2018 TESLA MODEL 3 Complaints

The passenger and driver side bolts connecting the shock strut to the lower control arms have come loose. The passenger side nut is missing and the bolt has almost fallen out, just hanging on by a thread. Can make driving dangerous by increasing instability.

The center display that houses all of the cars instrumentation including gauges randomly goes out while driving. It will go out for 10 to 15 minutes until it recovers. This leaves me with no gauges at all including loss of backup camera, turn signals, speed and various other functions. I purchased the car two weeks ago and this has happened 5 times already.

While vehicle is in full self driving (FSD), it randomly hallucinate, triggering left or right turns when the mapped course is forward. This has occurred 8-10 times within the past week. I stopped using it today after a near accident while driving on the highway. I reported all incidents to Tesla, they historically do not respond to inquires. This is extremely dangerous to the driver, other drivers, and demonstrates Tesla’s neglect in releasing beta releases to the public. No warnings were displayed at the time of each incident. Tesla has my driving data, camera access and my feedback notes. TeslaFSD version is v11.4.4 or 2023.7.20.

Bolt connecting lower control arm to the sub frame fell out as it wasn’t torqued/fastened properly during manufacturing. This caused suspension to rattle and cause wheel alignment warnings to go off.

Software bug for sure. When car is in autopilot the windshield wipers start and cannot be turned off. This occurrs when the windshield is clean , not raining. The wiper off virtual switches cannot be turned off and the only option is to switch from auto to 1 to slow the wipers. If the car is not in autopilot the issue doesn’t not occur and the wipers operate as they should.

My car left the road traveling at 60mph, and after leaving the road it was quickly approaching a metal pole. At this time it seemed that the breaks were not able to stop the vehicle. After totaling the car, and what I thought would be the loss of my life, my airbags did not deploy. To further explain the extent of the accident: the front bumper is destroyed, the hood is destroyed, the windshield is destroyed and caved in onto me, the roof was destroyed, the back glass was also destroyed, along with much more extensive damage to the build of the car. The pole involved in the accident came out of the ground and through the car. It is unfathomable how I am still alive with manageable injuries. Yet- no airbags. This could have ended much differently.

I have owned my Tesla Model 3 since early 2019. The adaptive cruise control worked incredibly beautifully for years up until a few weeks ago - I think sometime in June 2023 (could have been May 2023). All of the sudden, I was *frequently* experiencing phantom braking, ie. braking with no explanation, while using adaptive cruise control. Sometimes the braking was gradual, other times more forceful. It would happen at random places - Sometimes in/near intersections or around other vehicles, other times just out on the open road with no vehicles or stoplights anywhere in sight. Even on a 20 minute drive, it can happen three or four times. To me, this is a severe hazard. I have a disability, and I purchased this vehicle because of the incredible safety features. Prior to this, it has 100% lived up to what people said about it - just amazing. But now, the very reason I purchased this vehicle, its advanced safety features, I find not just unreliable but somewhat terrifying. I *believe* that Tesla may have (effectively / unintentionally) disabled the built-in radar in vehicles like mine. This is because I've read online accounts of people with the same year having the same problems as mine, also at around the same time that mine started. Specifically, my model year has radar built in. But I understand that newer Teslas rely solely on cameras, ie. "Tesla Vision." I understood that because my vehicle physically has radar installed, that my adaptive cruise control would still work at least as good as it had in the past - certainly not worse. If this can't be fixed I'll be forced to sell the car, which I desperately don't want to do, as I love the car and I think the world of Tesla. I just want it to work properly again.

Vehicle has experienced dramatic increase in so-called phantom braking incidents when adaptive cruise control is turned on. The vehicle suddenly and forcefully brakes for no apparent reason even when there are no vehicles or other hazards in front or on the sides of it. I have revisited sites where the incidents have occurred to see if there is some environmental factor such as reflective signs that might have triggered the incidents but have been unable to replicate them. They are completely random. I am aware that this phantom braking issue has previously been reported but based on a review of various Internet sites such as Reddit, owners have reported a dramatic increase in incidents over the past month or so.

Tesla is charging me to replace the defective second-row center seatbelt buckle. My car has 47,600 miles today (7/13/23). I've owned several other cars and never had to replace a seatbelt buckle before.

Received an error "Front left safety restraint system fault. Service is required." error on my vehicle yesterday (7/11/2023) which disappears when lifting seat to highest position. As soon as seat is lowered more than 1/2" the error reappears and airbag light is illuminating notifying that the airbag is not enabled. This error is clearly an issue with the safety restraint system on the vehicle but Tesla will not honor fixing this under their Supplemental Restraint System Limited Warranty. The vehicle is within coverage period (<5 years and <60,000 miles). I am being told this SRS Limited warranty covers air bags, seat belt, seat belt buckles, sensors, and modules only. I have not taken the vehicle in for service as the quote I received is too expensive ($601). Please see photos for my conversation with Tesla service as well.