Wiper problems of the 2019 Tesla Model 3

My vehicle was working fine when Tesla issued an over-the-air software update recently. The next day, my backup camera was not working. The back up camera is required for this vehicle under fmvss 111 and is otherwise essential for this vehicle due to limited rear vision through the rear window. In addition, gps/navigation stopped working, the windshield wipers did not function on certain settings and the display was at times not legible, presumably because it believed it was a different time of day and was in the wrong mode. There are likely additional issues that have not revealed themselves yet. I took the vehicle to the local Tesla service center on July 25, 2025. They confirmed the reported issues and said it was a problem with the software update, which they would perform onsite while I waited. The service center personnel also stated this was not a firmware issue or anything to do with my car and that it was just the software update. After a few hours, the personnel reported they could not get the update to install and asked that I bring the vehicle back the following week for further diagnostics. Before I brought the vehicle back, I was sent an invoice for approximately $2,300 for replacement of on vehicle's computer. I brought the vehicle back today, July 29, 2025, and asked them to perform the onsite diagnostics they wanted me to bring the vehicle back in for and did not agree to pay for the computer replacement. I also informed the Tesla personnel that, at a minimum, the the back up camera failure is a safety related issued covered for this vehicle under fmvss 111 and that they were not permitted to charge me for fixing it. The vehicle warranty period recently expired but it is well within the 10-year date of manufacture. Other issues with the vehicle may also qualify as safety related, but the back up camera is clearly one - Tesla recently issued a recall for this very same problem impacting the Model 3, but the recall did not include my model year.

Back window spontaneously cracked. Much of the back roof is this glass, thus I am concerned that in an accident will that tempered glass hold up.

We own a 2019 Tesla Model 3 which had a left front headlight stop working (headlight, turn signal, and daytime running light). As soon as the headlight went out the windshield wipers stopped working. The vehicle does not have fuses but the headlight and wipers share a wiring circuit. I thought it might be a coincidence but found several of the same issues on a google search. It is beyond ridiculous that lowing a headlight at night would cause your wipers to stop working. Its bad enough to have a reduction in visibility due to a light going out but to have the windshield wipers tied to the headlight causing them to stop working is nothing short of reckless. The warning stating the turn signal needed to be serviced and to make an appointment came on when the light stopped working. I own an automotive repair shop so I ordered the headlight assembly and installed it, the lights then worked and not surprisingly so did the windshield wipers.

This morning the Tesla mobile technician informed me that the defrost is disabled. He explained that is something that only Tesla can fix. When talking to Tesla service they quote me over 1k to fix. After reading about this particular issue, Tesla has been recalling the Model 3 ( 2021 -2023 ) for the exact same issue. Can someone look into this since it appears to be defective from Tesla sincerely.

My back glass on my Tesla Model 3 started to crack very bad there is no sign of any impact to the glass Tesla even stated it’s a stress crack and stated many Teslas have this problem and continued to tell me even though it is a defect and a safety concern that the back glass can shatter and injury passengers in vehicle I would be responsible for paying to replace a defective back glass.

The rear view camera has not functioned properly for several months. We did have the rear harness recall work completed, but the camera was working fine at that time and stopped working in Nov sometime after a software update. This is very similar to 24v-035, except that is on 2023 year models only. Why I that campaign limited to 2023 only? there are a lot of complaints on the internet about this issue, and in some cases Tesla charging $3500 to replace a computer in the car. We also have the full automatic driving, same as in the 2023 models recalled. This issue seems to be related to this update, or one about that time period: 2023. 44. 30. 6. . Read more...

The automatic windshield wiper feature fails to properly respond to rain intensity. The wipers turn on when it is perfectly dry outside, causing premature wear. On the other hand, when it is actually raining out, the wipers consistently and ongoingly activate at a much lower frequency than necessary to keep the windshield clear, resulting in forward visibility of close to zero in most situations. Tesla ran diagnostics on the wiper system and determined that my vehicle's hardware and equipment is functioning properly, despite all the problems.

Automatic windshield wipers have not worked since a firmware update several months ago. Unfortunately, the touchscreen controls for the wipers are not easily accessible and that makes it difficult to control them while driving. Drivers are required to take their eyes off the road to adjust the wipers. Making matters worse, the buttons are small, low contrast, and difficult to press while the car is in motion. These touchscreen controls are the only method for operating wipers. Do to the way the controls work, automatic wipers are a necessity for safe driving in bad weather. I live in an area with frequent rain so this is a serious issue. I have reported the issue to Tesla at least twice and they continue to say it is a “known firmware characteristic” with no eta for a fix.

The rear view camera of my car it’s failing intermittently some days work some days don’t. So I found that there is a recall related to this specific issue. Nhtsa recall number 21v-00d then I scheduled a service with Tesla indicating that I’m sending the car for them to honor the recall. They accepted and scheduled the service appointment through the app at $0 cost because obviously it’s their responsibility. Well for my surprise when I arrive to the Tesla service center in coral gables florida, the person in charge refused to honor the recall saying that the car it’s not in warranty and that they don’t perform services on recalls even though I was showing them that the recall it’s on my VIN number at the NHTSA website. Now I’m worried that I may cause an accident because the car may malfunction due to this safety issue with the rear camera. Find attached screenshots of the conversations I had with them where they are basically refusing to properly perform the service for this recall that includes the full inspection of the coaxial cable to see if it’s too damaged and the replacement of the part.

The “auto-defogger” came on when the windshield was not fogged up and started to fog up the windshield instead of DE-fogging it. It remained on the rest of the day and the only way I could figure out to get my window to stop fogging up was to turn off ac entirely. If I turned it back on, it immediately started “auto-defogging” which just kept fogging up my windshield. It was a dangerous situation trying to drive while the car was fogging up it’s own windshield. I contacted Tesla to look into it and they would not look at it under warranty.

Wiper don't work as expected on auto, and changing setting on the screen it's very dangerous in severe weather as you need to click the button, look to the screen while visibility almost zero and choose the speed while driving. This is very unsafe and almost I make accidents because of that. Solution is to let users change speed from steering scroll after hit the physical button on the indicators stick.

The rearview camera of the Tesla Model 3 is defective and it will lead to an incident since I rely on it when going in reverse. Tesla issue a recall letter in February 2022 but has not provided an update or dates as to when the solid core coaxial able will be replaced. If you can put pressure on Tesla to replace this part ASAP before someone gets hurt.

The most recent ota update, v11, poses a severe safety risk and potential for future incidents. The update has moved visibility/safety activation into sub-menu's requiring the driver to take their eyes off the road for longer periods of time and search for these controls while the vehicle is moving. The main safety feature which is no linger available on the main screen is defrost, but other controls such as climate control, seat heating, tpms, and more are now 2-3 clicks/swipes away when they used to be one. Not only does it take 5-10 seconds to turn on the defroster which could be deadly in the event of a quickly fogging windshield, but one has to then take their eyes off the road to adjust all of the other climate functions that come on automatically by simply activating the defrost, such as a/c, seat heaters, etc. There is also no fan speed control to defrost, so on a very cold day if one does not want the defrost blowing at full power (very loud) the entire time they are driving they must keep toggling the touch button on and off, each instance requiring 2-4 clicks/swipes and 5-10 seconds of taking eyes off the road.

Telsa has not timely corrected the faulty wiring harness for the rear and side cameras causing an increased backing hazard.

Since the last software update, it became twice as complicated to start the windshield defogger, because the button that was previously always on the screen, was relocated one level deeper and takes that much longer to keep our eyes off the road. This is unsafe.

Software update version 11 makes it dangerous to drive when the front and/or back windshield fogs up. Getting the defogger to turn on requires multiple attempts to find icons and then more icons and then more options while attempting to drive the car (or pull over out of traffic to hunt down the defrost "button". ) my windshield fogged up in a matter of seconds and it was impossible to see who was ahead of me, see the road, or get pulled over to avoid an accident while I struggled to find the software "button" hidden deep in the menus/screens somewhere. Also, blind spot warning camera is dangerous. It requires the driver to look away from the road and traffic, attempt to interpret complex visual data, and make a split-second decision (all while driving is traffic). It's way worse than not having the distraction at all. I love my Model 3, but someone needs to reign-in Tesla and keep them from forcing owners to drive their cars in an unsafe manner.

Update 2021. 44. 25. 2 hid the defrost, defog, windshield wiper controls. These are safety concerns for me. The update also hid the seat heaters which is irritating but only a safety concern if I get cold and become distracted.

Defrost "button" location moved with sw update. Window became fogged rapidly and I couldn't find button. Figuring out how to locate the button, even though I had read update notes about moving button, took several seconds causing me to focus on car touch screen rather than road much longer than it should. I missed my turn because of this and could have easily run a traffic control sign/signal or drifted out of my lane, but I am experienced enough to know to glance up from the screen frequently even while searching for button. I waited a couple months to file this complaint figuring I would just need to get used to the new button placement, but I am thoroughly convinced the button needs to have 1 touch access on the touch screen as it did before, not opening a separate climate menu.

This is my primary car and I have been driving the Model 3 for more than an year. The side view mirrors provide very limited visibility. It doesn't provide the necessary field of view needed for safe driving. Many a time I find myself missing a car in the side lane when I turn my head. My spouse will not drive the car for same reason. The mirrors itself is very small and so is the viewing angle coverage. For context, I often travel for work and drive numerous different rentals cars - I have never felt this issue on other cars. I sincerely feel something is wrong with Tesla Model 3 side mirrors. I also the feel the same way about the rear view mirror. It is small and has to precisely adjusted. It is however less of a safety issue compared to the side view mirror.

My Model 3 Tesla while in cruise control initiated braking while on a highway approaching an overpass. There was no obstruction on the road. I believe the cameras deduced the shadow of the overpass as an object and tried to stop. This incident has been termed ghost braking.

I am female safe driver with clean driving records, my Tesla was third car stopped at traffic light on Dec 19th in the city street, and all of sudden, I strongly believe that it triggered unintended spontaneous acceleration that resulted in accident with two cars ahead of me, damaged all 3 vehicles including mine, I pushed the brake immediately & parked before all airbags in my car deployed. I tried to prove my point to the insurance that its not my fault but its a car that became uncontrollable due to probably some kind of nightly automatic software update or a mechanical problem but insurance didn't agree and forced me to agree that I did it !.

Rear windshield gets distorted every time the defrost is turned on. Tesla has seen and noted the defect, stated this is normal on all Tesla Model 3 vehicles, and will not fix the problem. It is not normal as no other car I've ever driven in has this kind of distortion when using the defrost. I believe this should be registered as a safety recall ASAP.

In sudden heavy rain on busy highway (i5), the auto wipers wouldn't go on. To switch to manual or control wipers manually requires driver to take their eyes off the road for a significant amount of time to make 2 precise selections on touch screen. It was a bumpy-ish road and this required me to take my eyes off the road for even longer to click on correct wiper mode selection. It was a very dangerous situation to be in heavy traffic to lose visibility and then have to take my eyes off the road to navigate a touch screen. The real issue is that navigating the touch screen is like using a smartphone while driving and should not be required critical safety functions.

Rear windshield gets distorted and extremely difficult to view thru rear mirror when turning on rear defrost after 2 minutes. This is a repeatable/reproducible defect. Attempted to have Tesla remedy/replace rear windshield to no avail. They verified the distortion and stated it is a "normal operation" as it was found in their other vehicles as well. That is unacceptable as I've never had a vehicle with distorted glass upon turning on rear defrost. I believe this to be a major safety defect.