2018 Tesla Model 3: headlights failing or too dim

Filed Aug 21, 2026 · Visibility · IL

Incident / Safety Defect Summary: A certified Tesla mobile service technician improperly calibrated the low-beam headlights on my 2018 Tesla Model 3, causing a severe reduction in forward night visibility and creating an immediate roadway crash hazard in direct violation of FMVSS 108 illumination standards. Detailed Description of the Safety Failure: Improper Calibration Environment: The technician attempted to perform the headlight alignment procedure inside a closed residential garage with approximately 12 inches of clearance between the front bumper and the garage door. Standard automotive and manufacturer procedures require either a level 25-foot standoff from an aiming target or a dedicated optical aiming tool. At 12 inches, optical beam geometry and cutoff steps cannot be evaluated. Extreme Downward Misadjustment: The technician bypassed standard cutoff alignment and manually adjusted both headlights down to their absolute lowest mechanical limit using the vehicle interface. Safety Impact: The usable beam throw is now restricted to only a few feet in front of the vehicle's bumper. At standard driving speeds, especially during early morning and nighttime commutes, the vehicle completely overdrives the low beams, rendering road hazards, lane markings, and pedestrians invisible until impact is imminent. Manufacturer Failure to Triage Safety Rework: When reported to Tesla Service as an urgent safety-critical failure caused directly by their technician, the service center refused immediate safety triage/rework and scheduled resolution days out, leaving an unsafe vehicle in service.

Filed Jul 8, 2026 · Airbags, Lights · CA

In the last 18 months I have had 8 service visits relating to electrical issues. In the last 30 months: - I had my car computer replaced after it shorted out, and then had to have it replaced again the next week. - I had the same taillight short out twice in a row. - I have had the 12V battery replaced three times. - I have had multiple low voltage controllers short out over multiple service visits. - The sound system has shorted out once as well. - One time, I was unable to shift to drive because a heater had shorted out. Now, I have to replace my right headlight and passenger airbag occupancy sensor due to shorts as well. The right headlight goes out intermittently and the passenger airbag alert fires sometimes. Tesla Corte Madera submitted a buyback request on my behalf after witnessing all these issues, but Tesla corporate denied it. I am sure the electrical issues will continue to affect the safety and drivability of my car. Thank you for your help.

Filed Sep 25, 2024 · Seats · CA

My vehicle has a faulty seat sensor in the drivers seat. In some instances my car remains on without my knowledge when exiting. I return to the car with the headlights on and the main info screen on as if there were someone seated inside. Since this is a keyless electrical vehicle, we have been trained to just exit the vehicle without pressing a off button or turning a key to the off position and removal. Also when entering the car and first sitting down in the seat, the car then turns off completely after closing the door. The car will turn back on after buckling the seat belt or pressing the brakes. After researching to see if there was a fix or if it was a known issue I stumbled upon a large number of people and threads that are having the exact same problem. Even after I have turned on the pin functionality to drive the car, of what use is this if the car remains on after exiting and anyone can access the car while the pin was already entered. Anyone could have accessed my vehicle during these times and the security function was not active (Sentry Mode) because the car thought that the primary driver was inside. The first instance of this happening was back in 2020. But it could have potentially started much sooner. The incident in 2020 was bothersome enough to remain in my recollection. It happened during a road trip from Corona CA to Mammoth CA at a charging station located in Lone Pine CA.

Filed Feb 13, 2024 · Electrical, Lights · CA

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)

Filed Feb 28, 2023 · Lights · CA

Automatic Headlights fail to illuminate when wipers are active. This has been reported to Tesla in 3/2022.

Filed Feb 21, 2023 · Visibility · WV

The electrochromic rearview mirror will not significantly darken or dim. There is no way to make the mirror less reflective. The vehicle is designed to automatically simultaneously darken the rearview and sideview mirrors at night. The sideview mirrors darken properly* but the rearview mirror only very slightly changes color and does not noticeably reduce reflected light. This appears to be a manufacturing defect with the mirror. From what I understand about how electrochromic mirrors work, I believe there is likely a slight misalignment within the layers of the mirror that result in the mirror providing less than acceptable contrast. I have another Tesla with the exact same mirror and it works as intended. According to various internet message boards, many Tesla owners have the same and the opposite problem (mirror gets too dark). This would lead me to believe this is due to lack of quality control during the mirrors' manufacture. This lack of functionality requires me to suffer temporary blindness (Troxler Effect) caused by the intense reflection of headlights of the vehicles behind me. My only remedy is to reposition the mirror such that the mirror becomes useless for its intended purpose. This defect has existed since I purchased the vehicle new in September, 2018. There are no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms associated with the defect. I reported this to Tesla multiple times. Tesla technicians inspected and tested the mirror on at least two separate occasions during daytime hours. Both times the technicians stated that the mirror appeared to work properly but the technicians were unable to replicate the issue because the vehicle will only darken the mirrors after sunset. *This is also problematic because the mirrors should also darken on dark, rainy, overcast days when the vehicles behind me are using their headlights. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

Filed Feb 18, 2023 · Lights, Visibility · FL

Many states like Florida have a law that headlights need to be on when it is raining, My Tesla has automatic wipers that come on when it senses rain, when this happens, it should also turn on headlights for safety reasons but it does not, they need to be turned on manually, the car does also have automatic headlights, but the automatic headlights on the car only work when it gets dark in the evening. This is a simple programming change that Tesla could do, my repeated requests to Tesla to address this in the app has done nothing, that’s why I’m requesting you force Tesla to do this. Makes sense right?

Filed Dec 4, 2022 · Lights · CA

The passenger-side daytime-running headlight (aka, "signature light" or "accent headlight") failed at approximately 66,000 miles and four years. This makes the daytime-running headlight ineffective. I have since noticed many Tesla Model 3's with the same issue. To fix this problem requires replacement of the entire headlight assembly. This was a very expensive repair (~$1200) and will likely be ignored by owners of Teslas no longer covered under warranty. This creates a common safety issue with these automobiles.

Filed Jul 14, 2022 · Visibility · CA

Tesla no longer automatically turns on headlights when the automatic wipers are enabled, this used to be a functionality of the vehicle. The ability to turn on headlights is extremely difficult and requires going through multiple screens while driving, something that is extremely dangerous. Tesla also does not allow you to turn on headlights with voice command. Proposed Fixes #1) Restore functionality that turns on headlights when wipers are enabled #2) Same as #1, but as a preference setting that requires a driver to enable that setting #3) Allow a driver to turn on headlights via voice command. If there is a safety concern that the voice system may turn OFF headlights, disable the ability to turn OFF but enable the ability to turn ON. Long story short the vehicle needs to automatically turn on the headlights when the wipers are on.

Filed Apr 11, 2022 · Acceleration, Transmission · 17,000 miles · CA · crash

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at a slow speed in ongoing traffic, the vehicle accelerated independently and bumped into the vehicle in front of her lane. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. No police report was filed. The contact stated her vehicle did not need any repairs but the other vehicle did. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted about the incident. The contact stated she continued to experience the failure. The contact stated on November 2021, while she was driving at slow speed in a parking lot, the vehicle accelerated independently and she crashed into a concrete post. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. No police report was filed. The contact called the manufacturer and was referred to the body shop. The contact took the vehicle to the body shop and had the bummer, the passenger side headlight, the bender, and other front components. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated she had experienced the failure on 4 different occasions in total to herself and once to her husband. The contact stated her husband ran into bushes but no damage to the vehicle. No one was injured nor sought medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000.

Filed Mar 4, 2022 · Driver assistance · MI

My car is equipped with forward-facing radar, but ever since Tesla turned it off in favor of "Tesla Vision" my Autopilot/TACC experience has been greatly worsened. The car suddenly (and very unsettlingly) slams on the brakes on the highway or city traffic (I have FSD Beta) for anything from shadows, to hills/inclines, to curves, or minor harmless debris (shopping bags) in the road. This has not yet caused an accident but has almost come close. Other issues: - FSD Beta, when engaged, forces the computer to have control over the high-beams and windshield wipers. The car obsessively flashes the high beams whenever possible, including on well-lit city streets. On multiple occasions this has triggered road rage in surrounding drivers because they think I'm flashing my brights at them for no reason. There is no reason to engage the brights in a well-lit urban environment. - Forward Collision Warning has become completely unreliable and routinely warns for cars that are not in my lane or in front of my car directly. This makes me more likely to just ignore the warning.

Filed Sep 24, 2021 · Lights · FL

In a heavy Florida rain this afternoon about 3:30pm EDT I noticed my automatic headlight with windshield wiper function was inop. The lights normally go on with windshield wipers in the past. Upon investigation Tesla has removed this function at least on Model 3 and Y cars for some regulatory reason. It is unsafe to have to go to the touch screen to turn on headlights in this situation. Owners are complaining on forums but i think more drastic action is required.