general problems of the 2018 Tesla Model 3 - part 2

My car started giving me an alert for a "front passenger safety restraint system fault". There has been no accident to cause an issue. I'm being told by the service center that it is a known occurrence and certain models/years, require a new safety vent type front passenger airbag to maintain compatibility between the front passenger seat and the front passenger airbag.

This is a follow up to issue 11584898. Tesla service states that due to the seat belt fault, the vehicle is not safe to drive until repair is complete. Tesla is also not providing a loaner vehicle until the vehicle is repaired. This puts many Model 3 and model y drivers at risk due to limited Tesla and 3rd party service centers, limited service center schedule availability, and high cost of repair.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a message displayed reading "left from passenger safety restraint system fault. " the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to technical service bulletin sb-21-17-005. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 105,000.

Car displayed safety restraint system fault rcm_a094. Tesla diagnosed as rear seat buckle sensor failure. Additionally, car displays an intermittent fault rcm_a056. Tesla diagnosed this as a front passenger occupant classification system (OCS) sensor fault. Tesla stated the front passenger airbag would need to be replaced as the new sensor is not compatible with the older airbag. This renders the entire airbag system inoperable due to this component failure. The critical safety issue is extremely expensive as the incompatible sensor requires expensive airbag replacement. Furthermore, the safety system is prone to failure with 2 safety system faults occurring at <80k miles. Service rep stated that the 2018 model year has had issues with the airbag system that is why they updated the module. I asked for recall or replacement at Tesla cost but was denied. Facebook group discussions and search indicate others have intermittent OCS sensor failure and this is likely a defective part for that year.

Error message displays confirming: “front left safety restraint system default” error code displayed: rcm_a021 service is required but Tesla is charging for this safety issue. Researched this and other drivers are reporting same issue.

I'm getting an error for "safety restraint system fault" on my Tesla Model 3. When I booked a service appointment it turns out they are wanting to charge $1,955. 11 for replacing the occupant classification system (OCS) of the front passenger, updating the front passenger airbag, and installing a OCS filter module. This seems to be safety related and should be part of a recall. I have seen similar reports from other drivers on reddit.

Apparently faulty sensor that then needs to replace airgbag and now it’s costing $1833!.

On Feb 12 2024 the error code rcm_a021 appeared. “front left safety restraint system fault service is required. ” the service center confirmed that it was an issue related to seatbelt safety during a crash. They said “the specific part that would fail in this case would be the seatbelt pretensioner. When in an impact this deploys and pulls the seatbelt tightly against the driver. This will likely not deploy in an accident if not repaired as the wires going to this component are broken. We are replacing it with a new updated part that will not wear and have this same issue. ” although a known safety issue, it was not a repair under warranty. I am putting in this claim and appeal that it should be an under warranty repair. Parts and labor for 1 seatbelt assembly replacement would have been $450. As it is a known safety issue, I opted to proactively repair both front seat seatbelt assemblies so the cost increased to $650. The cost estimate is attached. Also attached is the text communications with Tesla service center.

I was driving when I received a service prompt on my Tesla Model 3 stating that there was a fault with my front passenger safety restraint. When I looked around the area, I noticed that the cable securing my seat belt to the vehicle was sticking out of the enclosure by about 6 inches. The car has not been involved in any violent collisions and the seatbelt has not otherwise been abused in any way. The car only has 23,163 miles on it.

We intermittantly received alerts on the screen showing "front safety restraint system fault (service is required). " after many hours of research, we found that other owners also have the same issue and they found that a wire from a electrical connector that connected to the seatbelt pretentension was broken from the seat being moved up and down.

I have three potential safety hazards to report. Tesla has advised that there is no recall for any of these. 1) the car issued an alert that says "front passenger safety system fault. " this seems like the most serious. 2) the horn malfunctions and does not work at safe level 3) the driver's side mirror does not consistently extend out preventing the driver from adequately using the mirror for driving.

When driver seat adjusted to end positions (e. G all the way up/down/forward/backward), it causes an error message stating “front left safety restraint system fault” & and airbag failure icon would appear. This usually cause by the wire harness being pinched or stretched. The error message may come and go based on the position of the seat, and occurs more frequently as time goes by. I am concern that the airbag or other safety restraint system may fail to engage when the message pops up. Tesla community has reported similar failure.

My Tesla has been in need of repair for a "system restraint fault" 5 times since the car was purchased and 4 times in the past year. The Tesla service center has replaced multiple components including the seat harness, seat sensor, airbag, low voltage circuits over the span of the service appointments. It is unknown what would happen if an accident were to occur with the sensor fault activated or if it would cause an accident. I bring this issue up because it is a known issue to Tesla but I have not seen any recall information, nor does it seem like the service centers know how to fix the issues, especially since I have taken the car in so many times during the life of the car.

Received safety restaurant system warning on my Tesla. This is a safety issue with the seat belts. This was repaired already on November 4, 2021. Same issue occurring again and but Tesla now wants to charge $400 to repair.

Many Tesla owners are experiencing this issue: "front left (or right) safety restraint system fault. Service is required" message on screen Tesla service quoted $430 for a repair of a problem that shouldn't exit on a privately owned, non commercial low mileage (<50k in 5 years) vehicle. Tesla service refuses to do a recall or warranty repair. Comparison; we have a family Volvo with ~250k miles and it has never had a seat belt issue!.

Seat restrain system detected a fault with the back row seat buckle. This appears to be a repeated issue based on other drivers reporting same safety issue. Happy to provide photos.

Car issued a message on screen: "front left safety restraint system fault. Service is required". From what we found online, others are experiencing this same problem with this make/model and have also received this message recently. Appears that there is a bad connector under the seat. This sure seems to be a safety issue so wanted to make you aware. At this point, it is reported that Tesla has been charging people to fix the safety issue. We plan to make a service appointment to get this fault addressed and hope that they will fix it at no cost to us.

The issue I am having is already documented in this TSB: https://static. Nhtsa. Gov/odi/tsbs/2021/mc-10208325-9999. Pdf I feel this should be a recall, not just a TSB as it is a safety issue which can cause the seatbelt pre-tensioners to fail. If may fail at the time of a collision with no previous notice and cause the pre-tensioner to not work in the event of a collision. This should be repaired free of cost by Tesla.

Began receiving fault alert 'rcm_a021 - front left safet restraint system fault' in December 2023. Web query indicates this has become a common problem, with the source being a loose connection of the seat wiring harness under the front driver's seat. No other observed malfunction of the vehicle. Alert occurs whenever car is entered and powered on (seat adjusts for specified driver). Alert seems to be based on loose wire that is either loose or severed at the wire harness connection.

I kept getting notifications indicating that there was a front passenger safety restraint system fault - rcm_a056. On reaching out to Tesla service, I received an estimate for more than $2000 to fix and they appear to be replacing the seat, occupant classification system or sensor, and also front passenger airbag. I found many instances of this issue on online forums(with different error codes) and I am worried that this may be a widespread safety issue related to the seat belts or corresponding components which may prevent them from detecting occupants or failing to prevent injury in case of a crash.

I have been receiving an error message that there is a safety restraint system failure. I reached out for service and have been advised it will cost $195 minimum just for them to tell me if my safety is at risk. I don’t understand how if there is a safety issue regardless of being out of warranty why I should be responsible for their systems failing in a 5 year old car.

Vehicle displays alert "passenger safety restraint system fault. " Tesla repaired my vehicle last year for this same alert and now it has returned. Tesla claims the occupant classification system and passenger airbag must now be replaced. These critical safety components should not fail only 5 years after I purchased this vehicle. Many other Tesla owners report this same issue indicating it is a safety-related defect.

Seat belt sensor went off. Took vehicle to Tesla and was charged for a replacement of the seat buckle that you place the seat belt in. This should be a safety hazard and should not be a charge to replace a safety seat buckle. I have an invoice of the work done and what I paid to fix.

Service advisory for front driver's side seat belt system appears on central screen after seatbelt is unlatched and retracted. Front right side also had this warning but it no longer does. Warning reads as follows : "! front left safety restraint system fault. Service is required. Note: this warning reappears even when the seat belt is held loosely and allowed to fully snap back into the retractor. The warning persists even after rebooting the main screen (double scroll wheel press reboot).

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the "front passenger safety restraint system fault" message remained displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the failure had occurred previously with the front driver’s seat, the rear middle seat, and the rear passenger’s side seat. The vehicle was repaired at the local service center. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 80,000.

I have had a safety restraint fault on the vehicle once before and Tesla came and replaced something. It never came back. Until I'm a couple thousand miles over the warranty and I "randomly" get another safety restraint fault. I filed the service report for them to tell me it's the seatbelt. I replaced the seatbelt and the error continues. This is a safety issue that needs to be addressed as thousands of people are having the same "fault" codes. This is a known problem Teslas have and they are doing nothing to address it. I'm in shock this is allowed to happen.

The passenger safety restraint system fault message pops up when driving normally. The diagnostic came up to replace the whole airbag after communicating with service center.

For the past 2-3 weeks, my vehicle has been intermittently displaying an error message that reads “front left safety restraint system fault,” accompanied by the error code rcm_a021. This error has been appearing nearly every day and seems to indicate a malfunction in the restraint control module, specifically relating to the front left safety restraint system. Importantly, the vehicle has not been in any accidents, and no recent repair work has been done that could explain the onset of this issue. This malfunction poses a significant safety risk. The front left safety restraint system, which includes crucial components like the seat belt latch sensor and the pretensioner system, is designed to protect the driver in the event of an accident. Given the critical nature of these safety features, the issue at hand could compromise the vehicle’s ability to protect its occupants, thereby placing both the driver and passengers at considerable risk. The vehicle has not been inspected or diagnosed by a Tesla dealer, an independent service center, or any other entity such as police or insurance representatives. This absence of professional evaluation further underscores the urgency for a thorough investigation into the root cause of this fault. There were no precursors or warnings prior to the appearance of this error message. The issue spontaneously manifested and has been consistently reoccurring. This lack of predictability elevates the risk associated with the fault, making it vital to investigate and resolve it expediently. The intermittent but consistent fault code rcm_a021 affecting the front left safety restraint system in my 2018 Tesla Model 3 is a significant safety concern. Given the absence of any recent repair work or incidents or recalls that could account for this problem, along with the lack of any professional diagnostic evaluation it’s my hope that NHTSA and Tesla take appropriate action to investigate and resolve this potential safety defect.

Error code: rcm_a021 front left safety restraint system fault. It appears this is a very common safety problem for many Tesla 3 owners and I believe it’s due to faulty design - shall be a recall paid by Tesla ! please search on google. Com, enter the error code above and you will see many complaints for the same issue….

Front passenger safety restraint alert continuously stayed on with and without passenger seated. Took vehicle to solve problem immediately on 9/4/2023. After it was diagnosed, the occupancy sensor was faulting and the concerned technician had to retrofit the sensor system to address the problem. Technician replaced the front air bag and the seat harness for the new sensor costing approximately $1,300. This was thought to have been covered since it was seat belt/air bag issue but I had pay to have them replaced.

Safety restraint system fault rcm_a094.

2018 Tesla Model 3 shows “front left safety restraint system fault”. My car was not identify as having the recall applied but have the same issue the recall or warranty would resolve. My care is out of warranty and Tesla want to charge estimated $1,500 to resolve this issue. Tesla has this issues with all makes and models and is a saftey issue.

Received an error "front left safety restraint system fault. Service is required. " error on my vehicle yesterday (7/11/2023) which disappears when lifting seat to highest position. As soon as seat is lowered more than 1/2" the error reappears and airbag light is illuminating notifying that the airbag is not enabled. This error is clearly an issue with the safety restraint system on the vehicle but Tesla will not honor fixing this under their supplemental restraint system limited warranty. The vehicle is within coverage period (<5 years and <60,000 miles). I am being told this srs limited warranty covers air bags, seat belt, seat belt buckles, sensors, and modules only. I have not taken the vehicle in for service as the quote I received is too expensive ($601). Please see photos for my conversation with Tesla service as well.

Tesla is charging me to replace the defective second-row center seatbelt buckle. My car has 47,600 miles today (7/13/23). I've owned several other cars and never had to replace a seatbelt buckle before.

The vehicle is reporting a right passenger restraint error message on the screen. Tesla "fixed the sensor" in 2021 under warranty. Now the same issue is present and Tesla says they have to replace the senor again with a newer one which is now no longer compliant with the OCS system or the air bag. They are charging customers $1600 to replace the sensor, OCS and airbag, all of which are safety specific requirements and is a product failure on their part. The error comes and goes at random, and at any speed. As low as 0-5 mph and as much as at 75mph.