Electrical System Problems of Tesla Model 3 - part 2

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.

See all problems of the 2022 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

The reason that I'm currently writing you this letter is to report an incident that happened on Sep. 16th, 2025. This is the date that I was very excited because I got my first ev - Tesla Model 3 new car. Me and my wife went over to the delivery plant in fefe, washington. The address is 3701 20th st. E. , fife, wa 98424. We took the car and I myself drove it back home around 2:45ish (-3 :00 pm the latest). It was just two blocks away from the plant outbound to the eastward trying to get to the entry of the highway. I stopped my car on my brake, and suddenly my car went forward by itself. This unintended acceleration caused me to hit the car in front of me. We had to stop in the next parking lot on my left side as soon as we passed the traffic light. This intersection happened right at the intersection of 54th Ave. E (northbound) and pacific highway e. I hit the car in front of me. My front bumper got some damage. The car is still drivable and I have put the photos and maps for your understanding.  .

See all problems of the 2025 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Front left safety restraint. Airbags won’t deploy due to this issue.

See all problems of the 2019 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

The car was parked in a campground for a night and several systems issues came up, including traction control disabled, steer assistant disabled, staibility control disabled, and the car was keeping accelerating even though I did not step on the accelerate pedal. The acceleration was out of control. This was happening in a remote area when we drove half way out of the campground to a city. We called the Tesla roadside help and they just told us they could not help because it was too late to find a toll provider and we were left in the middle of nowhere and no help. We searched google and found a few very similar issues on Tesla cars that had been reported. We don't know what happened but those issues just disappeared themselves in the next morning and we have not get the chance to send it a service center for further investigation. We are certain that this is very serious safety issue and the car was basically out of control.

On [xxx], at just 9,526 miles, my brand-new 2025 Tesla Model 3 (VIN: [xxx] ) suffered a front motor/inverter failure. The vehicle displayed the warning “front motor disabled. ” Tesla vallejo service confirmed this and replaced the front drive inverter (3du). A catastrophic drivetrain failure at under 10,000 miles is unacceptable and raises serious concerns about reliability and safety. It still doesn't not accelerate as before. In addition, since delivery on [xxx], this vehicle has had persistent rattling and vibration issues in the cabin. I have returned to Tesla vallejo multiple times (April, June, July, and August 2025). Each time, the service manager, steve mcnerney, dismissed or minimized my concerns, blaming “seatbelt rattling” or claiming the issue could not be replicated. After July, I even sent three separate videos clearly documenting the noise, yet the most recent service invoice still instructed me to “provide a video,” showing Tesla ignored or failed to record my evidence. This ongoing defect has been reproduced and confirmed at Tesla service but remains unresolved. Tesla’s dismissive handling and failure to fix the defects create both safety risks and loss of confidence in the vehicle. A front motor failure while driving could result in loss of power, reduced acceleration, or unsafe driving conditions. Tesla has failed to provide a reliable or safe resolution despite repeated repair attempts and clear evidence. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Main incident: time: 2025-08-28 ~12:41 pm pst what happened: after searching for a parking space, the driver was preparing to reverse into the spot, the driver pressed up the stalk to shift the gear into reverse, a sound was heard and something showed up on the screen, the vehicle once again started accelerating and running forward suddenly and sharply (3 mph to 28 mph in 3 secs), driver tried to steer the vehicle away from cars and buildings to minimize danger, the car rushed onto a concrete curb, hit one blue Tesla, then hit the side of a concrete utility pole, and ran over a plant and last crashed into the chain-link french before it finally stops injuries: * spine pain for one passenger damages: ** all tires blown out, tire falls off ** severe damages throughout the vehicle body * one Tesla parked on the parking lot was severely damaged * the utility pole's base box was scraped and deformed * one plant was knocked down similar case 3 few mins ago: time: 2025-08-28 ~12:38 pm pst what happened: the driver entered a oneway parking lot, but found no available spot and was trying to back up, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. The driver performed an emergency brake and stopped the vehicle. At the time the vehicle stopped, it was only about 20 inches away from two cars in front of it injuries and damages: none what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? malfunctioning of the electronic control or braking system leading to abnormal acceleration conflicting gear shifting and autopilot engagement design the right stalk is used to both shift gears and engage autopilot features, this design makes it very easy for the system to confuse the two actions autopilot feature safety issues autopilot features (whether its fsd or cruise control) should not be allowed to initiate abrupt acceleration to a dangerous speed in a low speed area (for example parking lot) insurance claim filed, number: 25-647243342.

See all problems of the 2018 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

There is an error with my car's occupant classification system (OCS) which is giving me an alarm of "front passenger safety restraint system fault". Tesla only "fix" is to replace the OCS with what seems to be a newer version. You can tell it is a new version because they are also telling me I need to replace my airbag as my current airbag is not compatible with the new OCS.

The contact owned a 2024 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph on the freeway, the central touchscreen interface displayed a blank screen. The contact mentioned the autopilot engaged independently, causing the vehicle to merge to the left and collide with another vehicle in front of the driver's side. No air bags deployed. The contact stated that she sustained injuries on the left side of her wrist and arms, and a bruise on her right arm near her elbow and upper right thigh swollen on her neck, shoulders, and full back and both hands are swollen. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision garage. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the dealer diagnosed and informed the contact to speak with a lemon law expert. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The contact stated the vehicle has been in the dealer over nine times. The manufacturer was notified and opened a case, then closed it. The approximate failure mileage was 9,611.

See all problems of the 2024 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

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.

The horn does not work in the rain. I reported this. They sent a technician to replace it. The issue is not resolved. This is extremely dangerous.

See attached document for complaint.

No warning messages at all, all cameras/sensors stopped working all at once while driving, full self drive stopped working, lane assist, safety features of full self drive was degraded by this. Car software v12 (2024. 44. 25. 2 288ce84bb43e), according to the dealership the computer fried randomly.

I believe my car should be included in the recall for trunk harness recall. My alert and issue is the rear camera being off due to rear trunk ruining the wiring harness that has affected many cars. This is already a recall but I believe my car missed being involved.

On August 7th, 2025 at around 8 am in the morning, my vehicles mobile phone car key was in-operable and I was unable to get in the car which led me to trouble shoot how to fix this issue with the car. Upon researching I was directed by Tesla to directly complete a soft reset of the vehicle holding down both buttons on the vehicle once I was inside, and pushing on the brake pedal. Upon completion, my vehicle booted up and I realized that all camera systems were down, my navigation systems were down, my safety features were down, my auto pilot, lane keeping assist and auto brake were down, sensors were down and I was no longer able to pre heat my battery to charge my vehicle due to issues with the navigation. I then took the vehicle to Tesla service center irvine where a service advisor quoted me 2900 for a new ecu and bolts and told me that I needed to replace my whole unit and that I was to cover the cost of the repair even though my vehicle is only 2 years of age and this failure is due to the quality control and software of the vehicle. I have been driving around a vehicle with absolutely no safety features whatsoever such as no cameras, sensors, auto braking, or full self driving due to this ecu failure and I fear for my safety and well being while driving this car.

See all problems of the 2023 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

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

See all problems of the 2021 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

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.

I am reaching out to report a high voltage isolation issue with my 2019 Tesla Model 3. Tesla determined the issue was caused by external factors such as grime and road salt corroding the battery seals, leading to an internal isolation fault with the high voltage battery. They deemed it out of warranty, with an estimated repair cost of $13,155. 30. When I asked what preventative maintenance could have avoided this, Tesla only referred me to the owner’s manual, which simply instructs users to clean the car’s exterior. No specific maintenance regarding battery seal inspection or corrosion prevention was provided. Records from our local car wash subscription show the car has been washed regularly (at least 66 times since January 2024). The previous owner also had brake lines replaced due to corrosion under warranty, during which Tesla removed the battery in March 2023. In October 2024, the rear drive unit was replaced under warranty, yet no mention was made of battery seal corrosion during any of these service visits. At no point has Tesla’s maintenance guidance or service process addressed checking the seals for corrosion in regions where road salt is heavily used. I believe this omission creates a potential safety concern, as seal corrosion in a high voltage battery could lead to failures or hazards without prior warning. The vermont ag consumer assistance program recommended I contact your office for further assistance. This issue appears to be part of a broader pattern where Tesla attributes failures to “environmental factors” without advising owners of any specific preventative maintenance, effectively avoiding warranty responsibility while leaving potential safety issues unaddressed.

Software update was pushed onto my car, after the update the car autopilot ecu no longer works. When the ecu finally failed these features were stuck or are completely broken/not working: - auto dim rear view mirrors (these were stuck in dim mode, preventing me from seeing in rain or darkened environments such as at night or under shade, 0% visibility under these conditions when changing lanes or reversing) - rear view camera completely stopped functioning, as did all cameras on the car - forward collision warning no longer works - autopilot (adas features in general) no longer functioning including lane keep assist - on screen navigation is locked in place where the car failed (screen shows location where the car ecu presumably failed). I am further unsure if the following features function as required: - airbag deployment - aeb (automatic emergency braking).

See all problems of the 2020 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Right turn signal works only occasionally. Tesla has no fix since April 2024.

I was in a drive thru of a fast food restaurant and the car rapidly accelerated on its own and crashed into a wall. The air bags deployed and we were injured. We also narrowly missed hitting a pedestrian. The car hasn’t been inspected by anyone yet, however it is available if someone wants to inspect it.

The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 mph, the vehicle shut off. The contact stated that the vehicle lost electrical power and the main computer screen was black. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn left or right, and the brake pedal was soft while depressing the brake pedal. The contact was able to coast to a stop. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle but was unable. The contact was able to get the main computer screen back online. The contact stated that the computer had several unknown warning lights displayed and a timer was activated and counted down and the vehicle shut off. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was blown fuse, and that the vehicle went into "fail safe mode” and shut down all systems. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

This is a large scale problem with Tesla due to their "easy entry" which automatically moves the front seats to fit the drivers saved positions. Due to Tesla not properly securing the wires under the seat, they get crimped over time causing an error of "safety restraint system issue. " there have been thousands of reported Teslas with a simple google search. The service center also stated to me this is a large scale issue but a recall has not been issued. This is very dangerous as this disables the airbags due to a seat belt or wire crimp under the seat issue. Please investigate and issue a mandatory recall for the safety issue as Tesla wants $1000 to rectify the issue. Many have reported this issue to be fixed by the service center multiple times only to come back months later.

Tesla failed to properly diagnose a high-voltage battery isolation fault in my 2018 Model 3. Despite safety-critical bms_a027 and bms_a142 faults indicating multiple isolation failures, they skipped required insulation resistance testing, falsely blamed sand in a connector, and charged me $174. 95. After the issue returned, they reversed course, replaced an internal battery contactor, and reduced the $1,173 estimate to $356—admitting fault without owning it. Days later, a diagnostic showed dangerously low isolation resistance (380k?, far below Tesla's 1,000k? safety threshold), yet they took no further action. On July 12, the car again went into limp mode. Tesla’s repeated failure to follow safety protocols, diagnose accurately, and honor warranty obligations has left me with a vehicle in an unsafe state and no corporate accountability. I've contacted their resolutions team three times (7/2, 7/7, 7/10) with zero response.

Documenting a sudden unintended acceleration experience. Today while driving and trying to stop for a red light, I lightly applied pressure on my brake pedal to brake for the red light. Midway through the braking, my car lunged forward for about half a second. Went through the dash cam footage, and I noticed that the footage skipped half a second as well. Seems like something electrical that caused the car to lunge. This is a huge safety issue.

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

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

The contact's daughter owned a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving during rain at 60 mph, the contact lost control of the vehicle as the vehicle spun in a circle at hit a highway wall barrier. The barrier wall was damaged as a result of the accident, and the contact was given a bill for $3,222. 15. The air bags deployed upon impact. The contact did not seek medical attention but suffered from both back and head pains. A police report was filed. Due to the accident, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the vehicle remained in their possession. The contact wrote a letter to the manufacturer about the failure, but had yet to receive a response. The vehicle was deemed a total loss as a result of the accident. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

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.

En primer lugar decir que el VIN utilizado ES completamente aleatorio. Esta notificación está dirigida para todos los fabricantes DE vehículos eléctricos y fabricantes DE baterías. Actualmente los diferentes medios DE comunicación y redes sociales no paran DE reportar incendios en las baterías DE los vehículos eléctricos, con el peligro que esto representa para personas y bienes colindantes. Estos incendios están producidos en gran medida por la deformación que sufren las baterías a lo largo DE su vida útil, con las cargas y descargas DE las baterías, estas empiezan a hincharse, deformarse hasta que llega a un punto donde las celdas que componen la batería entran en cortocircuito produciendo los incendios ya mencionados. Existe un sistema ya patentado para controlar la deformación DE las celdas que componen una batería, una vez que el sistema detecta el hinchado o deformación en las celdas que componen una batería, este puede detener la carga, carga por regeneración y impedir el siguiente arranque del vehículo poniéndolo en modo seguro. Adjunto presentación del sistema mencionado en el siguiente enlace: [xxx] saludos. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2017 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

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

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

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while opening the doors of the vehicle, the driver's side seat back unintendedly reclined and pressed down on the rear seat, causing the cushion to become deformed. The contact manually used the seat controls to return the seat to an upright position. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and only occurred while the doors were opened. A Tesla service center was contacted; however, an appointment was not scheduled for diagnostic test. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

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

Steering assist reduced, traction control disabled, stability control disabled. When trying to drive steering heavy and car coasts unless holding brake pedal, which is unusual for a Tesla at it normally auto holds. Traction control and stability control also disabled, unsafe to drive.

When driving vehicle over the past month, vehicle turn signals on the steering wheel fail to respond to commands and feel almost as if the controls are locked out by a steering wheel software fault. Upon further inspection, checking service mode, found the sccm service alert to correlate with the exact moment of turn signal unpressability directly. No debris or liquid has ever entered the area, and this issue has gotten so bad that it happens 3-4 times over a 45min drive I cannot activate the turn signals at all when the failure occurs. There is no alternative way to activate them. The steering wheel is the only way to activate the turn signals and the fault does not permit me to use either turn signal when attempting to change lanes on the highway. Tesla reports that it's a normal software bug and to "deal with it" because there's nothing they can do to fix it. This is directly indicative of a known defective part, and this is a safety-critical defect where a recall must be issued to resolve. Numerous units are impacted through research of same failures. I cant use my turn signals when attempting to change lanes, and Tesla does not want to fix/refuses to address this issue. Even through a phone call from paul from the service center in orchard lake, mi, reported that the condition is a "known defect with interal documents" that confirm it, but he cannot share the doc with me, and "that the idea the issue of getting pulled over for not being able to use your turn signal is an imaginative concern. " this, is inaccurate, as the inability to actuate turn signals is a safety-critical failure. The service center replaced my steering when and sccm module, however the issue persisted after the visit, and the service manager of the west bloomfield, mi service center called me 12 hours before my appointment to deter me from dropping the vehicle off, and then told me this would be a customer pay diagnostic for a warrantable safety failure.