2021 TESLA MODEL 3 Complaints

On *multiple occasions* when driving on a highway and using cruise control, the car has suddenly and severly decelerated. Tesla advises that for my vehicle the safety system to detect possible collisions is still in the "BETA phase" and has initially been programmed to be over-sensitive. Tesla claims that as software updates are made, this issue will improve. [See uploaded screenshot of text chat I had with Tesla service on 1/19/21.] I have an appointmnet to take the vehicle in, but Tesla says I must be able to give then exact dates and times of occurrences or otherwise there is too much code on the vehicle's computer log for their systemt to be able to analyze. (I am able to give them some dates but not exact times.) My fear and concern in the meantime is that such unpredictable deceleration events when traveling at highway speeds could result in a rear-end collision with a vehicle behind me. When I expressed this to Tesla, their reply was: "It is the driver's responsibility to stay alert, drive safely, and be in control of the vehicle at all times." I pointed out to them the obvious fact that none of those things can prevent this issue from happening, and received no further reply.

I was driving north on Wisconsin route 14 at about 60 mph in my Tesla model 3 using the cruise control.. When a large transportation truck came from the opposite direction, my Tesla suddenly braked sharply. A Ford model F150 truck was following behind me and almost crashed into the back of my car. Fortunately the driver was alert and by sharply apply his brakes on driving into the ditch he avoided colliding with me. This could have been (and nearly was) a lethal accident. I would urge that you put a recall on a Tesla vehicles until this problem is corrected. I have contacted other Tesla owners and they have experienced similar problems. I contacted my local Tesla service station and they seemed unconcerned about the problem. I urge you to issue a recall before someone is seriously hurt or killed.

The windshield wipers are controlled by a sensor and the computer. Unfortunately, they come on too slowly. Several times I have been driving in the rain, waiting for the windshield wipers to start clearing the windshield. Each time, the rain on the windshield has gotten so bad that I was unable to see anything out my windshield. If the car in front had braked quickly, or if some pedestrian was trying to cross the street, I would not have known. I tried to tell this to a Tesla service rep, but was told the wipers are controlled by the computer and there is nothing they can do.

The automatic rear trunk closure button gets water inside wetting the electrical wiring. It has caused my trunk to randomly open at times and more importantly, can cause an electrical fire. This has put my safety, as well as any passengers at risk for injury and or death. I have not reproduced the issue because it has not rained, nor have I had the car washed. I have notified Tesla of this approximately a month ago and they continue to cancel & reschedule my appointment. There seems to be no urgency to investigate or fix the issue. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone to date. There was no warning lamps or messages prior to the issue.

Vehicle displayed "no capable drive units" error at 106 miles on 10/08/2021. System shut down and stranded me in downtown Tampa traffic less than a mile from my home and fewer than five minutes after I started the car. All propulsion was lost and I did not have sufficient warning or time to process the situation and safely handle the vehicle. Tesla Tampa Service Center diagnosed a failed drive unit and took approximately 27 days to repair the vehicle. The service center invoice described the drive unit replacement as a goodwill repair and not a warranty failure. This seemed odd to me as goodwill repairs are generally special accommodations to satisfy customers. I was told there were parts delays. Tesla seems to be managing its supply chain to get these cars turned around to avoid lemon law exposure (my wait was just under one month) and to suppress the number of warranty failures by calling them goodwill repairs. All at the expense of customers. The service center was generally arrogant and noncommunicative in resolving the issue. Happy to gather records and discuss further.

Driving on the beltway around Washington DC the weather conditions were variable and the revised user interface in version 11 of the Model 3 software made changing the defroster settings dangerous while in traffic. Previously, it was a single icon on the control screen. Now it requires a push of an icon and a search for the correct controls and adjustments.

Tesla removed the ability to hang up a phone call via the steering wheel buttons which poses a massive safety issue. Currently the only ways to end a phone call are: 1- Having the person on the other end of the call end the call 2- Press the "end" button on the touchscreen (more details below) 3- Press the "end" button on the phone itself (note: physically interacting with a phone while driving is illegal in Georgia so this is not a viable option) The touchscreen generally has the phone call status on the bottom-left of the screen when a call is active. However there are times when this goes away which causes the driver to be required to navigate through a non-intuitive menu to get the phone call to reappear on the screen. Those times are: 1- a text message comes in while a call is in progress. That text message covers the phone call status 2- the windshield wipers are manually activated while a call is in progress. The windshield wiper status covers the phone call status 3- software bugs often cause the phone call status to disappear entirely, requiring a driver to swipe through the screen until the phone call status reappears Ending a phone call with a physical button was previously an option on the Model 3, as well as other Tesla models. Removing that option is a danger to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians as distracted driving is a huge factor in automobile accidents.

While driving in cruise control the car will break suddenly for no reason. I had a close call to where I was worried that the car behind me would hit me. The sudden breaking has happened many times. It's terrifying. I had to quit using auto pilot and cruise control when someone is following me for that reason. When I contacted Tesla about the concern they replied saying that they completed a hardware diagnostic on the vehicle and determined that there is no hardware failure. I provided them with the timestamps for the dashcam for several incidents. This is a HUGE safety concern. The cruise control system is dangerous.

The car repeatedly applies the brakes when the cruise control is engaged when there is no imminent safety issue. It will do this on the highway when vehicles are following putting me at risk for a rear end collision. When I use the cruise on secondary roads (to stay under the speed limit) the behavior is similar. The car will apply brakes for passing shadows, again putting me at risk for a rear end collision. I no longer use the cruise function because the braking operation is unpredictable and it is, in my opinion, generally hazardous.

The heat stops working at cold conditions. Many other users have reported this problem, after going into service I was told there is a sensor that is out in the open behind the bumper that when exposed to snow and rain can freeze and causes heat to stop working. I have experienced this myself when going on a trip back home from upstate NY to NC , I had no heat with temps outside being at 3 degrees F , not only was the car extremely cold causing me and my wife to get sick , but you can not use the defrost because there is no heat. So there is absolutely no visibility since there’s frost on all windows that you cant do anything about.