NHTSA Complaint #11587940 — 2018 TESLA MODEL 3

While driving normally, an error warning was received that stated "Front Left Safety Restraint System Error" and the icon for an airbag fault would come in simultaneously. This error would disappear and reappear, sometimes up to 10 times per minute, creating a driver distraction due to the loud error chime. The error code identified for the fault when checked on the Tesla service screen corresponded to pretensioner wire harness. The pretensioner harness connects the seat sensors for driver weight and positioning to the car's airbag control system, which then classifies passengers and ensures that the airbags fire correctly in the event of a collision. For example, if a smaller female driver was operating the car but was incorrectly classified as male, the airbag could fire with excessive force and cause injury. The set of symptoms occurs commonly in Tesla Model 3s and are caused by the wear over time of a poorly designed wiring harness, which chafes as the seat is moved forward and backward until it breaks. This is a known problem by Tesla and they have a specific service bulletin designed to address it, which I have attached below. When taken in to address the issue, Tesla performed the procedure in the attached bulletin and identified a damaged harness, which was subsequently replaced. I retained the damaged harness for inspection. The invoice for this service is attached. No other defects were identified that could have caused the issue. This is a safety related issue occurring due to a manufacturing related defect and should be a mandatory recall with complimentary repair.