Table 1 shows one common steering related problems of the 2022 Tesla Model 3.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Steering problems |
I took my car to Tesla service to have 3 tires changed. On the drive home for the service, the car automatically pulled the to right several times with the final time pulling so hard, the car jumped the curb and damaged the car. Speaking with the Tesla service associate after the accident, they admitted that they did not complete alignment of the tires and that the automatic lane correction mechanism uses the alignment to gauge if it should correct or not. Tesla service will not take responsibility for causing the issue.
During operation steering wheel becomes heavy and difficult to turn and becomes notchy. Very difficult to stay in ones own lane.
Wy wife and I drove our Tesla Model 3 from palo alto, CA to san francisco downtown, to meet friends. I was the driver, and my wife sat on the passenger seat. The weather was clear, and the pavement was dry. I did not engage auto-pilot features during the entire trip. The car condition was normal with no signs of error or warning. I made a right turn onto [xxx] from [xxx] shortly after I completed the turn, the car unexpectedly lost control. Without any prior warnings, it suddenly veered into the center divider, snapped a tree, dashed towards oncoming traffic on the other side of [xxx] , and finally stopped on [xxx] , labelled as location a on the attached drawing. Everything happened so quickly: I could not control the steering wheel, and I applied the brakes in vain. The vehicle seized control, no matter how hard I tried to stop it. I regained control of the vehicle at the intersection of [xxx] and [xxx] , and was able to park the car at location a. We were very fortunate and blessed that we did not hit people at the bus stop, that there were no cars in front of us, that the opposite traffic on [xxx] was stopped by a red light, and that the traffic was light on [xxx] without such luck, my wife and I, and probably others, would have been seriously injured, if not worse. Because [xxx] is one-way, we decided to move the vehicle to [xxx] , and parked at location b in the drawing. I called 911 and spoke to a female dispatcher. She asked us to remain at location b and wait for police officers to arrive. We waited there for almost 3 hours, but no police arrived. The dashboard display indicated that we had a flat tire(s). We called mobile tire services. After their inspection, most of our tires were alright, except the rim of the front-left wheel was badly bent, as you can see in the attached photo. The mobile tire service staff was skilled enough to carefully patch the damage and said it should be ok to drive back to palo alto. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 5.
I was driving over an overpass on to the free way. It was about 11am. The steering wheel locked in a turning position, driving the car off the overpass. I was able to yank the wheel and get it back straight. The auto pilot was not on, the cruise control was not on. I drove it straight to the service center, I though I should call so I put the car in curise control to pull out my phone but decided against it and turned it off at 11:15. Now the service center says they can not duplicate it they are telling me nothing is wrong. This has never happened before. I have never had any issues with my car.
I was driving on the highway when the touchscreen lit up with multiple error messages including: - steering assist reduced (steering may require increased effort) - traction control disabled (drive with caution) - stability control disabled (drive with caution) - parking brake functions degraded (parking brake may not apply or release) - lane departure avoidance features unavailable (features may be restored on next drive) also, the speedometer changed to 0 (while we were going 70 mph). When I pulled onto the next off-ramp the steering was very heavy and the regenerative braking was not working. Pressing the brakes (even slightly) felt like the abs was pulsating. This was extremely dangerous and easily could have resulted in a serious accident in heavy traffic or if the road had not been straight. It was a rental car so I have not seen the car since the rental company towed it away. I have not heard from the rental company about the car's status or their findings. Prior to the catastrophic failure of multiple systems, there were two other warnings messages: - left front fender camera blocked or blinded (clean cameras or wait to regain visibility) - autopilot safety/convenience features unavailable (features may be restored on next drive) these had been coming on and off for a couple hours but I had assumed they were due to driving through heavy rain.
The car's steering wheel locked unexpectedly, rendering the vehicle undrivable. Additionally, multiple alerts appeared, indicating that the car's hold feature, traction control, and steering assist were reduced. This issue occurred while the car was parked but still running. When I shifted into drive, the car unintentionally rolled backward, forcing me to press the brake pedal to prevent a collision. If this had happened while driving, it could have resulted in a serious accident.
Sometime I have power steering and sometime I don’t have power steering assist sometime came back and was driving and car just took my wheel to left itself on [xxx] 2 times on same spot was coming out of highway didn’t have no cruise or self driving on all was off information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
At low/no speed, turning the steering wheel to the extreme left or right produces a low-end creaking noise as if something is rubbing.
Constant alert of "steering assist reduced" steering rack replacement under warranty.
All has been reported in writing to Tesla corporate and Tesla service center sodo seattle, wa. Has not been repaired to date, with multiple attempts to bring car in for service: emergency brake failed to engage on two occasions, [xxx] it was first reported that the car lost control of steering and emergency brake did not engage. Second time on [xxx]; car would not shift into any gear. Tesla roadside said to have it towed (we did), Tesla had car for two weeks and did not address issues reported. Tesla has received extensive documentation for both times. They continue to tell us to drive car and just report issues as their resolution. Car has failed seals that have resulted in multiple times of mold and rodents in car (had professionally inspected). Tesla continues to insist I go inside vehicle and drive car. Tesla first discovered the mold in March 2024 during warranty service visit. They acknowledge smell in writing. Odometer was changed while car was brought in for service (shows on Tesla provided service records). Car arrived on 7/2/24 at 11:06am with 32,390 miles and left 7/2/24 at 11:07am with 32,687 miles. Manager was present and in the car for this visit. Car charger has failed and been replaced multiple times, battery is defective. Tesla will not inspect. Reported in writing loud thudding in trunk for months and Tesla took no action. Turned out to be live rats discovered during private mold inspection in trunk, frunk and inside of car; we believe we were exposed to rodents for months due to Tesla refusing to inspect properly. We have reported the car making us incredibly ill with heart and lung issues, unexplained hair loss, nausea, fatigue and Tesla has taken no action. We arrived at service center 7/2/24 asking for water and ill from the car and they ignored until we said we would need to call 911. No warning messages for any of the safety issues reporting, Tesla maintains the car is in good condition. Continue to seek medical care. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act.
Making a 90 degree right turn at an intersection traveling approximately 15 mph, my steering wheel suddenly got very stiff and unresponsive. This caused me to travel into the oncoming lane of traffic before wrestling the very stiff steering wheel back under control. This condition persisted for the rest of my drive home, accompanied by “steering assist reduced” and “lane assist keep unavailable” error messages. This incident luckily did not result in an accident but easily could have if it happened at the wrong moment.
The steering wheel locked up while I was driving. I was driving on a country road and the road didn't have any painted lane stripes and the car got a lane departure warning and the steering wheel pull me hard to the left, I almost got out of the road and on the way of a incoming vehicle, I break and pulled hard to the right and managed to pull to the side. When I got into a complete stop I checked all the settings, I turned off the late departure assistant and the steering wheel was still locked. There is no on or off button on the car so I walked away from the car, the car locked and unlocked to get back in and the steering wheel was back to normal. It was very scary, lucky I was driving slowly and I wasn't around heavy traffic.
Driving on the freeway, husband driving, myself in passenger front seat and 1yr and 3yrs in back. Just touched a 70 zone when the car, without warning/prompt started to deviate from left lane to right lane, at same speed, my husband tried to control car at which point he realized that the steering wheel and brakes were locked and he had no control of the direction or speed and could do nothing to stop the car. The car continued at high speed to drag us to the left side of the road, we smashed at full force into a display maintenance board first, the airbags deployed, and we continued to smash through a barrier and finally into a tree in a field about 100yards+ from freeway. We managed to escape the vehicle and get our screaming kids to safety where we then were picked up by ambulance and police. The car, of course, was unsalvageable. We, by some unknown miracle, made it out alive of this horrific, beyond imaginable experience. This was not normal behavior for a car. We had this car for 2. 5yrs, we had no automatic driving capabilities turned on (we didn't have self-drive) and were driving home midday from a grocery store trip on a road we drive frequently. The brakes wouldn't push down, the steering wheel wouldn't move, we were totally at the mercy of the car.
Car was in the garage and showed alerts for steering assist reduced, traction control disabled,.
Something occurred with the steering, automatic braking, or lane keeping assistance on 01/10/2024 at approximately 6:35am while I was driving my 2022 Tesla Model 3 long range north in the carpool lane just south of the 106th off ramp in sandy utah. The roads were a little slick so was proceeding cautiously at around 65 mph when the car turned to the left slightly, then immediately to the right, which caused it to do a 180 degree turn in the same lane, I wasn't sure what was going on as the car felt like it was driving itself. Before I knew what was happening, the car then veered to the east across three lanes of traffic while driving backwards, it then stopped just as it was struck in front of the wheel on the front drivers side by a two trailer semi-truck which spun the car around. Luckily I was conscious so could slowly limp across the last couple lanes to the right side of the road where I called 911. I've driven all kinds of cars in all kinds of conditions and in many countries in the nearly 32 years I've been a licensed driver and have never lost control of a vehicle, I'm sure the steering or lane assist was trying to intervene so must've somehow inadvertently caused the crash! it's only through the grace of god that I'm still alive to tell about it! also, none of the airbags went off even though the impact from the semi was very jarring!.
This car has demonstrated repeated incidents of moving/driving backwards when it is set in drive/forward via the steering wheel control. This was first reported to Tesla in December of 22. Their service center responded that they could not identify a cause or propose a repair. They commented that it was an engineering and/or software problem. I provided them with multiple date/time stamps. Videos of the car performing this way. In the interim the car has demonstrated ghost braking at high speed on an empty freeway. A complaint regarding this concern was provided to ntsa and I have not had a response. The car has subsequently repeatedly moved backward when in drive. I also have videos of these occurrences. I returned the car to the service center for these behaviors and was told that there was nothing that could be done. The service center said that I "canceled" my request for servicing, and noted that in the Tesla service files. I did not cancel my appointment. They refused to examine and service the car. We recently experienced the car steering wheel locking and inableing the wheel to be turned right, during a 3 point parking exit. I took the car in and was told that the problem was a "firmware" update problem. The problem of driving in reverse when the car is placed in drive has repeated itself in the past 3 weeks, and I again have videos of this occurrence. This in particular is a dangerous action as it can result in a collision or injury to persons. It is a servo-motor and control problem.
On October 20th, 2023 around 3:00 pm I was driving eastbound on the highway 69 in michigan. A friend of mine was seated on the front passenger side (no more other passenger). Autopilot was not installed on the car and the driver had both hands on the steering wheel. I was driving on the most left lane at speed about 75 mph. At about exit#131, suddenly, I felt the steering wheel turned right a little by itself and the car slowly drifted to the right a little, then the steering wheel quickly turned to left by itself and the car quick turned to the left. I tried to control the steering wheel but couldn't. The car zig-zagged forward and hit the center guardrail at about 45 degree angle. The car was pushed away from the guardrail and stopped in the middle lane. After the crush, the left side of the car tilted to the ground. The left side airbag was deployed and my head hit on the airbag (not injured). The bottom of the drivers side was steaming. At this point I thought the car was going to explode or catch a fire since ev's are known for doing that. My friend and I exited the car immediately and we called the police. No other car was involved and no people get injured. The wheel axle on the front left side collapsed and the wheel fell down on the ground but the tire did not blow up. There were severe damages on the left side of the vehicle: the lamp, the mirror, doors and charging port. . Read more...
No problems prior to today. 22500 miles on vehicle. Delivered Nov 2021. Got in car to drive to work today, and power steering would not work. Error message on the car display stated there was a power steering failure. Put the car in park, waited about a minute, and tried again, and it worked. I see that there is a NHTSA investigation looking into this, so I wanted to let you know about it.
Louisiana 425 north. Inside lane. Yellow line remained solid on my left. There wer no striped lines for the car to follow to continue straight as we approached on full self driving. At highway speed the car veered into the turn lane. I immediately took control and prevented encountering the embankment. Dangerous situation. Tesla did what it was supposed to do. Louisiana highway engineers not so much. I have never encountered this in any of the other six states I have driven in. Tesla fsd will always stay in the lane if there are striped lines for it to follow on the outside of the lane,eg, when passing exit ramps. Thanks.
The contact stated that while renting a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph when the steering wheel suddenly turned left while accelerating. The contact attempted to gain control however the steering wheel seized. The vehicle ended up crashing in the middle of the highway on the left side of the vehicle and front-end mostly. The air bags deployed. The vehicle had been towed however it had not been determined if the vehicle was totaled as of yet. The display of the front left safety restraint system fault message was displayed on the main control display. The contact received injuries to their arms, knees, neck, shoulder, and back. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
Over the past few days, I have had multiple instances where the steering on the Tesla gives out and starts to wobble and then starts acting normal again.
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the vehicle inadvertently turned to the right and then to the left. As a result, the contact stated that he momentarily lost control of the vehicle and collided with a barrier wall before careening to the right again into traffic. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were displayed on the instrument panel. A police report was not filed. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the failure has yet to be diagnosed. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 27,000.
During a head-on collision on [xxx] in georgia, the electrical system in my 2022 Tesla Model 3 lost power and the electric door releases stopped functioning. The vehicle interior caught fire and I was trapped inside. I was unaware of the location of the hidden mechanical emergency door release because it is not visibly labeled, not explained upon delivery, and not intuitive in an emergency. I was forced to climb to the back seat and break the rear passenger window with my legs to escape while the interior was burning. I suffered a broken hip, broken arm, and later required a full hip replacement. The mechanical emergency door release was concealed and unlabeled, resulting in entrapment during a fire, which is a violation of fmvss 206 and presents a continuing and life-threatening safety hazard to all drivers and passengers. Tesla has not provided warnings, recall guidance, labeling, or owner education regarding how to exit the vehicle during a power-loss emergency. This defect can result in deaths. I am requesting a formal investigation. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Tesla Model 3 dual motor-with autopilot addition to purchase vehicle has repeatedly demonstrated aberrant behavior when in “autopilot” mode. During freeway driving the vehicle has “missensed” lane spacing and unexpectedly attempted to diverge or swerve, exit or turn out of or off of the lane we have been driving in. This has occurred when an offramp or change in the lane definition occurs and is not “regular”. Such as a lane that for some reason is not marked with a normally defined width, or a break in the lines that define the lane. During freeway driving this vehicle has suddenly and for no apparent reason, drastically reduced its set speed during autopilot driving. We were driving in relatively straight, clear and unobstructed lanes on open highway with no traffic obstacles. On multiple occasions our vehicle has accelerated backwards when set in drive. This has occurred when we are backing up to make a 3 point exit up our driveway. After backing up, stopping with our foot on the break, and setting the car in drive, it repeatedly moved backwards. We had to reset the power, on multiple occasions, physically get out and push car forward in neutral to avoid backing into our garage. This concern was reported with video examples to Tesla repair center. We took the car there, they examined it and did not find out why it was doing this. Since it was examined, the car has repeated this behavior. I have not yet reported the repeated incident, as I have 0 confidence that they will solve this concern. I could not upload videos that I have of the car behaving this way.
The contact owned a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 mph with the "auto pilot" engaged, the vehicle approached another vehicle in traffic from behind and had gotten to close. The contact stated that she depressed the brake to slow down when the vehicle inadvertently accelerated at high speed. The contact steered to the left to avoid rear end crash with vehicle directly in front. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel had become hard to turn and the vehicle crashed into the highway divider. The vehicle front end had crashed into the divider wall and the vehicle ricocheted across four lanes of traffic and ran off the roadway onto the right shoulder and was stopped by having crashed with small trees and bushes. The contact stated she did not notice any warning lights. The contact stated that she had been transported by ambulance to a trauma center. The contact stated that she had compression fractures of her spine, suffered soft tissue damage to her neck, right wrist soft tissue damage and rib fractures on the left side. The vehicle had been towed to an impound lot, the police were on scene and wrote a report. The contact stated that her insurance provider had declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 4,400.
On Wednesday, 8/24/2022 around 1:30pm, when I tried to park my Tesla Model 3 on a residential street, suddenly and without any warning the steering wheel lost control, accelerated, made a right and then a left turn, hit an electric box and landed on the neighbor's driveway. No one else was injured, only myself with severe back pain and I could not move. Several neighbors came out of their house and checked on me and called the homeowners association office and called 911, the homeowners experienced power outage. An ambulance came & took me to the irvine hoag hospital emergency center. The medical staff took x-ray for me and gave me tylenol pills and ice pack on my back. I was diagnosed with compression fracture of t12 vertebra, per doctor's exam: it will take two-to-six-month to heal my back. A police report #220815676 was filed on 8/31/2022. Ca resident since 1976 very healthy, enjoy working, and helping school and do community services. Do not take drag, no alcohol with over 46+ year's careful driving skill, and a safe driver with good driving record.
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 75 mph, there was a message displayed that stated, “pull over and exit the vehicle”. The contact stated that the vehicle then lost power steering and power brakes. The contact was able to park on the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the front steering alignment control arm to be adjusted. The vehicle was repaired but experienced the failure two days later. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer but the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,300.
This vehicle has regenerative braking. It used to have an option to reduce the regenerative braking but software updates removed it. During recent snow and ice, when letting off the accelerator pedal the regenerative braking kicks in and causes the vehicle to become unstable. If regenerative braking had a low setting this could prevent the vehicle from becoming unstable on snow and ice every time the accelerator pedal is let go. It is very un-nerving driving like this.
Power steering and full power to the vehicle failed - these failures can be seen upon requested inspection. Power steering failed during operation - meaning that while I was driving the vehicle I was not able to change the direction of travel at a high rate of speed. Then the vehicle came to a sudden stop, stranding the driver/passengers in the middle of the road which has a high speed limit. Since full power failed quickly afterward, hazard lights or other warning lights (brake lights) could not be activated. Emergency manual exits had to be used to exit the vehicle this problem has been reproduced in both Model 3 and model y and has been confirmed by a dealer service repair center. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer and the problem has been confirmed - a full steering console replacement is required due to electrical and hydraulic issues in the steering system and battery system. There was no message prior to the vehicle failure, the error is sudden and unexpected which makes it even more dangerous.