Below are recalls and complaints reported to NHTSA for the 2020 Tesla Model 3. This information is consumer-reported and provided for general informational purposes only. Vehicles like this may qualify under California lemon law depending on their individual repair history.
The following recalls were reported to NHTSA. A recall does not by itself establish that any individual vehicle is defective.
Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2020-2021, 2023 Model 3 vehicles. The left and/or right side curtain air bag may have been improperly secured to the roof rail, which could result in a twisted air bag. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 214, "Side Impact Protection" and 226, "Ejection Mitigation."
Reported consequence: A twisted side curtain air bag may improperly deploy, increasing the risk of injury or occupant ejection during a crash.
Remedy: Tesla Service will inspect and realign the left and right side curtain air bag as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 23, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-20-006.
The following are consumer-reported complaints filed with NHTSA. These are unverified allegations and are not proof that any defect exists.
Air bags did not deploy during crash. It is available for inspection upon request My face smashed into the steering wheel resulting in black eyes, swollen nose, cuts on my face and a concussion. Yes, the airbags clearly did not deploy during crash | Summary Complaint – 2020 Tesla Model 3 (VIN: [XXX] ) I am reporting a defect with the passenger side airbag system in my 2020 Tesla Model 3. Tesla Service identified the passenger airbag sensor as defective and quoted a $1,600 repair cost. This raise | Airbags did not deploy when vehicle hit 75 ft highway guardrail driving over 70 mph. The car was totaled, the driver's head hit the steering wheel, requiring stitches. EMS and police at the scene were surprised to find airbags not deployed. Vehicle h
Allegedly reported: 6 injuries (as reported to NHTSA).
Sunday [XXX] downtown Sacramento, driving about 25 mph. Heard a loud bang—bolt sheared off front subframe. Steering felt lagging upon making a right turn vehicle proceeded in a very wide turn, pulled into parking lot. Wheel locked right as I exited [ | My Tesla Model 3 is experiencing premature suspension failures involving the lower lateral links and stabilizer links. These components were already replaced once, and they are failing again in less than 30,000 miles. This is not normal wear for susp | HERE IS A TESLA MODEL 3 IN THE JUNKYARD. HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS/39653751?TENANT=US&ROWNUMBER=19 ALL 3 BALL-JOINTS ON THE FRONT RH STEERING KNUCKLE HAVE POPPED APART. THIS IS HAPPENING SO FREQUENTLY ON TESLAS THAT IT IS OBVIOUS THEY AR
After loading our two children ages 2 and 5 in to vehicle and securing in car seats, the car doors were closed and would not reopen. The children were unable to open the doors themselves. The trunk and other entries did not open. There was no obvious | Car radio goes so loud it damaged my ear nerves. This results in pain especially when exposed to loud sounds | My Motor Control Unit failed. No reason given by Tesla Service Center. It simply just died. They cannot find a reason, and they also said I didn't do anything to cause the MCU to fail. Service Center agrees this is a rare event. Likely got a really f
Allegedly reported: 1 injury, 1 death (as reported to NHTSA).
I received a proactive service alert from Tesla car stating: Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Issue. Tesla wants to charge me to fix this and said there may be issues with the restraint system, such as seats belts or airbags if I don’t pay o | My 2020 Tesla Model 3 has displayed a "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault - Service is required" error since June 2023. This error has persisted for well over a year despite troubleshooting attempts, such as restarting the vehicle and chec | My car is experiencing a passenger seat safety restraint error, which is a safety issue.
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the trunk became inoperable. The contact stated that the trunk latch failed to open when the trunk release was engaged using the mobile application, the inst | The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacte | The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was n
The front suspension control arms on my 2020 Tesla Model 3 are squeaking and show premature wear. The noise occurs during normal driving and is accompanied by clunking, which concerns me about potential control arm failure and loss of vehicle control | Vehicle made thunking noise when driving over uneven surfaces such as bumpy roads, speed bumps, or railroad tracks. Diagnosis at Tesla service center showed front upper control arms assemblies (left and right), lower lateral link, and front lower com | Front lower and upper control arms started generating noise around 100,000 miles. This was confirmed by an independent service center. So far, have spent $1400 on the lower control arms, only to find out that the noise is still there and the upper co
Subject: Urgent Complaint Regarding Power Steering Failure in 2019 Tesla Model 3 Hello NHTSA, I am writing to file a complaint regarding a very dangerous situation I recently experienced with my 2019 Tesla Model 3. While driving on the freeway at a | 1.) Steering wheel,yes. 2.) I lost steering at 50 MPH with my twp daughter in backseat. 3.) Car was towed BACK to Tesla (it eas there 3 days ago for 2 front upper control arms replacement) 4.) car not inspected by anyone other than Tesla. 5.) yes 2 w | My Model 3 intermittently has the steering wheel locked in position, which sometimes resolves temporarily after rebooting the car. I always get a steering assist reduced error on the car, regardless of rebooting. It also no longer has lane keep capab
I have been getting an alert: Front passenger safety restraint system issue/Service is required. It has come on when there is no one in the seat and goes away shortly after I start to drive. I contacted Tesla and they sent an estimate to repair it wh | I keep receiving an alert: “Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault”. I contacted Tesla and they informed me that my airbag sensor needs to be recalibrated and may jeopardize a child sitting in the seat if the airbag is deployed. I understand t
When adaptive cruise control is enabled (Autopilot, not equipped with Full Self Driving) car will sometimes brake hard as if there is an obstacle ahead, with the words "Curve Assist Active" flashing on the screen. Seems to happen most often on stat | Incident Date: Feb 1, 2026, 2:45 PM PST Location: Camarillo, CA (Pleasant Valley Rd & Village Commons Blvd) Description: The vehicle (Tesla Model 3, FSD Supervised) attempted an unprotected left turn. The system identified a gap but paused excessive | Vehicle Information: 2020 Tesla Model 3 AWD (Leased) Full Self-Driving (FSD) enabled Summary of Safety Issue: While Full Self-Driving (FSD) was engaged, the vehicle failed to detect roadside infrastructure and collided with multiple fixed objects, i
The car has message saying "Safety Restraint System issue" . There has been no event to cause this. No recent MVA or any stress or damaging incident to the seat belt or seat in general. Reviewing this on the internet, this is a common defect on Tes | The passenger-side seatbelt system in my Tesla Model 3 (bought Dec 2020) has been malfunctioning repeatedly. The vehicle displays a "Front passenger safety restraint system fault” warning, even when no one is on the passenger side. This issue has per | Many Tesla owners have received notifications about a "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault". It seems that there might be a defect with the car, given the number of people impacted and the severity of not having proper safety restraint. I a
The newer versions of FSD do not allow driver control of the max speed. The current versions allow you to set a maximum speed with a scroll wheel on the steering wheel. | The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving with the cruise control feature activated at various speeds, the brakes applied inadvertently. The contact also stated that the cruise control feature f | I was already situated in the left turn lane on a two way city street, slowing down, and about to come to a full stop before making a U turn when I felt a surge in power before the car picked up, accelerated uncontrollably, and launched forward. In f
Allegedly reported: 5 injuries (as reported to NHTSA).
The complaint was filed on behalf of the contact's daughter. The contact's daughter owned a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while the contact's daughter was driving at 35 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to | Automatic breaking was initiated as I was pulling in a driveway as I got closer to a large trashcan. The braking was aggressive and I now have concerns that it might've given me minor whiplash as it was so sudden. I have pictures of where I parked. | My car did a Phantom break while I was driving on President George bush Turnpike E at the Dallas North tollway exit . I was taking the exit with in the speed limit of 40 miles per hour and was keeping the distance from the car in front. Suddenly the
Allegedly reported: 1 injury (as reported to NHTSA).
I was driving my vehicle. It said there was an issue with code "RCM_a056 Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault." Many older model 3's are having this issue and with the quote from tesla, they would need to perform a retrofit for the electrica | An alert stated: "RCM_a056 Front passenger safety restraint system fault." Upon bringing car to Tesla service center, Tesla stated: "Confirmed concern through vehicle logs. Found vehicle needing passenger ocs retrofit to resolve issue. Customer decli | I received a message on the screen saying there was a problem with the OCS and that it needed to be serviced immediately. I take it to Tesla service and they tell me they will need to do the following: 1. Replace MODULE - OCS FILTER 2. Retrofit S
While driving my Tesla Model 3 with self-driving engaged in excellent conditions, the car suddenly braked to a full stop. There was no apparent reason to do so and the driver did nothing. The road ahead was free of traffic, and no obstacles, pedest | While driving on the highway from philadelphia to allentown using I-476 north i was driving using cruise control and the car suddenly applied brakes ( phantom braking) there was no one either in front or sides or behind me. No accident happened | Driving on the freeway with the adaptive cruise control set to 78 mph. Traveling in the #1 lane, medium traffic, no vehicles in front of us for a while (in our lane or the #2 lane next to us). Roadway was dry, sun was overhead at that time of the day
Incident #1 Vehicle sitting at a red light. After several seconds the vehicle operating under Tesla FSD suddenly started to drive as if the light had turned green, which it had not. I stopped it immediately. Incident #2 Vehicle was stopped a t a red | I've had the car since December 2019. The car will "phantom brake" when the autopilot adaptive cruise control is on. This happens intermittently, ~1 time per month on my normal commute. I will be going along, cruise set to 75 and out of nowhere it'll | On 9/3/23 we were traveling from Moab UT to Green River UT and the cruise control was engaged at highway speeds. We were not using the "Autopilot" functionality. Without warning, the car suddenly decelerated under what felt like hard braking. Ther
To Whom It May Concern at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), I am writing to urgently express my concerns about the latest software update for the Tesla Model 3’s autopilot system, which, in my view, significantly compromise | I was driving down the Interstate and had my Tesla on Self driving. For no reason at all it did a aggressive left turn causing me to go off the road into the median. It tore up pieces of my car and Tesla wouldn’t do anything about it and have no i | THE AUTO STEER IN MY TESLA MODEL 3 FAILED TODAY WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNING ON A CURVY DOWNHILL ROAD. I BELIEVE IT'S BECAUSE THE LANE MARKINGS ON THE RIGHT SIDE ENDED JUST BEFORE THE CURBING STARTED. THE CAR SUDDENLY TURNED RIGHT AND HIT THE CURB BRUSHI
I am experiencing persistent front suspension issues with my Tesla Model 3 Performance. The vehicle has been taken to a Tesla Service Center three times, yet the problem has not been resolved. The issue includes: Unusual noises (clunking, knocking, o | upper control arm is creaking, extremely common problem, we need to demand a recall | Driving home at 60mph when the right front wheel fell off the vehicle causing damages to the whole right side on the car.
Allegedly reported: 1 injury (as reported to NHTSA).
While operating TACC with lane keeping assist, I experienced multiple iterations of phantom braking when the road and weather was clear ahead. This phantom braking could potentially cause other drivers to collide with the vehicle that unexpectedly br | While driving on the freeway, my 2020 Model 3 “phantom braked” multiple times while using the cruise control. No autopilot for lane keeping assistance. There were no cars in front of me or any hazards. The pavement was pretty new. I was using this fe | Had cruise control on and “phantom braking” occurred about 10 times on a 22hr trip from California to Oklahoma. Very scary. Car went from 80 to about 40mph in seconds. How is this even possible for Tesla to have these vehicles on the road? I’ve only
I took delivery of this Tesla Model 3 last month and have been using it often for my commute. Tesla’s “Traffic Aware Cruise Control” is dangerous and has put my life at risk multiple times now when driving on the highway at night. It slams on the bra | on July 19,2022, when I was driving on driveway, at less than 5 miles, I tried to stop to drop my wife and applied brake. Instead of brake, due to computer mal function, it accelerated & hit the garage door, broke the garage door, door fell on the ca | The other driver hit the rear of my tesla model 3 which cause the car accelerate fast about 40-50 miles, the brake is not working either. I can not brake or slow down the car.
Steering wheel covering delaminates and peels during normal use, creating loss of grip and distraction while driving. | Steering rack failed | The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and making a left turn, the steering wheel seized, and the front passenger's side of the vehicle lowered to the ground and made an abnormal grinding sound, before coming t
This report is filed to support NHTSA Investigation #PE24031. The four vehicles listed on the SGOs were manufactured when Tesla referred to the ADAS hardware suite as Hardware 3.0 (HW3). This March 2022 video recorded an incident facing into the sun | Your latest mandates has arguably made the car less safe by removing what allowed the system to operate safely. Please roll back this “recall” it’s not a recall in the slightest it’s a shot at someone or multiple people that dislike Tesla. | An incident occurred in April of 2023 while running FSD Beta 11.3.6 firmware. I have been unable to retest this location on more recent software, so this concern may have been mitigated with a subsequent update. As seen in the video, the yellow lane
I am getting "Safety Restraint System Fault" on my car. This puts my family at risk if the safety features are faulty. When I contacted Tesla, they want me to drive 41(!) miles away and charge me almost $500. | Tried to put on seatbelt and would not click locked. Have never had issues and nothing has changed that could cause any damage or malfunction. Nothing inside or stuck just won’t lock. | Safety restraints are malfunctioning
The Rear Drive Unit of our Tesla failed on our Tesla Model 3 2020 (2 years at the time of incident). It is no longer available for inspection as it was replaced by Tesla. We had our drive unit fail for our 2020 M3 driving in the middle of what is c | 12v battery failed without warning. Car was parked. Was unresponsive. Could not unlock the car. Able to open trunk and passenger side door only. Drivers side would not open. Touchscreen black no power to Do anything car essentially dead with no w
Found the front body controller to be internally faulted | I AM STILL WAITING FOR TESLA TO MAKE THIS REPAIR. I HAVE CONTACTED A SERVICE CENTER SEVERAL TIMES AND TRIED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT ONCE. TESLA CANCELLED THE APPOINTMENT AND KEEPS TELLING ME THEY HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE PARTS TO MAKE THE REPAIR. IT HAS | The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH at night with self-driving assist mode, the auto high beams lights engaged three times within 20 seconds. The contact stated that the driver ahead of him then deceler
There have been recent reports of Tesla FSD accidents that are now under investigation by NHTSA relating to crashes that occurred under difficult visibility conditions. A video I recorded several years ago while driving into a fog bank in NW Washingt | When driving in "Autopilot" mode which uses adaptive speed control, the car suddenly slows down without any warnings. This happens even when there is no vehicle in front of the car and therefore slowing down is not expected. This has happened several | I am writing to provide feedback on the recent mandated Tesla Full Self Driving software update (recall). When I keep both hands on the steering wheel, I now get constant warnings. Specifically, even when I drive with both hands firmly on the wheel
JUST PURCHASE THE AUTO PILOT, WHEN COMING TO A STOP, SOMETIME IT PASS THE WHITE LINE. WHILE GOING STRIGHT,WHEN SIGNAL TO CHANGE LANE TO BYPASS THE SLOW CAR, IT MERGE INTO LEFT TURN AT THE STOP LIGHT. WHEN THE VHEICLE IS GOING AROUND A LEFT CORNER, IT | MY WIFE AND I LIVE ON A TWO-LANE STATE ROUTE IN THE COUNTRY. WE WERE HEADED HOME FROM THE FARMERS' MARKET THIS MORNING AROUND 10 A.M., HEADED DOWN A HILL WITH THREE CARS BEHIND US. THERE WAS AN 18-WHEELER HEADED UP THE HILL. I HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL | FIRST OF ALL, I WAS PULLING THE TESLA OUT OF OUR GARAGE. I WAS COMPLETELY OUT MANEUVERING THE CAR TO MAKE IT PARALLEL TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE STREET WHEN SUDDENLY, I FELT THE CAR MOVED EXTRA BACKWARD. FORTUNATELY, IT DID NOT HIT THE NEIGHBORS' PARKE
I was traveling on autopilot in left lane with autopilot engaged on 06/13/2024 on HW 101 at around 9:40am my car all of the sudden slammed on brakes and dropped speed from around 65mph to 30mph before I was able to react and recover speed. Reached o | My car cameras and audio will randomly stop working. Come to find out I took a recording with a timestamp of 1151 pm where I am on the highway and driving. Have witnesses of me driving and the issue. My model 3 logs, as stated by service technician, | Was driving Tela on 237 Clavaras Blvd heading towads 880 South just before Abott ave in Mlipitas town California Tesla Model 3 acelrated suddenly hitting the car in fronts, emegency automatic braking did not kick n. Earlier it had autopilot set not
Had to drive through water about 8” deep and while going through the water the rear bumper, and the skid plate underneath the car was yanked off breaking 2 brackets that hold the skid plate on and it broke the manufacturer welds on the other two brac | Tesla Model 3 vehicles, including mine, manufactured before the 2024 "highland" vehicle refresh, do not have a mechanical latch mechanism for opening the rear doors, in the event vehicle power is lost. | The door handles on the chrome version of the Tesla Model 3 begin to delaminate after several years of use. They delaminate along the door handle seam which creates an extremely sharp edge that can cut fingers. I've had the rear handle on my own mode
Allegedly reported: 1 injury (as reported to NHTSA).
I am reporting a spontaneous windshield crack that developed on my 2020 Tesla Model 3 Performance under normal operating conditions. After exiting a routine drive-through car wash in Las Vegas on a hot day, I noticed a hairline crack in the windshiel | A crack appeared on the interior of the windshield, with no marks of any exterior impact and no external crack or other mark on either surface of the windshield. The crack originated directly from the windshield positioned camera/rear view mirror. | The windshield wipers do not have proper functional control. There is no adequate manual control over the windshield wipers without being distracting, further more the windshield wipers constantly put themselves in "auto" mode when you turn them off
License plate light has a recall | I am writing this claim to report a headlight assembly passenger side has failed at 22,000 miles in a Tesla model three 2020 year | Subject: Non-Functional Left Rear Tail Light Due to Condensation Build-Up in Tesla Vehicle Dear NHTSA, I am writing to report an issue with my Tesla vehicle concerning the left rear tail light. The tail light has stopped functioning, and I believe
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while attempting to exit a parking lot, the rear sensors failed to operate as designed. The contact stated that the rearview sensor failed to provide an audible warning, which resulted in | Rear camera works intermittently. It says it's temporarily unavailable and then it restores when car is started next time after exiting. Seems to be a sensor or camera cable issues because camera works fine when it does. | After the OTA software updated to 2021.44.25.2 there were several changes to the graphic user interface and software system. Two direct issues of the update are: 1) The rear and side cameras that assist during backup now take longer to activate and
Both front wheel and rear rims cracked under normal driving conditions. This is the third occurrence of rim failure on this vehicle. The most recent incident occurred in Ewing, NJ near Parkside Ave and Hillcrest Ave. There was no significant impact o | The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, he heard an abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued to drive to his destination. The contact stated he parked the vehic
Car did not react to uncoming car and accident happened. Car was totaled. RECALL NO. 23V-838 involved as the car didn’t have the right safety controls and caused collision | Dear NHTSA, I am contacting you regarding campaign #23V-838 and the recent Tesla software update, which I believe has compromised the safety features of my Tesla Model 3. For over two years, I’ve trusted my Tesla’s capabilities, notably its autopil | Side repeater camera are blurred because of light at night. Cannot see when switching lanes
Allegedly reported: 1 injury (as reported to NHTSA).
There is no manual door opener from the rear seats. In case of a power loss doors would not open. Only way the rear passengers can get out is climb to the front seats and get out through front doors. This is a serious situation in case of accident wh | Open door button doesn’t work, this is a widely reported problem online. In case of accident, fire or submersion the passenger will be at great risk for bodily harm or death
My wife was cleaning the interior and wiped the center main display of her model 3. While doing that somehow she managed to Turn the heat on set the fan/temp controls to HI and popped the front frunk to open. When she exited and closed all doors, it | The touch-screen only media center has an off-by-one error when using the media player for USB media. This results in unsafe conditions for the driver where the expectation of pressing "S" would navigate to music starting with "S", but instead naviga | Issue 1: While using Full Self-Driving (Supervised) at night on a two-lane road with a straight lane and a turn lane, the vehicle crossed the white lane markings and drifted into the adjacent lane. I had to manually intervene to correct many times. T
Allegedly reported: 2 injuries (as reported to NHTSA).
Rear windshield developed a stress crack. No incident was involved, it just suddenly appeared. It ran about 1/3 of the rear window. I was concerned the glass would fall in on infant passenger seated in a car seat in the back seat. This appears to be | This is regarding the computer and the cameras on this car. From the first day that I got this car, I have had the issue that when I use the cameras or the backup camera on this it laggs and this is part of safety issue because I was going to ran ove | Tesla software version 2022.24.8 that I currently have installed has switched off the vehicles equipped forward facing radar. I can't find any method to undo their software update, I'm unable to find a way to contact a person via their website. I've
For the fourth time the seat sensor has failed in the driver seat. when the seat sensor fails the car no longer auto connects blue tooth media play from the phone but also no longer detects an occupant in the vehicle. this causes the vehicle to go in | I was burned on back and buttocks by Tesla car seat warmer | There is an issue with the front passenger restraint safety system. I got a warning that I need to replace the Occupant Classification System (OCS) of Front Passenger Seat due to faulty wiring.
Allegedly reported: 1 injury (as reported to NHTSA).
Essentially, I find the lack of emergency, unpowered door release for the back doors a little concerning. There is no way to open the door in the event that all power to the door latch fails. Even in newer models (at least of 3/Y/Cybertruck, that i | I am writing to report a repeated and potentially dangerous defect in my 2020 Tesla Model 3. On four separate occasions, the front trunk (frunk) latch has opened on its own, without any input from me. This has occurred while parked in my garage and p | The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving 25-35 MPH, all four windows slightly went down independently, wiggled and made clicking sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the sound ha
If your 2020 Tesla Model 3 has had repeated repairs for the same problem, you may have rights under California lemon law. Tell us about it and we will review your situation at no cost and no obligation.
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The recalls and complaints shown here are reported to NHTSA and are consumer-reported, unverified allegations. They do not establish that any defect exists in any individual vehicle, and nothing on this page should be read as asserting that the 2020 Tesla Model 3 is defective. Counts reflect items filed with NHTSA and may not be current. “May qualify” statements are general and do not mean any particular vehicle or owner qualifies.
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