2018 TESLA MODEL 3 Complaints

2018 MODEL 3 21,060 miles, No warning lights or messages, car started to make a clicking noise when turning steering wheel right and left. Drove to Tesla Service Center after hearing noise for the 1st time. At Tesla Service: Agent #1 stated that is a normal noise and no need to bring it in and or need to make appointment. Agent #2 Technician, heard noise and said that it needs to be looked at, maybe control arm. Technician #3 came out to visual inspect vehicle heard noise when turning steering wheel while he visually inspected front suspension. Tesla made appointment for next day. Tesla stated that Right and Left Control arm and all parts, have to be replaced. Tesla has recalls out for front suspension, control arm issue. If your vin. # is not on the list then you will be charged. I believe that this is major safety issue due to failure of control of steering which could easily cause an accident.

HVAC Heating system not fuctional (PTC Heater) has failed. It seems through a series of internet searches and forums that the PTC Heater is failing prematurely on earlier builds of the Model 3. Tesla additionally has limited supply/backordered of PTC Heaters therefore would be assumed that the issue is larger than Tesla wants to disclose.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V702000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while attempting to roll up the windows, the windows failed to respond as needed. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Car was steering properly when parked Dec 4th. Car sat for 5 days from Dec 5 until Dec 10 while we were out of town. Car was plugged in as recommended by Tesla during that time. On Dec 11 the screen information indicated the following "Steering Assist Reduced". No steering assist was available. Armstrong Steering was required to deliver to the service center. Any senior person with less than adequate strength requiring power steering would have difficulty safely driving the car. I noticed a recall or Model S and X for similar complaint.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard a rattling noise underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that upon inspection, he noticed that the underbody shield had detached. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified, and the contact was informed to submit photos and a virtual diagnosis was performed. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.

While using the traffic-aware cruise control in my Tesla model 3, going down the highway with cruise set at 75 and no cars around, the Tesla suddenly braked unexpectedly and with no visible cause. I then googled for similar tesla experiences and saw the gov was investigating this on 2021 and 2022 models, however my car is a 2017 or 18 and exhibited the same situation.

The passenger-side daytime-running headlight (aka, "signature light" or "accent headlight") failed at approximately 66,000 miles and four years. This makes the daytime-running headlight ineffective. I have since noticed many Tesla Model 3's with the same issue. To fix this problem requires replacement of the entire headlight assembly. This was a very expensive repair (~$1200) and will likely be ignored by owners of Teslas no longer covered under warranty. This creates a common safety issue with these automobiles.

While slowly backing out of a parking space, I tapped the bumper of another vehicle in the space directly behind mine, causing some damage to the bumpers of both cars. The backup camera on my vehicle was not functioning at the time, making it difficult to see. I have attached a screen shot of the Tesla's display immediately after the accident. You can see the blank feed from the backup camera (there is a reflection of the vehicle next to mine). I have had intermittent problems with the backup camera showing as black on the screen (except for the two lines indicating the direction of the vehicle). Tesla initiated a recall in December 2021. see https://www.tesla.com/support/model-3-trunk-lid-harness-retrofit for details. Every time on my Tesla phone app about this recall, it says, "you do not need to request an appointment at this time. You will receive a notification in your Tesla App when parts are available for your vehicle." It's almost a year and the company has still not offered a fix. Tesla claims at the above link that "We are not aware of any crashes or injuries relating to this condition." I am reporting this incident to NHTSA to inform you of a crash relating to the malfunctioning of this important piece of equipment.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention) however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Tesla models are equipped with an "Easy Entry" feature and driver profiles which allow configuring seat and mirror adjustments based on who is driving. After repeated use, it's possible for the driver's seat to get stuck in "Easy Entry" mode and unable to roll forward. It is not possible to adjust the seat manually since the controls are all digital. Tesla's recommended fix is a $1000 seat motor replacement, even though other adjustments (seat height and tilt) can still be adjusted. This appears to be a manufacturer defect and is a common complaint in owner forums. https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/driver-seat-stuck.179625/