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2019 Tesla Model 3: false forward collision warnings

6 of the 624 complaints about the 2019 Tesla Model 3 describe false forward collision warnings.

owner complaints
6
of this car's complaints
1%
recalls
4
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls and 1 service bulletin for this area of the car. See below

False forward collision warnings by model year

What owners say

Filed Aug 1, 2023 · Brakes, Steering · CA

Recently I have been receiving warnings from my Tesla after hitting a pothole or bump in the road. ABS is disabled, power steering is disabled, power brake assist is disabled, forward collision warning and driver assistance features are all disabled. Upon a service visit to Tesla, they found that a fault within the ABS sensor circuit triggers these faults until the car is parked and shuts off to complete a reset cycle. Tesla claimed that this ABS cable was improperly placed and has caused damage to the sensor cable.

Filed May 15, 2023 · Acceleration, Body · CA · crash

My wife was dropping my kid in the school drop off line. The speed was probably about 5 mph. The Tesla suddenly went into a sudden spontaneous acceleration. When my wife tried to brake, the brakes did not work. There was no forward collision warning beeping sound that went off, which is supposed to. It hit the vehicle in front and finally hit a fence. so, both the accelerator and brake malfunctioned. The car will go to a body shop tomorrow. Since it was a school drop off zone, safety of a lot of people were put at risk. It was very hard to get Tesla on the phone. so, we went into a Tesla service center and a complaint was filed. They will be reviewing the data but I dont know how long it will take. A software update had been applied a week back. 2 hours after the accident, a software update screen popped up

Filed Nov 29, 2022 · Driver assistance · FL

At night, both left and right side turn signal cameras (repeater cameras) become heavily obscured with glare when using turn signals. This interferes with lane keep assist, blind spot/collision warning, autopilot functions, and the ability for a driver to safely discern the presence of a vehicle in the vehicle’s blind spot. In November 2022 Tesla stated “It is a characteristic of the product… that has been design enhanced in newer vehicle production.” The issue is caused by 3 small holes located on the repeater camera’s printed circuit board (PCB) that allow internal light from the turn signal repeater to shine through the PCB to the camera sensor side, directly obscuring most of the camer sensor. The new “design enhanced” version covers these 3 holes with tape, eliminating the problem. Tesla does not view this as a concern and does not cover this safety issue under warranty. A very large number of owners have filed complaints with Tesla. Some owners had the parts replaced under “good will” while most have been charged for the replacement of the side repeaters as Tesla doesn’t classify this as a defect in “materials or workmanship”. Despite this, Tesla felt compelled to “enhance the design” by eliminating this problem. It’s absurd that Tesla knows about the issue and went as far as correcting it to prevent further problems, but won’t issue a TSB for vehicles effected by this “characteristic” that poses a major safety concern.

Filed Apr 20, 2022 · Driver assistance · NY

While streaming Bluetooth audio, the forward collision warning fails to activate sometimes until after a few seconds. What happens is when it is supposed to sound, all audio in the car stops and there is a clicking for a few seconds. Then after a few seconds, the alert goes off. The alert is very dangerous because it severely reduces the time for a reaction. Secondly the backup camera has ghost images and stutters. When placing the vehicle in reverse, a ghost image appears for a second or two then goes into the live view. The live view is very laggy and non responsive. The image freezes and does not update. This causes issues when backing as any sudden movements may not be recorded and will cause an injury because the driver will not be able to see what is going on.

Filed Mar 3, 2022 · Brakes, Driver assistance · WA

While driving along the interstate on my commute at freeway speeds 60-70 miles per hour, the emergency braking system will suddenly engage, and the car will issue a collision warning. During these incidents there is no car at risk for striking my vehicle or slowing down in front of my car. My commute usually occurs in the evening and early in the morning. This typically happens at least once during my work week.

Filed Jan 16, 2022 · Driver assistance, Electrical · CA

The screen on my Tesla fails routinely (everyday) while driving and then reboots after about 3 minutes. This happens abruptly with no warning. Tesla has told me (verbally) that it was reproduced in their service location in Palo Alto. During this time, I have no idea of my speed or any other vehicle status, such as lane keeping, collision warning, navigation, heating, etc. I have tried to remedy this issue with Tesla service repeatedly over two months, and the interactions have been unsatisfactory. Tesla does not seem to appreciate the potential seriousness of this issue and the risk to ourselves and others. Tesla Service at Sunnyvale, CA, encouraged me to continue driving, even though I pointed out the risk of "driving blind". My family is very wary of this vehicle now.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

Forward collision avoidance: warnings: external/pedestrian alertReported February 27, 2024 · 6,557 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2013, 2018-2021 Model S, 2020-2021 Model X, 2018-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. A factory reset muted the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
Risk
Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are muted, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, release 2023.44.30.14, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 27, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-006.

Recall number 24V153000 · Recall details

Back over prevention: display functionReported March 18, 2022 · 947 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Model S, Model X, and 2017-2020 Model 3 vehicles equipped with Autopilot Computer 2.5 and operating certain firmware releases. The rearview image may not immediately display when the vehicle begins to reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk
A delayed rearview camera image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 17, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-004.

Recall number 22V169000 · Recall details

Forward collision avoidance: warnings: external/pedestrian alertReported February 4, 2022 · 578,607 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Model S, Model X, Model Y, and 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The Boombox function allows sounds to be played through an external speaker while the vehicle is in motion, which may obscure the Pedestrian Warning System (PWS) sounds. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 141, "Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles."
Risk
Pedestrians may be unaware of an approaching vehicle if the PWS sounds are obscured, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update that will disable the Boombox functionality when the vehicle is in Drive, Neutral and Reverse modes, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 5, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-003. Note: This recall has been superseded by Recall 22V‑235. Tesla's number for the new recall is SB-22-00-003.

Recall number 22V063000 · Recall details

Forward collision avoidance: sensing system: cameraReported October 29, 2021 · 11,728 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2021 Model S, Model 3, Model X, and 2020-2021 Model Y vehicles operating software version 2021.36.5.2. A communication error may cause false forward-collision warning (FCW) or unexpected activation of the automatic emergency brake (AEB) system.
Risk
Unexpected activation of the AEB system may cause the car to stop suddenly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Tesla Service has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. The recall began October 25, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-00-004.

Recall number 21V846000 · Recall details

Questions about the 2019 Tesla Model 3 collision warning

Is false forward collision warnings a common problem on the 2019 Tesla Model 3?

6 of 624 owner complaints about the 2019 Tesla Model 3 (1%) mention false forward collision warnings. The model year with the most reports is 2022.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2019 Tesla Model 3?

There are 4 recalls and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2019 Tesla Model 3

Adaptive cruise 56Ball joint 51Phantom braking 45Backup camera 19Grinding brakes 19Sudden acceleration 19No deployment 10Seat belt 10Lane assist 9Wipers 9Airbag light 8Headlights 8Loss of power 7Power steering loss 6Jerking 5

All model years of the Tesla Model 3

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