general problems of the 2022 Tesla Model 3 - part 1

My 2022 Tesla Model 3 experienced a heat pump compressor failure at approximately 89,457 miles. Tesla service center diagnosed an internal failure in the heat pump system. The heat pump system controls cabin heating, windshield defrosting, and thermal management for the vehicle. When the system failed, the vehicle lost heating and proper defrost capability. This can impair windshield visibility during cold or foggy conditions, creating a potential safety hazard while driving. Tesla quoted approximately $3,000 to repair the compressor and declined warranty assistance despite the system being critical to safe vehicle operation.

When cabin heat is enabled, visible vapor/smoke emits from the front trunk area under the windshield cowl and is pulled directly into the cabin through the hvac intake. The vapor has a chemical/sweet odor consistent with coolant or refrigerant. Smoke enters the passenger compartment, especially when stopped or idling. This occurs repeatedly in cold temperatures and stops immediately when hvac heat is turned off. No warning lights appear. This appears to be a heat pump or coolant system leak upstream of the cabin intake, allowing chemical fumes to enter the cabin air stream. Occupants are exposed to fumes while driving. This is a safety concern due to inhalation risk and lack of driver warning.

Recurring 12v low-voltage system failure and defective rear defroster heater grid vehicle: 2022 Tesla Model 3 (VIN: [xxx] ). Odometer: 114,093 miles at time of third service visit. Summary of defect: vehicle has experienced recurring low-voltage (12v) system alerts since late December 2025. The 12v battery has been replaced three times by Tesla service. After each replacement, the low-voltage alerts return within days. Tesla's diagnostic system detected a dcr (DC resistance) reading of 16. 8 milliohms against a threshold of 16 milliohms, indicating the battery's internal resistance is too high for the vehicle's electrical system to function properly. A brand-new 12v battery showed "degraded - replace" status within one week of installation. These low-voltage errors did not exist before Tesla replaced the 12v battery during the first service visit. Diagnostic findings: during the third service visit (February 2026), Tesla technician performed a resistance check on the rear defroster heater grid and described it as "out of spec but not significantly. " ground straps were also described as "out of spec but again not significantly. " the technician stated there was "no smoking gun yet" and it was "maybe a combination of all leading to the 12v warning. " Tesla proposed replacing the rear backlight glass at a cost of $1,265 to the customer. Additionally, severe rodent damage was discovered in the front wiring harness with chewed wires and nesting material. Despite this confirmed damage to the electrical system, the service manager stated the rodent damage was "not associated with the error" while the technician simultaneously stated there was no confirmed root cause. Safety concern: the recurring 12v low-voltage condition presents a safety risk. The 12v system powers critical vehicle functions including exterior lighting, hazard lights, door locks, windows, the vehicle's computer systems, and safety features. Repeated system alerts include dif_a018_hwlvsupplyuv (ha information redacted pursuant to the freedom of informatio.

While driving, the center display intermittently goes completely black. When this occurs, I lose access to the speedometer and all driver information. The issue has been ongoing and progressively worsening. The vehicle was purchased new. The issue was reported during the warranty period and initially attributed to software updates. A recent service visit confirmed the vehicle computer is failing, and the issue immediately recurred after pickup. Loss of speed and driver information while driving creates a safety concern.

The vehicle has a manufacturing defect in the charge port body seal allowing water intrusion into the vehicle cabin and near high-voltage charging components. This has resulted in dampness and potential mold growth, posing a respiratory health hazard to occupants.

All safety and driver-assistance systems on my 2022 Tesla Model 3 failed due to an internal short in the vehicle’s computer, as confirmed in writing by Tesla’s technician. All cameras (rear, side, front) are non-functional, navigation does not work, and all adas features (autopilot, lane-keeping, collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, emergency braking, etc. ) are disabled. The vehicle has no visibility when reversing and no active safety protections while driving. Tesla documented the cause as an internal computer failure, not related to damage or misuse. This creates a dangerous condition on public roads since the car loses all safety systems. Tesla quoted ~$2,900 for a new computer even though the failure involves critical safety components. This may indicate a broader safety defect.

Safety concern: for kids getting trapped in rear doors with no manual release in the rear of my 2022 Tesla Model 3. Only the front has a manual release which is not practical for two kids in the back.

Tesla m3 rwd 2022 - 79750k miles. Touchscreen keep restarting throughout the day , in the morning when I am backing out of the garage, while I am driving, while I parked. It is dangerous specially while I am backing out of garage, car will stop sometime, because whole system reboots. I have no visibility I have to wait till its finish restarting. Tesla's main computer handles everything in the car, a/c, turn signals, speedometer, backup cameras, forward collision warning and many more necessary function of the car. Tesla service center diagnose stats "the cause was identified as kernel panics detected in the system. The internal memory of the car computer is corrupt and will not allow enough data transfer and causing the computer to reboot to clear space" they suggested to replace the computer and its a out of warranty fix, since I drove 79k miles. This is a crucial of the car and it should not fail in 3 years, driving 79k in California is not unusual, Tesla service also blamed that we didn't extended our warranty after 50k. We couldn't find any correspondence from Tesla on service app or email regrading warranty extension. $3000 to replace a computer is a very high price.

Pedestrian warning system has failed for a second time. Speaker was replaced once already. Presents safety issue to pedestrians (this displays an error that it is not working, the error also states that the horn may not work, however this is for newer cars that do not have separate horns and pws speaker) horns are intermittent in functionality, sometimes high or low tone only works, other times no horn sounds, this is a separate device from the pws speaker, there is no error message shown for this when the pws is functioning as intended.

Rodents chew on car wires consequences of rodent damage: malfunctioning components: chewed wires can lead to a variety of problems, including issues with the engine, lights, sensors, and other electrical components. Expensive repairs: repairing or replacing damaged wiring harnesses can be costly, potentially running into the thousands of dollars. Safety hazards: damaged wiring can pose safety risks, potentially causing electrical shorts, fires, or malfunctions while driving.

Shortly after purchasing my 2022 Tesla Model 3 rwd in February 2025, I began noticing a persistent musty, mold-like odor coming from the hvac vents whenever the air conditioning or defrost was on. The odor worsens when driving with the windows down. I reported this issue to Tesla multiple times between may and October 2025. Tesla replaced the cabin filters but refused to perform a full evaporator or hvac disinfection, stating the odor was “normal. ” despite the filter changes, the smell always returns within a few weeks. Between these visits, I also tried to resolve the issue myself by replacing filters, using odor-eliminating products, and placing moisture absorbers inside the vehicle, but nothing has resolved the problem. This ongoing issue has led to repeated respiratory and eye irritation, including a documented pneumonia case in April 2025. The symptoms clearly worsen after time spent in the car. Tesla has not offered any permanent fix, warranty repair, or replacement. The problem appears to stem from mold or microbial buildup within the hvac evaporator and duct system, which could affect air quality and occupant health. This raises safety concerns regarding possible hvac design flaws or moisture retention issues that may affect other Tesla vehicles. The issue is ongoing as of November 2025 and has been reported to the florida department of agriculture and consumer services (fdacs case #2511-00831) for further review.

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that after having a software update completed on the vehicle, while the defroster was activated, the windshield failed to clear up as needed. The contact stated that the heater also failed to operate as needed. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact learned of a recall for the failure however, the contact was unable to confirm if the VIN was previously included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the next repair was not covered under recall. The failure mileage was 83,000.

* the ac/heat pump compressor and supermanifold has failed at 64k miles. Vehicle is undrivable and parked at this time. * ac/heat pump compressor and supermanifold prevents the windshield from being cleared/defrosted/defogged, causing visibility issues and a danger to myself and others. * vehicle remotely diagnosed and quote received totalling $3047. 52 to repair the issue. * components have not been removed from the vehicle yet. * there were no warnings prior to the failure of the ac/heat pump compressor and supermanifold.

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.

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).

The following will happen in drive or reverse. Causing the vehicle to enter a free roll condition. If the vehicle detects both pedals are pressed. The vehicle will then disengage the motors and the brakes. And it will free roll. The vehicle does not successfully maintain stop and hold in this case. I was stopped at a red light and on an uphill. When the light turned green, I bumped the brake pedal when I went to accelerate forward in drive. My car rolled backwards downhill as a result. My instinct was to press the accelerator to try and go forward before I thought to hit the brake. My car rolled about 1. 5 car lengths backwards. Luckily nobody was behind me. This is a safety issue that has existed for the 3 years that I have owned this car. Not once has this been corrected in a software update. This is a serious safety problem and I’m surprised nobody has free rolled into a pedestrian or vehicle because of it. Or if they have, maybe they don’t know that it was caused due to this vehicle behavior. The software needs fixed to prevent free rolling in drive or reverse. Normal gas cars don’t suddenly fall to neutral and free roll all over the place if you bump both pedals. Like wow.

Our car was parked in our garage for two days before August 25, 2024 not plugged in for charging and was clear of issues. On the morning of August 25, 2024 we woke up to the smell of smoke and evacuated our house as the source was coming from our Tesla in the garage. This incident burned our home and took 6 of our cats with it. We filed with insurance and they are reporting that they are not liable for the accident. They did not bother to show up to the joint investigation and paid the bare minimum for the market price of the vehicle. The company has been slow in responding and has shown zero remorse or care of the matter. Fire department pinned it as a 99. 9% probability of cause that the front battery of the Tesla triggered the fire.

My 2022 Tesla Model 3 has a major issue that should be widely addressed and because the computer screen has completely turned off although there was never any damage done to the vehicle. The cost to fix this issue is $3,052. 30. I went on a three day vacation and came back to the screen not turning on but the vehicle can still drive, the major issue is that the screen controls all major functions of the vehicle and is a major danger driving the car if you cant see how fast your going, how much battery is left or will basic safety equipment will deploy? how can a vehicle be driven under these basic safety standards and conditions when it’s a faulty manufacturing issue. In addition come to find out that the computer tried to update it’s software with out my consent and causing the computer to fail there fore leaving me in danger situation of driving the vehicle under these conditions and then having me to pay the financial repercussions although I caused no damage to the vehicle.

Tesla has confirmed that the firmware of the high-voltage controller of the Model 3 is known to occasionally go "missing in action", causing regenerative braking to entirely cease to function and the driving performance of the car to drop considerably. This was expected to be resolved in a firmware update, but the problem continues. The service representative advised that they (Tesla employees) are not allowed to refer to the problem as a defect and instead must use the euphemism "firmware characteristic". The impact of the issue occurring while driving is that braking and acceleration are significantly reduced, thus reducing the ability of the driver to respond to unexpected situations and operate the vehicle safely. The impact of the issue occurring while parked is that the vehicle cannot start until such time as the controller resumes responding. The driver has no control over when/if this will happen, and the car may ultimately require towing. We encountered the while-parked case on 2024-07-07 and the while-driving case on 2024-07-27.

Vehicle suddenly and violently lost power to its front drive units while driving steady on neighborhood street at low speed, <25 mph. Vehicle shuddered to a stop, then put itself in park, rendering it immovable in the middle of the street. Vehicle indicated a critical failure on its screen. Vehicle towed to Tesla service center. Vehicle had front drive unit inverter and pyro fuse replaced. No prior indication or errors before the failure.

Rear view camera display sometimes just a blank screen, other times delayed by 2-15 seconds. Has been in for service 3 times and Tesla service will either say could not duplicate or acknowledge problem, but not repair. Seems like a widespread Tesla problem, but no resolution as of yet.

Accelerating with no input braking unsuccessful resulting in running a stop sign across two-way traffic. Vehicle stopped after approx. 100 meters after running the stop sign. I have discussed with Tesla service to run a diagnostic report (not completed at this time). No warnings or error messages. Vehicle resumed normal functional control after. Tested accelerating and braking at the same time gives error message did not present during the incident.

The car started to abruptly accelerate when slowing down the car at a stop light and would not brake. The anti collision functions did not work. The car went into a truck.

The contact owned a 2022 telsa Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at 18 mph the vehicle veered to the right hitting an electrical pole. The contact stated neither the autopilot or cruise control was set to on, and the vehicle failed to stop. The contact stated it happen so fast he was unable to depress the brake in time. No warning lights illuminated and the air bags in the vehicle failed to deploy. The contact sustained knee injury but did not require immediate medical attention. However, the contact stated he was traumatized from the crash. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. A police report was filed. The contact notified the manufacturer of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,372.

My Tesla stopped on me in the middle of the interstate because the car thought it was not charged. Tesla assured me that the vehicle was fixed. A few weeks later the car started telling me again that it thinks it is not charged. Tesla is not providing no solution on what the problem is. This vehicle is a major highway hazard because it can stop suddenly with no warning.

For several months now, my Tesla Model 3 has exhibited a persistent issue with the turn signal blinkers. The turn signals operate visually as intended but fail to produce an audible clicking sound. Despite being advised by Tesla support that this issue is slated for resolution in a future software update, the problem persists, causing concern over the safety implications associated with the lack of auditory indicator. The absence of the audible turn signal notification may compromise overall road safety, especially for individuals who rely on both visual and auditory cues while driving.

I was manually driving my Tesla Model 3 on the interstate when without warning the car stopped in the middle of the interstate. The entire car locked up and I was unable to turn the wheel or even get it back into gear. I even tried to put on the hazards but the car just completely died. When the vehicle stopped it was at 60% charge on the battery. I sat in panic thinking I was going to get rear ended by the highway traffic. I called for police to come out and cut off traffic. They also had a tow truck company come and tow the vehicle to a local Tesla service center. This was a very dangerous incident because the normally on the interstate vehicles travel at high speeds. I was fortunate that it was rush hour traffic so cars were moving slower than usual and the car behind me was not following closely on my bumper. Tesla indicated that the failure I experience is not normal and that it was just a matter of bad luck that my car stopped like this suddenly. According to them a controller stopped reading in the car so it just shut the car down, but they are not completely sure this was the main problem or if there is another system issue in the vehicle. As well they have not communicated what would cause the computer system to think a controller is missing. Tesla trespassed and delivered the vehicle to my property essentially experimenting with my safety and of others if they identified the issue.

Have reported multiple times the safety hazard with the unnacuracy of the mileage given per charge. Vehicle will drain through battery leaving motorist standard. When using self drive option vehicle will not stay in appropriate lanes. Vehicle will overheat on battery and start making concerning sounds while driving. When reported to Tesla they acknowledged the issue but have failed to fix the issues on the vehicle.

So here goes my story back in may I bought Tesla Model 3 2022 46k from hertz clean title however, in the history, it showed a prior accident long story short one day I was charging at Tesla supercharger I drive home the car did update and after that it wouldn’t charge or going in to drive so of course the car has warranty. I sent it to Tesla service first time. Coral cables the response was OH this car had an accident we can’t touch it the second service center after a week of diagnostic and charging me $590 for no help at all and the response to my issue first was because of the accident but when I was able to prove that the car was driving when I bought it and nothing wrong, they blamed it on the supercharger Tesla supercharger that it overheated the batteries and now the motor and the high voltage battery needs to be replaced at my own expense, at no time the car told me pull over it could’ve caught on fire ,no warranty at all when I asked service why I didn’t see that me charging the car is overheating the batteries he said it’s internal warning messages this is at miami gardens service center now I have been experiencing and Tesla‘s and how to do service and how they work and I’m pretty sure I can see that they are clearly I don’t want to say a lying , but they are not honoring their own warranty and they just want to blame it on me now keep in mind that I’ll myself. I am a read. The reason there is at least 20 or 30 people driving a Tesla right now. I was the first person in my own community. I was the first person in my office and everybody when they saw that car with me and how I love it, they decided to buy it but when I needed help, unfortunately Tesla was not there for me I have proof that the pyro fuse is working condition not like it what is states in the estimate and also the rear inverter is in working condition.

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).

Submitted under 49 cfr §552. 3 request for defect investigation & safety recall Tesla Model 3 / model y: interior high-voltage heater fire hazard, missing firewall, and entrapment due to electronic door failures. My 2022 Tesla Model 3 experienced an interior flash fire caused by a design defect. Tesla placed the high-voltage ptc cabin heater and hv wiring inside the dashboard with no firewall. After a crash, I saw a straight “strip flame” shoot out of the hvac dash vent, exactly like a gas heater. The fire began inside the dash/hvac ducting within seconds of impact, not from the battery. This shows an arc-flash failure of the hv heater or wiring inside the cabin. The flame entered the cabin instantly because there is no firewall separating hv components from occupants. During the fire, all electronic door releases failed. Tesla hides the manual front releases and provides no rear mechanical releases. I was trapped inside a burning cabin and suffered major injuries trying to escape by kicking the rear passenger window before bystander helped me brake out the rear passenger window to get me out. Most people cannot escape this design. This is a dangerous combination of defects: (1) hv heater and wiring located inside the cabin with no firewall; (2) hvac ducting becomes a flame pathway; (3) electronic door releases fail during fire/crash; (4) no labeled manual rear-door exits; (5) no backup 12-v actuator power to open doors. Tesla must: relocate the hv heater outside the cabin (frunk), add a real firewall, add fire-retardant hvac materials, add labeled manual releases on all doors, and include a 12-v backup to door actuators. Please open a defect investigation. This design nearly killed me and will kill others.

The window is opening alone.

Received a recall notice in Nov. 2022. In Dec. I was putting something in the back seat, when I closed the door my fingernail was clipped by the window as it retracted to close. The back and front windows retract whenever the doors are open. For no apparent reason that I can figure out. They close when the doors are shut but if your finger is in the way it's going to get caught as my fingernail did. I was lucky it was only the nail as the windows retract with a bit of force.

Recall is not being corrected in a timely manner. Window has pinched my finger before retracting.

The car slammed on the brakes while we were using auto pilot on the freeway, even though there was no one braking in front of us. This was the 2nd time this has happened. The ac and radio shut off for the rest of the ride and the ac has been working intermittently since. We have a baby and she was not in the car but she is in the car with us often. We have submitted a service request for this week.