Following Tesla's over-the-air deployment of FSD 14.1 Lite, the HW3 Autopilot computer in my 2018 Tesla Model 3 failed. FSD / Autopilot worked normally before the update and stopped working immediately afterward. Tesla Service diagnosed the vehicle XXX and verified the alerts APP_W207, APP_W462, APS_W182, APS_W188 and APS_W185. The technician attempted hard and soft resets and a firmware reinstall, and verified power and ground to the car computer. All attempts failed. The technician's notes state the secondary autopilot processor is no longer communicating and "a new car computer is needed." The failure has disabled Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning and Lane Departure Warning, as well as FSD / Autopilot. Tesla denied a goodwill replacement in writing on XXX, stating there was no evidence linking the failure to a software update, after the technician confirmed the computer had failed. Tesla provided a written estimate for the replacement of $2,616.37 total (invoice dated XXX). I have not authorized the repair. Tesla also confirmed in writing that my vehicle is not currently eligible for the HW4 upgrade. I sent a formal Notice of Dispute to Tesla at [XXX] on XXX and received no response; I sent a follow-up on XXX. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Tesla Model 3 lane assist problems
98 of the 4,407 owner complaints about the Tesla Model 3 describe lane keeping assist jerks the wheel, most of them for the 2021 model year.
- owner complaints
- 98
- worst model year
- 2021
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,000
- typical mileage
- 39,800
By model year
Often reported together
Adaptive cruise 38Phantom braking 14Collision warning 13Jerking 5Wipers 3Power steering loss 3Ball joint 3Steering noise 2
What owners say
Interior camera circuit failed in the main computer as diagnosed by Tesla, it disables most safety features of the car, no collision warning or avoidance, no automatic emergency breaking, no lane departure warning or correction, no reverse cam, no cruise control or self driving, and probably more. Only Tesla can replace it because it's vin matched to the car, for $2400. This part should be more durable
After Tesla pushed software update 2026.20.6.11 or “FSD 14 lite” the self driving feature stopped functioning. Also all of the driver assistance safety features stopped working at the same time, forward collision warning, emergency braking, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection have all stopped working as well. It appears one of the two “self Driving” ECU was damaged or disabled by the update. Without these features the drive is not notified in advance of a collision and the emergency braking does not function to stop the car. The car is awaiting inspection and repair by the manufacturer.
My car randomly gave me alerts that my steering alignment fault then came the following two days later Automatic Emergency Braking is unavailable Feature may be restored on next drive 20:55 | DI_a246 Automatic vehicle hold disabled Use brake pedal when stopping 20:55 | DI_a223 Traction control disabled Drive with caution 20:55 | APP_W264 Lane Departure Avoidance features unavailable Features may be restored on next drive 20:55 | DI_a222 Stability control disabled. I take my car to a mechanic and they show me that my lower control arms are damaged. Tesla is more than 2 weeks out for something that has caused my car to act completely unsafe and not normal.
I was driving down Interstate 635 Lane Departure Assist on my 2021 Model 3 pulls me into the lane it senses im departing into when system is set to "assist" (if vehicle sense im straying into the left lane as an example, it will pull me further towards the left lane markings and requires an abnormal amount of effort into recentering the vehicle within the lane I am in). Vehicle has since been driven in "warning" setting since this event with no further issues.
Component: Lane Support System — Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK) Part of standard Autopilot safety suite (not FSD) activated without valid lane detection data and pushed the vehicle into the oncoming lane of traffic on Ohio State Route [XXX]. The system then aborted mid-intervention (LSS_STATE_ABORT), leaving the driver in the oncoming lane. The resulting head-on collision killed both drivers — the [XXX] Tesla driver and the driver of the oncoming vehicle. Two people died because of this ELK malfunction. Tesla's own telematics data confirms the following sequence: 5At 23:51:17.420 UTC, the Lane Support System activated Emergency Lane Keeping (LSS_STATE_ELK). 6At 23:51:17.652 UTC (232 milliseconds after activation), the system logged ALC_UNAVAILABLE_NO_LANES — confirming it had no valid lane detection data during the intervention. 7At 23:51:17.755 UTC (335 milliseconds after activation), the system logged LSS_STATE_ABORT — the system cancelled itself mid-intervention. 8During the 335-millisecond intervention, the vehicle's steering angle reached -16.79 degrees leftward and lateral acceleration measured +1.200 m/s² leftward — both confirming the vehicle was pushed into the oncoming lane. 9The driver responded with the largest steering torque (-5.08 Nm rightward) and largest rightward steering angle (+19.50 degrees) recorded in the entire telematics file — confirming he was actively attempting to recover. 10 The head-on collision killed both him and the driver of the oncoming vehicle. We requested additional telematics data from Tesla through the Tesla app. A forensic expert has examined the vehicle's ECU motherboard— missing critical fields including continuous yaw rate, high-resolution steering data, ELK steering commands, and lane detection confidence scores. A subsequent request for additional data produced an error message and Tesla has not provided further data. This crash is the exact behavior under PE25012. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Front Seatbelt On March 13, 2026, at approximately 7:51 PM EST (23:51 UTC), the driver of a 2021 Tesla Model 3 was killed in a head-on collision on SR 741 in Warren County, Ohio. Two people died in this crash — the Tesla driver and the driver of the oncoming vehicle. Tesla's own telematics data (provided to the family post-crash) reveals that the driver's seatbelt unlatched at Row 5115 / 23:51:03.269 UTC — exactly 14.15 seconds before the collision. The driver was actively driving at the time, as confirmed by 66 separate steering torque readings between the seatbelt unlatch and the crash, ranging from −1.59 Nm to +2.15 Nm in constantly alternating directions — the signature of active lane-holding. The seatbelt released on its own while the driver was actively steering based on tesla data at approximately 66 mph. No rational driver unbuckles their seatbelt while driving 66 mph on a busy two-lane road. The telematics data proves continuous active driving before, during, and after the seatbelt event. The seatbelt failure is a separate and independent defect from the Emergency Lane Keeping (ELK) system failure that caused the collision (which is the subject of a separate the federal safety agency complaint). Even if the collision was unavoidable, a functioning seatbelt may have saved the driver's life. The seatbelt failure independently contributed to the fatality. The following data is from Tesla's own telematics file provided to the family: Timestamp (UTC)RowEvent 23:51:03.269 5115 Driver seatbelt status changes from LATCHED to UNLATCHED 23:51:03.269 – 23:51:17.420(row 5115–5311)66 steering torque readings confirm active driving (−1.59 to +2.15 Nm) 23:51:17.4205311ELK system activates (separate defect) ~23:51:19.0—Head-on collision — driver unrestrained — two fatalities Pattern of identical complaints from other 2021 Model 3 owners (ODI 11713076, 11738583, 11684327)
Lane keeping assistance turns on with every drive no matter how many times I set it to off. Where I live there are many potholes and poorly paved roads, along with poorly marked roads. As I am swerving around obstacles the car will fight the steering inputs I am giving it, trying to steer me back into whatever I was avoiding. This is a safety issue, and is not a problem on our older Tesla model 3 performance, as once that vehicle is set to off, it stays off. Now, as I start every drive I am navigating through a couple screens to turn off this "safety" feature.
On XXX at approximately 5:00 PM, I was driving my 2020 Tesla Model 3 on [XXX] from [XXX] toward [XXX], with Tesla FSD engaged. Near the area where the center divider begins/ends, the vehicle crossed the double yellow/divider area and entered the opposing traffic lane. There was no oncoming traffic at that moment, so there was no crash, but this created a serious potential head-on collision risk. The car also did several hard jerks that aggravated my neck and back that it has been consistently doing for a long time which cause worse ongoing headaches. The system/component that malfunctioned was Tesla FSD/Advanced Driver Assistance, including lane keeping/steering behavior. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others were put at risk because the vehicle moved into the lane for oncoming traffic. I had to intervene and no longer feel safe using FSD. I have reported unsafe FSD behavior to Tesla multiple times before, but the issue has not been resolved. Tesla service has previously listed the concern as “FSD not working properly/test drive required” and/or general diagnosis, but I have not received a clear written resolution explaining why the vehicle crossed into the opposing lane or how Tesla will prevent this from happening again. There were no warning lamps or messages that I recall before the vehicle crossed into the opposing lane. If Tesla has vehicle logs or telemetry for the incident, I request that they be reviewed. I am reporting this because the vehicle may repeat this unsafe behavior and create a head-on collision risk. The car continues to behave unsafely and erratically. i have a log of some of the incidents. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On June 7, 2026 an accident occurred on Overlook Parkway, Riverside southbound (near chabot ct intersection) involving my 2024 model 3 that was in FSD mode (Full self driving). The car be veered from the street and hit a light pole as the road was curving to the left. Airbags were deployed, and the car was a total loss, but nobody was hurt. The carhad automatic emergency braking and lane keeping assistance and despite this in FSD Full self driving mode managed to hit the lightpole and the accident occured. Can you investigate if this is a defect in the safety features of the car, or Tesla's FSD software or Automatic emergency braking and lane keeping assistance software? Thank you.
Related recalls
Back over prevention: software
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017, 2021-2023 Model 3, 2020-2023 Model Y, 2021-2023 Model S, and Model X vehicles operating software version 2026.8.6. The rearview camera image may be delayed when the vehicle is placed in 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 image reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla has released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 3, 2026. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-26-00-001.
Recall number 26V283000 · Recall details
Back over prevention: software
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Model 3, Model S, 2023-2025 Model X, and Model Y vehicles. The computer circuit board may short, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Tesla will also identify any vehicles that experienced a circuit board failure, or stress that may lead to a circuit board failure, and replace the affected computers, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 7, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-00-001.
Recall number 25V002000 · Recall details
Forward collision avoidance: warnings: external/pedestrian alert
- 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
Forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking
- What is wrong
- Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Model 3 and 2021 Model Y vehicles. The fisheye and narrow camera cable terminals were incorrectly installed in the cable harness connector, resulting in swapped camera views.
- Risk
- Swapped camera views can prevent the vehicle's cameras from detecting crossing objects and high-curvature lane lines, impairing the Autosteer and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) performance, and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Tesla Service will correct the swapped terminals and recalibrate the cameras, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 8, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1‑877‑798‑3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-17-007.
Recall number 22V317000 · Recall details
Back over prevention: display function
- 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 alert
- 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: camera
- 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 Tesla Model 3 lane assist
Which Tesla Model 3 years have lane keeping assist jerks the wheel problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2021 (19 complaints), 2018 (16 complaints) and 2022 (16 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix lane keeping assist jerks the wheel on the Tesla Model 3?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,000 (median of 8 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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