general problems of the 2021 Tesla Model 3 - part 1

I have been very cautious on charging my Tesla Model 3 and have followed all of the manufacturer's recommendations. The hv battery recently failed at 105,050 miles. South korea has noted a battery reliability issue for this year car and model, so I am reporting this to you so if a recall is needed, you can track this. I believe my battery is a panasonic nca.

Central computer (motherboard), cameras (front/rear/side), autopilot/auto steer system. Error code: aps_w132. Description of problem: on or around [xxx], Tesla pushed a mandatory over-the-air software update to my vehicle. Immediately after, multiple safety-critical systems failed: all cameras (including backup) became intermittent or non-functional, auto steer/autopilot stopped working, and the car emitted constant distracting beeping alerts due to a critical motherboard failure. This made driving hazardous—impaired visibility for parking/reversing, loss of collision avoidance features, and constant audio distractions that could lead to accidents. I had to drive in this unsafe condition for weeks while waiting for service. Tesla attempted a remote fix but it failed. I scheduled service on November 19 for December 3 (19-day delay). Diagnostics confirmed the update induced the hardware failure, a known issue reported by other 2021 Model 3 owners on forums like reddit (e. G. , software bricking motherboards post-update). Despite this, Tesla refused warranty/goodwill coverage, quoting $2,576. 83 for repairs. Service advisors josh and andy were unprofessional: josh was rude/condescending; andy was aggressive, sarcastic, and retaliatory. After I mentioned filing complaints with the az attorney general and news channel 3, andy threatened $100/day storage fees with an impossible deadline (called at 4 pm Friday, close at 5 pm, demanded pickup by morning, then noon). He closed my ticket without authorization, delaying fixes and forcing me to contact another location—prolonging my exposure to the unsafe vehicle. This defect poses serious safety risks: sudden loss of cameras/autopilot could cause crashes. Tesla's awareness (from prior reports) and poor handling (intimidation delaying repairs) exacerbates the danger. No crash/injury yet, but potential is high. Please investigate this update-induced failure as a widespread defect. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The 2017-2020 Tesla Model 3's have a recall for the rear camera wiring harness. The recall ends with cars built until September of 2020. My car was built in December of 2020 and my 2021 Tesla Model 3 was just repaired and had the exact same issue. The coaxial cable wore out and my rear camera didn't work. Because my car wasn't included in this recall, I had to pay for it. This recall needs to be expanded to other year models of the Tesla Model 3. The problem isn't isolated to vehicles prior to 2020.

Resistive occupancy sensor consistently failing causing: -bluetooth to not automatically connect anytime the vehicle is entered - vehicle puts itself in park to prevent rollback if seatbelt is not applied - car does not recognize when driver is in seat these are serious safety concerns as it could cause a domino effect in safety features if not applied when needed.

Attempting to park. Slowly inching forward while turning left. Vehicle accelerated. (sudden unintended acceleration: sua) vehicle jumped a curb, bounced off a tree, dropped off the curb before comping to a stop. Internet search shows other similar reports; attributed, by Tesla, as pedal misapplication. This was not "pedal misapplication". I am not looking for anything. But NHTSA should increment occurance counter by 1. Tesla has a problem. Electrical or mechanical. . . Do not know. They have also lost me as a customer. The car will be sold. I have video. . . Mp4.

My 21 m3p 27k miles threw bms_a079 I've never used a supercharger and rarely charge over 80% mostly charging at work on lvl 2 & occasionally at home on lvl 1 vehicle will no longer charge I've tried 2 button reset and hv disconnect no help. 27k miles seems unreasonable for a battery malfunction on a vehicle that has been cared for meticulously.

Vehicle info: make: Tesla model: Model 3 year: 2021 incident date: April 7, 2025 mileage: 49,000 miles component: electrical system / software / powertrain while driving on a public road, my Tesla Model 3 experienced a total system lag and shut down unexpectedly. The screen and vehicle controls froze, and the vehicle became unresponsive, leaving me stranded in the middle of the road. Tesla service later stated that the car computer had “slow fps” (frames per second), which they claim caused the issue. They cleared memory, updated firmware, and said no further diagnosis was needed. However, no root cause was provided, and I am concerned that this issue could reoccur. This kind of unexpected shutdown while driving is a serious safety concern. I was lucky to avoid a collision, but if this had happened on a freeway or near traffic, the outcome could have been worse. I am filing this report in hopes that NHTSA will investigate whether this is an isolated issue or part of a broader safety defect related to Tesla's onboard software or power management systems.

While traveling over 230 miles from home on a road trip, my 2021 Tesla Model 3 suffered a complete and catastrophic failure. While in north carolina, the vehicle became entirely unresponsive—doors would not unlock, windows couldn’t be operated, and I was completely unable to access the charging port, trunk, or frunk. The vehicle was effectively bricked without warning. This wasn’t a minor inconvenience—it was a serious safety issue. I was stranded out of state from Saturday to Tuesday, completely dependent on others for transportation while waiting for the vehicle to be towed 58 miles to a service center. I was eventually informed of the cause, auxiliary battery failure, but the fact remains: this happened without warning, in the middle of a long-distance trip, and could have left me in an extremely dangerous or isolated situation. Tesla's systems failed without notice; an apparent design flaw left me with no way to access or secure the vehicle. The inability to open the doors or charge the car poses obvious and unacceptable safety risks. The windows were secured with plastic to prevent rain from coming in. This incident is deeply concerning and should be taken seriously. I am urging NHTSA to investigate this issue and hold Tesla accountable to ensure this does not happen to other drivers under even more hazardous circumstances.

Unknown.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the hood opened unintentionally, the a/c unit and the radio intermittently turned on and off, the infotainment system screen intermittently turned black and randomly turned back on, along with several other failures that occurred. No warning lights was illuminated. The failures occurred on several different occasions. The contact was notified that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 24v554000 (latches/locks/linkages, electrical system) however, while attempting to update the vehicle software, the vehicle failed to complete the software update. The vehicle was drivable and was taken to the place of residence; the contact attempted to get in contact with Tesla roadside assistance however, once the contact reached the "confirm pickup spot" screen, the screen froze and would not confirm the request. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact attempted to notify the manufacturer however, the contact received no response in return. The failure mileage was unknown.

I am writing to file a formal safety complaint regarding a critical malfunction that occurred with my Tesla Model 3 on [xxx], in west palm beach, florida. This incident raises significant concerns about the safety and reliability of Tesla vehicles, particularly following software updates. Incident overview: on [xxx], around 5:00 pm, I placed my french bulldog in the back seat of my Tesla Model 3 and closed the passenger side rear door. As I walked around to the driver’s side, all the doors locked automatically, and I was unable to open any of them. Despite multiple attempts to unlock the car using both my iphone and key fob, the vehicle remained locked. My dog was trapped inside the car, and I became increasingly panicked, especially considering the extreme summer heat in florida. I immediately contacted Tesla customer service, but after a 15-minute conversation, they were unable to unlock the car remotely. I was forced to call 911, and the fire department had to break the passenger side window to retrieve my dog. Even after the window was broken, the doors still wouldn’t unlock, and I had to pull my dog out through the shattered glass. Additional details: the car was charged to 80% just a couple of days before this incident. After this incident, the car is completely dead. It is non-functional, and I cannot power it on or access any of its systems. The day before this incident, I completed a software update on my Model 3, which I believe may have caused or contributed to the malfunction. There is cctv evidence of the entire incident, which I can provide upon request. My dog was severely traumatized by this experience and is now fearful of being in the car, even when it is parked in the garage. I was also extremely distressed during the incident, and the situation could have resulted in a much worse outcome. Please advise on the next steps for an investigation, and let me know if you require any further information or evidence. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 5.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla model3. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 24v554000 (latches/locks/linkages, electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted but saw no recall information related to the VIN. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Https://drive. Google. Com/file/d/1-yph8hllreqvy37usltktvhfpj7xntap/view?usp=drivesdk. My statement to Tesla on what happen.

While driving, no warning, car went dead, no control over lights, windows (can’t use hand signals), power steering, unclear if parking brake worked. Had towed. 12v battery died. No explanation as to why there was no warning.

The vehicle, a 2021 Tesla Model 3, had an episode of sudden unintended acceleration. I was almost stationary waiting to make a left when the car accelerated by itself, left the road, crossed a grass field at high speed and crashed into bushes. The vehicle was not on auto pilot, it resulted in damage of almost $ 20. 000 as estimated by insurance. The vehicle is available for inspection, it will be checked by Tesla service after the damage is fixed. There were no previous warnings, this is the first incident of this kind. It is not clear what component malfunctioned, probably some electric/electronic device in charge of acceleration. It was obviously a very dangerous event that could have jeopardized my safety and/or some others.

My vehicle is 3 years old and has roughly 52000 on it. After a recent software update (within the past month or so) all of the automatic safety features such as automatic braking, blind spot monitoring, cruise control stopped working on the vehicle. I brought it to Tesla and they confirmed the issue and said the entire ecu needs to be replaced, a $2700 expense on a 3 year old car. There is a warning message every time I start the car that says the automatic breaking is not working.

Unknown.

Complete computer failure leaving cars safety systems not working. Had to pay 3000$ for a new computer for a new car. Did not have car for three weeks. No systems would work.

Car was charging in garage overnight when an interior dash electrical fire started. Fire burnt dash and smoke damaged the interior or car. Fire smoldered itself out, and car was considered a total loss. Collision center that picked up vehicle stated that they believed the fire started from an electrical charging fault at the harness in the dash.

I was driving to work that all of sudden heard warning sound and the monitor displayed the "shutdown" sign as well. The car lost its power and came to complete stop in the middle of the street. Luckily there was no car near me. I was not able to drive the car and had to tow it to the dealership. According to mechanic “the rear drive unit has failed internally”. This was extremely scary and dangerous and may have caused a fatal accident. The problem has been fixed.

My 2021 Tesla Model 3 shuts/powers down without warning while driving with a battery charge >0%. This unsafe event has occurred twice now! while the battery gauge displayed 10%, I was driving about 60mph when all of these warning messages appeared prompting me to pull over. As soon as these messages displayed, my car lost all propulsion and I was left stranded in the middle of the road. Both times I narrowly avoided being hit by other vehicles traveling at high speeds since my car died in the roadway. The car was towed to Tesla on both occasions, and they weren't concerned about my safety issue in the slightest. Instead, they said the battery just ran out; however my car displayed that I had about 6-10% charge remaining. So, if the battery were completely depleted (like Tesla says), then the meter should have displayed a 0% reading at the time of the breakdowns or, there is something defective with the battery/computer. Tesla service has refused to investigate the cause of the safety issue and, thus, refused to replace the ev battery (even though my car is still under the manufacturer's warranty). Electric vehicles should not die/run out of battery at 10% charge. However, my ev has done so twice! Tesla says that I just ran the car out of battery but has no response when I show them the pictures and video proving that the car died when there was, in fact, a decent amount of charge remaining on the vehicle (please see attached video and pictures). If your phone died at 10%, then you would take it back to the manufacturer and demand that they fix the defective product. However, Tesla refuses to help fix my defective vehicle and just tells me that it is "operating as intended". Evs should not just lose all propulsion mid-drive. This creates an unsafe vehicle for me to drive, for my two young daughters in their car seats, and for other drivers who might hit me. I can provide other Tesla owners who have had a similar experience. Please force Tesla to take action!.

I was driving home from work on a two-lane highway when my car suddenly (and without any warning) lost all driving power and shut down while there was still battery left on the vehicle (roughly 10%). I could no longer maneuver the vehicle due to lack of propulsion, so my car died in the middle of the road. It was towed directly to Tesla service center where diagnostics were supposedly run. Their conclusion was the car died due to insufficient charge (even though there was about 10% battery left at the time of the incident). About a week later, the same exact thing happened! the car lost all power and shut down mid-drive without any warning with about 7% remaining. Both times, I had my home address in the car gps (so it knew the exact distance I was traveling) and it never indicated once that I needed to stop and charge the battery. Again, I had the car towed to the service center where they reached the same "conclusion" that the car died due to simply running out of battery. When I showed them proof (pictures and videos) that the car died with charge left on the battery, they did not investigate the issue further. They simply stuck to their original conclusion and no longer wanted to help remedy my defective battery. I have video and pictures proving that my car dies without warning (on multiple occasions) while there is still charge left on the battery, but Tesla refuses to fix/warranty my car (let alone try to investigate or replicate the issue). They tell me that my car is "operating as intended" and is safe to drive, all the while knowing it is definitely not safe to drive. I'm especially concerned due to the fact that I drive my two daughters in my car. They both are very young and use car seats. What happens in the event that I am driving on the interstate with them in the backseat and my car randomly dies without warning? there would be no way to safely remove them from the vehicle (let along myself) before being involved in a serious high-speed accident.

While the car was parked in a parking lot, I get two notification stating “sentry mode has turned off due to a sentry system error. ” when I checked out the car, the car has completely failed to do any of the computer related task, leaving only the gear, ac, and bluetooth was working. None of the cameras, gps, sensors, brightness mode and many others were completely stuck. This continued until the next day. This happened without prior symptoms or warnings. I would have been in deep trouble if I have been driving at the time of the incident. When I took the car to the shop, Tesla didn’t update the status for a week. After a week, Tesla told us that the turbo a, autopilot main processor chip failed. This caused the autopilot to go on loop. Therefore the whole motherboard needed to be replaced. This happened to a brand new purchased Tesla 2021 standard range. Which cost me $2404. 00.

Electrical system rebooted in the middle of driving: screen went off couldn't signal I swayed to the side and waited till the screen came back on after 3 minutes.

This same event has happened to me approximately 3-4 times since owning the vehicle. It occurs randomly without warning. The vehicle screen will randomly and suddenly freeze up and render itself inoperable. Eventually, the screen will reset itself or I will have to manually force a reset. After about 5-10 minutes, the screen will reset and the problem goes away. During the 5-10 minutes of the screen not operating, I cannot see or change any of the vehicles controls; loss of hvac control, cannot turn on windshield wipers, cannot see vehicle speed, don't know if turn signals are on/off (also lose audible sounds when turn signals are on) are the major safety related losses; you essentially lose all control over the vehicle settings/controls. Vehicle continues to drive as normal, and all functions are restored after reset is complete.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving out of a parking space, the steering wheel seized. The message "front motor disabled. Continue driving" was displayed. The manufacturer was contacted and provided remote assistance, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle regained power steering functionality after an hour. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving out of a parking space on another occasion. The vehicle was towed to a Tesla service center however, the failure could not be duplicated; however, the circuit board was replaced. The contact stated that the failure recurred while pulling out of a parking space on a third occasion. The vehicle was towed to a second Tesla service center, Tesla sales (750 e el camino real, sunnyvale, CA 94087) who informed the contact that an unknown software update was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 mph as he was exiting a highway and slowing for a traffic signal at the bottom of he off ramp his brakes failed to engage. The contact stated the brake pedal was stiff and he had attempted to use full leg force to depress the brake pedal. The contact's vehicle ran the traffic signal and the contact stated he hit the right front end of a vehicle that was cross traffic to him. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the crash stopped his vehicle and the other vehicle. The contact said that the air bags had deployed and that the left front end of his vehicle was crushed into the left wheel well. The contact stated that the other vehicle received only light damage to right end of the bumper due to it being higher than his vehicle. The contact stated that the police were on scene and wrote a report. The other vehicle was able to drive away, the contact's vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The contact stated that his insurance provider declared the contact's vehicle a total loss. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that prior to the crash he had attempted to engage his cruise control while on the highway and it would not work. The contact stated that when he engaged the cruise control the windshield wipers would activate and he stopped attempting to use cruise control. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.

While charging Model 3 the amperage went from 32amps and was capped at 16amps. This is a wide spread issue with Tesla’s Model 3 power conversion system (pcs). There is 3 controllers in the pcs system. When all 3 are working correctly it will charge at 48amps. If one stops it will drop to 32 amps or drop to 16 amps if two fail or not even charge if 3 fail. This is a known issue and and costly repair as Tesla refuses to fix these under the battery warranty.

The supermanifold failed, causing the front defroster to not work properly, resulting in loss of visibility in freezing temperatures. This is a common problem with 2021/2022 Model 3/model y with the new heat pump that was supposed to be fixed with a software update, but was not. I now have a $3900 repair bill on a 1 year old car with 56,000 miles. The warranty expired at 50,000 miles. The failure was not a result of negligence.

The cabin heater stopped working. I received an error code "vcfront_a447" recommending to take the vehicle in for service. This issue is a problem in sub-zero climates where the windshield will not defrost before and during driving. I have found 67 other cases from reddit and Tesla motors club describing the same issue, on new or <2 years old cars. My components have not been inspected. I tried a full hard reboot of the software and no fix. Tesla service estimates $1,792 repair. Replacing a supermanifold ($450. 37) & a/c compressor ($1273. 53) +tax =$1792. I am out of warranty by milage, car is 1. 5 years old. 60,200 miles.

I'm getting a notification that says " cabin climate control system requires service cabin heating/cooling limited or unavailable". As a result of this failure the defroster is not working properly. The windshield defroster will only blow cold air very slowly. This causes the windshield to fog up very quickly in cold temperatures. I cannot see out of the windshield properly.

The contact leases a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the center display failed to turn on. The contact was able to drive the vehicle. However, while driving at 25 mph, the vehicle stopped abruptly in the middle of the road. A message indicating that the frunk was opened and inquiring whether the contact wished to continue to drive was displayed. The contact tap option yes but the touchpad of the center display failed to engage. The contact exited the vehicle and attempted to close the frunk several times; however, the frunk reopened independently. The contact was able to closed the frunk after eight attempts. The contact was able to continue driving to her residence. The contact stated that upon parking the vehicle, both the frunk and the trunk reopened independently. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and assisted the contact with towing the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the local Tesla service center where it was diagnosed that an unknown software had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer declined to provide additional information. The failure mileage was approximately 15,460.

It has been weeks and Tesla has still not provided a fix for this issue. It was supposed to be resolved over the air but we have called Tesla for weeks and they have no idea when the fix will be available. Do they have a time limit to resolve? Sep 19,2022 manufacturer recall numbertbd NHTSA recall number22v702 recall statusrecall incomplete.

Driver side window fails to lock completely upon locking the car manually and/or using auto walk away function. This leaves the car very much unsecure and open to being vandalized. Additionally, the driver sides window fails to close fully when auto close button is pressed. The driver side window button has to be fiddled with few times to get a complete window seel.

Since owning this car in January 2022, there have been issues of phantom braking during cruise control or autopilot. However, today 10/6/22 during an hour and a half time frame my car has had phantom braking episodes at least 5 times in the middle of the highway where it's speed suddenly drops by 20mph.