Air Bag Problems of Tesla Model Y - part 1

24 hour after taking delivery, operating on full self driving on a residential street at 25-30 mph, the car struck a landscaping trailer parked on the right. The tailgate of the trailer was down and the car struck the left rear upright post of the trailer causing significant damage to my car. No automatic breaking occurred: the car struck the trailer at full speed. The collision alarm sounded just as the vehicle struck the trailer, not before. I requested vehicle status info form Tesla, but the video stops well before the collision and I can't decipher the rest. But I can send it to you if it would be helpful,.

“front passenger safety restraint system fault, service required” rcm2_a636 message keeps appearing on the screen. It happened right after I bought the car, so I took it to Tesla to fix. It went away for a few months and now it’s back again. According to Tesla, this fault, “ based on the airbag system's self-diagnostic checks, a persistent fault has been detected in one or more safety restraint components. This could involve seat belts, impact sensors, occupant sensors, or related safety components. • if the airbag warning indicator stays on, the vehicle should not be driven until inspected. • recurring faults require immediate Tesla service attention. • pre-tensioner or sensor damage can compromise proper seat belt functionality. ” this is a serious safety issue that should be addressed in a recall as it could jeopardize occupant safety of the seat belts or air bags do not work. It also appears to be somewhat widespread and persistent. Tesla also does not appear to have a permanent fix as the first time I took it in they made a comment about one repair already having been done on this before I got the car as a certified used one from Tesla.

See all problems of the 2021 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

While driving, a persistent error appears on the screen with a chime: "front left safety restraint system issue" (error code: rcm2_a128). After researching online, it appears this is a commonly reported issue among Tesla owners and may have serious safety implications. The error code rcm2_a128 indicates a fault in the vehicle’s safety restraint system, specifically related to the seat belt or restraint mechanism on the front left side.

See all problems of the 2023 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

The primary safety restraint system, specifically the driver's side airbag, failed to deploy during a significant frontal impact collision. This severely compromised my personal safety, as my head struck the steering wheel with force, leading to injury and pain. Had the impact been more severe, the lack of airbag deployment could have led to much more serious, potentially life-threatening, injuries. Immediately after the impact, the primary braking system also malfunctioned, and the vehicle's warning and autopilot systems became compromised, posing further safety risks. The specific airbag non-deployment problem has not yet been reproduced or formally confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, vehicle is currently scheduled for its first post-accident inspection at a Tesla collision center address 6010 richmond Ave, houston TX 77057 on June 11, 2025, and is available for inspection. To date, the vehicle has not been formally inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives for these specific malfunctions. Police responded to the accident scene and filed a report, but no technical inspection was conducted by them. There were no prior warning lamps, messages, or symptoms indicating a malfunction with the airbag system before the collision. However, immediately after the collision, the primary brakes failed and the warning system and autopilot system showed signs of malfunction/disruption; no specific warning lights related to these post-impact issues appeared prior to their malfunction.

I was driving my 2026 Tesla Model Y when another vehicle pulled out from a driveway and struck the front/side of my car. The Tesla failed to initiate automatic emergency braking (aeb) and no airbags deployed. This raises serious concerns about the functionality of Tesla’s safety systems in real-world scenarios. The vehicle has not been modified in any way and was in standard driving mode. I have contacted Tesla support requesting a diagnostic and explanation, but I believe this incident should also be reviewed as a potential safety defect.

The contact owned a 2023 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while driving at 45 mph, occupied with his with son in the vehicle, another vehicle collided into the front center of the vehicle causing the vehicle to merge into another line. The air bags did not deploy.  the contact sustained injuries to his neck, shoulder, and low back. The contact son sustained injuries to the neck. No medical attention was required. The vehicle was towed to al's towing yard. The contact stated that a police report was filed. The contact mentioned the seat belts did retract. The contact stated that the failure was not diagnosed by a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they informed the contact to call his insurance company. The approximate failure mileage was 30,491.

The vehicle was operating in autopilot mode as it approached a right turn but was in the incorrect lane. The vehicle accelerated in an apparent attempt to merge into the correct lane and initiate the turn, but it approached the turn at an unsafe speed. I pressed the brake pedal, which disengaged autopilot as expected, but the vehicle failed to slow down or stop. I attempted to manually complete the turn, but although I turned the steering wheel, the wheels did not respond. The vehicle continued forward at speed, struck a curb on the opposite side of the road, and then collided with a parked vehicle. The impact with the parked vehicle ultimately brought the car to a stop. Multiple error messages briefly appeared on the screen during the incident before disappearing.

See all problems of the 2024 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the message "front passenger safety restraint system fault" was displayed on the instrument panel. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,400.

Front passenger seat occupancy sensor defect – Tesla vehicle in March 2025, my Tesla vehicle began displaying a warning message indicating a fault in the front passenger seat occupancy sensor system. I brought the car in for service on March 14, 2025, and the system was reportedly replaced. However, in April, the issue recurred — the seat sensor alarm would activate randomly, particularly after going over bumps, falsely indicating that a passenger was present when the seat was unoccupied. I returned the car to Tesla service, and they again claimed to have repaired the issue. Despite this, the false passenger occupancy alerts continued. In may, I contacted Tesla and submitted several videos clearly documenting the problem. Tesla performed a remote diagnostic and stated that the seat occupancy sensor was functioning as intended. On June 22, 2025, I brought the vehicle back in for in-person inspection. Tesla physically examined the vehicle and acknowledged that the false alarm could be reproduced in a similar model vehicle, effectively confirming a design defect. Despite this, Tesla maintained that the issue did not affect the safety or function of the front seat. I believe this defect presents two significant safety concerns: 1. The frequent false alarms are distracting during driving, increasing the risk of an accident. 2. The defect raises serious concerns about the reliability of airbag deployment and other safety systems, which rely on accurate seat occupancy detection in the event of a collision. I have video evidence and service documentation supporting the timeline and recurrence of this defect. The problem has been reviewed multiple times by Tesla service teams, both remotely and in person. Tesla has acknowledged the issue can be reproduced but has taken no corrective action. I have videos of the defect I can submit and documentation of my conversations with Tesla.

My wife was driving the car on March 7th 2025. Before she leaves the house, she had her front defroster on and the windshield was clear before she leaves the house. 5 minutes later, the front windshield became so foggy to the point she could not see anything in front of her and the front defroster was still on. And because of that so foggy windshield she moved out of her lane with no lane departure warning or anything and then she hit the railway pole without any emergency brakes going off or any warning signs letting her that she is about to hit something. The whole front of the car was gone and the car was totally lost but no airbags deployed at all and that was also concerning. Also there was no issues or any warning lamps or messages before the loss. The car was taken to a body shop and was inspected by the body shop and I believe a representative from my insurance company went to inspect the car at the body shop. So these are the parts I felt faulty or causing the safety concern: - front defroster - automatic emergency brakes - lane departure warning - forward collision warning.

I have an intermittent warning message "front passenger safety restraint fault" which started about 1. 5 years ago. Tesla added a "filter" which sorta resolved the problem, but as I mentioned its an intermittent problem. I submit another service reqyest for the same issue January 2024 at 51k miles but they denied my warranty claim because it is past their 50k basic warranty. I resubmitted a service request around September 2024 to look at the issue but they said they will look into my request for warranty but never got back to me. Fast forward to 2025 I submit another service request because the warning message keepings popping up more frequently and I read that Tesla srs warranty is up until 60,000 miles which as of January 2024 I was still within. Now they are denying my claims because I didnt request a service within warranty period. I wasn't aware of the srs warranty and Tesla employee saying I am outside the warranty and deny my warranty claim which was either incorrect, a lie or both. I have tried explaining to them multiple times but every time they say its outside of warranty now.

See all problems of the 2022 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

The contact owns a 2025 Tesla Tesla Model Y. The contact stated the while driving at approximately 30 mph, the vehicle crashed into a tree impacting the front of the vehicle, but the air bag did not deploy. The contact did not sustain injuries. The vehicle wa towed to a body shop. A police report was taken. The vehicle has not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 4,444.

Accident report [xxx] I was driving on [xxx] fort smith ar to bentonville car was on autopilot, it was raining on and off and with all other cars we were driving around 70-80 mph all the sudden it started a short slip on the right then second after that it started spinning and took us out of the road car totaled car. I believe problem is autopilot did not disengage when car started to slip but instead it was still on until the car got out of the road and hit a large tree. This is 3rd time for me to have this type of accident with same situation slip then spin then out of the road. I believe autopilot is the problem here 100%. This autopilot system is very dangerous. I had enough of this and im hoping national highway traffic system will step in. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My car was hit by another car in front left corner and side door at very high impact. Car has severe damaged and it is totaled now. Air bags on the driver side did not deploy even at such high impact. No air bags were deployed. There was only one person, myself driver, in the car. Police came and investigated the accident and filed report. I have also submitted the air bags issue to Tesla.

Several malfunctions: all cameras including rear cameras were disabled, high beams would flash on and off continuously when in auto mode. Front passenger safety restraint failure alert message that eventually turned off. The car continuously has a humming noise even after turned off. Navigation system was not operable.

I have a notice that a sensor went out in my passenger seat. I took it into Tesla to get a quote to repay rid and was quoted $2,000 to fix it. When I asked why it is so expensive I was told it is be cause Tesla has to retrofit my car to fit the new sensors because they stopped making my years sensors, my car is only a 2021. This is safety issue that should be a recall, I have several other friends that own Teslas that have had the same issue. The sensor that is not working properly is the sensor that registers if a passenger is in the seat or not determining if the airbag needs to deploy when in an accident. So without a working sensor it puts the passenger at risk. This is something I believe Tesla should covering as it is a safety issue & as a consumer I shouldn't have to pay over the fact they discontinued the proper sensor for my vehicle putting anyone that sits in my passenger seat at risk for the airbag to not deploy in the case of an accident.

Received a sign on my car 4 times- front right safety restraint system fault all 4 times I have taken my car to get serviced for them to fix it but still sign returned 4 times total.

I was in a parking lot on [xxx] in mamaroneck, new york waiting in line to get out at approximately [xxx]. Many cars were ahead of me due to the school drop-off rush, with parents and kids lined up in the parking lot waiting to leave. While I was waiting, the Tesla unexpectedly accelerated on its own, but I managed to hit the brakes just in time to avoid colliding with the car in front of me. A few seconds later, my car suddenly accelerated again without any input from me. I tried to steer away from the cars in front while repeatedly pressing the brakes, but they weren’t working. All I could think about was avoiding hitting another car or person, so I swerved the car toward the building in the parking lot. The impact was hard, and the car finally stopped, but the airbags didn’t deploy. I’m deeply shaken by the incident; I could have seriously injured someone or even worse. When I got home, I discovered that this issue is a known problem with Tesla, yet they’re placing the blame on drivers. Having never been in a car accident before, this experience has been overwhelming. As a mother and attorney, I believe it’s crucial to examine this situation more closely. Tesla controls the data, and it’s clear that responsible drivers wouldn’t suddenly veer into a building in a crowded parking lot without cause. I urge you to act on this life threatening defective car and investigate this problem before it is too late. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving 5 -10 mph and pressing the brakes with the intention to decelerate when the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The vehicle ended up rear-ending the vehicle in front. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries. No medical attention was needed. There was no police report. The vehicle was towed to a body shop which diagnosed that the air bag sensors for both the driver and passenger front end failed. The vehicle had not been repaired due to determining which party should be held accountable. The dealer had not been contacted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,850.

The contact owned a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was involved in a t-bone crash. The contact stated that the driver's side of the vehicle crashed into it while the vehicle was stopped at a four-way intersection. The contact stated that none of the driver's side air bags deployed. The contact stated that only the passenger's side air bags were deployed. The fire department and police department arrived on the scene. The fire department had to cut the driver's door off to remove the contact's wife from the vehicle. The contact's wife was transported to the local hospital. The contact's wife was severely injured. The contact's wife sustained injuries to the head and the neck along with other injuries. In addition, the contact's wife has continued treatment with a chiropractor, physical therapy, and continued medical appointments. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

I am reporting a recurring safety restraint system fault error in my 2020 Tesla Model Y. The issue manifests as an alert on the vehicle's dashboard, warning of a problem with the safety restraint system. This error began appearing at approximately 75000 miles. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the safety restraint system in my Tesla Model Y is giving errors. Yes, the component is still installed in the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? this malfunction affects critical safety features, including the airbag system and seatbelt functionality, potentially preventing proper deployment of airbags in an accident. Additionally, when the fault occurs, it disables key driving safety features like autopilot and cruise control, which increases the risk of accidents, particularly in scenarios where these features are expected to function. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes, the problem has been reproduced and confirmed by Tesla. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? inspection by Tesla is scheduled were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? yes, the "front passenger safety restraint system fault" warning appeared on the vehicle's display prior.

See all problems of the 2020 Tesla Model Y 🔎.

The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration causing the driver to loose control of the steering and crash into a second vehicle. During the crash the frontend of the vehicle was severely damaged but the air bag did not deploy. The contact sustained a right hand injury that did not require medical treatment. Three occupants from the second vehicle sustained undisclosed injuries and were transported to the hospital. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 7,608.

The front passenger safety restrain system keeps switching off and showing an error randomly during driving, especially with younger passengers on the passenger seat. The problem was already fixed by Tesla 4 times and is appearing again.

My vehicle is less than a year old and still under warranty. The dashboard display is showing the following error message: “front passenger safety restraint system fault”. Tesla informed me that the occupant classification safety system filter module has failed and must be replaced. Tesla has agreed to fix the component under warranty, but they informed me they could not schedule a repair until October 31. It is my understanding that damage to this component could prevent the airbags from functioning properly during an accident, so I am concerned that the car is not safe to operate with passengers. I have asked Tesla repeatedly if the vehicle is safe to operate and they refuse to answer the question.

First time when it happened, I was able to control and it went to back to normal. I did not pay attention after. Second time I took right turn and the car drove in left lane but this time I felt steering was rigid and was unable to control the steering and hit a tree. Driver seat air bag was deployed and all doors were locked. Gel from air bag burned my right hand wrist.

Have had a service error come up multiple times front passenger safety restraint system fault -.

The contact owned a 2020 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at 60 mph in rainy weather, the vehicle inadvertently spun in circles, and he lost control of the vehicle. The contact took his foot off the accelerator pedal. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle crashed into an embankment and then spun twice before inadvertently driving into the forest and coming to a complete stop. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact and his father, who was a passenger, were uninjured. There was no medical attention received. The vehicle was first towed to the tow yard, and then the insurance company had it towed to the salvage yard, where it was deemed totaled. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to contact the local dealer for the computer data. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

I was involved in car accident 8/7in which vehicle total. After first impact vehicle did not stop felt like kept going accelerating into 3 additional impacts.

Front passenger safety restraint system fault service is required error. This just appeared on my screen when my wife sat in the passenger seat.

I was driving down i90 with no one in front of me and a clear road. Unexpectedly, the right side passenger airbags exploded and struck me in the face and shoulder. The car immediately braked and I saw a semi truck pass me on the right with pieces of what appeared to be tire debris flying in the air. I pulled over and my car become inoperable. I inspected the outside of the vehicle and there was no damage or collision at all yet the passenger side airbags went off.

Airbags (any) failed to deploy in a hard impact t-bone collision with another vehicle, endangering occupants. Vehicle is being inspected by insurer.

Tesla met with an head on collision with another Toyota. Tesla’s airbags didn’t deploy and I had my 6 year old in car as well. The other car which was 2007 Toyota, its airbag still worked.

We were about the park in the marked parking lane and the vehicle unintedly accellerated, the brakes did not work and we saw message "automatic emergency brake not available" and air bags not available. We tried to control the vehicle to avaoid crashing into the porch of the infront apartment and steared the speeding vehicle and the vehicle hit the pillar of the aparement and finally came to halt few meters away in the parking lot as the front right wheel broke. 1. The adas automatic emergency breaking seems failed 2. Forward collission warning seems not working 3. The safety of the driver and the passenger were at risk while the collission happened 4. I am not sure if the similar incidents happened or can be reproduced by the dealer/manufacturer. 5. Vehicle components inspected by the Tesla collission center but no software logs inspected and they said that they cannot get the device crash/event logs. 6. At the incident/while the incident was underway we saw few message that displayed "automatic emergency brake is not avaiilable" and "air bags are not available".

I recently saw there was a recall update issued by Tesla regarding the seatbelt alert. My driver seat does not sense I’m in the seat, and allows me to drive with out a belt on. Even if they send an update to my car, I won’t be alerted. Someone could use the lack of sensor to not remain in their seat. Inflatable doll with sunglasses could take my spot. My question is, is this included in the recall regarding the seat belt notification when not buckled since it’s part of the safety restraint system?.

I have been getting "rcm2_a626" error for "front passenger safety restraint system fault. It comes and goes. Apparently it is a common issues among Tesla owners. When I first filled for the error they quoted $2000 for replacing front passenger seat. The error went away so I canceled the appointment. Then it came back in a random fashion and getting more frequent. This time, in addition to replacing the front passanger seat cushion, "they're retrofitting "sbr in OCS equipped front passenger seat. " I'm not sure what that means. If this is a common issue, there must be something to do with manufacturer qc.