Equipment Problems of Tesla Model 3 - part 2

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.

See all problems of the 2022 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

I am the owner of a 2021 Tesla Model 3 and am filing this complaint due to a significant safety concern: my vehicle does not have manual or mechanical releases for the rear doors; only electronic mechanisms are present. In the event of a total power failure, accident, fire, or submersion, rear seat passengers would be unable to exit the vehicle through the rear doors, as there is no physical lever or alternative escape route directly available inside the rear seats. This design poses a serious risk to occupant safety in emergencies, especially for families with children or passengers unable to access the front seat manual releases or trunk escape features. The lack of a rear mechanical release is inconsistent with standard automotive safety practices and could lead to injury or loss of life if electronic door access is disabled. It’s important to note that newer Tesla models now include manual rear door release mechanisms, demonstrating that Tesla recognizes the safety benefit and necessity of this feature. Owners of earlier models, like mine, are left without this critical safety upgrade, and I believe this should be addressed for all affected vehicles. I strongly urge NHTSA to investigate this issue and consider whether a recall or mandatory modification is warranted for the affected Tesla Model 3 vehicles. Please contact me if any additional details are required.

See all problems of the 2021 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Tesla full self driving software malfunctioned and turned into oncoming traffic lanes instead of crossing over to the correct opposite side of the roadway. This occurred after getting off a on ramp in ukiah, California around 2am Nov 15, 2025. This could have put others in serious danger if there were cars coming in the oncoming lanes heading in the different direction. The problem has not been reproduced by a dealer or other entity. Yet this has happened to other Tesla drivers as well using fsd as you are probably already aware. No inspection and it was sudden and unexpected.

Compliance arm bolt securing it to the subframe is fractured. Tesla has dismissed my ongoing concerns of vibration and instability while driving. Stating they performed an in depth inspection of all suspension and subframe components and found nothing of concern during last service appointment. I did my own inspection and found the fractured bolt. Sent photo to service and they are trying to play it off as normal and safe to drive. Contacted several manufacturers and mechanics stating otherwise. Told this will end in catastrophic failure and loss of vehicle control but apparently Tesla wants me to drive it to the service department for next service.

See all problems of the 2023 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Tesla remotely disabled supercharging access on my vehicle without any warning, safety errors, or mechanical problems. The vehicle charged normally for months, including recent supercharging sessions, and still operates safely. Tesla stated supercharging was disabled due to a “salvage” title and now demands a $1,900-$2,400 “inspection” to restore access, with no diagnostic evidence of any issue. This appears to be a remote software lockout of a critical charging feature without a safety justification. It limits safe operation and access to public charging infrastructure. I request NHTSA investigate this policy as an unfair and potentially unsafe manufacturer action.

See all problems of the 2019 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Using the navigation system in self driving mode the turn signal indicators start 500 feet from the intended turn, regardless of speed, and not influenced by cross streets or parking lot driveways thay are present before the intended turn. This takes place regardless of upcoming cross streets or driveways, but based on distance only, giving drivers coming out of these cross streets and driveways an indication that I intend to turn sooner. This has caused several "close calls". Reference: "the California dmv driver handbook similarly instructs drivers to start signaling about 100 feet before a turn so that other road users have time to see and react to your intention. On freeways, the dmv further recommends signaling for at least five seconds before changing lanes, which is a related but separate guidance from the 100?foot rule for turns. " I consider this a serious safety issue.

See all problems of the 2025 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Turn signal indicator buttons stick and/or activate the opposite turn indicator of the button pressed. Issue is persistent and I have had two other steering wheels replaced and all three have the same problem. Tesla technician told me that it is an issue with the steering wheel and there was no fix. Have a video of the problem but I am currently unable to upload.

See all problems of the 2024 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

Component: battery and charging system summary: 2023 Tesla Model 3 long range lost 15% battery capacity (345?300 miles) in 2 months at 9,816 miles. Comparison vehicle shows this is a defect, not normal wear. Description: vehicle: 2023 Tesla Model 3 long range, VIN: [insert VIN], 9,816 miles defect: between September 2025 and November 2025, displayed range at 100% charge dropped from 345 miles to 300 miles—a 15% loss in just 2 months. Evidence this is a defect: I own a second 2023 Model 3 (base model) with 66,680 miles that only dropped from 272?260 miles (4. 4% loss). The long range with 7x fewer miles has 3x more degradation, indicating a battery pack defect. Service refusal: Tesla service ran “range analysis” but refuses to test battery capacity or check for dead cells. Only provided scripted responses about epa vs real-world driving, which doesn’t explain why my high-mileage vehicle has healthier batteries. Safety concern: rapid cell degradation may indicate failing cells, thermal management defect, or fire risk. Unpredictable range loss creates stranding risk. Request: investigate 2023 Model 3 lr battery packs for systemic defects. Require Tesla to perform cell-level diagnostics and replace defective packs. Documentation available upon request.

Central computer (motherboard), cameras (front/rear/side), autopilot/auto steer system. Error code: aps_w132. Description of problem: on or around [xxx], Tesla pushed a mandatory over-the-air software update to my vehicle. Immediately after, multiple safety-critical systems failed: all cameras (including backup) became intermittent or non-functional, auto steer/autopilot stopped working, and the car emitted constant distracting beeping alerts due to a critical motherboard failure. This made driving hazardous—impaired visibility for parking/reversing, loss of collision avoidance features, and constant audio distractions that could lead to accidents. I had to drive in this unsafe condition for weeks while waiting for service. Tesla attempted a remote fix but it failed. I scheduled service on November 19 for December 3 (19-day delay). Diagnostics confirmed the update induced the hardware failure, a known issue reported by other 2021 Model 3 owners on forums like reddit (e. G. , software bricking motherboards post-update). Despite this, Tesla refused warranty/goodwill coverage, quoting $2,576. 83 for repairs. Service advisors josh and andy were unprofessional: josh was rude/condescending; andy was aggressive, sarcastic, and retaliatory. After I mentioned filing complaints with the az attorney general and news channel 3, andy threatened $100/day storage fees with an impossible deadline (called at 4 pm Friday, close at 5 pm, demanded pickup by morning, then noon). He closed my ticket without authorization, delaying fixes and forcing me to contact another location—prolonging my exposure to the unsafe vehicle. This defect poses serious safety risks: sudden loss of cameras/autopilot could cause crashes. Tesla's awareness (from prior reports) and poor handling (intimidation delaying repairs) exacerbates the danger. No crash/injury yet, but potential is high. Please investigate this update-induced failure as a widespread defect. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Subject: urgent safety concern – Tesla on fsd drove wrong way on one-way street message: hello, I’m reporting a serious safety incident involving my Tesla while full self-driving (fsd) was active. On 10/27/2025 at 3:33pm, my son was driving our Tesla Model 3 2025 in smithtown new york. While on fsd, the vehicle incorrectly entered and drove down a one-way street in the wrong direction, creating an extremely dangerous situation. Fortunately, no one was injured, but it could have been fatal. We have video footage recorded by the Tesla dashcam clearly showing the event. I’ve already backed up the files from the usb drive and can provide them for review. Please investigate this incident immediately and confirm how I can securely share the video footage and retrieve the car’s internal driving logs for that time period. Details: date/time of incident: October 37 2025 at 3:33pm location: smithtown new york fsd or autopilot: fsd vehicle VIN: 5yj3e1ea7sf053207 I am very concerned about the safety implications of this malfunction and would like written confirmation that Tesla is investigating and will provide a technical report or response.

The rear doors do not have a manual release. If power is lost, you cannot open the rear doors. This is a severe safety concern. With 2 child seats in the rear seats, with a power failure, you cannot get the children out. Newer Model 3 vehicles, have a manual safety release. My 2018 does not.

See all problems of the 2018 Tesla Model 3 🔎.

In a wreck the car does not have emergency door handles for the back doors if the power shuts off. This is a major safety issue.

The "front passenger safety restraint system" is prone to errors because the wiring for it beneath the seat is prone to getting knocked loose and electrical interference.

I have reported to Tesla how dangerous it can be long term to have one pedal driving and to use the accelerator as a cancelation mode to it’s many errors, see uploaded example picture. Also, having lighted notifications on mirrors causes people to subconsciously ignore actual blinkers of other vehicles; the only thing that should be on a side mirror is an adjustable fish eye mirror that allows to see the entire side lanes and tire placement.

I was horrified to read of the deaths of three beautiful California girls in a Tesla cyber truck, that was involved in a crash, was on fire, and the electrical system malfunctioned resulting in them not being able to get out of the car. Tragically, they burned to death. (recall too [xxx] ' incident as well as other incidents). I went to search the internet for Model 3 (2023) to see if there were manual overrides in the event of crash/fire/electrical malfunction (even if related to dead battery) and found a you tube video (not information provided by Tesla mind you) that showed that on the front seats, there should be a lever not far from the door handle that you can pull to activate a manual release of the door. In the video, they said 'models' are different as to the rear seats but there 'should be' a lever. I could not find any manual override for the back seat passengers. So, I drove to the Tesla dealer/service department to have them show me how to activate the manual override for back seat passengers. The technician admitted that in many Teslas, including mine, there was no such capability!! he admitted Tesla was acutely aware, they do not prioritize safety and that the back seat passengers would be stuck. He agreed that it will take a major class actions and major fines, and/or jury verdicts for them to do anything about it. Appalling and not acceptable. I would request that NHTSA mandate that all Teslas (probably models before 2025) lacking the device necessary to allow passengers to escape death due to failed electrical system be recalled to modify the car at Tesla's expense to comply with the reasonable expectations of consumers. This is a major design defect, unreasonably dangerous and presents a very real threat to the consumers who have no knowledge of the defect, much less where to look for the override (if it exists) because that information is not provided when you purchase the car. This is no different than the Ford pinto situation. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (.

While driving home, my Tesla was operating in full self-driving (fsd) mode and initially performed normally, stopping at a red light and proceeding smoothly when it turned green. Moments later, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own, lost control, and began spinning uncontrollably before sideswiping a parked car and coming to a stop on the wrong side of the street in oncoming traffic. I was fully awake, alert, and did not manually steer or accelerate at any point. The incident appears to have resulted from a malfunction in the vehicle’s fsd system and/or its steering and acceleration control mechanisms. There were no warning lights, error messages, or alerts before or during the event—it occurred without warning. This malfunction created an immediate safety hazard that endangered my life and posed a serious risk to other drivers, pedestrians, and surrounding property. The situation could have easily resulted in a fatal collision or injury. I promptly notified the police, and the incident was reported to Tesla insurance, which serves as my coverage provider. Despite my repeated efforts to have the issue inspected and addressed, Tesla insurance has refused to acknowledge fault, open a claim, or cover related damages. As a result, the malfunction has not been reproduced or confirmed by Tesla or any authorized service center. The vehicle has since been inspected by collision works, a certified Tesla collision center in long beach, California (500 e. Anaheim st, long beach, CA 90813), which provided a preliminary repair estimate. I am currently responsible for repair costs out of pocket pending resolution with Tesla insurance. The vehicle remains in my possession and is available for inspection by Tesla, investigators, or safety authorities upon request. The complete and unexpected failure of the fsd system to regulate acceleration and steering represents a serious safety defect that warrants immediate investigation to prevent future harm.

On [xxx], I was driving my new 2025 Tesla Model 3 from my home in the woodlands, TX, to san antonio for a weekend trip. At approximately [xxx], while traveling on [xxx] a few miles before exit [xxx], the vehicle suddenly behaved abnormally. It appeared to take control without my input, causing the entire car to wobble violently. I completely lost control of the vehicle for several seconds. There were no obstructions, debris, or road conditions that could explain this behavior. I have video recordings from the car’s cameras clearly showing the incident. After pulling over safely, I contacted Tesla, who guided me through some reboot steps. I decided to cancel my trip due to safety concerns and began returning home. However, at approximately [xxx], near exit [xxx] on [xxx], the same issue occurred twice more. I immediately pulled over again and arranged for the car to be towed to Tesla service. This was a terrifying and potentially fatal malfunction. It appears to involve a serious defect in the traction control, steering, or drive system. I request that NHTSA urgently investigate this issue to ensure the safety of other Tesla owners. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The turning signal buttons (this car has buttons instead of a typical stalk) often becomes stuck. It’s like all of the buttons on the left side of the steering wheel are already pushed down, and therefore, I cannot indicate whether I’m turning by pushing that turning button.

Mold, mildew and smelly odors are coming through the on-cabin ventilation system. This is the 3rd time since 2020, I had to purchase & replace the two air filters and spray the poorly designed duct & condensation accumulation. I inspected the self-installed air filters and there were no signs of moisture, mildew, mold or stains on the filters, which makes me think the problem was /is from the hvac condenser or coil area. Tesla had issued a 2019 software update to “run” the ventilation system longer after the vehicle was in “park” but the software update has not solved the mildew and bacteria odors that are vented into the cabin, and subsequently changed the hvac design in post 2021tesla models that corrected this problem with many pre-2021 Model 3s. Tesla service centers are still charging for the coil spray cleaning and not covering this mold & bacteria-creating hvac design problem of their earlier year vehicles CA as I had to pay Tesla for a pair of air filters change and now they want me to pay for a separate fee for spraying the condenser coils.

There is no way to find the emergency manual release in the rear doors. Where are they!!!!??? there is no panel or cover to remove to find a release for the doors in case there is no power!!! this my friends car. I don't have his VIN so I grabbed on off the internet.

Tesla Model 3 software & trunk security issue vehicle: Tesla Model 3, 2024 issue date: September 25, 2025 I am reporting a serious software reliability and security defect in my Tesla Model 3. On September 25, 2025, the trunk opened on its own overnight due to what appears to be a software malfunction, resulting in the theft of $500 in personal belongings. The Tesla app sent only one notification while I was sleeping, with no alerts for over eight hours, failing to provide proper security warnings. Tesla customer support was unable to resolve the issue and suggested multiple drivers might have access, even though only one friend has access to the car and it was not her doing. Vehicle data from Tesla privacy support showed two hours missing during the trunk event, and Tesla could not explain why, only speculating a software glitch. This incident demonstrates a critical software and security failure that compromises vehicle safety and personal property. Tesla has failed to provide an explanation, solution, or preventive fix. I am reporting this as a serious software reliability and consumer safety concern. Best, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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.

The passenger door handle is inoperable . The door handle is stucked open.

While driving on the 5 freeway, using autopilot, my car suddenly decelerated and came to a complete stop. Fortunately, we were not struck from behind, and I was able to get the car to accelerate again after approximately 10 seconds.

Safety restraint warning in car, unsure of actual issue but warning keeps popping up. Presumed that the seatbelts or airbags would not properly work in event of a crash. Dealer/company says it's a known issue, with other cars needing a fix too, however they aren't able to specify exactly the issue or issue a timeframe on repair. Issue first started appearing in late August of this year, and has become more frequent as of recent. Potentially this is a critical safety issue regarding airbag/seatbelt's potentially failing to work as designed for all similiar models.

While driving, the side mirrors closed and the doors locked by themselves. Then, the front trunk opened, the rear trunk opened, and when I opened the door, the headlights turned on and the front trunk opened again. When I opened the door another time, the side mirrors didn’t unfold, and the headlights started blinking. At high speeds (over 50 mph), I hear a ticking or metal-clanking sound, which is really scary. The car seems to be acting on its own, following some strange “manual” or behavior pattern. I feel unsafe driving it.

Tesla odometer discrepancy) combines the energy to run the car to count against the mileage. The car is often sitting parked and all of a sudden the mileage is shorter… basically the odometer reading is wrong because weekly added miles are attached to odometer because the air is on or screen is used and that’s not fair for us because it’s incorrect.

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.

While using Tesla’s auto park feature, the vehicle struck an obstacle without detecting it before or after impact. The system failed to log a collision event in its detection systems, giving no warning and providing no reasonable opportunity for driver intervention. Data retrieved directly from Tesla confirms that forward/side collision sensors did not activate, “near deploy” collision detectors remained inactive, and although a “crash algorithm wake-up” was triggered, the vehicle did not brake or attempt avoidance. This represents a potential systemic defect in Tesla’s auto park detection logic and/or related hardware that could result in collisions without driver awareness or system logging — a safety risk for any Tesla driver using auto park.

The car's horn only works sometimes and often not at all when steering wheel horn areas are pressed, hard or soft!! Tesla said they couldn't fix it!!.

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.

Essentially, I find the lack of emergency, unpowered door release for the back doors a little concerning. There is no way to open the door in the event that all power to the door latch fails. Even in newer models (at least of 3/y/cybertruck, that I know of) the emergency release is buried under the cupholder liner in the rear seat. Here is a youtube video showing a homebrew retrofit. It seems like something like this should probably be provided to owners of this model of car. The internals of the door seem to make this feasible. [xxx] the front seats, on the other hand, have an easily accessed and intuitive emergency door release. I imagine that the rear seats differ from this model because of child safety locks. Just removing all emergency handles from the door seems like a pretty bad solution. I further understand that there are situations in which even an emergency door release will fail to open the door, and a glass break device is probably the ultimate recourse to this situation. But rear seat emergency egress really seems like a blind spot in NHTSA requirements at least. I shouldn't have to do an airline style safety briefing to my rear passengers in a consumer vehicle. Thanks for your time, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2020 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.

Button turn signal on new Model 3 is vet dangerous. When steering is rotated, is is impossible to find the signal button because of the location of the button is also rotated according to the rotation of the steering wheel. It caused me a traffic accident when I tried to find the signal button when there was traffic congestion in the middle os traffics. This must be replaced traditional turn signal lever.

I have experienced multiple tire failures on my 2022 Tesla Model 3, with at least 7 tires needing replacement due to air bubbles. These issues have occurred on both front and rear tires, and currently I have 3 more tires with visible bubbles and one tire is actually leaking air. Most of these tires failed within 2,000-6,000 miles of use, which is far below normal tire lifespan of 25,000-40,000 miles. Despite repeated service visits, no alignment or suspension inspection has ever been performed by Tesla to determine why this keeps happening. The tires are just replaced at my cost, with the problem recurring again and again. Despite the pattern, Tesla service advisors continue to blame road conditions or driving habits. I want to be clear: I actively avoid potholes, drive cautiously, and have never experienced anything like this with any previous vehicle. Something is clearly abnormal here. In addition, I have noticed strange clicking and popping noises while driving, which seem to come from the chassis or steering area. It worries me that there may be a deeper mechanical or build quality issue. The vehicle often feels unstable, and I am genuinely concerned that a failure of a suspension component, battery mounting, or other structure could lead to a fire or loss of control. No warning lights have appeared, but the pattern of repeated air bubbles showing in my tire after just driving not even 1,000 miles and abnormal noises makes the vehicle feel unsafe to operate.