general problems of the 2019 Tesla Model 3 - part 2

The airbag and seat belt system on the driver's side is faulty, which may result in an unsuccessful deployment of the airbag should I get into an accident. This is an immediate safety concern, yet Tesla would like to charge me over $400 to remedy the situation. That's why I'm reporting this as a safety recall so that no other owner/ leasee faces this risk or financial burden.

I along with many people online have reported the occupant safety restraint system having an issue and setting off a fault. I took it back several times on a warranty to Tesla. However, they were unable to replicate the air. Now the air is started again. The car is out of warranty and tessa wants $2000 now to put in a new airbag new occupant sensor and clip. This is absolute ridiculous, and has really undermined my faith in Tesla. They should not be having occupant faults. And not fixing it.

I am submitting a complaint regarding an unresolved safety issue with the front passenger restraint system in my 2019 Tesla Model 3 (VIN: [xxx] ). Since February 2024, I have encountered recurring alerts for this system, despite multiple service visits to address it. Service history and concerns: the initial repair attempt on February 27, 2024, involved Tesla replacing the occupant classification system (OCS) filter module. However, the alert returned shortly after, showing the issue was not resolved. On October 14, 2024, I returned to Tesla, where they quoted $1,800 for further repairs, claiming my general warranty was expired. Their records indicate that this failure directly impacts the front passenger’s safety restraint, making it a serious defect. During a follow-up visit on October 23, 2024, the issue was confirmed but left unaddressed unless I paid out-of-pocket. This recurring fault poses a critical safety risk, as a defective restraint system compromises passenger protection in a crash. Tesla’s refusal to provide coverage, despite prior similar recalls for restraint systems, suggests a pattern of shifting safety costs onto consumers. I request the NHTSA to investigate this fault’s prevalence and require Tesla to provide a remedy that upholds passenger safety. Thank you for your attention to this serious issue. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The OCS filter (occupant classification sensor) failed causing a “passenger restraint system fault”. This is simply a poorly designed component that fails. It is extremely common. The repair was quoted at nearly $2000 because the airbag and module have to be upgraded alongside it. Tesla sold a bunch of cars with a faulty $15 sensor, and is forcing $2000 worth of repairs just to get the passenger safety system to work.

Front left safety restraint system fault alert which requires service from Tesla service center. Tesla is charging $360 before taxes to fix this issue which seems to be an ongoing issue for many Tesla owners. The cost should be on the company since it’s a safety concern.

Front left safety restraint system fault/service is required.

There is a common warning message on Tesla Model 3 and y that states “front passenger safety restraint system fault” I just received it on mine. Tesla service advised that the passenger airbag and safety system may not function in the event of a crash. I searched online and can see in forums that many people receive this warning. Tesla also confirmed that if someone receives this message while driving and then they get into an accident during that same drive, the airbag may not work. This is a huge safety issue, and Tesla should be held accountable.

Over the last few days, an alert has come and gone numerous times indicating a fault of the front left safety restraint system. As of today, the alert persists and does not go away. The computer reports an error code of “rcm_a021 front left safety restraint system fault. Service is required. ” additionally the airbag indicator is illuminated, which I believe means that it is disabled because of this error.

There have been a number of Tesla’s coming back to the dealership due to a left or right pseat restraint error, which is the seat restraint module failure or even pinched wires that have not been secured properly during manufacturing. This is a safety issue that Tesla needs to correct as they are charging customers between $460 and $1500 to be repaired and these faults end up coming back time after time. Any other car manufacturer would replace on a recall.

Seat sensor error. "front left safety restraint system fault" car was still under warranty when the right seat fault happened. Clearly an issue with Tesla since there are many reports out "restraint system fault".

While driving I received an error on the screen stating “front passenger safety restraint fail -service needed”. This would go on and off randomly. It took over a month to get into Tesla. By the time I got into service the error was gone but Tesla replaced a sensor and airbag to be complaint with the sensor costing over $1300. I have seen a lot of posts of other Tesla owners experiencing the same error.

Safety issue: got a "front passenger safety restraint system fault" (code rcm_a056) out of a sudden. Apparently, the passenger's occupied-seat sensor is not communicating with the system, leading to potential hazard in airbag deployment scenario. Upon reaching out to the Tesla service center, got a quote for $1600, which includes a replacement not only of the passenger's seat sensor, but there's also a need to replace the airbag - to maintain compatibility with the new sensor. Upon additional research, I've discovered that this is not merely wear and tear; some owners reported that this error appears on brand new cars. In short, Tesla is requiring customers to pay $1600 to cover a design failure that could result in a safety / injury. The company should be held liable to its errors, not customers.

Tesla wants >$750 to "fix" a bug it sold in the car, & won't turn off the beep that happens every 5 minutes of driving, telling us that their sensor is defective. They want us to pay to tear the seat apart so they can replace the entire sensor. This error is happening in most of their vehicles (at least 2019 Model 3's). It's probably a malfunctioning occupant weight sensor (which determines if someone is in the seat and dictates whether the airbag should deploy). This fault triggers the painful loud beep/warning every 5 minutes of driving, & may disable the airbag in a collision. Tesla's systems rely heavily on software, & it may be a glitch or bug, but they say they can't fix it w/o making us pay to take out the seats. Or it may be wiring and connection issues. (we have just 35,000 miles on this vehicle. ).

An error has displayed on the screen stating: "front passenger safety restraint system fault rcm_a056 service is required" and reaching out to the local Tesla service center, I discovered the prescribed repair costs $1600. After searching online for other owner's experience with the error, I discovered that this is a common issue caused by a wire connection to the seat control model coming loose due to a poorly tensioned connector. Those other owners have reported that Tesla knows about this issue in their manufacturing and is refusing to fix the issue or issue a recall even though it is a safety issue.

Front passanger safety restraint system fault.

Car repeatedly shows a warning for "front passenger safety restraint system fault. " the error goes away after a few minutes usually, but comes up frequently - about 1/2 of all drives. Error came up in 2021 and Tesla fixed it under warranty in about 2 minutes, tech said it's a sensor under the seat and a frequent error. Called Tesla about it in may 2024 and they said it's a safety hazard and we need to replace the entire front seat and seatbelt, estimated at $1,500 and multi-day repair. Warranty expired last year which may explain difference in recommended repair. Friends with same car have been experiencing the same warning and there are many reports of it online.

Driver-side airbags deployed for no reason. While my husband was driving, the Tesla screen showed that the crash had been detected, so airbags were deployed, and he was asked to call 911. However, no collision occurred. Attaching photos of the towed car. Police came and didn’t make a report since no collision was present. After the tow truck towed the car, and a couple of hours later, we went to pick up our belongings; we couldn’t access the trunk, the car was fully dead. However, the charge was 71% before the deployment of the airbag.

Occupant sensor and wiring harness in the front seat becomes "pinched" under the seat when my son sits in the seat. Error code comes up on the dashboard.

Received a system fault for seat belt srs airbag safety restraint system for front left passenger. Code rcm_a021_pretenlapfrontleft causes the pretensioner and restraint system to not function as designed. Has not been in an accident and verified problem was persistent with hard system reset and software update. Did not do modification or touch the seat belt components at all during ownership period. Worried that the pretensioner and srs airbags will not go off if involved in a crash. First appeared last year intermittently and then starting June 1st, 2024 the airbag lamp is on inside the warning panel of screen.

I have a known safety issue with my Tesla Model 3. There is a fault in the clips, requiring a filter clip to allow the safety restraint system to work appropriately. Tesla admits this is a known manufacturer fault but still charges 400$ to correct it.

Starting on may 6, 2024, my vehicle display showed an error message stating "front passenger safety restraint system fault - service is required. " I alerted Tesla of this error through my phone app and set an appointment to have this fixed. I then received an estimate of $1400 which consisted of replacement of the passenger airbag ($1000) as well as an additional sensor that Tesla is indicating went bad ($400). I have never been in an accident with this vehicle so I can't understand why the airbag would be to be replaced, unless it was defective. I questioned this with Tesla and was told that none of the safety systems are covered anymore since the vehicle is now our of warranty. My wife drives my daughter to school daily and I'm more concerned that a car I spent $40k + on will not protect her in the event of a crash. Why would an un-used airbag need to be replaced at the owner's expense? why isn't Tesla covering a defect in their restraint systems?.

The car has a feature which adjust the seats for easy entry and for a driver based on driver profile. This results in the drivers seat to automatically adjust per profile. It seems overtime this damages a cable or connection under the seat, resulting in a fault in the sensor which recognizes a driver being present in the seat in case of emergency, ie determines if it should deploy airbag. Right now our car is showing this error and it’s only present when the seat adjust for my partner who is a shorter driver. Tesla has stated previously that this would be around $250 to repair, could only do it in person at the repair center. Online I’ve seen reports of onsite techs making the repair in less that 5 minutes with no or minimal charge for a replacement sensor or cable.

I received an error. - rcm_a056 "front passenger safety restraint system fault" so I scheduled service to review what happened. According to Tesla, and my service center - this is a known and common issue. The issue is a failure of the seat occupancy sensor. This requires replacement seat harness assembly, seat belt reminder sensor box clip and the first row occupancy sensor. However, the major issue (and what should be a class action lawsuit) is that Tesla created a new sensor - that now works, however, requires the replacement of the passenger airbag. Tesla's solution to this widely known issue (according to my service center) was to create a sensor that is not compatible with the current airbag system. This cost is astronomical. If the sensor alone could be replaced, this could be around a $400 fix, but because the airbag is an extra (approximate) $1,000. Total cost of repair is $1,329. 34, not including the required $100 remote diagnostic fee.

Front passenger restraint system fault. Tesla service informed that the airbags may not deploy and they need to be replaced.

Car giving message 'front passenger safety system error'. Scheduled service with Tesla and was given a qoute of $2500. I checked online and found that this is a common problem where seats have been replaced, some harness under seat is issue and in some cases airbags were replaced. Seems to be a common safety issue which is manufacturing defect and should be recalled with no cost fix. Given it is a safety issue, I cannot drive with a passenger on front seat.

Front passenger safety restraint system fault requiring replacement of airbag and passenger seat sonsor retrofit. If not replaced a danger of airbag failure to deploy. Problem confirmed with dealer and inspected by manufacturer. Warning light appeared to bring car in for repair.

The car's main screen displayed an error message, "front passenger safety restraint fault. Service required. " according to on line user groups this same safety system fault has occurred in many Tesla Model 3 cars. In my case, Tesla replaced the occupancy sensor harness in the seat and replaced the passenger side air bag, for a total price of $1800. Replacing the air bag was by far the most expensive part of the repair, but it wasn't defective, it was merely incompatible with the new sensor. With a repair this expensive, many car owners will be tempted to forego the entire repair, since the warning doesn't prevent the car's operation. Tesla should recall all Model 3s and repair the problem, otherwise many drivers will be tempted to drive with a defective sensor system.

The car is showing a system failure of the passenger restraining system, including the airbag. Car is only five years old with 67,000 miles. This condition should be repaired by Tesla at no cost to the consumer for this early failure. Also, the air conditioning compressor has failed, it is part of the battery cooling system which may create hazard of overheating the battery. This repair should also be covered by Tesla since it is a safety feature. These two failures seem to be very common among Tesla owners as evidence by the multiple social media post on these failures, a safety recall should be implemented to provide these repairs, and no cost to the consumer. Thank you so much.

Warning message regarding passenger safety restraint system. Code rcm_056.

I continuously receive a notification on my car that the there is a fault with the passenger restraint system and includes a red income with the airbag. I have found hundreds of Tesla drivers that have reported the same issue. Tesla is claiming that my airbag needs replaced as well as other safety components with the seat that need retrofitted in order for the airbag to work properly. They quoted me over $2. 4k for the repair and are holding me responsible for all costs since the vehicle is out of warranty. They told me that the airbag may not work properly. This is a common problem among Tesla’s and should be assessed.

Air bag sensor not functioning as advertised. I have opened 4 service actions with Tesla. I have been told the sensor activates the airbag for passengers weighing 100 lbs or more. My wife weighs approximately 120 lbs, and we are having continual failures of the system to activate the front passenger airbag, despite her occupation of the seat. We have provided time and date information as requested for Tesla service to review the car's log information. Tesla has performed 2 "hands-on" inspections of the vehicle, and one remote inspection, and continue to assert that the system is working as intended. Tesla service is now stating that clothing could cause the problem, but have failed to render a solution to the issue. I find it unreasonable to have a 20% margin of error for a sensor that operates a life-safety system in a modern vehicle.

Front right safety restraint system fault. Rear right safety restraint system fault.

I get an intermittent error message: rcm_a021 front left safety restraint system fault service is required Tesla service charges nearly $360 for this repair. I have understood from owners with the same issue that the connector to the seat belt pretensioner is the issue. Several owners have the same issue.

This is a rampant problem with Tesla models. You get a seat restraint safety feature has failed. These are being repaired with a make shift repair and the owners are being charged for it.

In July 2023 we started receiving airbag fault messages on the main screen, “front passenger safety restraint system fault". Based on our research this meant that in the event of an accident the airbag would most likely not deploy. We tried to schedule service and due to a "bug with the recent update" we could not get the invoice through their app or schedule the actual service for over a week. After contacting Tesla multiple times we got scheduled and had to drive to a service center instead of mobile service coming to us. This turned out to be a known fault due to the lack of an occupant classification system (OCS) filter module on the 2017-2019 Model 3. We were charged $165. 89 to install what should have been provided for free on a recall to all affected model years. Upon arrival to the center they told me it could end up costing thousands of dollars if they had to replace the airbags, wiring harnesses and other components. That car was about 4 years and 1 month old, and just under 70k miles at the time, so the airbag system should not be failing. Those costs could be prohibitive for some owners, causing them to drive with an unsafe car. Luckily the service center tried the cheapest option first, which was installing the filter that is now standard equipment on all 2020 model years and later. The fact that Tesla now installs that filter as standard shows that it is necessary, and should have been provided to all previous model years as a free recall. Details can be found in the service bulletin that Tesla has already submitted to NHTSA at https://static. Nhtsa. Gov/odi/tsbs/2019/mc-10169819-9999. Pdf . If that link doesn't work it is sb-19-20-003 from December 30, 2019. This is a known issue for the affected year models that is fixed with an OCS filter module on newer models, that can be installed in a short time on older models. The lack of that module puts users at risk of the airbags not deploying as designed.