I am writing this claim to report a headlight assembly passenger side has failed at 22,000 miles in a Tesla model three 2020 year
2020 Tesla Model 3: headlights failing or too dim
6 of the 455 complaints about the 2020 Tesla Model 3 describe headlights failing or too dim.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 1
Headlights failing or too dim by model year
What owners say
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH at night with self-driving assist mode, the auto high beams lights engaged three times within 20 seconds. The contact stated that the driver ahead of him then decelerated and veered to the side of the road because it appeared that the contact was sending him an alert through the activation of the high beams. Additionally, the contact was pulled over by a Police Officer. The contact stated that the auto high beam feature was distracting to other drivers. The contact stated that he was unable to disengage the feature. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the driver did not have control over the feature. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Currently occurring with FSD Beta firmware V.2022.27.12 but the same has occurred with previous firmware versions also. Normal operation of the vehicle with the ADAS engaged puts the windshield wipers into AUTO mode. At times the windshield wipers are activated when the windshield is dry. It isn't raining or misting and there's nothing on the surface of the windshield at the location of the front-facing cameras. "No rain" occurrences seem to correlate with times when visibility ahead has low contrast and there are no highlights and shadows to sharply define the scene, (ie, a little "muddy"). Observed when it is overcast but not raining, around sunrise when the sun is low in the sky and the light levels ahead are relatively low and headlights aren't helping illuminate the road ahead, and at times there are high-contrast light and shadows immediately ahead but farther down the road there is mist or fog, creating the same low contrast lighting conditions some distance away. It is as if the ADAS is aware that the scenery is not sharply defined and is "wiping its eyes" in an attempt to gain a more sharply-defined view. Occasionally, but rarely in my experience, the windshield washer is also engaged. Having the ADAS activate the wipers at these times is not a safety hazard, per se, but it is distracting and concerning as it gives the driver the impression that perhaps the ADAS is malfunctioning. I've read in user forums reports from a fair number of FSD Beta drivers complaining that the wipers go on when the windshield is dry and the ADAS is engaged. I haven't observed the same when the ADAS is not engaged.
Activating FSD Beta Version 2023.27.7 switches the Display brightness to AUTO and to a brightness that is higher then the level set by the driver. In a darkened vehicle at night the Auto setting was too bright and a distraction to safe driving at night. I then spent 2-3 seconds with my attention away from the road ahead as I reset the brightness on the display screen to the comfortable level. After disengaging FSD Beta the display remains at the brightness level set buy the driver. The next time FSD Beta is activated the display brightness is once again set to AUTO and the distracting process of taking the display out of AUTO and adjusting the brightness to a level comfortable to the driver must be repeated. Activating FSD Beta puts the High beams into AUTO and allows the system to use the high beams when the Vision system requires it. This is excellent and works well. The display brightness is a driver preference and adjusting the display brightness is not needed for the vision system to operate effectively and should remain set at the driver's preferred setting so as to no be too bright and so the driver does not need to repeatedly adjust the brightness each time FSD Beta is activated.
Left headlight blinker and windshield wiper not working. Happened twice once in 2022 and now. Repaired once in 2022 and when happens is dangerous because can’t signal and can’t use wipers in the rain
I was driving to work on the morning of February 24th 2023 and it was raining. After some time, and while on the freeway, I noticed that my low beam headlamps icon (green telltale) on the center display was not showing. As I always drive with lights in AUTO, and since it was raining (windshield wipers were activated automatically), I expected the headlights to turn on automatically. I worried that I would not be seen well by other drivers, and had to navigate to the controls on the center display and switch the headlights from AUTO to ON manually. The headlights then turned on (I assume, since I couldn't see indications on whether they were on or off on the outside, but the green icon did appear after I pressed the "ON" button). Given that it was raining outside, relatively dark, and the windshield wipers were on, I would expect the headlights to be activated while in the AUTO mode. I have never had issues with this before, and wonder if this came from a software update. The switch to go from auto to manual lights isn't very easy to reach from the driver seat so I would expect the auto mode to work well so this situation doesn't have to happen.
Related recalls
Exterior lighting: headlights
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2023 Model 3 and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles. The headlight low beams may be too bright and exceed the maximum light output. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- Headlight low beams that are too bright can reduce visibility for oncoming drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla Service will replace the headlights, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters explaining the safety risk were be mailed October 3, 2026. Another notice will be sent once the repair becomes available. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-17-003.
Recall number 26V507000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2020 Tesla Model 3 headlights
Is headlights failing or too dim a common problem on the 2020 Tesla Model 3?
6 of 455 owner complaints about the 2020 Tesla Model 3 (1%) mention headlights failing or too dim. The model year with the most reports is 2018.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2020 Tesla Model 3?
There is 1 recall and 0 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2020 Tesla Model 3
Adaptive cruise 84Phantom braking 61Ball joint 30Wipers 17Lane assist 15Collision warning 12Sudden acceleration 12No deployment 11Backup camera 11Grinding brakes 9Power steering loss 9Jerking 7Harsh shifting 6Windshield crack 5
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