1. There is an open recall since Dec 2021 (21V-00D) which Tesla has still not fixed! 2. The automatic wiper system on the car is unsafe as it takes a long time to activate when its raining, and sometimes it activates without any rain!
2018 Tesla Model 3 electrical complaints
Page 3 of 7: complaints 41 to 70 of 168, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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.
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)
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.
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 was made aware of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention). The contact attempted to schedule an appointment for a recall repair on the Tesla App however, the app displayed an error “Unnecessary to schedule an appointment; You will be notified when parts are available" since June of 2023. The local dealer was contacted but confirmed that the recall repair needed to be scheduled via the Tesla App. The contact attempted to reach out to the manufacturer but was unable to reach a representative. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention), 23V838000 (Electrical System), and 24V051000 (Electrical System); however, the dealer stated that to perform the upgrades, the contact needed to purchase a new computer before the software could be updated. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that it would be necessary to complete the updates. The contact stated that the manufacturer was unreasonable in determining that to complete the software updates that he needed to purchase a new computer. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera image intermittently was blank. Additionally, the on-board cabin camera ceased to function as needed, causing the autosteer feature to become inoperable. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
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.
The High Voltage Service Panel is part the battery which is part of the manufacturer warranty and drivetrain. A lot of Tesla cars had this problem and they are being charged $1800 to $2000 to “fix” this common failure. The problem is that the battery stop receiving the full amperage to charge the battery appropriately. In my case, I started charging more frequently on Superchargers during a long trip to different locations without a Level 2 homecharger and stopped several times into the Superchargers of Tesla. A diagram of the drivetrain and Battery system placed the High Voltage Service Panel as part of the battery. I had the problem since the past 2 years and did not fixed it, after I was sent an estimate cost of “repair”. I said that it was part of the battery system and they refused to accept it. As of 2024, I have search about this problem and most of the cars after 3-4 years are having the same problem. I am not sure what the repair consist of, but it might be a full battery replacement, and maybe opening the battery unit. In terms of safety, I feel unsafe about the possibility of the car catching fire during a supercharger session or even when plugged into my house Level 2 charger at 220 volts. Please inquire more about this frequently ongoing problem and safety, or any TSA related to this common issue. I included a picture found on the internet and the service panel is just on top of the battery
The steering wheel horn stopped working about a month or so ago. I can use the Tesla app to make the horn sound but not by pressing the steering wheel. Fortunately, no safety of others or myself have been experienced. No one else has inspected it yet, though I am due to have my state inspection tomorrow and I don't think that it will pass. There were no warning lamps for messages prior to the failure. I think I first noticed that it wasn't working about a month or so ago. I reported the bug on the car texting service but have not heard from Tesla nor received a software update to fix the problem.
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!?
Vehicle touch screen will shut off while driving and take 5 minutes to reboot. I have taken it to Tesla multiple times since November and they said it’s a firmware issue and nothing is being done to resolve.
While in FSD the car swerved to the left and hit a Tree. Youtube of the Crash.. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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)
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
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?
We intermittantly received alerts on the screen showing "Front safety restraint system fault (service is required)." After many hours of research, we found that other owners also have the same issue and they found that a wire from a electrical connector that connected to the seatbelt pretentension was broken from the seat being moved up and down.
Touchscreen went entirely blank. A few days prior to this, radio cut on and out. Rebooting procedures did not work. Tesla repaired, stating it was the cars computer. I asked for the old computer board but was told it was proprietary. The symptoms are very similar to those of the older memory issues.
There is an ongoing issue with Tesla's seat sensors that give an error screen while driving. Tesla seems to be systematically charging a standard $1.5K repair to replace a $100 sensor harness, but they're charging so much because they claim an airbag replacement is required (for an extra $1.2K) as part of the new sensor/wire harness installation. From a quick google search, it seems this is a pretty widespread issue that MANY Model 3/Y owners are encountering as their car ages-- with many noting that they were able to self-service the issue with buying the required harness and replacing it themselves. I wanted to bring awareness that to this issue and Tesla's poor and systematic way of overcharging customers to fix a widespread defect in their car seat design.
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 the federal safety agency 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)
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.
Recall items not available
The only cabin heating and defrosting mechanism in early model 3s, a PTC heater, is prone to failure leaving the vehicle without the ability to maintain clear vision through the front and side windows. This occurred on my model 3 in November of 2023 and Tesla was unable to source parts for several weeks, with a cost of $900. This failure is extremely common among model 3 in cold weather environments and is well documented online.
Low coolant alert while in the hidden service mode only. Happens to all my 3 cars. Went to service to fill up the coolant and the warning didn’t go off. They said is a sensor gone bad and it’s $1000 to repair. What are the chances that all my 3 cars have that issue and all not actually having low coolant
The Power conversion system (PCS) failed during driving, disabling the rear motor and regenerative braking. This severely affected the driving characteristics of the vehicle, including top speed, braking profile and handling.
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 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.
"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.
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
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