2019 TESLA MODEL 3 Complaints

A Tesla model 3 was eastbound on a two-lane roadway at approximately 7:20am local time. A westbound school bus slowed, and activated its amber warning lights, followed by the red stop lights and driver side stop sign. The Tesla, proceeded through the traffic control devices of the school bus while the bus was accepting child passengers. It was evident that the "driver" of the model 3 had full self-driving mode engaged, and was not fully paying attention to the road as he was clearly interacting with his smart phone, held at steering wheel height. The Tesla FSD system clearly failed to appropriately stop and wait for the school bus traffic controls. Had the students needed to cross the highway (instead of only boarding from the shoulder) a serious vehicle/pedestrian incident could have resulted. NOTE: Model 3 was NOT my vehicle - This form is flawed that it makes the assumption that the reporting party is the owner of the vehicle.

Received an alert through the Tesla App that my car alarm was going off. When I stepped outside my house I saw smoke coming out of the windows. I opened the rear passenger door and saw the floor on fire. I went inside and called the fire department. By the time they arrived the entire car had been destroyed.

Firstly, I have 2 recalls on my vehicle which I have reached out to Tesla to repair. Their response was that if it's not a problem now, they won't fix it. If the cable/monitor loses function, I am asked to contact them. In regard to the 2nd recall, they said that they will fix it up with a recent update. No further action needed. My concern and current complaint is my back left/driver's side quarter/corner glass shattered spontaneously. This is after I closed the trunk and pushed back the backseat upright (which was pushed down probably from closing the trunk). Within 30-60 seconds of being in the car, the whole class corner panel shattered. The car was parked (in 50* degree weather) for 4 hours while I had dinner and watched a movie. I was inside the car when the spontaneous shattering occurred on 05/10/2022 @ approximately 9:00pm. There was no internal or external force, the car was parked, and I was inside when the whole situation happened. I was beside myself how it just shattered and how lucky I was not to have kids or anyone in that backseat behind me next to the shattered window. This is unacceptable to have defective and poor quality controlled glass/workmanship. I don't expect to close my car door and have my window shattered or close the trunk and have the windshield explode. This needs to be investigated so no one would actually get hurt. I am lucky that I had no one in the car and the vehicle wasn't moving but I can't imagine if others would be so lucky. I called roadside and customer service. They were of no help. They reported no recalls on the glass and that I should fix it and it won't be covered. I've called numerous numbers to get no where and no explanation other than we're sorry and you will need to get it fix and pay for it. I understand if someone broke in my car or if there was an accident, but in this case, it seriously just shattered without an explanation. I am hoping to get some resolution from Tesla and protect others.

This is a safety report on the poor function of the rearview camera and is for two issues that both hinder the ability to safely back up utilizing the camera display. The first issue is in regard to the delayed display of video on the screen compared to reality. The display always is delayed by a noticeable margin. Reacting to what is on the screen _now_ is often the wrong reaction, as the real position of the car has changed from what is displayed. While this delay still results in a smooth video an estimated 80% of the time, there are times when the screen freezes for a second or two, making it more likely for an accidental crash due to non-current video being displayed. The second issue is in regard to the quality of the video displayed on the screen in what Tesla calls "low light" conditions. The video is grainy, with vertical lines obfuscating what is displayed on the screen. After numerous reports of this to Tesla over the time of my ownership, the always reply saying it is normal. If backing up in nighttime conditions, the screen may not adequately display surroundings due to Tesla's known inability to fix the display when it is not daylight. As reference, this happens even backing into my own garage during the daytime hours, when I can see perfectly well myself. I would not consider this low light condition. Tesla has refused to fix this issue, and instead insists it is expected behavior and offered to explain it to me further, rather than resolving the issue. They seem more interested in getting customers to be quiet, than fixing issues. Please feel free to contact me to discuss this further. I would be more than happy to gather any data that would help you. I just want my car I paid for to work without safety issues shrugged off by the manufacturer. Thanks!

The traffic-aware cruise control frequently brakes hard at high speeds (70-80mph). It will brake for no reason, bringing the car's speed from 80mph to 30mph in a few seconds. This happens about 3 times an hour. If there was a car close behind me whenever it happens, this could have caused significant harm. I feel this is an extreme safety risk. My vehicle has not been inspected, but this is a common complaint among Tesla owners in recent months.

You have many reports of Tesla Model 3 ball joint failures. The ball joints are failing due to lack of lubrication. If an owner complains enough Tesla will squirt some lube in and reseal with silicon goop. Owners are even DIYing with WD40. Here is a Tesla in the junkyard with upperball-joint popped apart and all other ball-joints busted. https://www.iaai.com/VehicleDetail/33393366~US Just wondering when you might get around to demanding a recall. Thanks Your friend Keef. Say Hello to Elon for me.

While streaming Bluetooth audio, the forward collision warning fails to activate sometimes until after a few seconds. What happens is when it is supposed to sound, all audio in the car stops and there is a clicking for a few seconds. Then after a few seconds, the alert goes off. The alert is very dangerous because it severely reduces the time for a reaction. Secondly the backup camera has ghost images and stutters. When placing the vehicle in reverse, a ghost image appears for a second or two then goes into the live view. The live view is very laggy and non responsive. The image freezes and does not update. This causes issues when backing as any sudden movements may not be recorded and will cause an injury because the driver will not be able to see what is going on.

I have a Tesla model 3 SR and it only has the standard autopilot option, not the full self driving option. When on the freeway in a single lane and autopilot is engaged, if the single lane splits into two lanes, the car will swerve violently trying to determine which lane to take. This is a danger for the other vehicles behind me, as they are confused as to which lane the vehicle will take. Sometimes it will take a left or right hand turn lane and then start beeping when it determines that it made a mistake. A huge safety risk, as somebody would be thinking that I would move left or right, but instead the car moves into the lane going straight ahead at the last minute.

On 3/28/22 at 4:01 pm, while in parking lot traffic traveling 2-3 mph, the vehicle lost propulsion, and steering. The vehicle's audible warnings sounded and displayed a series of errors ranging from tire pressure to driver assistance features not being available. The vehicle struggled to move and had steering as stiff as a vehicle without power steering all four tires flat. I backed it into a parking space and conducted a hard re-start using the steering wheel buttons. After a few minutes the vehicle rebooted and continued as normal. A service appointment with Tesla was made immediately. On 4/15/22 Tesla conducted a remote diagnostic and submitted a repair estimate to me in preparation for a 4/16/22 repair. The estimate was for the amount of $757. This amount appears to be related to my vehicle being 3,000 miles past the bumper-to-bumper 50,000 mile warranty. The invoice states Tesla will conducting the following: Correction: Sensor - Wheel Speed -ABS - Rear - RH (Remove & Replace); Correction: Hub - Rear - RH (Remove & Replace); Correction: Hub - Rear LH (Includes Alignment Check) (Remove & Replace). Lastly the invoice lists the HUB ASSY as the part being replaced.

Telsa has not timely corrected the faulty wiring harness for the rear and side cameras causing an increased backing hazard.