I believe is a safety issue that Tesla did not manufacture properly leading to this issue. Please see the attached quote from Tesla - They need to "Update Front Passenger Airbag to Maintain Compatibility with Front Passenger Seat" and many other related fixes to get rid of this issue. TESLA SHOULD BE RECALLING VEHICLES FOR THIS SAFETY ISSUE!
I don’t feel comfortable driving this car because it is unsafe when I am on autopilot on the highway it would randomly stop the car by breaking instantly out of nowhere when there isn’t any car in front of me?! Please give me another car that is more safe to drive!?
Front passenger safety restraint system fault message due to workers not torquing the seat belts into place correctly or properly verifying specs during build.
Tesla Model 3 Performance (M3P) comes with unrealistic "thin" wall tires on 20" wheels that easily POP when they hit potholes, nails, gutters, median divides, gashes in the road, etc. American roads are poorly maintained if at all by transportation departments. Only thick walled tires are suitable for roads. Tesla Model 3 LR (Long Range) and SR (Standard Range) comes with 18" wheels and tires, giving it 2 inches more of padding for both a smoother ride and fewer replacements. Each tire on my M3P costs $400-$500 to replace! That's around $2,000 for a set of four tires! Whereas 18 inch tires are more common and cost about half of that, about $200 per tire, $800 for a set. The remedy here is at least 19 inch wheel and tire replacements as a recall provided for free by Tesla to provide more padding and fewer tire replacements to deal with typical crappy roads.
The is WATER in my right front FOG lamp and I don't know how it got in there, but Tesla says they can't get water out of it and can't reseal it, but is willing to let me pay $504 to replace a light... this is yet another Billionaire abusive practice by Elon Musk to generate cash flow and revenue for his failing company. Telsa also asked for $15,000 for a new battery, which the "software" said it started reducing the range JUST after the 120,000 mile battery warranty was up. Just like Apple does with reducing iPhone battery performance for so called "safety" reasons to make people pony up to the latest model. Which Tesla has been emailing me and texting me to try to get me to buy a new Tesla LOL. This is clearly an abusive "sales tactic". If they actually care about helping customers, they would figure out how to fix each issue. Clear out the water and seal the headlight. Figure out which battery cells need replacing and replace them. Simple and cheap solutions. Not "customer pay astronomical prices" for every damn issue Tesla forces upon people. Including "customer pay tows" after "Tesla's software" decides to randomly shut the car down in the middle of the road, rather than Tesla taking responsibility for their software malfunctioning preventing the driver from reaching their destination. These are clearly misguided attempts by an AWOL CEO [XXX] about his $55B pay package, trying to claw back money from customers to reward himself to pay for Twitter/X. Make[XXX] Musk and Tesla do the right thing by customers and REPAIR these issues, rather than [XXX] poor customers' cashflow. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I got a recall notice from Tesla and Tesla is still in safety violation and is refusing to fix the issue, so I need your help to force Tesla to fix their abusive ways. The recall 23V-838 is related to "when Autosteer is engaged". Autosteer/Autopilot/FSD now DISABLES even when NOT engaged, alleging "improper use" when it wasn't even being used. It also disengages Autosteer/Autopilot/FSD while driving if it detects "improper use" (even if it's detection system itself is buggy), forcing the car to slow down like in the middle of the freeway! When the battery is low and there's only a mile or two to go to a charger, the software will slow down and force the car to pull over to get a tow, taking on average 2 hours to get a tow truck to go 2 miles, rather than allowing the driver to reach the charger with the remaining battery it shows. Tesla keeps changing the battery percentage for when it shuts down. It used to be 0%, then 3% and recently 6%. This randomness creates "range anxiety" and distrust in the battery percentage being a useful indicator. Tesla should use 0% as "shut down" and leave the rest of the battery as "drivable" to reach a charger to have an accurate indicator. It also flashes alerts on the SCREEN to "Pay attention to the road", which is ironic to have a screen display to distract attention to the screen... rather than pay attention to the road. Tesla took AWAY my Autosteer/Autopilot improperly, and no one in the Service Center or Support at Tesla knows how to fix this BUG or give it BACK to me, so I can drive SAFELY like with lane centering. I paid $10,000 for this "safety" that Tesla takes away at random, claiming they can do whatever they want because they've now labeled it BETA software! This is an abusive practice the NHTSA should force Tesla to stop doing and give the power back to responsible drivers like me. Tesla abuser names include [XXX] and [XXX] . Teslas also don't detect cars in blind spots and still phantom brakes. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Full service history is detailed below. Since purchasing the Model 3 in April 2018, we have had three different instances of issues with control arms/suspension system. The most recent instance occurring this week (February 12, 2024) required the whole suspension system to be replaced with only 63,900 miles on the vehicle. The suspension system should not need replacing on a vehicle with only 63,900 miles on it. We have now had to pay Tesla $1,357.57 to continuously fix the issue with the suspension system on a car that is not even 6 years old with less than 64,000 miles on it. During an interaction with a Tesla technician for the second instance noted below, we were told that Tesla undersized the control arm leading to failures. He commented that they replace control arms on Model 3s on nearly a daily basis. This is clear negligence by Tesla and we would urge the NTSB to take immediate action. I know we are not the only Tesla Model 3 owners that have experienced control arm/suspension issues. Car Purchase Date: 4/7/2018, ~25 miles on vehicle Service Visit 1 on 7-23-2021 Odometer 42,790 Cause for visit: Creaking noise when turning or going over bumps Items replaced: 1) Front Upper Control Arm Left Parts = $0 (under warranty) Labor = $0 (under warranty) Service Visit 2 on 8-25-2022 Odometer 51,321 Cause for visit: Creaking noise when turning or going over bumps Note: Was told by service technician that Tesla undersized the control arm leading to failures. Commented that they replace control arms on Model 3's on nearly a daily basis. Items replaced: 1) Front Upper Control Arm Right Parts = $92.48 Labor = $0 Service Visit 3 on 2-12-2024 Odometer 63,898 Cause for visit: Car violently shudders when turning and felt like the front end side was going to collapse one time on a turn Items Replaced 1) 2x Lower Lateral Link Front - 2) 2x Lower Compliance Link - 3) Front Upper Control Arm Left Parts = $1019.99 Labor = $245.10
On Feb 12 2024 the error code RCM_a021 appeared. “Front left safety restraint system fault Service is required.” The service center confirmed that it was an issue related to seatbelt safety during a crash. They said “The specific part that would fail in this case would be the seatbelt pretensioner. When in an impact this deploys and pulls the seatbelt tightly against the driver. This will likely not deploy in an accident if not repaired as the wires going to this component are broken. We are replacing it with a new updated part that will not wear and have this same issue.” Although a known safety issue, it was NOT a repair under warranty. I am putting in this claim and appeal that it should be an under warranty repair. Parts and Labor for 1 seatbelt assembly replacement would have been $450. As it is a known safety issue, I opted to proactively repair both front seat seatbelt assemblies so the cost increased to $650. The cost estimate is attached. Also attached is the text communications with Tesla service center.
Car was making clunking sound, so made an appointment with service center. Before appointment, clunking sound stopped. Around the same time the clunking stopped we found a bolt in the driveway. Took into service and was told a bolt was missing from the lower lateral link which sounds quite concerning. I'm told by others had both bolts fallen out the wheel would have tipped inward or outward and damaged the fender and possibly caused an accident. I searched recall notices and I found recalls and/or bulletins with the same problem in similar but not the same VIN range as our vehicle and have read of others with similar problems not covered by recalls. There had been no previous work done on the front suspension.
Salt Lake City Tesla Service Center 801-401-4135 I purchased a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD, VIN [XXX] . The car’s battery and motor drive train units are still within the warranty. On [XXX], the car’s POWER CONVERSION SYSTEM (PCS) stopped working spontaneously, without any physical damage caused by the owner. The PCS is required to charge the car. A broken PCS rendered my car essentially unchargeable, thus undriveable, and unusable. The PCS is a critical component required for normal car function. Without a functioning PCS, you have a broken car. This is a SAFETY ISSUE because you can be stranded in the middle of nowhere without the ability to charge and safely extract yourself from inclement weather and environmental exposure. On [XXX], I transported the car all the way from Pocatello, the 169 miles to the nearest Tesla Service Center in Salt Lake City, UT, at my own expense. On [XXX], the car was diagnosed, and repaired. On [XXX], before paying for the repair, I spoke to the Tesla Service center manager because I felt this component failure should have been covered under the warranty because it represents a FAILURE of a CRITICAL COMPONENT. This is a safety risk, as I mentioned above. He expressed sympathy with my situation and said that broken PCS was a known issue in early Tesla Model 3’s. After doing some research, this is indeed the case, with many online complaints about a broken PCS in Tesla Model 3’s. He said he hoped Tesla would some day reconsider, and that a retroactive reimbursement was in the realm of possibility, as has been done in the past for various component failures in Tesla vehicles. Overall, my grievance with Tesla is that a broken PCS is a CRITICAL FAILURE of a component REQUIRED to have a functioning, chargeable car, and it is a component with a KNOWN HIGH RATE OF FAILURE in Tesla Model 3’s. This should be covered by the battery and drive train warranty. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The steering of my model 3 became more difficult and clunky like I had to apply extreme amounts of force to turn. When I turned the wheel I could feel the wheel stop in each gear or grove of the steering mechanism. It got so bad at freeway speeds of 75 mph that it became extremely difficult to keep the car going in a straight line. As described before I would apply very heavy force to the wheel to turn it, when it did turn I would feel it clunk into the next stoping point and I would have to clunk back and forth this way to keep it going in a somewhat of a straight line. There was on time while using Full self driving on the freeway at 75 mph on a turn the full self driving was not able to turn the wheel and almost ran into the cement barrier. I was able to take control of the wheel and correct the car as soon as I saw the car cross the solid line. I took my car in for repair at the Tesla service center October 2023. I was charged $5k to replace the full steering unit in my 5 year old car at that time. I have owned 14 vehicles over my years of car ownership, vehicles age ranging from 1984 - 2018 and I have not once ever had to replace the full steering unit for any of those cars.
My bluetooth has not been connecting in my car. To preface this, my car was in twice this year alone, with a near $3000 bill, to replace the MCU, on a car with only 26k miles. Now this bluetooth connection issue is still a problem. After opening a service ticket with Tesla, I am told for an additional $180, I would need to replace my seat sensor. This means my seat (while I am driving) does not recognize that someone is on it and driving. My concern is the manufacturer remedy does not replace failed parts with improved design and that this has the potential to cause other safety issues if occupant detection compromised by faulty sensors. What if I am in an accident and the airbags don't deploy?
I was driving when I received a service prompt on my Tesla Model 3 stating that there was a fault with my front passenger safety restraint. When I looked around the area, I noticed that the cable securing my seat belt to the vehicle was sticking out of the enclosure by about 6 inches. The car has not been involved in any violent collisions and the seatbelt has not otherwise been abused in any way. The car only has 23,163 miles on it.
Front passenger airbag and Seat sensor issues. The safety of front seat passenger was at risk due to faulty airbag or sensor. Tesla did confirmed that an alert was trigger on the car an they proceeded to replaced the airbag and sensor. Tesla verified the equipment after the repairs were done and everything since to be fine. We did get a warning on or around Feb 5th, 2024 and that when we proceeded to contact Tesla service and make an appointment. The reason for this complain is that we ended up paying for airbag and seat sensor repairs which should have been covered by Tesla since these parts are obviously defective. Please see uploaded documents for more details.
The rear bumper fell off on [XXX] on the [XXX] of the [XXX] bound for [XXX] toward Long Beach Airport when driving in the rain through a puddle of water. It’s a serious safety hazard for the model 3 and the cars behind. This is a widely reported known design flaw, but Tesla refused to cover the repair cost. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Clunk and popping sound while driving, especially while turning the wheel or going over bumps in road. Maneuverability and control of vehicle felt impacted which could have resulted in an accident, damage to property, and injury and/or death of people. The issue was reproduced at the vehicle's Service Center and identified as a lose bolt that connects the front suspension lateral links to the subframe. This issue sounds very similar to a previous recall for the same make, model, and year of this vehicle, but the VIN for this particular vehicle was not included in that recall.
The new software update forced as part of the autopilot recall is terrible and the system needs to go back to the way it was. They adjustments make the feature useless. There are many unnecessary warnings and notifications, all of which destroy the driving experience and actually make the car less safe. Bring back the old system
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the message "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault" was displayed. The local Tesla Service center was notified of the failure and informed the contact the front passenger's side seat and air bag needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.
A charging warning error msg appeared that there maybe something wrong with the cable leading to charging the battery and may lead to a fail charging and this the 2nd time. The first time I had a failed charging with no warning that it was failing amd that lead to the entire battery wouldn’t charge leaving me stranded and the car had to be towed to a Tesla service center., this time 02/08/2024 it’s sending me a notification that there is something wrong internally and I need to see service asap so this time it did send me a msg warning me there’s something wrong
When seated in my car, I turned the steering wheel and I heard a clunk noise by the driver side. After trying to turn it back, my car dropped and I checked outside and it looks like something related to the axle or arms caused the issue. My axle seems to have separated and fell off and a bolt came off. This is a safety issue and I could’ve died if I was driving at higher speeds like on a highway.
On automatic setting, windshield wipers are erratic. Rain can be heavy and wipers don't engage. Requires manually operating wipers that are supposed to engage when windshield becomes wet from atmospheric rain.
This vehicle has had steering squeaks for a really long time. I've had ball joints sealed, control arms replaced and now lateral links replaced for damaged bushings. This has cost me a significant amount of money and the bushings show tears that could have resulted in loss of control.
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the steering disengaged. The vehicle was difficult to steer. The driver was able to veer off the road. The driver steering assist disengaged message was displayed. The local dealer was contacted and scheduled an appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 23,505. The contact stated Tesla accepted no responsibility for the failure and charged close to $3000 to replace the unit.
the airbag light shows
I received an onboard alert that says ‘Safety Restraint System Issue/Service is required.’ According to online Tesla Forums, this is a very common issue with the Model 3 drivers side air bag system. Although some relate it to a wire under the seat that becomes worn with movement of the seat, Tesla gives an estimate of over $1,000 to fix the problem. There repair estimate involves updating the front passenger airbag ($444), and replacing the occupant classification system ($426).
My steering wheel on my 2018 Tesla Model 3 Long Range, began to groan louder and vibrate periodically when the steering wheel was turned, especially at lower speeds. At speeds roughly under 50 MPH, the front wheel fender area would vibrate frequently, and more often when I encountered speed bumps or dips in the pavement surface. I contacted Tesla early 2024 through my Tesla app, explained what I was experiencing. Tesla determined I may set a mechanical appointment for 01/14/2024 with a "repair estimate" that was approximately $175.00. Upon preview by the service-intake representative (I do not remember name), he pushed down on my front fender area, heard the "groan" and informed me that my vehicle's issue was "very common and easily correctable, that should not cost me more than $200” in his estimation. A couple hours after dropping off my car, I got a call from another representative from the Berkeley Tesla Service center, informing me that the damage was more extensive and would be approximately $2100 (labor included), which involved a broken control assembly, replacing Front Upper Control Arm Assembly, Right hand and Left hand, Front Lower Compliance Link Assembly Right and Left sides, Lateral Lower Front Links Right and Left sides, an alignment, and various bolts & nuts parts.. or if I choose to not move forward with repair, I can come back to pick up my vehicle without repair costs. On the phone, I brought up that I read the NHTSA and Tesla issued a recall on some vehicles within the same year as my vehicle, however, I was informed over the phone, since I was not notified nor was "on the list," I was NOT covered. I was very concerned with vehicle operating safely so I paid for these repairs out-of-pocket. If my front suspension failure / safety matter is very similar to over 400 Tesla recalled vehicles whose vehicles experienced the same issues, I am hopeful my vehicle can be included in this matter and be reimbursed for my paid repairs.
This seems to be related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V235000. My front right hand lateral link bolt managed to back itself out and broke off the nut that contains the bolt. This is confirmed by Tesla service center in Burbank. This is a HUGE safety risk as the front end was not properly fastened and at highway speeds could have caused an accident risking injury and death. The only warning of the issue was a knock sound being heard when the car is turned fully at slower speeds. There was also a slight rattle heard while driving over uneven roads. The result was an out of pocket charge of $3000+ to the car owner. The car was never included in the original recall or the subsequent expansion of the recall. Clearly the issue is more wide spread and should be fixed by Tesla