Assist Problems of Tesla Model 3 - part 1

Steering rack failure. Steering assist, auto pilot and lane departure prevention failed and would not work properly so this is a safety issue. Manual steering worked fine but the safety and auto pilot functions would no longer function. Paid for Tesla service over $3,000 to replace steering rack and now is working properly. Reporting this as this may happen to others and probably should be a proactive recall on the steering racks so others don't lose these safety features. Maybe related to computer as it failed, worked again and then failed again and was then repaired by Tesla service center.

See all problems of the 2021 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Component/system involved: advanced driver assistance systems — fsd (supervised)/autosteer (lane keeping assistance) and adaptive cruise control. Possible failure to warn/stop (fcw/aeb). Vehicle and data are available for inspection upon request. I preserved dashcam files and requested Tesla to preserve engineering logs and edr. What happened & safety risk: on Aug 13, 2025 at ~9:30 am pdt on us-101 sb near east palo alto, CA, with fsd (supervised) engaged, the system appeared to misinterpret an exit ramp/gore area as a continuing lane at a highway fork and maintained ~60 mph (posted ~70). As soon as I saw the trajectory was unsafe, I braked and began manual steering takeover, but the vehicle contacted a roadside sign near the gore/shoulder before I could complete the maneuver. I then stopped safely. No other vehicles were struck. Airbags did not deploy. This posed a serious collision risk to me, my passenger, and nearby traffic. Reproduction/confirmation: not reproduced. I have not attempted to reproduce the event. Unknown whether the issue has been reproduced by Tesla or a service center yet. Inspection to date: police responded (report pending). My insurer has opened a claim. I opened a Tesla service request asking to preserve autopilot/fsd engineering logs for the incident window and to coordinate edr extraction; engineering review pending. Vehicle remains drivable. Warnings or symptoms before failure: no audible/visual forward-collision warning was perceived by me and I did not observe automatic emergency braking. No prior warning lamps/messages were noticed before the departure toward the gore. Unknown whether any internal/partial interventions were recorded in logs. . Read more...

Subject: urgent complaint regarding power steering failure in 2019 Tesla Model 3 hello NHTSA, I am writing to file a complaint regarding a very dangerous situation I recently experienced with my 2019 Tesla Model 3. While driving on the freeway at approximately 65 mph, the power steering failed unexpectedly. I struggled significantly to change lanes in order to exit the freeway, and it felt as though my vehicle was going to collide with other cars. After managing to get off the freeway, I nearly hit the guardrail while attempting to turn onto a side street, creating a hazardous situation. I am deeply concerned about the potential consequences; for instance, what if I had struck a pedestrian, or if the car had collided with another vehicle at high speed? I live on a winding mountain road, where I could have easily driven off a cliff. Turning the car off and back on temporarily resolved the issue. However, there are numerous complaints regarding steering rack failures with Tesla vehicles. Tesla has quoted me $2,700. 00 to fix what appears to be a known manufacturing defect. They are aware of this potentially hazardous situation but are not taking responsibility for the repairs. This is a serious safety issue, and I urge Tesla to accept responsibility and cover the repair costs before someone is seriously injured or killed—if such an incident has not already occurred. Please let me know what further actions I can take to facilitate Tesla's resolution of this dangerous problem. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely,.

See all problems of the 2020 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2022 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Curvature assist feature agressively brakes while driving at highway speeds. This is supposed to slow down for curves, but frequently intervenes for straight, clearly marked lanes. Feature cannot be turned off. Drivers behind me have gotten agitated several times for the sudden, harsh braking, and I do not feel comfortable driving this car.

See all problems of the 2023 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

My vehicle is equipped with supervised fsd and has had couple of issued on the intersection of [xxx] and [xxx] in portsmouth, virginia. It seems every time I stop at the light, the system recognizes the red light and stops, but shortly after it wants to keep advancing forward although the light is still red and has not changed. The vehicle has also had a problem staying on lane at light on the intersection of [xxx] and [xxx] in suffolk as it is getting ready to turn left prior to entering the entrance road to [xxx] . The image in the screen is correct and the lines are in place, but the vehicle has trouble staying with in the line and needed to be corrected. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Fsd malfunction, inspection available. Yellow double lines were not recognized around a turn, causing the car to steer towards oncoming traffic. Unknown. Vehicle was declared fully functional by Tesla dealership. No warnings, vehicle had many symptoms prior to the last event in which I decided to service the vehicle. First critical malfunction may 21, 2025.

While making a wide right turn at an intersection I heard three warning beeps before the steering wheel locked. I was unable to correct the steering. When I realized it wasn’t allowing the steering to correct, I began to brake, causing me to drive over a curb, ultimately stopped by a fence and cactus in someone’s yard. This is a huge safety concern, as children could’ve been playing in the yard, or farther up the road where a curve has a 30 foot embankment I could have rolled into. I have scheduled a service appointment with Tesla to have it looked at. I have had this issue occur multiple times before and am sure it can be reproduced.

Tesla fsd incident – exton, PA ([xxx]) just sharing a scary experience I had with Tesla fsd beta yesterday — hoping it reaches the right eyes and helps others stay alert. I was driving on a main road in exton, PA, using fsd with the “avoid highways” option turned on for the first time. This is a route I know well and usually follow using google maps. At one point, fsd turned on the left indicator, and I thought it was taking a regular exit — the road it chose looked like a narrow side street, so I didn’t question it. But within 5 seconds, I realized it had actually taken me into the oncoming traffic lane. It was shocking and totally unexpected. I immediately took over, stopped the car, and when the road was clear, safely steered back into the correct lane. This happened around 3 pm on a bright, sunny day, with normal traffic. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I have a safety concern regarding Tesla's full self driving (fsd) supervised system. V13. 2. 8 being the latest customer version. Since the update to fsd v13 in December, I have consistently used it on a daily basis. While it performs great on city streets, it consistently caused a serious safety risk on the freeway: it habitually tailgates cars at high speeds of 70-80 mph on the freeway. It does this even when there is no traffic and the other lanes are wide open. I have experienced this on both a Model 3 (2025) and a model y (2024). I am writing this complaint here hoping you will pay attention to it, as despite my best efforts, Tesla has ignored my feedback. I even opened a service ticket about it at one point, and the service tech couldn't care less. Not maintaining proper distance to the cars in front on the freeway puts the passengers at high risk for a rear end collision. If Tesla is to launch an unsupervised version of their fsd system, this problem must be addressed first!.

After installing Tesla ota software update 2024. 45. 32. 15, my vehicle experienced critical system failures. Upon entering the car the next morning, I noticed that all cameras were non-functional, and navigation had completely stopped working. This posed a serious safety concern, as features like autopilot, parking assistance, and basic visibility enhancements (such as rearview camera functionality) were unavailable.

Have to swerve the vehicle back and forth to get the alarm to shut off.

See all problems of the 2024 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

My Tesla was operating in full-self-driving beta when it experienced a sudden uncontrolled accelration event. I was driving on [xxx] at approximatley [xxx] this morning. The road speed limit was 40 mph. The car display was correctly showing that the road speed limit was 40mph. The speed offset in the cars setting was limited to 5 mph max above the speed limit. While the car was driving it suddenly accelerated very hard from approximately 40 mph to over 60mph before I was able to stab the brake pedal and kick the car out of full self driving mode. There were no errors, warnings, or signs that anything was wrong with the car. I have also notified Tesla via the service request function in the Tesla app under the section for "software performance". Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Driver set cruise control has fsd imbedded that causes the vehicle to slow down drastically on its own. The car has brake tested several following vehicles so far. I’ve seen this before many times of other Teslas but thought it was the driver and now I know it was not. This causes a chain reaction of braking and smoking tires. I am positive this has created accidents but the ones involved have no idea how it started many vehicles ahead. The lane keep assist pillar cameras do not work in the dark, this has taken me by surprise already. The phantom braking on highways is awful, it is so bad that I am afraid to drive in the winter. The torque of the wheel sensor is not safe, when auto steer disables it can take you by surprise causing you to swerve into on coming traffic. The car accused me of using a cheat device one time so I decided to try it and surprisingly I found that it is actually much safer than using my body weight. These are extremely unsafe for busy traffic and slippery roads. I have videos showing it and will get more.

I have a 2018 Tesla Model 3 that was involved in an accident on 10/12/2024. It has enhanced autopilot, which was the most advanced version of self driving when I bought the car. It was engaged in "navigate on autopilot" on the freeway. The car was following the freeway as it veered to the left, but then it stopped following the lines and crashed into the side of the freeway. The result of the accident was a total loss on the vehicle. I had shoulder and neck pain that have not required serious medical attention, but it was almost a week of discomfort and difficulty sleeping. My insurance company has deemed the vehicle a total loss and I will have to get a replacement. There were no warning alerts and the vehicle did not recognize that it was leaving the freeway lines. I was not going over the speed limit. The car did not prompt me to take over the vehicle because of danger. It just went straight towards the freeway guardrail. The car is not drivable due to the damage it sustained.

See all problems of the 2018 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

October 12, 2024. I was using the Tesla on autopilot. I was in the far right lane and the freeway was curving to the left. The car was following in the lanes, but then all of a sudden it stopped following the freeway and drove into the right guardrail. There were no alerts by the car. It did not warn to take over the vehicle or attempt to avoid the collision. The car drove directly into the guardrail without warning and was totalled.

Lost power steering suddenly on the road.

Received several "steering assist reduced" alerts when stopped in traffic last week, followed immediately by the failure of the power steering after each alert. Power steering resumed after a soft restart. Tried to make appointment at Tesla service center last Friday to get this addressed, but they said they had no appointments available and would not be able to diagnose my vehicle until today, August 12, 2024. . In the interim, the power steering went out again while on the freeway, forcing me to exit and restart the vehicle again. This is a clear danger to myself and my passengers. After receiving the results of the diagnosis today, they informed me that both the steering rack and harness would need to be replaced at the cost of nearly $5,000. The technician showed me some corrosion in one of the electrical connections where there had been water intrusion. I told him this was surprising since the car is relatively new and it would seem that Tesla would have sealed this connections to resist the relatively dry rainy seasons we experience here in southern California.

The right scroll wheel used to turn on/off adaptive cruise and lane centering doesn't register inputs every time the button is pressed in. This makes turning the system on and off unpredictable and dangerous.

On several occasions, the last being July 19,2024, auto correct on steering took control of my vehicle when no correction was needed. I’ve been taken by surprise and struggled on all occasions to gain full control of the vehicle. In addition, my car is not able to receive the over-air update to address the hood latch recall which leaves me more vulnerable to a catastrophic event. I can not reach a person in service as Tesla pushes every communication through the app. My appointment was pushed out over three weeks and I still have not heard from Tesla to confirm this appointment nor reach out with any concern whatsoever regarding this horrific safety concern.

While driving in the right lane of an interstate using full self driving (supervised) mode (version 12. 3. 6), I was behind a motorcycle that was traveling slower than I. Fsd was gaining on the motorcycle, but failed to move to the passing lane. I had to disengage the system so that the car didn't get too close to, or strike, the motorcycle. I manually moved to the passing lane and reengaged fsd. The car eventually decided to move to the right lane, behind the motorcycle. Again, it was gaining on the motorcycle and got too close, so I once again had to disengage fsd. It seems like the system didn't recognize the motorcycle or didn't recognize that it was traveling than slower than my vehicle.

I have taken my vehicle into Tesla to have the issue fixed twice. They don't know what's happening or how to fix it. My car is randomly taking the wheel and steering me into other cars / off the road. It happens once a month or so, I have a newborn baby I drive in the car and I don't feel safe driving. I've recorded the incident and Tesla service said "that should not be happening unless I'm using auto pilot" which I never do. I've looked into lemon law but I did not purchase the car from Tesla directly, I bought it from a used car dealership. I'm not sure what to do, I can't sell the car because I would still owe $10,000 after the sale. Please help anyway you can, I'm desperate for anything.

Model 3 self deleted after failing to maintain lane and crossed the white line, and off pavement, into eroded ditch.

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.

The Tesla Model 3 from the factory does not have the option to get the trailer mode safety software. Aftermarket suppliers make and sell class 2/3 hitches for the Model 3. And while the Model 3 is not rated for towing. People still have the tow hitches installed and they tow trailers. The model y with the tow package has what is called “trailer mode” which enables safety features for towing that allows the vehicle to do several things for safety while towing: - it adjusts the wheel braking and speed stability. - it routs to “pull through” charging stations for safe charging without having to unnecessarily and repeatedly unhook trailers. - auto steer, automatic steering, emergency braking, and following distance is all adjusted to account for the trailer and its weight. - light check, checking for functional trailer lighting. The model y that does not get the factory tow hitch does not get this tow package software. If you get the tow hitch added afterwards on the model y or aftermarket, Tesla does not provide this safety enhanced software. The Model 3 does not get this safety software regardless. And yet people are able to install after market tow hitches I believe Tesla should be required to offer the towing software to the model y base and Model 3 regardless if the vehicle it tow rated or not because the safety of the vehicle when towing is a necessity. I don’t think it should matter if they charge money or offer it free so long as you can have this trailer mode software option added for safety. Because people are going to tow with their cars. A lot of people don’t follow manufacturer recommendations. And u-haul trailer rental among many other providers offers tow hitch installations and rents trailers to people with Tesla’s. So the easiest thing is to require Tesla to provide this safety enhancement to every vehicle and not just the model y “if it gets the tow package from the factory. ”.

After the recent 1-month free trial of fsd, my basic autopilot does not keep speed and will reset the programmed speed. This causes my car to slow rapidly and unexpectedly. This erratic change of speed creates a safety issue on the road due to the car slowing with no warning and without reason. Tesla has evaluated the vehicle remotely and has said it is performing normally despite this behavior just starting with the fsd trial. The previous 2 years of ownership have had no issues. I am told that this is due to different levels of autopilot having different performance and if I upgrade to the fsd this won't be an issue. No warning lamps are present.

Tesla motors has two self-driving features, a mode they call enhanced autopilot and full self-driving. Enhanced autopilot is used primarily on freeways, and allows the car to switch lanes without driver's assistance, while maintaining the speed of traffic. Full self driving is a separate system in and of itself that relies on far more sensors, and is far more complex, as it needs to be in order to handle all the nuances of allowing a car to drive itself on and around city streets. During the month of April ,Tesla previewed the supposed improvements in its full self driving mode by releasing it to everyone for free for that month. I was exiting the 101 freeway in los angeles, utilizing the enhanced autopilot feature to navigate myself to my destination. At this exit, the car makes a right on main st, drives downabout 500 feet and then makes another right so that you're briefly traveling underneath the freeway from you'd just exited. As the car made that second right, while on what should have full self-driving mode, the car failed to navigate the angle of that turn and ran right into a steep curb at a fairly fast speed, destroying the right drive train, the right tire, the entire front bumper, and the cars wheel chassis and suspsnesion system all still have to be fixed. I believe the malfunction was caused by the car failing to properly switch vbetween enhancd autopilot and full self-driving if they utilize gps to mmake that determination, because it felt almost as if the car was trying to switch into the lane to the right (which didnt exist there was the curb there) and not like it was attempting to negotiate or preparing to make a wider turn maneuver. I don't believe it even decelerated as it hit the curb. I broke my toe but otherwise am all right. Tesla won't honor their warranty and is threatening to repo the car they won't fix.

At 7:50 this morning I had my first drive with Tesla fsd 12. 3. 4. It had been going very close to curbs on the passenger side on 12. 3. 3, but this is the first time it hit the curb and damages the tire rim. The current version of the software puts the car much too close to the curb, something not present in prior versions.

The most recent software update v11. 1(2024. 3. 10 9d92fb944d7f) was downloaded automatically and I installed it. The next time I drove, the car made uncommanded and unwanted lane changes, apparently because I could "go faster" if I passed the traffic in front of me. I did not want to go faster due to congestion and aggressive drivers where I live. I then discovered that "full self driving" had been activated after the download and without my knowledge or authorization. I believe that this was an unsafe condition and wish to report it. I immediately turned "fsd" off.

With the latest update of v12. 3 fsd, the full self driving cannot predict the obstacles clearly, resulting in am incorrect left turn manuever, running over a central divider curb, and damaging tires. Not sure, what could have happened, if a human was standing there instead!.

See all problems of the 2019 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

My Model 3 intermittently has the steering wheel locked in position, which sometimes resolves temporarily after rebooting the car. I always get a steering assist reduced error on the car, regardless of rebooting. It also no longer has lane keep capabilities or autopilot, which involve the car automatically moving the steering. I have not gotten this inspected by a dealer or service center. The issue first appeared yesterday, after I tried to pull out of a parking lot, but I had trouble since my wheel would not turn. I will be going to a service center next week. After the errors began, I have not meaningfully driven the car, since locking of the wheel while driving is very dangerous. A handful of errors showed up on the screen (cruise control disabled, traction control disabled, stability control disabled, steering assist reduced), and I did not have any regenerative braking applying. I returned safely to my parking spot. After multiple reboots of the car (pressing both wheel buttons), I found that sometimes after putting my car into drive, my steering wheel was locked. Other times, I could turn my steering wheel without issue, but I would always receive the steering assist reduced error.

I got a recall notice from Tesla and Tesla is still in safety violation and is refusing to fix the issue, so I need your help to force Tesla to fix their abusive ways. The recall 23v-838 is related to "when autosteer is engaged". Autosteer/autopilot/fsd now disables even when not engaged, alleging "improper use" when it wasn't even being used. It also disengages autosteer/autopilot/fsd while driving if it detects "improper use" (even if it's detection system itself is buggy), forcing the car to slow down like in the middle of the freeway! when the battery is low and there's only a mile or two to go to a charger, the software will slow down and force the car to pull over to get a tow, taking on average 2 hours to get a tow truck to go 2 miles, rather than allowing the driver to reach the charger with the remaining battery it shows. Tesla keeps changing the battery percentage for when it shuts down. It used to be 0%, then 3% and recently 6%. This randomness creates "range anxiety" and distrust in the battery percentage being a useful indicator. Tesla should use 0% as "shut down" and leave the rest of the battery as "drivable" to reach a charger to have an accurate indicator. It also flashes alerts on the screen to "pay attention to the road", which is ironic to have a screen display to distract attention to the screen. . . Rather than pay attention to the road. Tesla took away my autosteer/autopilot improperly, and no one in the service center or support at Tesla knows how to fix this bug or give it back to me, so I can drive safely like with lane centering. I paid $10,000 for this "safety" that Tesla takes away at random, claiming they can do whatever they want because they've now labeled it beta software! this is an abusive practice the NHTSA should force Tesla to stop doing and give the power back to responsible drivers like me. Tesla abuser names include gilbert, raquel and tara. Teslas also don't detect cars in blind spots and still phantom brakes.

When driving in "autopilot" mode which uses adaptive speed control, the car suddenly slows down without any warnings. This happens even when there is no vehicle in front of the car and therefore slowing down is not expected. This has happened several times while driving on freeways. If it weren't for my immediate reaction, serious multiple-car accidents would have happened. My reaction has been to quickly disengage the "autopilot" system and manually accelerating to avoid rear collisions. The other issue is the car suddenly steer the wheel and drag the car to the side even when there is no reason to do so. In such cases, I have to forcefully steer the wheel to the opposite direction to avoid collision with other cars moving on either side, or parked cars on the streets.

Ever since Tesla updated my vehicle to 2023. 44. 30. 8, the autopilot has become effectively unusable. It now nags and beeps at me whenever I am not looking straight ahead. It is ridiculous that Tesla has ruined one of the best aspects of my car due to (ostensibly?) NHTSA pressure. Please allow their previous driver attentiveness system with the steering wheel to be reinstated. It is so miserable to have my car nanny camera flip out on me every time I look anywhere other than straight ahead. At the very least, every other manufacturer should be forced to have just as annoying a system if my Tesla had to be ruined. Its wrong to punish every Tesla owner because some people misused autopilot.

The new software update forced as part of the autopilot recall is terrible and the system needs to go back to the way it was. They adjustments make the feature useless. There are many unnecessary warnings and notifications, all of which destroy the driving experience and actually make the car less safe. Bring back the old system.