2019 Tesla Model 3 UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
RCM_a021 Front Left safety pretensioner becomes loose after moving seats, tesla refuses to fix this safety issue because there is no recall for this, regardless of how many people complain about this issue being a common problem in 2018-2020 model 3 Tesla
The back window cracked with no impact. Even though this is a known issue with Tesla Model 3s, Tesla charged me $1400 for the replacement window because it was four months after warranty expiration. Six weeks after the new window installation, the glass cracked again. Both times the back window cracked at the car body joint which suggests a structural issue. This time Tesla claimed it was impact damage and again refused to pay for repair.
The component is a software update by Tesla, the change is in the climate control screen, the problem is that the recirculating air icon was large and easy to change status while driving but is now microscopic and not able to safely check status or touch to change the air recirculation. There is no way to revert or customize the size or placement of this control
I have been an owner and fan of Tesla’s FSD for 5 and 1/2 years. Even though Tesla has repeatedly missed Elon’s promised delivery dates, I’ve remained an advocate. I am a Sr. Enterprise Architect and have a Masters in Software Engineering. I know how difficult a problem like an AI-based FSD is to solve, so I’ve been cutting Elon some slack on his constant over-promising and under-delivering. My daughter goes to school over 800 miles from home, and I’ve used FSD to do over 90% of the driving taking her to and from school, and it’s done pretty darn well, but the latest two versions I’ve received over the last few weeks have been so bad, they are dangerous in my opinion. Issues like panic braking for no visible reason, and today my car made an unexpected lane change across two lanes, cutting off a rapidly moving truck in the fast lane, all requiring me to take control. I now have interventions every few minutes, sometimes only a few minutes from engagement. With Tesla’s focus on “Robotaxi Day,” I am concerned that the demo may be more smoke and mirrors, because the latest version of FSD on my car is nowhere near ready for prime time. Can Tesla fix this? I’m sure they can, but this software version was definitely rushed out too soon, probably because Elon put heavy pressure prior to their big Robotaxi event. My wife has a Model Y with FSD behaving the same way, so it is not isolated to just my car. If Robotaxi Day is a smash success, they are either running a hardware or software version my 2 cars do not have, or they demoed in a very controlled environment. But here’s another issue. We’ve all been promised a working FSD. If Tesla found that level 3 hardware cannot deliver, and if Elon has to eat crow and embrace LIDAR, for example, there will be a class action against Tesla from owners stuck with an FSD technology that is not safe and doesn’t deliver on Elon’s promises. I doubt Tesla will upgrade all of us to hardware that works. Then what? My FSD is v12.5.4.1.
Heating suddenly stopped working after 3 years.
Brake lines are bubbled and do not pass inspection. Tesla claims this is my fault as I live on an unpaved road. My mechanic has seen the same problem in another 2019 tesla and there are few of these cars in Central VT
On Saturday, May 6th I was driving with a passenger to the airport for Uber. She was in the rear right seat. We were on a 3-4 lane highway and I had Tesla FSD engaged. Out of nowhere, the car breaked in such an extreme manner as to send us thrusting forward in our seats. It was mid afternoon and we were beyond lucky that there was no traffic around us at the time. I felt terrified. If there was traffic, it easily could have been a deadly situation. There was no warning and I had to disengage the FSD function by further pushing on the breaks. I was reported to Uber for a safety issue, understandably, by the passenger. I have not contacted Tesla service or an independent service to look at the issue but plan to today. I saw there was a safety recall for vehicles from 2019. I would like a refund/recall if possible. I do not feel safe using FSD.
Car in park in busy parking lot. Car reset itself to factory settings, profiles gone, everything at factory default. Put car in reverse, rear-view cameras pop on as expected, but as I'm in motion in reverse the cameras freeze and a dialog box pops up with details on "what's new in V11", preventing rear visibility.
In the Tesla Model 3 vehicle's newest software update, there are text blurbs over 15 words that show up when autopilot is engaged. While I was trying to read this text blurb, the autopilot was attempting to change lanes. I had to prevent this while attempting to read the text blurb. This is because the car was making a dangerous maneuver and had not realized that the cars in the next lane over it was switching to was fully coming to a full stop. The car did not realize this and assumed that the next lane was faster, so it sped up. I turned off autopilot, re-corrected the steering, and re-engaged autopilot. The car continued its previous behavior, turned on the turn signal and went towards the next lane while keeping me busy trying to speed-read 15+ words in half a second. Keep in mind, that this is an issue easily preventable with the removal of the text blurbs. This was a distraction to me, the driver, while the car's automated system assumed it was making the right decision. This put the safety of the passengers in my vehicle at risk and the safety of others, behind me, at risk. As in the incident description above, I replicated the issue once. The dealer (Tesla) has remained silent since my report to them. The vehicle or component has not to my knowledge. There were no warning signals, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the distraction.
Drivers side rear door is stuck shut. After some research, there is no manual release. This is a significant safety issue and needs to be resolved for all cars that lack the release. I shouldn’t have to visit a service center to open a door. I will refrain from having rear passengers in the car as this is a blatant safety risk.
A couple things that concern me. One- My vehicle is showing an open recall since I purchased it. I reached out to Tesla and they advised it most like has been addressed by the software updates. I would prefer a more direct answer versus stating it “most likely” has been addressed. Two- My Model 3 was advertised on Tesla’s website with a range of 310. I get an equivalent of 120 miles of range. This is less than half. I have reached out to Tesla within days of purchasing the car and was told they completed an over the air diagnosis and nothing is wrong with my battery. They advised the cold weather can play a major role. Which I totally understand, however I can’t imagine losing over 50% of range. This has also not been completely addressed.
Firstly, I have 2 recalls on my vehicle which I have reached out to Tesla to repair. Their response was that if it's not a problem now, they won't fix it. If the cable/monitor loses function, I am asked to contact them. In regard to the 2nd recall, they said that they will fix it up with a recent update. No further action needed. My concern and current complaint is my back left/driver's side quarter/corner glass shattered spontaneously. This is after I closed the trunk and pushed back the backseat upright (which was pushed down probably from closing the trunk). Within 30-60 seconds of being in the car, the whole class corner panel shattered. The car was parked (in 50* degree weather) for 4 hours while I had dinner and watched a movie. I was inside the car when the spontaneous shattering occurred on 05/10/2022 @ approximately 9:00pm. There was no internal or external force, the car was parked, and I was inside when the whole situation happened. I was beside myself how it just shattered and how lucky I was not to have kids or anyone in that backseat behind me next to the shattered window. This is unacceptable to have defective and poor quality controlled glass/workmanship. I don't expect to close my car door and have my window shattered or close the trunk and have the windshield explode. This needs to be investigated so no one would actually get hurt. I am lucky that I had no one in the car and the vehicle wasn't moving but I can't imagine if others would be so lucky. I called roadside and customer service. They were of no help. They reported no recalls on the glass and that I should fix it and it won't be covered. I've called numerous numbers to get no where and no explanation other than we're sorry and you will need to get it fix and pay for it. I understand if someone broke in my car or if there was an accident, but in this case, it seriously just shattered without an explanation. I am hoping to get some resolution from Tesla and protect others.
My concern is regarding the backup cameras on the car. While backing up the drivers rely on the backup and side view cameras to be aware of surroundings. Currently the camera skips frames or freezes and are is no longer reliable making it dangerous to backup vehicle while relying on the screen. There are multiple forums with similar complaints yet the manufacture states there is no current fix for this problem. This issue has been going on for almost a year.
Pursant to NHTSA Recall 21V-00D, I received notice of recall on my Tesla Model 3 in a letter dated 2/15/2022. I have not received any further communication regarding a repair in the the 7 months since, which in my estimation is beyond a reasonable time to address a recall notification. I am thereby submitting a NHTSA complaint that Tesla has failed to remedy this defect within a reasonable time, as outlined in the recall notice. Please advise any additional steps I may need to take to register or advance my complaint.
Heating in the vehicle suddenly stops working in cold weather. I have been in the midst of a drive home in sun zero temperatures where I lose heat from my climate control and the cabin temperature plummets very quickly
The rear windshield cracked with no impact, an interior stress crack on the bottom passenger corner formed. Researching this issue, I found many complaints with model 3 owners who have had this same issue with 2018 and 2019 model 3s. This seems to be a design flaw and quality issue with the glass Tesla uses.
This is a safety report on the poor function of the rearview camera and is for two issues that both hinder the ability to safely back up utilizing the camera display. The first issue is in regard to the delayed display of video on the screen compared to reality. The display always is delayed by a noticeable margin. Reacting to what is on the screen _now_ is often the wrong reaction, as the real position of the car has changed from what is displayed. While this delay still results in a smooth video an estimated 80% of the time, there are times when the screen freezes for a second or two, making it more likely for an accidental crash due to non-current video being displayed. The second issue is in regard to the quality of the video displayed on the screen in what Tesla calls "low light" conditions. The video is grainy, with vertical lines obfuscating what is displayed on the screen. After numerous reports of this to Tesla over the time of my ownership, the always reply saying it is normal. If backing up in nighttime conditions, the screen may not adequately display surroundings due to Tesla's known inability to fix the display when it is not daylight. As reference, this happens even backing into my own garage during the daytime hours, when I can see perfectly well myself. I would not consider this low light condition. Tesla has refused to fix this issue, and instead insists it is expected behavior and offered to explain it to me further, rather than resolving the issue. They seem more interested in getting customers to be quiet, than fixing issues. Please feel free to contact me to discuss this further. I would be more than happy to gather any data that would help you. I just want my car I paid for to work without safety issues shrugged off by the manufacturer. Thanks!
Range is not true for 2019 P3D as it is advertised as 310, same for long range with same motor and same battery size, while performance has bigger wheels. I never got more than 220 range.
On several occasions in the past 2 months, the display on my Tesla mode 3 has gone blank while driving. One on occasion, the display which is the only source of your driving speed info went blank during a rain storm at night. At the same time, the vehicle also lost its auto wipers and turn signals. This made driving very unsafe . I was on a highway in a long construction zone with no way to pull off the highway.It was several minutes before the screen rebooted and returned to normal. I have attempted to have Tesla correct this problem but they have told me that I must provide them with the exact time and date this occurs as they cannot go through lines of code to diagnose the issue. Blanking displays is a known issue. The service person I communicated with would not provide me with their phone number to discuss his dangerous issue. The advised me that without me telling them exactly when this happened they would not attempt a resolution. Help !!
Tesla's new user interface / software to navigate the screen (adjust climate, radio, seats, vehicle settings, odometer, trip settings, etc.) has been destroyed in their latest update. Their cars are now too complicated to drive and pose a serious safety risk as drivers are trying to adjust simple controls in their vehicles which now require much more focus and effort to adjust. Tesla needs to revert their changes to their user interface.
Tesla model 3 is a cat death trap. There is a large platform cats can easily crawl into. . Cats jump out of the moving car when it's too late. Over two years period, two of my cats were killed the exact same way. When I took the car to the Tesla service center, they refused to even take a look and diagnose the issue. Tesla needs to provide a fix for owners with cats or even have neighbors with cats. I'm attaching a picture showing the space with cat hair still stuck to it. The car behind me almost hit me when I tried to suddenly stop when I saw the cat jumping out. Cats died anyways.
THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW SPONTANEOUSLY SHATTERED WHILE I WAS DRIVING TO WORK THIS MORNING. AFTER A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH I FOUND THAT THIS SAME THING HAS HAPPENED TO MANY OTHER MODEL 3 OWNERS. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE TO THE NEAREST TESLA SERVICE CENTER AND WAS TREATED AS IF THE PROBLEM WAS MY FAULT AND AT FIRST THEY WERE NOT GOING TO COVER IT UNDER WARRANTY. I PROVIDED THEM WITH THE DASH CAM FOOTAGE OF THE WINDOW FALLING OUT OF THE VEHICLE INTO THE FREEWAY AND PROOF THAT THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND ME WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THEY THEN AGREED TO COVER IT UNDER WARRANTY. BUT WHEN MY VEHICLE WAS DONE THEY THEN TRIED TO BLAME THE ISSUE ON THE FACT THAT MY WINDOWS WERE TINTED. IT WAS VERY DISAPPOINTING TO BE TREATED DISMISSIVELY AND FOR THEM TO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE AT ALL THAT THIS ISSUE MAY BE BIGGER THAN MY VEHICLE. HAD THAT WINDOW NOT BEEN TINTED THE SHATTERED WINDOW WOULD NOT HAVE STAYED IN TACT LIKE IT DID AND I WOULD HAVE HAD SHATTERED GLASS FLYING IN THE CABIN OF MY VEHICLE MAKING FOR A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
I HAD AN A/C REPAIR PERSON AT MY HOUSE, HE WAS ADMIRING THE CAR SAYING HOW NEW IT LOOKED. I ASKED HIM IF I SHOULD MOVE THE CAR OUT OF THE GARAGE SO HE COULD WORK, HE SAID "YES". I STARTED TO BACK OUT OF MY GARAGE, I MOVED IT 4-5 FEET, THE WHEELS HADN'T EVEN CROSSED THE GARAGE FLOOR WHEN I HEARD A LOUD BOOM OR POP. I EXITED THE CAR, CAME AROUND TO THE REAR THINKING I HAD HIT SOMETHING AND NOTICED THE REAR WINDOW CRACKED ACROSS THE ENTIRE BOTTOM SECTION OF THE WINDOW. I TOOK THE CAR TO TESLA FOR REPAIR AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS NOT A STRESS CRACK BUT SOMETHING IMPACTED THIS GLASS. I WILL ATTEST THAT THIS GLASS HAS NEVER BEEN IMPACTED OR HIT. I BELIEVE THIS IS A QUALITY ISSUE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED UNDER WARRANTY BY TESLA BUT THEY REFUSED AND I HAD TO PAY $800.
ON 3/15/2021, MY CAR SUDDENLY TURNED 90 DEGREE TO THE RIGHT UNDER AUTOPILOT ON HIGHWAY 210 WHEN HIT A PUDDLE. THE RAIN IS VERY SMALL. I THINK THE HIGHWAY HAS RISK AS ACCUMULATED A PUDDLE UNEXPECTED AT ALL. TESLA 3 HAS ISSUE AS WELL SINCE IT SHOULDN'T TURN 90 DEGREE. I WAS HIT BY A CAR AND THE CAR STOPPED. IF THERE WERE CONTAINER TRUCK BESIDES ME, I MIGHT DIE THAT DAY.
REAR A/C VENTS BLOW HOT AIR SPORADICALLY WHEN FRONT MAIN VENTS ARE BLOWING COLD AIR CONDITIONED AIR. THIS HAPPENS ARE STOPS OR WHEN DRIVING. BECOMES DANGEROUS FOR REAR PASSENGERS/PETS WHEN OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS HIGH AND CAR IS ADDING ADDITIONAL HEAT TO REAR PASSENGER AREA INSTEAD OF COOLING.
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Quick Summary
The 2019 Tesla Model 3 has 33 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. 2 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.