Table 1 shows one common seats related problems of the 2020 Tesla Model 3.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Seats problems |
I received a proactive service alert from Tesla car stating: front passenger safety restraint system issue. Tesla wants to charge me to fix this and said there may be issues with the restraint system, such as seats belts or airbags if I don’t pay out of pocket to fix it. This seems ridiculous I have to pay to fix this safety concern. . Please issue a recall for this… seems a lot of people are getting this after researching on google and reddit. Thanks.
Back and buttocks area suffered electrical burns and pain from Tesla seat heaters (in heated seats) twice 1. Happened in 2024 on temperature level 3 2 although I turned it down it happened again in 2025 on temperature level 2.
I was driving my vehicle. It said there was an issue with code "rcm_a056 front passenger safety restraint system fault. " many older Model 3's are having this issue and with the quote from Tesla, they would need to perform a retrofit for the electrical wiring system.
An error 'front passenger safety restraint system fault' came up that seems to be a very common issue with someone people paying $1500 to nothing to fix.
My car is experiencing a passenger seat safety restraint error, which is a safety issue.
For the fourth time the seat sensor has failed in the driver seat. When the seat sensor fails the car no longer auto connects blue tooth media play from the phone but also no longer detects an occupant in the vehicle. This causes the vehicle to go in to park while driving at low speeds without a seat belt, I. E. Moving the vehicle in the garage, and it also prevents the car from recognizing when the occupant has left the car and leaves it powered on the whole time. The first three times they repaired it under warranty and it has not failed for the fourth time in four years. I have asked if the sensor function can be deactivated and they said that it can not and needs to be continuously replaced. The service representative told me that the item is secured by adhesive and getting in to and out of the car can cause it to bend and kink which is what happened to mine - and he also said given the heat in florida it sun dersdtandable the adhesive wont stick.
There is an issue with the front passenger restraint safety system. I got a warning that I need to replace the occupant classification system (OCS) of front passenger seat due to faulty wiring.
An alert stated: "rcm_a056 front passenger safety restraint system fault. " upon bringing car to Tesla service center, Tesla stated: "confirmed concern through vehicle logs. Found vehicle needing passenger OCS retrofit to resolve issue. Customer declined repair. " they wanted over $1,200. 00 for a faulty seat sensor because they claimed they couldn't replace the seat sensor without replacing the entire airbag system on the passenger side. They explained to me that they changed the airbag systems in their newer Model 3s and refused to stock or replace components in their older Model 3s.
Front passenger safety restraint system fault.
I received a message on the screen saying there was a problem with the OCS and that it needed to be serviced immediately. I take it to Tesla service and they tell me they will need to do the following: 1. Replace module - OCS filter 2. Retrofit sbr in OCS equipped front passenger seat - remove and replace 3. Replace first row seat harness 4. Replace first row - seat belt reminder sensor box clip 5. Replace first rowoccupancy sensor 6. Replace first rowharness assembly -occupantclassification system - righthand 7. Replace front passengerairbag and update vehicleconfiguration - remove and replace to have all of this done, I paid $1,850. Nothing is covered under warranty. I have 64,000 miles on my car. It has never been in a wreck and I have taken good care of it. From what I understand, this is a common problem with Tesla’s.
I was burned on back and buttocks by Tesla car seat warmer.
Many Tesla owners have received notifications about a "front passenger safety restraint system fault". It seems that there might be a defect with the car, given the number of people impacted and the severity of not having proper safety restraint. I am very careful with my car, and it has not been involved in any accidents, so I think Tesla should do a recall to make sure all front passenger safety restraint system is functional.
In March 2023, my vehicle was in a major front end collision on the passenger side and the airbag did not deploy. In January 2024, a warning light appeared on my car’s screen that reads “safety restraint system fault” I then took the vehicle to a Tesla service center who determined that the front passenger airbag and OCS needed to be replaced to maintain compatibility….
My 2020 Tesla Model 3 has displayed a "front passenger safety restraint system fault - service is required" error since June 2023. This error has persisted for well over a year despite troubleshooting attempts, such as restarting the vehicle and checking for obstructions. Tesla service quoted over $400 to repair this issue, but I believe this is a basic safety-related defect that should be covered by the manufacturer, as it likely disables the front passenger airbag, posing an unreasonable risk of injury or death in a crash. This appears to be a widespread issue, as I’ve seen similar complaints from other Tesla owners online. I request that NHTSA investigate this as a potential safety defect for a recall.
The passenger-side seatbelt system in my Tesla Model 3 (bought Dec 2020) has been malfunctioning repeatedly. The vehicle displays a "front passenger safety restraint system fault” warning, even when no one is on the passenger side. This issue has persisted despite multiple repair attempts by Tesla during the warranty period, but they have been unable to resolve it. Safety concern: a malfunctioning seatbelt system is a serious safety hazard, as it could result in the seatbelt failing to function properly in an accident, potentially putting the passenger at greater risk of injury or death. Additionally, the fault warning may prevent proper airbag deployment or create a distraction for the driver while operating the vehicle. Attempts to fix & verification: Tesla has attempted multiple repairs but has not been able to fix the issue. According to Tesla, this is a common issue with this model, which raises concerns about a wider systemic defect. The problem is persistent and ongoing, making the vehicle unreliable and unsafe for passengers. Warning & symptoms: the seatbelt fault warning appears randomly but frequently while driving. Tesla attempted to fix this issue as early as June of 2023, and has remained unresolved despite 4 or more service visits. We might have asked Tesla to work on this issue even earlier and more times since we're unable to pull up repair history before this due to their system error. This issue requires immediate investigation to determine if it is a broader safety defect affecting other Tesla vehicles and if a recall or mandatory repair is necessary.
I have an alert that says "front passenger safety restraint system fault". I took the car in to Tesla service in late April. Was told it would be about $270 to replace the sensor in the seat that detects it someone is sitting in it. They told me that when the parts people went in, that wasn't the issue and that to fix the sensor they thought it was they would have to tear the whole seat apart and that takes too long so instead I need to buy a whole new seat at the cost of $3000. I didn't have time to deal with it further at that point and the seat was back ordered anyway. I asked if the issue would affect the operation of the airbags or seat belts thus causing a safety concern and was told that it would not. That the car was still safe. I took the car back without repair. I have since noticed that when a passenger is in the seat, the symbol that states that the airbag is not engaged is still on. So it would appear that the airbag is not working properly. I called Tesla today to inquire and ask for clarification if this is a safety concern and if the airbag is not working. They told me a manager would call me back. They said there is not a Tesla wide recall- even though it would appear that this issue is causing the airbag not to work. From research online it seems like other customers have experienced the same or similar issues.
The driver seat occupancy weight sensor has to be replaced twice now. The car does not recognize someone is in the driver seat. It is unclear whether the airbags would deploy if I was in an accident as the car is unsure if someone is even inside. When I get out of the car it stays on. When I put it into reverse without having the seatbelt on it slams on brakes.
Sold car with defective parts. Scratched rocker panels that Tesla refuses to take responsibility for. Broken and rattled center console dash. Crooked front hood that the service center has not fixed. Broken driver seat that has foam missing on one side that tilts the seat and makes driving uncomfortable. The service center has not fixed these issues and the car was sold defective.
There was a recent software update and Tesla rearranged items on the touchscreen. Passenger was trying to pair his phone with the vehicle, and touched his name as displayed on the screen. This caused the driver seat to slide back quickly to fit the pre-set for his height. He is considerably taller than the driver, and this caused the driver to be unable to reach the brake pedal or accelerator. Therefore, the driver had almost no control of the vehicle. This occurred on a quiet side street going uphill, so driver could steer the vehicle to the curb which caused it to stop, even though she could not reach the brake pedal. However, if this had happened on a busy street or highway, there would have been a terrible accident. Remedy is simple. It should not be possible to activate the driver side seat position pre-sets when the vehicle is moving.
Tesla pushed an update (v. 2021. 44. 25. 2) to my Model 3 a couple of days ago that has dramatically altered the usability of the car, and potentially has safety implications. There was no warning prior to the update being applied that such changes to the car's user interface were included, nor is there any option to revert to the prior user interface. Major issues with the changes are outlined below: - 1-button, single-click shortcuts to seat heating, defrost/defog functionality have been removed; when driving in bad weather where the screen may fog up rapidly, you're now required to take your eyes off the road, and click twice on a small target on the touch screen to activate the required functionality. - 1-button, single-click access to the wipers has been removed, now requiring one to either rely on the auto-sensing functionality (which works properly about half the time), or click through the hvac menu to adjust the wiper speed. - the quick access driver profile selection dropdown in the previous interface has been removed. My spouse and I differ significantly in height, and about half the time, the car selects the wrong profile when we're both getting into the car (despite our phone keys being linked to our specific profiles). With the earlier ui, it took one tap on the screen to switch to the correct profile. Now, I have to dig through menus to select the correct profile, while my knees are being slowly ground into the steering column/dash. - when driving, the speedometer, gear selection and navigation look significantly different than in the earlier ui. This is likely to lead to more distracted driving while we get used to the new interface. I filed a service request with Tesla, requesting that they revert our car back to the prior version of the interface; this request was denied and the appointment was automatically canceled with a generic message about firmware updates being rolled out on a schedule.
While driving, the driver's seat will randomly start moving forward, back, up or down with no input from the driver. It is very distracting and can make it difficult to see out of mirrors or reach pedals. Notified Tesla and problem continues to happen occasionally after 2 service visits attempting to remedy the issue. Have numerous videos of this happening while driving. This has happened on at least 6 separate days beginning on October 27th, 2020.