What 982 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Tesla Model 3 (all Variants)

Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault​. My airbags are faulty and I'm having to replace them at full price. Ive never hit anything and never been in an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11564557

There are two issues. 1) The adaptive cruise control brakes for no reason. If someone was behind me they could've rear ended me. 2) At night the blind spot camera is flooded by the turn signal and it's hard to see the blind spot warning. When the turn signal is on the blind spot camera shows on the screen and blind spot warning shows up as a red shaded area. It's hard to see the warning itself because the turn signal light floods the screen.

NHTSA ODI 11564636

Lost power steering. It started working again, but the dealership recommended a replacement due to corrosion which amounted to around 4k. Comprehensive insurance would not cover since the damage was gradual and not immediate.

NHTSA ODI 11564317

My Tesla has been in need of repair for a "System Restraint Fault" 5 times since the car was purchased and 4 times in the past year. The Tesla service center has replaced multiple components including the seat harness, seat sensor, airbag, low voltage circuits over the span of the service appointments. It is unknown what would happen if an accident were to occur with the sensor fault activated or if it would cause an accident. I bring this issue up because it is a known issue to Tesla but I have not seen any recall information, nor does it seem like the service centers know how to fix the issues, especially since I have taken the car in so many times during the life of the car.

NHTSA ODI 11564461

Power steering went out in August 2023. It would go back on temporarily intermittently after turning the vehicle off and then on, but ultimately went out for good.

NHTSA ODI 11563891

Airbag failed at 60k miles requiring a replacement. This is a known- safety issue, Tesla has corrected this problem in later cars, and Tesla should issue a recall to correct. I have error codes RCM_a015 and RCM_a014

NHTSA ODI 11563706

Front suspension components need to be replaced due to loud creaking noise, vehicle is out of warranty and has only 42687 miles. There are several bulletins on related suspension issues, [XXX] Testa did replace the controls arms in this car on 09/09/2021 but it seems like the same defective parts were used. They replaced defective parts under warranty with the same type of defective parts but are refusing to warranty the repair since their parts only have a 1 year warranty. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11563535

Cabin facing camera required for using Autopilot stopped working after software update requiring cabing camera usage. Technician has stated that many cameras have had to be replaced since the update requiring the use of the cameras

NHTSA ODI 11563539

When driver seat adjusted to end positions (e.g all the way up/down/forward/backward), it causes an error message stating “Front left safety restraint system fault” & and airbag failure icon would appear. This usually cause by the wire harness being pinched or stretched. The error message may come and go based on the position of the seat, and occurs more frequently as time goes by. I am concern that the airbag or other safety restraint system may fail to engage when the message pops up. Tesla community has reported similar failure.

NHTSA ODI 11563598

My car went out of warranty for seat related issues in December of this past year 2023. I don't even have 26K miles on my car therefore not a heavy driver. This week I experienced an error RCM_a021, front left safety restraint system fault, which I've researched has affected many others and appears to clearly be a safety flaw. The service team mentioned this isn't covered. My airbag light doesn't go off and is constantly on, my seats no longer save the seat setting (which occurred a couple of months ago but I didn't think about it).This is a safety hazard should I get into an accident. There were no previous warning issues prior to this warning error which occurred this week. According to Tesla, if the airbag light remains lit, schedule a service appointment immediately and do not drive. The service team mentioned the seat harness is faulty remotely and according to what they can see. I have not had them look visually yet though. They do not cover the repair for this as it's out of warranty. There's even a bulletin posted on this issue/repair by NHTSA therefore is known problem. [XXX] I'm unable to upload any files. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11563602

My Model 3 began giving an RCM_a056 error indicating a fault with the front passenger safety restraint system. When I scheduled service for this fault at Tesla, they advised that the front passenger airbag and occupant sensor for the right/front seat needed to be replaced. Research into this issue revealed at it is a common issue. Other owners reported Tesla covering the cost of this repair (indicating they know this is a manufacturer defect in a major safety system and not a one-off issue.) Unfortunately, Tesla refused to repair this issue without payment, insisting that my SRS warranty had expired. I believe this is a manufacturer defect in a critical safety system that should be investigated for a possible recall.

NHTSA ODI 11562957

Got into car after update, screen blacked out, could not to hard reboots. App could no longer see car. Tech support couldn't remote into vehicle or get in touch with it. Had to have it towed to service center. It's been sitting there for 6 days with no diagnosis just an estimate for $530 to troubleshoot the car. This update caused my car to completely be unresponsive and undrivable. I also had a carseat in the car.

NHTSA ODI 11563092

The NHTSA recently forced Tesla to perform a "recall" including an over the air update that made changes to the Tesla Full Self Driving features. Before the recall I felt very safe driving my Tesla on FSD mode. After the update my car feels much less safe with an almost exponential increase in the number of on screen warnings that distract me and do not increase the safety of the vehicle. We do not need these unnecessary notifications that cause constant distraction from the driver's ability to pay attention to the road. These need to be immediately removed as I feel they will directly cause me to become distracted enough to lose control of my vehicle. We need less distractions so we can maintain focus on the road. Any on screen warnings forces the driver to look away from the road to look at the warning, then we get an additional warning for looking at the previous warning. This causes an endless loop of micro distractions that on long drives lead to increasing frustration and increased sensitivity to them. This is a serious safety concern that that was implemented without Tesla vehicle owner feedback and needs to be immediately rescinded. We actually need to force Tesla to provide less on screen warnings and distractions instead of more to increase safety and driver attention to the road. Thank you for reading my concerns.

NHTSA ODI 11562824

Front suspension components needed to be replaced, vehicle was out of warranty and had only 43000 miles. These parts should last for much longer the 4 years and 43000 miles. No incident, but car squeaked at all speeds. Repair cost was $1600

NHTSA ODI 11562732

Seat restrain system detected a fault with the back row seat buckle. This appears to be a repeated issue based on other drivers reporting same safety issue. Happy to provide photos.

NHTSA ODI 11562763

Tesla replaced the upper control arm assembly in February 2021 after I complained that there was a squeaking noise when moving the steering wheel. My car and components are available for inspection. I was concerned that the front suspension would break leading to an accident. Tesla inspected and confirmed the issue. No warnings or message were displayed by the car.

NHTSA ODI 11562503

Me and my wife cut the finger on vehicle door handle. The thin chrome covering the handles has peeled off cousin hazard. Can you fix your website, I’m unable to upload photos.

NHTSA ODI 11562596

I had come to a complete stop at the red light for about 1-2 minutes when, unexpectedly, my car surged forward and collided with the vehicle in front of me. Initially, I believed someone had rear-ended me and caused the accident, but that turned out not to be the case. Although I attempted to apply the brakes to prevent the collision, it was unfortunately too late.

NHTSA ODI 11562621

Recall items not available

NHTSA ODI 11562655

At only 30,000 miles, the car began exhibiting terrible creaking sounds during colder temperatures whenever the suspension was active. Upon inspection, a Tesla technician claimed the ball joints on the upper control arms were “worn” and bushings on the lateral links were “torn”. Looking online, it’s clear this was due to defensive design/manufacture, as it’s happened to numerous vehicles. It appears that Canada and Europe have already forced Tesla to address these issues.

NHTSA ODI 11562656

I AM WRITING TO REPORT URGENT SAFETY CONCERNS WITH MY 2018 TESLA MODEL 3, SOFTWARE VERSION 2023.44.30.5.1, AFTER THE NHTSA RECALL ON AUTOPILOT FUNCTIONALITY. I HAVE OWNED MY VEHICLE FOR OVER 4 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD CONCERNS WITH THE ADAS / AUTO-PILOT / AUTO-STEERING FUNCTIONALITY UNTIL THE NHTSA REQUIRED CHANGES IN DECEMBER 2024. WHILE DRIVING ON I-405 IN GARDEN GROVE, CA, MY VEHICLE WHILE IN ADAS / AUTO-STEERING / AUTOPILOT MADE REPEATED AND UNUSUALLY PERSISTENT ATTEMPTS TO CHANGE FROM LANE 4 TO LANE 3. I HAD TO MANUALLY CANCEL EACH ATTEMPT, DESPITE MY SPEED BEING SET TO MATCH TRAFFIC FLOW. THIS ISSUE NEVER AROSE BEFORE THE SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR THE NHTSA RECALL. MOREOVER, THE VEHICLE CONSISTENTLY SIGNALED FOR DRIVER ATTENTION, DESPITE MY FULL ATTENTION TO THE ROAD, A CONCERNING NEW BEHAVIOR POST-UPDATE. THE NEED TO FREQUENTLY OVERRIDE THESE UNDESIRED MANEUVERS FORCED ME TO DISABLE THE ADAS AUTOPILOT/AUTO-STEERING. THIS PUTS ME AND MY VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AT RISK, AS I BELIEVE THE ADAS SYSTEM, FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY PRE-RECALL UPDATE, SAFELY MAINTAINED DISTANCE FROM VEHICLES AHEAD AND DID NOT MAKE UNINTENDED MANEUVERS TO CHANGE LANES. THESE ISSUES SUGGEST THE RECALL MODIFICATIONS ADVERSELY AFFECT AUTOPILOT FUNCTIONALITY, CREATING SAFETY HAZARDS. THIS IS ESPECIALLY ALARMING GIVEN THE POTENTIAL FOR SERIOUS ACCIDENTS DUE TO UNEXPECTED LANE CHANGES AND FALSE DRIVER ATTENTION ALERTS. I URGE THE NHTSA TO RECONSIDER THE RECALL MODIFICATIONS TO TESLA'S AUTO-STEER/AUTOPILOT ADAS FEATURES. IT'S CRUCIAL THAT RECALL ADJUSTMENTS DO NOT JEOPARDIZE VEHICLE AND VEHICLE OCCUPANTS SAFETY. A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE RECALL'S IMPACT IS NEEDED, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO AN AMENDMENT OR REVERSAL, TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF TESLA USERS AND OTHER ROAD USERS.

NHTSA ODI 11562219

Front upper control arm ball joints squeaking noise. Turning the steering wheel produces loud squeaking noise. The ball joints seem susceptible to outside elements (ie water from raining) and lose internal grease and dried up creating frictions. 2018 Tesla Model 3 Long Range

NHTSA ODI 11562379

After taking in my Tesla Model 3 for a loud creaking noise coming from the front right suspension, the Tesla service specialist said the suspension control arms are cracked and the car is dangerous to drive. I asked how this is possible. The Tesla specialist said the suspension is made of aluminum and cannot support the weight of the car. He said this is a known issue. However I was told I need to pay $2,300 for the repair because the car is out of warranty by 1 year. Since my car has under 29,000 miles, and this is a known flaw that is not the fault of the driver, I feel Tesla should pay for the repair. At this point I cannot afford to pay for the full repair (I paid for only the creaking fix which cost $400), so I am forced to ground my car until I earn enough money to pay for the repair. In my view this is wrong, and ask for NHTSA to investigate why such a dangerous flaw is allowed to persist, with consumers forced to pay for its repair - even on a car with less than 30,000 miles. Thank you for your attention. PS, this webpage does not allow me to load any files (I am using Safari). I would like to upload the detailed Tesla service estimate.

NHTSA ODI 11562413

Same exact issue as NHTSA ID: 23V235000 but for some reason my VIN is not part of the recall. Had to get it repaired by Tesla and paid out of pocket.

NHTSA ODI 11562031

A bolt in the control arms of my Model 3 broke. I took it in for repair. They blamed me for hitting the bottom of the car. They changed both upper and lower control arms and charged me about $500 for it. This is a major safety problem that Tesla doesn’t accept the blame for, even though I have seen many complaints online about this issue. They should recall all the affected models and fix it before it causes dangerous situations on the road.

NHTSA ODI 11562152