2018 TESLA MODEL 3 Complaints

Within the first day, my 2018 Tesla Model 3 lost all instruments, safety indicators, and touchscreen controls while driving on the freeway. The car did this *multiple* times, without warning. Each incident lasted several minutes. It was alarming, and there was no way to tell what systems in the car were working (such as automatic emergency braking or cruise control), and no way to change settings, or even know if the turn signals were working as I tried to exit the highway. The Model 3 has only one screen where everything (including basic instruments) is displayed and most controls are accessed. When the screen freezes, we lose access to basics like speedometer, collision safety or system failure warnings or even speedometer readings, as well as control of headlights, wipers, climate control, lock / unlock, navigation, and many other essential functions. During these failures, we do not know what if any safety systems are still operating. Typically when this problem occurs, the screen "freezes" while driving, without warning or any indication of trouble. The screen remains unresponsive for a lengthy period (typically minutes) until the screen goes completely black for a time, and then eventually a Tesla logo appears, followed by instruments and controls gradually being restored. The car was delivered from the factory to my home in this state, with other obvious defects—Tesla did not permit us to test-drive it. The next night a Tesla technician saw the failure happening in real time, through Tesla's remote diagnostics. He said the car was probably not safe to drive. I asked to return the car under Tesla's satisfaction policy, and he agreed to start the refund process. Tesla refused to take the car back, and the car has continued to exhibit these failures. This has been happening since the car was delivered in October of 2018.

When driving on 1-5, which is The major Expressway connecting San Diego all the way to The Canadian border near Bellingham on a number of occasions when I have had the driving assistance system on, the car has suddenly and rapidly slowed down when there is a gentle incline. This is not a a gradual slowdown but one that is rapid, and one that requires me to push the accelerator so that I am not endangering the occupant of the car behind me,( the car has never come to a complete standstill) this in spite of there being no cars in front. Further this occurs at multiple speeds. This has occurred on a National expressway and as you can imagine there are no steep inclines on 1-5. I read yesterday that there is an investigation on Tesla’s autopilot system and as much as I am appreciative of technology, glitches such as this can be life threatening and my hope is you investigate this feature of Tesla’s autopilot system as well. Please note that the date I wrote below is a random date as this has occurred multiple times. And further, the car did not give me any warning of a malfunctioning component.

I bought the standard autopilot for 2 model 3sI find it highly useful. It keeps me in the middle of my lane. Warns me with loud signal and bright red car marking of cars in my blind spot if it is dangerous to change lanes. Allows me to see clearly all cars around me. It will not allow me to drive without my hands putting active pressure on the steering wheel. I feel that it makes driving much much safer. Driver still needs to pay attention with active pressure on steering wheel.I drive 30,000 miles per year. I paid $3000 extra to buy the autopilot after not having it for the first 6 months. It was well worth the cost.Should be a standard feature on all new cars!!! My wife who drives my other model 3 has had the same experience.

Bolt that held holds the control and subframe came loosened over time. Tesla is saying it is my fault but there are multiple people with the same issue on the internet. Consumer stated back in August 2021, front lateral link separated and caused damage to sub frame. It was determined by Tesla’s service center at the time that this was due to driving conditions but driving on California roads should not cause an issue this damaging. Vehicle was not part of a recall but was repaired. https://insideevs.com/news/509767/tesla-model3-control-arm-fix/ https://insideevs.com/news/438005/upper-control-arm-chronic-defect-model-3/ https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/suspension-rattling-sound-turned-out-to-be-a-loose-bolt.185958/ https://teslaownersonline.com/threads/suspension-bolt-not-torqued-tesla-roadside-a-joke.15115/ https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/another-extremely-poor-tesla-model-3-quality-and-experience.8247/

The 12V auxiliary battery failed around 6:45pm PST on Aug. 8, 2021, causing the car to be unresponsive - Tesla acknowledged this. There was no warning prior to the battery failure. The driver (my wife) was trapped in the car because the electronic door latch would not open and the windows would not retract. My wife was panicked, crying and kicking at the window. I had to break the window to get her out. Tesla replaced the 12V battery as an item under warranty. They believe that I/we should have know about the manual door release to avoid breaking the window. This manual release is unmarked and inconspicuous. Tesla claims that the manual door release is described in the car's user manual; however, the car's user manual is electronic (no hard copy provided) and was not accessible because the car was unresponsive. The user manual can only be accessed from the car's display screen. There is no telephone number to call a Tesla representative and no way to access the user manual via the iPhone application. I had no choice but to break the window. Tesla is aware that their 12V batteries are failing prematurely and are not doing anything to prevent drivers from being trapped inside vehicles. The tow truck driver said he picked up four Tesla cars on Aug 9th for the same battery issue. I spoke to multiple other Tesla owners and none were aware of the manual door release. This includes one of my neighbors who received his Tesla a few months ago. It was not explained during the delivery process. The driver must rely on an electronic user's manual that can only be accessed when the car is operational. The faulty battery creates a condition that renders the car non-operational, so the contents of the user manual are irrelevant. Furthermore, the unmarked door release is an insufficient safety feature. Airplanes, buses, trains all have emergency exits marked. Apparently Tesla chose not to do this. Tesla created an unsafe situation where people can be trapped.

I hadn't used the middle seat belt for a couple years. When I had a visitor I tried to use the middle belt, and it pulled right out if the seat. Upon further inspection I found that the back seat (drivers side) latch was also not connected to the vehicle and was only being held in place by the seat cushion. This was only apparent if you lifted up the rear seat cushion. My 5 year old daughter had been riding in this seat for tens of thousands of miles, and had we been in an accident she would have had no protection. I cannot be sure if the belt was never installed at the factory, or was removed during service and not reinstalled by a negligent technician, but a quick Google search showed that I wasn't the only person with this issue. Consumer stated vehicle has been repaired.

Approximately two months before the incident, I started having occasional clicks/clunks/creaking noises when turning the steering wheel at low speeds. By the time I got an appointment and took it to a Tesla service center (Nov 4, 2020), they couldn't reproduce and didn't care to check the suspension beyond a test drive. The noise gets worse, and I schedule another appointment for Dec 16, 2020. During this time, the noise gets even worse, and the car suffers from occasional suspension vibration & shaking. Additionally, the symptoms start to manifest at higher and higher speeds. On Dec 13, 2020, the entire front suspension started to shake at around 35 mph which continued for ~10 seconds until I slowed down. This was just as I left home. I pull over and see the bolts attaching the lower control arm to the subframe on the front passenger side completely loose. Photos attached. If the front suspension had detached where there was more traffic and/or at higher speeds, I could have been in a terrible accident.

The AC system seems to build up moisture in the evaporator or filter every year, and an unbearable smell eventually occurs every time the AC turns on (usually in the warm summer months). While tesla does say they recommend AC system maintenance (cleaning and filter replacement) every two years, the smell should not be the trigger or a symptom. I actually had my car serviced last year for this and paid $180, and the smell is already coming back almost exactly one year later. They are saying this is not a defect, it is something that i will have to pay for each time it occurs.

https://youtu.be/Q74d_rK5aKk Please find the above YouTube link that has the front camera video at the time crash. Issues: ======= 1.) Tesla auto emergency brake didn't alert or stop. 2.) Obstacle awareness didn't alert or stop the vehicle 3.) Lane keeping assistant didn't alert/warn. All autopilot basic safety settings were enabled.

Computer Box, chip or BRAIN OF THE CAR THAT CONTROLS EVERYTHING. We bought the car in palm spring Tesla Brand New & paid in full amt.. After 5 MONTHS, GLITCH & BLACK SCREEN IS ONE OF THE MANY PROBLEMS. I brought my car to Tesla & told then personally the GLITCH & BLACK SCREEN problem & they said they will RECORD IT IN THEIR SYSTEM. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WITHIN 2YRS OWNING THE CAR. Every time I brought my car to Tesla I always tell TESLA TO CHECK THE BLACK SCREEN & GLITCHING that always happen. All they said IT'S A MINOR PROBLEM JUST REBOOT IT. Sometimes the car SHUTOFF AUTOMATICALLY WITHOUT A WARNING & COME BACK AFTER 10 MINS. TWICE HAPPENED WHEN I WAS DRIVING HIGHWAY 10 IN CA THE CAR SHUTOFF & ALL WENT GONE, NO HAZARD LIGHT, NO LEFT & RIGHT TURN SIGNAL LIGHT, NO BREAK LIGHT, NO HEADLIGHT & BLACK SCREEN APPEARED, MORE.ON JUNE 21, 2021 IT HAPPENED AGAIN WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I was SCARED & I drove my car to the nearest service center in Rancho Cucamonga when it happened. They checked the car & THE PROBLEM WAS COMPUTER OF THE CAR. They told me my car was over 50K MILES & is out of warranty & I have to PAY OUT of POCKET. They told me my car history DOESN'T show record in their system reporting black screen or glitch & they WANT AT LEAST AN EVIDENCE that I SUBMITTED A REPORT to Tesla. I looked at my phone & I FOUND AN EVIDENCE WITH A VIDEO REPORTING TO TESLA BY EMAIL. After they saw STILL DENYING ALWAYS GIVING ME THE RUN AROUND. UNTIL THE MANAGER IN RANCHO CUCAMONGA TOLD ME IF I WILL NOT AGREE TO FIX MY CAR AND PAY OUT OF POCKET, THEY WILL RELEASE THE CAR WITHOUT FIXING IT & THEY WILL TAKE BACK MY RENTAL CAR. HAVING ME DRIVE MY CAR TO HOME WITHOUT BREAK LIGHT,.HEADLIGHT, TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS, HAZARD LIGHT, BLACK SCREEN & MORE. TESLA PALM SPRING DENIED & Rancho Cucamonga WILL NOT FIX IF I WILL NOT PAY OUT OF POCKET. EVEN MY BUG REPORT THEY TOLD ME THEY DIDN'T SEE MY REPORT. I HAVE NO CHOICE, I ended up paying $2k plus to fix the computer box that controls the car.