2024 Tesla Model 3 lights problems

Filed Aug 17, 2026 · Electrical, Lights · TX

Tesla’s replacement of physical steering column turn signal stalks with capacitive touch buttons on the steering wheel face creates an active safety hazard. First, the capacitive sensors frequently become entirely unresponsive. If a driver rests a finger near the buttons, the system triggers a timeout/lockout, rendering the signals non-functional for several seconds when pressed. They also fail to register inputs under normal pressure or when wearing gloves. Second, because the buttons rotate dynamically with the steering wheel, it is structurally impossible to signal by muscle memory during sharp or sequential maneuvers, like navigating roundabouts. To signal while the wheel is turning or when buttons fail to respond, the driver must repeatedly look away from the road to visually target the wheel. This defective layout causes delayed signaling, severe driver distraction, and elevates the risk of a collision.

Filed Oct 12, 2025 · Lights · CA

The push type turn signals for the model 3 almost caused when accident when I had to enter and exit a roundabout. The orientation wasn’t clear and I was trying to signal to not exit instead - another car misunderstood my intent. this miscommunication lead to a close call. I’ve been driving for over 20 years - this is an unsafe implementation of something basic.

Filed Sep 29, 2025 · Lights · WA · crash

To whom it may concern, I am reporting an incident regarding my Tesla Model 3 (2024) that occurred on June 30th around midnight. My partner was using FSD (full self driving) and driving down i5 towards Vancouver, WA and I was attempting to turn on Bluetooth to listen to music when the exterior lights completely shut off. The section of the freeway we were on had no lights, so it was completely dark. The FSD made my partner take over the wheel and we careened off the road because there was zero visibility. Thankfully and luckily we only hit a traffic reflector. What followed has been a few concerning months of back and forth with Tesla. I reported the incident to them immediately and requested data from that night. The data that they eventually sent over was from the previous day and following days, and conveniently missing that crucial period of time. The service appointment I had with them produced a multiple thousand dollar bill to fix the damage caused by the traffic reflector which I did not pay. I have not heard back from them since then. I am reporting this incident because I don’t think lights should be able to shut off completely at night, whether it was a software malfunction or someone accidentally pressing a button on the screen. If this incident continues to happen in the future many passengers may not be as lucky as us to escape with only a scratch. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 24, 2025 · Lights, Steering · CA

Tesla has removed the turn signal stalks on some of their vehicles in favor of buttons on the steering wheel. While Tesla may argue that these buttons work fine, they are unsafe and they do not work in all driving situations (roads with multiple tight turns, roundabouts, etc). The buttons are also prone to sticking, which renders them inoperable. I have been pulled over due to failure to signal on a tight roadway in San Francisco, the officer did not write a ticket when he saw the design defect and advised that I remedy the issue with Tesla. I have also almost gotten into an accident several times in roundabouts because of failure to signal -- it was impossible to signal via the button on the steering wheel while in the roundabout. Tesla has acknowledged that this design is a safety issue and has brought back turn signal stalks on newly manufactured vehicles. Due to the immediate safety issue and Tesla having no retrofit available, I have purchased a 3rd party accessory that fixes the issue. The accessory is from a company called Enhance Auto and it is called "S3XY Stalks". It is a bluetooth enabled turn signal that connects to a device that is attached to the OBD sensor. This device works perfectly and it solves the safety issue. Tesla has refused to reimburse me in the amount of $522.50 for this turn signal device.

Filed Sep 22, 2025 · Lights · CO

The indicator controls on the steering wheel are unreliable. Soon after purchasing the car, I returned it for warranty repair because sometimes the right indicator fails. When pressing the indicator area in the steering wheel, one can usually feel a button click, but at times it’s like pressing a brick wall, no give and no click. It seemed ok after the repair, but now it’s back to doing exactly the same thing. In addition, sometimes when I press near the bottom of the right indicator area, the left indicator turns on instead. It’s bad enough that I often can’t indicate when turning as I can’t always keep track of directions when the buttons turn upside down and the visuals on the buttons are backwards. It’s much worse that this bad design is so poorly implemented. Now writing this, I noticed when uploading the warranty invoice that they said the indicator works as intended. This after I gave them a video I took, while driving, of my fingers repeatedly pressing the indicator area as hard as I could, while describing how the indicator wasn’t turning on. I see you don’t allow videos to be uploaded here, but I still have that video and can supply it if needed.

Filed Jan 6, 2025 · Lights · 1,800 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while using the right turn signal, the signal seized and failed to turn off and remained engaged. The vehicle was taken to the Tesla Service Center; however, the service tech was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The Tesla Service Center declined to provide a steering wheel replacement. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 1,800.

Filed Jan 1, 2025 · Lights · CA

Turn signal button frequently gets stuck and will not activate. This prevents driver from being able to properly signal when changing lanes and causes very dangerous situations, particularly when trying to exit the highway. My vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, but this issue is very common across owners' forums. No warning signs or messages prior to failure.

Filed Dec 11, 2024 · Lights, Visibility · FL

The buttons on the steering wheel stick and do not work. These include the turn signals and also bright lights and windshield wipers. They stick on my car, and I am renting a 2024 model 3 that they stick on as well. It’s not possible to signal a turn or wipe the windshield when this happens, which is a safety issue.

Filed Dec 7, 2024 · Electrical, Lights · FL

The right and left turn indicator buttons freeze up, and will not operate for indefinite periods. The problem is intermittent, however, the buttons may be frozen for several minutes before the problem clears. I believe the manufacturer is already aware of this problem affecting numerous 2024 model 3 vehicles. I believe this appears as a definite manufacturer design flaw, and does not appear as reasonable user error, or other isolated random defect. The problem is presently becoming well known to 2024 model 3 owners in all markets, and there are now many online posts by other owners of this vehicle model for this identical problem. I encourage the federal safety agency to conduct a quick online search of user reported incidents, as an easy starting point. This problem creates a serious safety risk to other drivers, since other drivers cannot be made aware of affected vehicle's driving intentions. There is no reliable means for affected vehicle drivers to predict or reliably control this problem, that I am aware of. The problem also creates a significant distraction for the driver of the affected vehicle, and particularly in situations that require rapid signal intentions, such as multiple immediate left and right turns in quick succession, or, emergency lane change to avoid stalled vehicles, or, intended driver direction following a four-way stop, etc. This problem may also create a potentially unavoidable legal jeopardy for any affected driver, who may face reasonable driving penalties enforceable by police, or, may be held at fault for accident, despite affected driver's best intentions to use or rely on the faulty equipment. I truly believe this is a serious problem worthy of immediate manufacturer recall and permanent remedy by the manufacturer. It is only a matter of time before a serious accident occurs, resulting in possible injury or death to anyone who either drives, or encounters, an affected vehicle. I hope the federal safety agency will promptly investigate. Thank you.

Filed Nov 30, 2024 · Lights · CA

While merging into heavy highway traffic, turn signal failed to turn on when button was pressed. This made me have to merge without a turn signal on putting me at a higher risk of a collision and surprising the drivers behind me. Immediately after the merge was complete I attempted to troubleshoot the button and found that it was stuck in the up state, flicking it multiple times made it possible to press the button again. Later that day experimentation showed that the button was prone to sticking if pushed at an angle but would work correctly as long as a deliberate and vertical press is applied. Specifically pushing the button with force pushing the button outwards relative to the steering wheel would cause the button to shift to the outward edge and get stuck on the plastic housing rendering the button impossible to depress. This angle is typical as the persons thumb would naturaly slide outwards when interacting with the button. The vehicle has not been inspected by any third parties (including manufacturer), but a video was recorded reproducing the malfunction and demonstrating how pushing the buttons inward resolves the issue. No warnings about the button no longer being operation were displayed. On a somewhat related note, its nearly impossible to signal that one is exiting a roundabout with the buttons as they change location before being pressed (steering angle) and depending on angle change meaning (upper button means right or left turn for example).