Air Bag Problems of Tesla Model 3 - part 1

My 2019 Tesla Model 3 (approx. 95,000 miles) displays a persistent 'front passenger safety restraint system' alert. The car drives normally and there has been no crash, fire, or injury. Tesla service's estimate lists $631. 60 for the alert diagnosis, $458. 50 to replace the front passenger seat occupant classification system (OCS), and $699. 44 to update the front passenger airbag for compatibility, an update Tesla's own service bulletin sb-23-20-001 requires alongside the OCS repair. The total is about $1,790 before tax. Tesla declined goodwill coverage and said the supplemental restraint system warranty expired in 2023. The alert means the front passenger airbag and seat belt pretensioner may not work correctly in a crash. This appears common: NHTSA's database already holds over 100 complaints on the 2019 Model 3 describing the same alert and repair path. I am asking NHTSA to review whether this is a defect in the occupant classification system. I have the Tesla estimate and will keep it.

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On September 22, 2026, my 2019 Tesla Model 3 was involved in a very low-speed front collision. The Tesla vehicle data report records the front collision event at approximately 23:21:26. 933 and shows vehicle speed of approximately 2–3 mph at the time of the recorded collision. Despite the extremely low recorded vehicle speed, the vehicle’s airbags deployed. The airbag deployment caused an eyebrow/facial laceration that required six stitches and medical treatment. The Tesla vehicle data also shows an accelerator pedal position of approximately 70–75% around the collision event, while brake pressure was essentially zero at the recorded collision timestamp. Significant braking appears in the data after the collision event. I am concerned that the restraint system may have deployed the airbags during an unusually low-speed collision. I am requesting that NHTSA review whether the airbag/restraint system in this vehicle may have a safety defect or an inappropriate deployment threshold. I have retained the Tesla vehicle data report, photographs of the vehicle and injury, and medical documentation. I am also requesting that Tesla preserve the vehicle’s crash data and all deployed airbag/restraint components for investigation.

- when I start my car, I see the following error message appear: front left safety restraint system fault. Also, the air bag disabled alert is displayed. Since the air bag is disabled, it puts me at grave risk if I were to get into an accident. - many other Tesla owners have reported the same exact issue (rcm_a021 front left safety restraint system fault). - today, I took the car into the Tesla service center, they had to replace the entire harness. - no other symptoms were apparent. . . Just all of a sudden the alert appeared.

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The passenger seat back occupant classification system (OCS) sensor (part #1920673-01-a) failed 3 times in under 22 months (Dec 2024, Dec 2025, Sep 2026), disabling the front passenger safety restraint system and airbag deployment logic.

On September 12, 2026, at approximately 2:05 pm, while operating on full self-driving (fsd v14. 1 lite) on hardware 3 (hw3), the vehicle experienced a critical, unprompted loss of path control. While traveling on the highway, the vehicle sharply veered off the left side of the roadway, caught air, and violently impacted an emergency barrier, resulting in the destruction of 9 steel poles and causing physical injuries to both the driver and front passenger. Despite the severe frontal impact and structural collision, neither the front nor knee airbags deployed, raising serious concerns regarding the vehicle's crash-sensing algorithms, structural impact detection, and restraint system integration under this software version. This incident highlights major safety risks associated with running computationally heavy fsd stacks on legacy hw3 architecture: 1. Uncommanded steering deviations: the system abruptly executed a violent, unprompted hard turn away from the path of travel, indicating severe lane-detection or path-planning failure. 2. Restraint system / safety failure: critical secondary safety systems (front and knee airbags) failed to deploy in a high-impact structural collision involving multiple steel barrier poles. 3. Hardware constraint risks: the compounding computational and thermal load on hw3 hardware running v14. 1 lite continues to manifest in erratic vehicle control, latency, and hazardous tracking behavior. This severe safety defect requires an immediate federal investigation into both fsd trajectory control on legacy hardware and secondary restraint deployment failures.

Vehicle information: year/make/model: 2018 Tesla Model 3 mileage at incident: 45,000 miles description of safety defect: a sudden and persistent "safety restraint system fault" / "front passenger safety restraint system fault" warning illuminated on the vehicle's primary touchscreen interface, indicating a complete compromise of the supplemental restraint and airbag system. Upon inspection by Tesla service, the root cause was identified as physically broken/severed internal copper wiring within the first-row passenger seat harness assemblies. This breakage occurred purely due to the mechanical wear-and-tear of normal fore-and-aft seat tracking (including the standard vehicle "easy entry" setting). Because the electrical line cleanly severed, communication to the occupant classification system (OCS) sensor was totally cut off, preventing the vehicle from accurately detecting passenger occupancy or correctly configuring front passenger airbag deployment logic in a collision. Tesla has addressed this known design vulnerability internally via service bulletin sb-23-20-002, replacing the weak early-production parts with ruggedized components. However, because the vehicle was past its calendar warranty period despite having only 45,000 miles, I was forced to pay $1,322. 00 out of pocket to restore critical safety systems. Because a severed seat harness disables essential airbag safety constraints through normal everyday use, this represents a systemic manufacturing defect that should be escalated from a technical service bulletin to a mandatory safety recall to protect all owners. Specific component part numbers replaced: first row seat harness assemblies: p/n 1489060-02-g & 1489060-03-g passenger airbag assembly module: p/n 1077323-00-g seat position / occupancy sensor module: p/n 1099592-00-f.

1. Component/system failed: supplemental restraint system (srs) — front passenger seat occupant classification system (OCS) / occupant sensor. Component intact and available for inspection upon request. 2. Safety risk: failure disables or compromises front passenger airbag deployment and seat belt pretensioner logic. In a crash, the vehicle may fail to deploy the airbag/pretensioner for an adult passenger or deploy improperly, creating severe risk of serious injury or fatality. The passenger seat cannot be safely occupied. 3. Problem reproduced/confirmed: yes. Tesla service confirmed an active srs/OCS fault (ocs1p_w127_seatbackselfopen). The technician acknowledged this failure is widespread on 2018–2020 Model 3s and noted their own personal Model 3 experienced the exact same issue unaddressed for years. Technicians stated company guidelines require recommending the fix due to liability, though many owners decline due to high out-of-pocket costs. 4. Manufacturer inspection & design defect: inspected and repaired by Tesla service. Resolving the faulty OCS sensor required replacing the seat cushion/sensor assembly and upgrading the front passenger airbag. Tesla redesigned the srs signaling on newer revisions in a backwards-incompatible manner. This forces out-of-warranty owners to pay for a mandatory airbag replacement simply to achieve physical/electrical compatibility for a failed sensor pad. 5. Warning messages & timeline: persistent "front passenger safety restraint system issue" alert on touchscreen and illuminated red srs/airbag warning lamp on instrument panel. First appeared at ~50,000 miles without physical impact, seat modification, or liquid spill. Remains continuously active. System was ultimately repaired at owner expense.

Safety restraint system TSB technical service bulletin, a known problem with my 2019 Tesla model three.

I’ve been seeing lots of similar front safety restraint issues from other Tesla owners on different sites. This safety restraint issue is regarding the wiring under the seat that get pinched or loose wires: movement of the front seat can pinch wires or dislodge connectors underneath, triggering errors like rcm_a028 or rcm_a033. If you’re out of warranty, Tesla charges a lot of money to have them fixed but I would say it is a safety issue that they should recall and fix without charge.

The restraint control module (rcm) fault code rcm_a056 intermittently appears and disappears on the vehicle's display. This code indicates a fault in the front passenger occupant classification system (OCS) — the sensor responsible for detecting passenger presence and weight to determine whether and how the passenger airbag deploys in a crash. Because the OCS sensor is malfunctioning, the passenger airbag may fail to deploy, deploy incorrectly, or deploy with wrong force in a collision, putting any front passenger at serious risk of injury or death. The fault is intermittent — it appears and disappears without any change in vehicle configuration or seating — which is consistent with a failing OCS sensor or degraded wiring harness connection under the passenger seat. No collision or injury has occurred. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by a dealer or service center. No independent inspection has been performed. Tesla has issued service bulletin sb-23-20-002, which has been revised at least seven times, acknowledging a known OCS sensor defect across multiple Model 3 vehicles. Despite this, no safety recall has been issued. The repair cost quoted by Tesla service is approximately $800–$2,000 out of pocket for what appears to be a widespread manufacturing defect in a critical safety system. Numerous other Model 3 owners have reported the identical fault code. The component is available for inspection upon request.

Front passenger safety restraint system issue requiring replacement of occupant classification system and updating front passenger airbag to maintain compatibility with front passenger seat. Costing almost $2000. Many others have reported of multiple repairs.

My Tesla Model 3 has a persistent rcm_a056 alert indicating a problem with the front passenger occupancy detection system. The unresolved fault affects the operation of the front passenger airbag system. I paid Tesla approximately $1,000 for a repair intended to resolve this problem. Tesla replaced multiple components associated with the passenger seat/occupancy detection system, including the sensor, wiring, and other safety-system components. The repair did not resolve the problem. The rcm_a056 alert remained unchanged after the repair. I returned the vehicle to Tesla for further diagnosis. Tesla tested the individual components and documented that they found “no issues present,” but the rcm_a056 alert remained. Tesla then recommended replacing the entire passenger seat assembly at a cost of approximately $3,000. When I asked what diagnostic evidence indicated that the seat assembly was defective, I was told that they had no specific evidence that replacing the seat would resolve the problem. They were unable to identify a failed component and indicated that replacing the entire seat was the only remaining repair they could suggest. I am concerned that this represents an unresolved safety-system defect. I have already paid approximately $1,000 for a repair that did not resolve the fault, and Tesla is now recommending another $3,000 repair without identifying the cause of the failure. The vehicle remains unavailable for normal use because of the unresolved passenger restraint/airbag-system fault. I am requesting that NHTSA document and investigate this potential safety defect, particularly if other Tesla Model 3 vehicles are experiencing the same persistent occupancy-detection failure.

The vehicle displays a critical 'front passenger safety restraint system fault' warning on the dashboard, indicating that the airbag system may not function as designed in a crash. After googling the error code, it appears to be isolated to either frayed wiring harness under the seat or the faulty occupant classification system sensor. The issue occurred on June 11 and again on Aug 11 while driving the car. The warning appeared intermittently and I tried to "reset" the car computer. Tesla service has diagnosed the issue as wiring harness failure/sensor failure and quoted $3000 for repairs, claiming it is out of warranty. This is a safety-critical system failure that poses a significant risk of injury or death to front-seat passengers due to potential airbag non-deployment. Given the high frequency of this specific failure across the Model 3 fleet, this appears to be a design or manufacturing defect rather than normal wear and tear. I am requesting an investigation into this safety defect.

To whom it may concern, I am logging a safety defect complaint regarding my 2019 Tesla Model 3, which displays active fault code rcm_a056 – front passenger safety restraint system fault. This error deactivates the front passenger airbag and seatbelt pretensioners, creating an immediate, severe safety hazard. The defect: the failure involves the occupant classification system (OCS) seat sensor and affects passengers in two ways: 1. Children (current stage): the fault triggers primarily when a child sits in the front seat. The degraded sensor mat cannot process lighter weight accurately, throwing an "implausible voltage" error that disables the airbag system. 2. Adults (advanced stage): online data shows this same code eventually locks out for adults due to internal wiring harness fraying or sensor circuit failure. Manufacturer response: Tesla is aware of this fleet-wide defect and issued service bulletin sb-23-20-002 to address it. However, because my vehicle is out of warranty, Tesla refuses to cover this critical safety repair. Service centers are quoting owners $1,300 to $1,500+ out-of-pocket to fix an inherent manufacturing flaw in a federally mandated safety system. I urge the NHTSA to investigate the 2019 Tesla Model 3 OCS system and compel Tesla to issue a safety recall to fix this hazard at no cost to consumers. Sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Front passenger safety restraint error this seems to be a faulty component on many Teslas and therefore is a design or manufacturing flaw. Several of my personal vehicles of different models and years have had the same issue so it's not just something that has worn out or been damaged by myself. As this involves the action of the airbag, it is an extreme safety concern and Tesla should recall this part and replace. Also, in attempting a critical safety repair, I had to drive for weeks without an airbag before they would fix.

Alert rcm_a021pretenlapfrontleft. Caused by the seat harness wires being pinched and stretched when moving the seat back/forward/up/down. Eventually the wires are damaged by the seat movement. Tesla has touted a feature called "easy entry" which moves the seat to a preset position to allow the driver to get in and out of the car more easily. This moves the seat lower and farther back and then moves the seat back up to the driver's position when ready to drive. This increased seat movement, every time the driver gets in and out of the car, causes the wires to wear prematurely and the above fault to trigger. In the event of an accident the driver side airbag may not deploy and/or the seat belt pretensioner may fail to lock the seat belt in place, leaving the driver exposed to serious potential injury risk. This issue can be seen in 2019 Tesla Model 3s and I believe an investigation by the NHTSA is warranted, at the very least.

Driving tghe 2018 Model 3 with around 75k miles, the warning "front left safety restraint system issue" keeps popping up and staying on the center console. Tesla said car is out of warranty and have to pay upto $2000 to fix it.

The contact owned a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph in traffic on a sunny day, the vehicle drove over a pothole, and the traction control and abs warning lights illuminated. The brake pedal was checked; however, fifteen minutes later the vehicle crashed into a 26-foot box truck. The contact stated that the box truck left the scene of the crash. The tire skid marks were 100 feet long. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact stated there was an electrical failure which caused the brakes to become inoperable. Additionally, the alerts were late. The contact stated that the battery might need to be replaced. The driver and his daughter, who was seated inside the vehicle, sustained back pain, whiplash, and knee injuries. The driver was transported by ambulance. Medical attention was provided. The contact stated that surgery might be needed in the future. The daughter was taken to the hospital, and medical attention was provided. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto body shop. The edr was requested on the manufacturer website. The failure mileage was approximately 119,730.

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My 2018 Tesla Model 3 displayed alert rcm_a056, “front passenger safety restraint system fault. ” the warning may affect correct detection of a passenger and operation of the passenger restraint/airbag system. Tesla quoted approximately $705 but has not identified the failed component or explained whether the condition is related to known front-seat wiring or occupant-classification failures. Tesla repair bulletin sb-21-17-005 recognizes that electrical harnesses in 2017–2019 Model 3 front seats can be damaged through repeated seat movement and trigger restraint-system alerts, although that bulletin specifically lists codes rcm_a021 and rcm_a022. I am reporting rcm_a056 because it affects the same general front-passenger safety-restraint system and appears to be reported by other early Model 3 owners. I am concerned that an occupant may not be properly classified or protected in a collision.

The front passenger safety restraint system failed prematurely on my 2019 Tesla Model 3 at only 23,105 miles, triggering the alert 'alerts - seats - front passenger safety restraint system issue/service is required' and disabling passenger airbag functionality. Upon inspection, Tesla service quoted $1,285. 13 out-of-pocket to repair the system. While the root failure involves a $12 occupant occupancy sensor (part #1099592-00-f), Tesla's mandatory service procedures require a full subsystem revision cascade to fix it. Specifically, under 'replace occupant classification system (OCS) of front passenger seat while servicing subcomponents' and 'update front passenger airbag to maintain compatibility with front passenger seat,' Tesla requires replacing the right-hand seat harness assembly (part #1489060-03-g) and the complete front passenger airbag (part #1077823-00-g) solely to maintain hardware compatibility with the revised sensor. Because Tesla redesigned subcomponent hardware without offering a backwards-compatible replacement sensor for earlier Model 3 production units, restoring a critical primary safety system creates an exorbitant financial barrier, forcing the vehicle to be operated with disabled airbags.

I am writing to report an accident involving my son who was driving Tesla 2024 model-3 on July 18th 2026 approximately 10:15 am est. He was returning home from his volunteering with emergency medical service(ems) when the vehicle's steering wheel suddenly froze. While attempting to maneuver the vehicle to safe location , it collided with a roadside barrier. Fortunately , my son was not injured , but the vehicle sustained significant damage, including deployment of airbag and damage to front passenger side. This incident occurred at a speed of approximately 26 mph.

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I am getting an electrical fault which has disabled my front passenger seat airbags. They need to replace the wiring, which means they also now need to replace the passenger airbag itself because wiring has changed and the old airbag is not compatible with the new wiring. Replace occupant classification system (OCS) of front passenger seat while servicing subcomponents update front passenger airbag to maintain compatibility with front passenger seat I had this same error 4 months ago and it ended up shorting out the entire electrical system, which disabled autosteer and eventually completely disabled power steering which made the car unusable. Tesla service center called it a water intrusion problem and had to replace the entire front electrical harness system and steering rack costing $4500. Now the problem has resurfaced and I'm afraid I might lose power steering again which is extremely dangerous and could happen any time, in addition to my airbags potentially not deploying.

Vehicle displayed a “safety restraint system issue - service required” alert (fault codes rcm_a056 and rcm_a032). Tesla diagnosed an open circuit between the driver-side curtain airbag and the left airbag controller, requiring replacement of the left body harness. Tesla quoted approximately $1,800–$2,200 for the out-of-warranty repair. This is a known, recurring pattern — multiple other 2018 Tesla Model 3 owners report experiencing this identical fault at nearly the same mileage (~78,000 miles), suggesting a design or component wear issue rather than isolated damage, similar to a prior Tesla trunk-harness recall (NHTSA campaign 21v-00d) that also stemmed from a wiring/harness defect on this same vehicle. I am requesting NHTSA investigate whether this represents a safety-defect trend warranting a recall.

Component/system: the front passenger occupant classification system (OCS) in my 2018 Tesla Model 3. The vehicle is available for inspection on request. Description of the failure: the vehicle intermittently displays "front passenger safety restraint system fault — service required]" on the center touchscreen. The alert first appeared on or about 4 years ago and has recurred approximately ~50 times since. The failure is strongly correlated with cabin temperature. It appears after the vehicle has been parked in direct sun in warm weather, and clears on its own once the cabin cools. It has not occurred in cooler ambient conditions. Safety risk: on this vehicle the front passenger seat uses a capacitive occupant classification system rather than a simple occupant-detection pad. The restraint control module uses OCS output to determine both whether the passenger airbag deploys and at what force. When the system faults, I have no way to know whether the passenger airbag is suppressed, will deploy at an inappropriate force for the occupant, or will deploy at all. This directly compromises frontal crash protection for anyone in that seat. I have been avoiding seating passengers there as a result. Inspection and confirmation: the vehicle is outside the basic warranty. Per Tesla's own service documentation, the passenger-side OCS sensor is not individually serviceable; the remedy requires replacing the seat cushion assembly and running a proprietary calibration routine that requires a cabin temperature near 68°f. The vehicle has not been inspected by police, insurance, or any independent shop. Prior warning symptoms: the touchscreen alert described above is the only symptom. There was no prior indication. There is no open recall for this condition on my VIN. Given the number of similar owner reports and the cost of the remedy, I believe many affected vehicles remain unrepaired and in service.

In the last 18 months I have had 8 service visits relating to electrical issues. In the last 30 months: - I had my car computer replaced after it shorted out, and then had to have it replaced again the next week. - I had the same taillight short out twice in a row. - I have had the 12v battery replaced three times. - I have had multiple low voltage controllers short out over multiple service visits. - the sound system has shorted out once as well. - one time, I was unable to shift to drive because a heater had shorted out. Now, I have to replace my right headlight and passenger airbag occupancy sensor due to shorts as well. The right headlight goes out intermittently and the passenger airbag alert fires sometimes. Tesla corte madera submitted a buyback request on my behalf after witnessing all these issues, but Tesla corporate denied it. I am sure the electrical issues will continue to affect the safety and drivability of my car. Thank you for your help.

Seats front passenger safety restraint system issue/ service is required/service is required.

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It was raining and my passenger got in the car (slightly damp). When he sat down, I reveived an error message on the screen saying "front passenger safety restraint system issue". The airbag light is red indicating that it won't work for my passenger. You should be able to get into a car wet without your airbag no longer working. My understanding is that this is a common problem. Tesla wants > $1000 to replace the seat sensor + requires me to pay to have my airbag replaced so the part matches the sensor. According to Tesla service bulletin sb-23-20-002, the new style of seat sensor is strictly incompatible with the older style of airbag (known as a "full suppression" airbag). $182 (diagnostic fee) $475 (OCS replacement) $318 (airbag update) + labor + tax the internet is full of reports of this issue. Just google "front passenger safety restraint system issue". I do not have an invoice for the repair yet. Tesla's service center's first available appt is in 25 days. This means I have to go 25 days without a passenger in my front seat.

I have received a dashboard warning from telsa that there is a “front passenger safety relevant safety issue”. Upon follow-up with the Tesla service team, I’ve learned that the sensor has failed and since they can only replace it with a new and different type of sensor, they also need to replace the air bag. The initial cost was estimated at some $2,100. I bought the “2018” Tesla Model 3 in 2019. I’ve never had to replace an air bag in my some 40 years of owning a car. I hope this is helpful info for NHTSA to have. Please let me know if you have any questions.

I own a 2022 Tesla Model 3 that is just past the 5-year/60,000-mile warranty. I bought it used from Tesla inventory and picked up my vehicle on June 1st, 2026 with ~32,000 miles on the odometer. The front passenger safety restraint system alert (rcm2_a636) first appeared on June 5, 2026. On June 15 at 64,008 miles, Tesla service confirmed the airbag alert and front passenger OCS issue. They found the occupant classification system module damaged and exposed, replaced it, and noted the passenger-side module shorting was also causing a driver-side error. Both cleared after the repair and test drive. Cost: $363. 23. The same alert came back. On July 30 at 66,475 miles they found an open in the passenger seat cushion self-capacitance trace wire and the driver occupancy sensor voltage out of range. They replaced the front passenger seat cushion trim and the driver seat occupancy sensor. Alerts cleared and the self-driving button now worked from park again which never did prior showing the issue was never fixed the first time. Cost: $930. 36. No crash or injury, but this is a real safety risk. The restraint system may not work as designed and airbags could fail to deploy properly. This exact rcm2_a636/OCS fault keeps happening to other Model 3 owners both before and after warranty on forums, and Tesla has service bulletins on the same parts, yet people still end up paying for the repairs who are out of warranty and also have their safety and life at risk. Please investigate this as this is a severe safety defect.

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"subject vehicle (2022 Tesla Model 3, VIN: [xxx]) was deployed for commercial rideshare passenger transportation by fleet operator hertz/uber with active catastrophic life-safety system failures. Onboard Tesla service mode telemetry confirmed: (1) restraints control module (rcm) is powered off with status 00, leaving primary front and knee airbags and seatbelt pretensioners completely inoperative during public commercial transit; (2) master cylinder hydraulic brake pressure telemetry is registered as 'unavailable' under ibooster (ibst) and electronic stability program (esp); (3) steering torque calibration offsets of -97 nm and -14° angular pulling bias were applied to compensate for structural suspension collision damage; (4) active diagnostic trouble code vcfront_a611 radiator heat rejection failure causing severe battery and powertrain thermal throttling; and (5) non-functional windshield wipers and blocked camera sensors violating fmvss 104 and fmvss 208. " information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My Tesla repeatedly displayed a “passenger safety restraint” warning related to the front passenger restraint/airbag system. Tesla service center in los gatos, California attempted multiple repairs over several visits. The first repair identified a pinched and improperly routed passenger seat harness associated with the restraint system. Tesla stated the issue was repaired and tested. The warning later returned. Tesla then replaced the front right seat harness assembly and lap pretensioner. The warning later returned again. Tesla subsequently proposed and/or performed additional repairs involving the passenger airbag, occupant classification system (OCS), occupancy sensor components, and additional seat harness components at significant customer expense. Despite multiple repair attempts and approximately $2,100 in repair costs, the same safety restraint warning still exists today. Because this issue involves the supplemental restraint system (srs), airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, and occupant classification systems, I am concerned the passenger restraint system may not function properly during a collision.

Within the last 7 days, my 2018 Tesla Model 3 long range awd began displaying active alerts for two separate safety system failures: (1) alert code ui_a020 / gtw_w075 — steering assist reduced, stating steering may require increased effort, and (2) alert code rcm_a056 — front passenger safety restraint system issue, requiring service. The steering alert appeared intermittently, firing at consistent times of day suggesting a possible electrical or sensor fault rather than mechanical failure. On one occasion during startup, the steering system briefly locked up before resuming normal function. No noticeable change in ongoing steering feel has been observed while driving. The passenger restraint system alert indicates the front passenger airbag and occupant classification system (OCS) may not function properly in the event of a collision, directly endangering any front passenger. Both issues have been confirmed by the manufacturer via remote diagnostic review, and two separate service estimates totaling approximately $4,784 have been issued recommending replacement of the steering rack, front passenger airbag, occupant classification sensor, seat harness assembly, and seat cushion assembly. Notably, the manufacturer has not physically inspected the vehicle — both estimates were generated solely based on alert codes read remotely and "ai" according to a representative. The manufacturer's own customer support system indicated these repairs may qualify for goodwill coverage, yet no formal commitment has been made. The passenger airbag and restraint system failure is of particular concern as it represents a potential inability of a primary safety system to deploy correctly in a crash event. The component is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance representatives. Warning alerts remain active and ongoing.

I am submitting a complaint regarding a “front passenger safety restraint system fault” warning that recently appeared on my Tesla vehicle. My vehicle currently has approximately 45,000 miles. This warning indicates a potential issue with the passenger airbag or related restraint system components, which is a critical safety feature. A malfunction in this system raises serious concerns about whether the passenger airbag would deploy properly in the event of a crash. I contacted Tesla service, and I was informed that the repair would cost over $1,500 out of pocket. Given the relatively low mileage and the importance of the safety system involved, I am concerned that this may represent a broader defect rather than normal wear and tear. Additionally, I have found similar reports online from other Tesla owners experiencing the same warning, which suggests this may not be an isolated incident. A failure or malfunction of the passenger restraint system presents a significant safety risk to occupants. I believe this issue warrants further investigation to determine whether there is a systemic defect affecting Tesla vehicles. I am requesting that NHTSA review this issue and consider whether further action, including a potential recall or manufacturer responsibility, is appropriate. Vehicle details (VIN, model, year, etc. ) can be provided as needed.

I was involved in a rear-end collision while stopped at an intersection. The impact was significant. During the crash, the front airbags did not deploy. More importantly, the seat belts in both front seats (driver and front passenger) failed to function as expected. Instead of tightening during impact, the seat belts appeared to loosen, allowing excessive forward movement of the occupants. As a result, I was thrown forward and struck the steering wheel. The lack of seat belt pretensioning raises serious concerns about a potential failure of the vehicle’s restraint system. This incident suggests that the seat belt pretensioners and/or related crash detection systems may not have activated properly under a significant collision event. I am concerned that this represents a safety defect that could increase the risk of injury in a crash. I request that this incident be investigated as a possible failure of the restraint system, including seat belt pretensioners and crash sensing mechanisms.

I received a notice onscreen (photo attached) that says "front passenger safety restraint system issue, service is required. " I did some research online and a number of other owners of 2019 Tesla Model 3 vehicles have received this warning, which involves a malfunction that is a combination of the front passenger seat belt, air bag, and seat sensor for the air bag. A number of people with this year and make have gone to Tesla, and Tesla service workers have said "this a known issue" for this year and make. Since this issue involves a number of safety components, and is a known issue, Tesla should be required to fix this as a product defect recall. Instead, they quoted multiple owners, including myself, approximately $2,000 to fix.