2018 TESLA MODEL 3 Electrical System Problems

Description of the Defect: While driving with Full Self-Driving (FSD) engaged, the vehicle's primary computer shuts down and reboots, causing a sudden loss of all safety features, including Blind Spot Monitoring, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning, and the driving visualization. The cameras go black while the vehicle is in motion. The Trigger: The failure is triggered by high electrical load. If the Cabin Heater (HVAC) and Seat Heaters are active while FSD is fully computing, the 12V power supply to the computer drops below critical voltage, causing a "Turbo A" processor lockup and system crash. Evidence of Defect: Service Center diagnostics confirmed the specific error code APS_w169_TurboA_SCS_LKUP (Computer Crash) occurred at the exact same timestamp as VCLEFT_a302_blowerGeneralFault (HVAC Blower Failure). This proves a common-mode voltage drop affecting multiple critical systems simultaneously. Manufacturer Response: The manufacturer (Tesla) acknowledged the logs but refused to inspect the wiring harness or ground connections,...

After downloading Tesla’s update (no. 2025.44.25.4) software my heater (with the window defrost functionality) in winter stopped operating. I made my update while at my nearest Tesla service compound (location verifiable per system location log) on 01/25/26 when that same day software began throwing HVAC error codes with blowing cold air, when previously my heat ran well. This is not coincidental; this is system design failure.

Please review attachment.

The center display (Vehicle Pad) on my 2018 Tesla Model 3 went completely blank while driving. This eliminated access to all vital driving information including the speedometer, gear selection, and safety indicators. Safety Concern: Without visible speed data and wipers the vehicle cannot be operated safely or legally. I attempted to reboot the system and power cycle the vehicle but the screen still failed.

No warning messages at all, all cameras/sensors stopped working all at once while driving, full self drive stopped working, lane assist, safety features of full self drive was degraded by this. Car software v12 (2024.44.25.2 288ce84bb43e), according to the dealership the computer fried randomly.

I believe my car should be included in the recall for trunk harness recall. My alert and issue is the rear camera being off due to rear trunk ruining the wiring harness that has affected many cars. This is already a recall but I believe my car missed being involved.

Main incident: Time: 2025-08-28 ~12:41 PM PST What happened: After searching for a parking space, the driver was preparing to reverse into the spot, the driver pressed up the stalk to shift the gear into reverse, a sound was heard and something showed up on the screen, the vehicle once again started accelerating and running forward suddenly and sharply (3 mph to 28 mph in 3 secs), driver tried to steer the vehicle away from cars and buildings to minimize danger, the car rushed onto a concrete curb, hit one blue Tesla, then hit the side of a concrete utility pole, and ran over a plant and last crashed into the chain-link french before it finally stops Injuries: * Spine pain for one passenger Damages: ** All tires blown out, tire falls off ** Severe damages throughout the vehicle body * One Tesla parked on the parking lot was severely...

Tesla failed to properly diagnose a high-voltage battery isolation fault in my 2018 Model 3. Despite safety-critical BMS_a027 and BMS_a142 faults indicating multiple isolation failures, they skipped required insulation resistance testing, falsely blamed sand in a connector, and charged me $174.95. After the issue returned, they reversed course, replaced an internal battery contactor, and reduced the $1,173 estimate to $356—admitting fault without owning it. Days later, a diagnostic showed dangerously low isolation resistance (380kΩ, far below Tesla's 1,000kΩ safety threshold), yet they took no further action. On July 12, the car again went into limp mode. Tesla’s repeated failure to follow safety protocols, diagnose accurately, and honor warranty obligations has left me with a vehicle in an unsafe state and no corporate accountability. I've contacted their Resolutions team three times (7/2, 7/7, 7/10) with zero response.

My brake lines began to leak. When I took the car to the Tesla Service center they repaired the brake lines, but in the process they found that the brake fluid had leaked in/on the battery compartment. Furthermore, they found a coolant leak that also leaked on/in the battery compartment. This cause a hole to develop into the battery compartment. Having the coolant and brake lines in a place that could affect the batteries is a significant design flaw of the Model 3. According to the technician from Tesla, my car/batteries, were a ticking time bomb and could have ignited at any point. I am very fortunate that a fire was not started with myself or my family in the car. I believe Tesla needs to make all Model 3 owners aware of this possibility and come up with a way to remedy this flaw before someone looses a life....

This is a large scale problem with Tesla due to their "easy entry" which automatically moves the front seats to fit the drivers saved positions. Due to Tesla not properly securing the wires under the seat, they get crimped over time causing an error of "safety restraint system issue." There have been thousands of reported Teslas with a simple Google search. The service center also stated to me this is a large scale issue but a recall has not been issued. This is very dangerous as this disables the airbags due to a seat belt or wire crimp under the seat issue. Please investigate and issue a mandatory recall for the safety issue as Tesla wants $1000 to rectify the issue. Many have reported this issue to be fixed by the service center multiple times only to come back months later.

I just traded in my vehicle for a Tesla from 3rd party dealership on [XXX] A light came on once I reached my home. I called right away before the dealership closed but no one answered. So I took it upon myself to make a service call to Tesla to get my vehicle checked come to find out my vehicle has extensive damages from my unit drive, my subframe and the battery pack is severe punctures and needs to be replaced. Choice Automotive LLC in Honolulu Hawaii didn’t disclose anything to me before purchasing this vehicle. also they didn’t disclose that this vehicle was in a car accident, but they carried on with the sale. I have pictures of what needs to be repaired. Tesla said, I will need $20,000 to repair these damages. So I’m trying to take legal action against Choice Automotive LLC for selling me a vehicle...

My 2018 Model 3 recently started experiencing issues during AC charging where I’m only able to use 16A out of the 48A available from my Tesla mobile connector charger at home. The specific error warning and error I’m seeing says “PCS_a019 Power grid or vehicle issue limiting AC charging Unplug and retry/ Try different charging location”. Before this started happening I’ve been charging with the same charging setup at home since 2019 and have been getting 32A consistently.
I’ve tried the following options to diagnose the issue: 1. I’ve unplug and replug mobile charger from the connector. (the end plug to the mobile charger), I’ve also plug and unplug connector to the nema 14-50 receptacle. 1. The mobile connector exterior shows a constant flowing of green color on the “TESLA” letters outside the charger 2. I also separately own a second 2023 Model Y Performance, my Model Y is able to...

1. The Power Conversion System (PCS), still in the vehicle and not available for inspection 2. 2 of the 3 controllers have failed, resulting in limited AC charging (16A out of 48A max). The PCS helps regulate AC and DC electricity and connects the 12V batter to the HV battery. If it fails, it could lead to dangerous situations since the electricity from the HV battery wouldn't be as controlled. I'm worried that if the final controller fails while driving it could lead to a loss of power. 3. Problem throws an error code when charging that the dealer has verified, they will not replace it unless I pay for the part+labor which is roughly $1,800. 4. Vehicle inspected by dealer, they will only fix if I pay for replacement part. 5. Car has warning message when charging.

1. PTC Heater, old part is available for inspection 2. PTC heater failed while driving, experienced loss of power and slow loss of secondary electrical systems (the 12v battery was not able to recharge itself with the PTC heater not functioning). When attempting to restart car after pulling into a parking lot, the entire car died (12V battery was drained so it couldn't start up) and had to get towed to Tesla service center. PTC heater is critical for car to operate as it is closely linked to 12V battery. Additionally, without PTC heater car cannot defog windshield, resulting in potentially poor visibility. 3. Dealer replaced the defective part (PTC heater) and had to replace 12V battery as well. Was not covered under warranty and I had to pay the cost out of pocket. 4. Inspected by manufacturer and replaced. 5. Got warning signs about reduced power available, and secondary...

RCM_a021 alert: Front left safety restraint system fault. Seems like an issue caused by seat movement back & forth.

Power Coversion System (PCS) failed on vehicle Causing issues with charging No User facing errors to alert of issues prior to problem (hidden in service menu) - preventing owners from claiming under basic 50k mile warranty. Stated as not part of HV Battery warranty and replacement is ~$2000 Advised to replace or could leave car unusable.

Warning message appeared on center screen stating: "Front left safety restraint system fault". This appears to be a safety related problem , Tesla dealer wants $500 to repair because the vehicle is "out of warreanty" . This is the second Model 3 we have had. Previous version also experienced this fault. Is this a safety problem and if so should the car manufacturer be responsible to repair at no cost to owner? I have receoved a notice from NHTSA dated 5-31-2024 stating recall 24V376 may affect my vehicle - Seat Belt warning Sustem. I have not receoved a specific recall from tesla for this recall. Is it the same as the fault referenced above?

Passenger Safety Restraint system fault. Faulty wiring under the seat. Cost of repair is $1000. Passenger airbag requires replacement.

I’m not exactly sure what’s wrong, the screen keeps failing on my car. It’s been taken to Tesla to service this issue 4 times. With the most expensive repair costing $2,200. Its poses a safety hazard because when the screen fails. You can’t see anything, speed, gear. You can’t adjust windshield wipers, seat or mirror positions.

Power conversion system (PSC) failure. Only charges at 16 amps. I know other Tesla owners have had this problem as well.

1. I had my car for only 6 years, and the main monitor would randomly go black. I have to do multiple hard resets to get it to work again. 2. I'm getting a Front left safety restrain system fault, on a car that I had only for 6 years. Compared to my Prius that I had more than 10 years, which I had no problems AT ALL, Tesla is junk. 3. Front suspension is squeaking when making turns at slow speeds. Review of YouTube indicates that this is a very common problem. Tesla should fix this for free instead of charging $800.

ISSUE: PTC Heater failed at 63,617 miles after 6 years of use WARNING MESSAGE: "Vehicle may not restart" CONTACT: [XXX] [XXX] main contact for owner [XXX] . VIN: [XXX] MAKE: MODEL 3 YEAR: 2018 REPAIR QUOTED: $1,104.18 LINE ITEMS: PTC HEATER DUALZONE(1088218-00-I) HVAC, PTC SERVICEASSY(1107677-00-A) LABOR & DIAGNOSTICS SUMMARY: TESLA Model 3 Electric Vehicle shut down into "Asleep mode" and will not respond (turn back on). Locked out. Will not wake up. Will not respond to software nor car keys. All systems turned off. Will not charge. Will not release charger from charge port. Issue suddenly happened after [XXX] software load (deemed to not be the cause of issue). Dealership diagnostic shows PTC Heater failure which cuts off the battery. Dealership quoted estimated repair (see below). This could have happened while driving causing the vehicle to be uncontrollable, and a major safety issue. Fortunately, my incident happened after I parked...

RECALL NEVER COMPLETED FOR MY CAR. WAS FROM 2021. WORRIED THAT REAR CAMERA MAY FAIL AND CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION.

Seems that when brake pedal sensor can trigger a "pressed" reading when not actually being pressed. The only way to turn off the car manually is defeated by, you guessed it, depressing the brake pedal. This causes the vehicle to remain on and unlocked. Even if you are able to leave the vehicle in a locked park state, at any point, the sensor can register a "pressed" reading and essentially unlock and turn on the vehicle. I see this as a extremely serious safety issue. The issue seems to occur randomly at first and then more frequently. It can be confused with a known seat sensor issue which seems to also cause the same symptoms.

Tesla model 3 Power Conversion System failure which will now limit the car charging to 16 amps (half the normal charge rate). This is a common failure which should be recalled

The car's horn has stopped working. A car was entering my lane almost running me off the road and I could not alert the other driver because the horn wouldn't work. The car has not been inspected by the dealer, police or insurance yet. I received no warning lights or messages before the failure. problem was recognized on 8/30/24. This seems to be a known issue that Tesla has not addressed. Estimate they have given for repairs is $195.00

RCM_a021 Front left safety restraint system fault RCM_a056 Front passenger safety restraint system fault I have been noticing this error on my Tesla Model 3. Also, I researched on it and found out numerous people are having same problem. So, since it’s safety related issue there should be recall to fix it.

getting a "front left safety restraint fault" warning when moving the driver seat...is a known issue in tesla forums where the seat wiring harness is not secured properly and either a wire is crimped by the seat mechanicals or a wiring harness is pulled loose...

Starting Jun 15 2024 an error came up saying "Left Restraint System fault" after a remote software update for Model 3 2018 Tesla The Alert comes up intermittently & Tesla requires $359.50 to change First Row Seat Harness Assembly - Left

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle independently accelerated with an unknown message displayed on the Phone APP but not on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that a screw had detached from the undercarriage which resulted in an abnormal, squeaking noise coming from the vehicle while driving at various speeds. Additionally, the contact also stated that the automatic walk-away lock feature intermittently failed to operate as needed; as a result, the vehicle remained unlocked while away from the vehicle. The vehicle had been taken to a Service Center for repair; however, the failures persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

1. There is an open recall since Dec 2021 (21V-00D) which Tesla has still not fixed! 2. The automatic wiper system on the car is unsafe as it takes a long time to activate when its raining, and sometimes it activates without any rain!

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...

I have a 2018 Tesla Mode 3. It is one of the early Model 3 on roads. I have had around 10 issues in the car over the past 6 years of ownership; and most of them were fixed during warranty. My car has no accidents, no water damages (only hand washed), single driver driven and well maintained. Around a month ago, I got an alert in the car “Condition Detected with Controller”. Tesla Service did remote check and stated that VCFRONT (Front Body Controller) needs to be replaced for $900. I took the car for this fix and then heard that VCFRONT Controller is fine, but I need a replacement of Harness and Steering Rack for $4200, as they see corrosion. I told them that I have no issues with driving or anything else, as $4200 is around 25% of the value of the car. I was advised, pay...

The turn signal stalk does not differentiate between a partial (lane change) press or a full turn press. The signal will remain on until the stalk is moved in the opposite turn direction. This sometimes results in the opposite turn signal activating. This entire process is intermittent while driving. This happens mainly on the highway where an intermittent (half press) of the stalk is performed to switch lanes. When switching lands I have no idea whether it'll work as designed or fail to register a half press or full press of the stalk.

I am unable to open my rear passenger car door from the outside or the inside. Also the rear passenger door also lacks a manual release like the front doors have. This, coming off of [XXX] 's death, and Tesla's service apathy and insistence on first collecting money before solving this problem is incredibly dangerous. So I am now driving a death trap, and this is my only car, and Tesla should have to pay for the fix, yet they are insisting I pay for the full price because my car is now "out of warranty." But with this kind of LIFE-THREATENING failure of a door that should honestly just work, is reprehensible. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention). The contact attempted to schedule an appointment for a recall repair on the Tesla App however, the app displayed an error “Unnecessary to schedule an appointment; You will be notified when parts are available" since June of 2023. The local dealer was contacted but confirmed that the recall repair needed to be scheduled via the Tesla App. The contact attempted to reach out to the manufacturer but was unable to reach a representative. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention), 23V838000 (Electrical System), and 24V051000 (Electrical System); however, the dealer stated that to perform the upgrades, the contact needed to purchase a new computer before the software could be updated. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that it would be necessary to complete the updates. The contact stated that the manufacturer was unreasonable in determining that to complete the software updates that he needed to purchase a new computer. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera image intermittently was blank. Additionally, the on-board cabin camera ceased to function as needed, causing the autosteer feature to become inoperable. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

PTC Heater failed. This is a critical component that helps to maintain the battery's temperature within safe operating range. The only alternative is to replace this PTC Heater. Till the replacement is done, EVs battery may not maintain safe operating temperature range and could cause the car - not drive able. I consider this a significant safety risk. Cabin temperature cannot be maintained as well. Cause for PTC Heater failure is known - "change in temperature" could cause this item to fail per Tesla. i.e. when cold air blows over the heating element. Not sure if enough has been done to fix this from occurring for such a critical component with some hardware or hardware recall for several vehicles on the road. Else these cars must be considered for sales only for few states in the USA which have a stable operating temperature ranges for their PTC heaters to not...

The High Voltage Service Panel is part the battery which is part of the manufacturer warranty and drivetrain. A lot of Tesla cars had this problem and they are being charged $1800 to $2000 to “fix” this common failure. The problem is that the battery stop receiving the full amperage to charge the battery appropriately. In my case, I started charging more frequently on Superchargers during a long trip to different locations without a Level 2 homecharger and stopped several times into the Superchargers of Tesla. A diagram of the drivetrain and Battery system placed the High Voltage Service Panel as part of the battery. I had the problem since the past 2 years and did not fixed it, after I was sent an estimate cost of “repair”. I said that it was part of the battery system and they refused to accept it. As of 2024, I have search...

The steering wheel horn stopped working about a month or so ago. I can use the Tesla app to make the horn sound but not by pressing the steering wheel. Fortunately, no safety of others or myself have been experienced. No one else has inspected it yet, though I am due to have my state inspection tomorrow and I don't think that it will pass. There were no warning lamps for messages prior to the failure. I think I first noticed that it wasn't working about a month or so ago. I reported the bug on the car texting service but have not heard from Tesla nor received a software update to fix the problem.

I don’t feel comfortable driving this car because it is unsafe when I am on autopilot on the highway it would randomly stop the car by breaking instantly out of nowhere when there isn’t any car in front of me?! Please give me another car that is more safe to drive!?

While in FSD the car swerved to the left and hit a Tree. Youtube of the Crash.. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Vehicle touch screen will shut off while driving and take 5 minutes to reboot. I have taken it to Tesla multiple times since November and they said it’s a firmware issue and nothing is being done to resolve.

The is WATER in my right front FOG lamp and I don't know how it got in there, but Tesla says they can't get water out of it and can't reseal it, but is willing to let me pay $504 to replace a light... this is yet another Billionaire abusive practice by Elon Musk to generate cash flow and revenue for his failing company. Telsa also asked for $15,000 for a new battery, which the "software" said it started reducing the range JUST after the 120,000 mile battery warranty was up. Just like Apple does with reducing iPhone battery performance for so called "safety" reasons to make people pony up to the latest model. Which Tesla has been emailing me and texting me to try to get me to buy a new Tesla LOL. This is clearly an abusive "sales tactic". If they actually care about helping customers, they would...

A charging warning error msg appeared that there maybe something wrong with the cable leading to charging the battery and may lead to a fail charging and this the 2nd time. The first time I had a failed charging with no warning that it was failing amd that lead to the entire battery wouldn’t charge leaving me stranded and the car had to be towed to a Tesla service center., this time 02/08/2024 it’s sending me a notification that there is something wrong internally and I need to see service asap so this time it did send me a msg warning me there’s something wrong

My bluetooth has not been connecting in my car. To preface this, my car was in twice this year alone, with a near $3000 bill, to replace the MCU, on a car with only 26k miles. Now this bluetooth connection issue is still a problem. After opening a service ticket with Tesla, I am told for an additional $180, I would need to replace my seat sensor. This means my seat (while I am driving) does not recognize that someone is on it and driving. My concern is the manufacturer remedy does not replace failed parts with improved design and that this has the potential to cause other safety issues if occupant detection compromised by faulty sensors. What if I am in an accident and the airbags don't deploy?

We intermittantly received alerts on the screen showing "Front safety restraint system fault (service is required)." After many hours of research, we found that other owners also have the same issue and they found that a wire from a electrical connector that connected to the seatbelt pretentension was broken from the seat being moved up and down.

Touchscreen went entirely blank. A few days prior to this, radio cut on and out. Rebooting procedures did not work. Tesla repaired, stating it was the cars computer. I asked for the old computer board but was told it was proprietary. The symptoms are very similar to those of the older memory issues.

There is an ongoing issue with Tesla's seat sensors that give an error screen while driving. Tesla seems to be systematically charging a standard $1.5K repair to replace a $100 sensor harness, but they're charging so much because they claim an airbag replacement is required (for an extra $1.2K) as part of the new sensor/wire harness installation. From a quick google search, it seems this is a pretty widespread issue that MANY Model 3/Y owners are encountering as their car ages-- with many noting that they were able to self-service the issue with buying the required harness and replacing it themselves. I wanted to bring awareness that to this issue and Tesla's poor and systematic way of overcharging customers to fix a widespread defect in their car seat design.

My car went out of warranty for seat related issues in December of this past year 2023. I don't even have 26K miles on my car therefore not a heavy driver. This week I experienced an error RCM_a021, front left safety restraint system fault, which I've researched has affected many others and appears to clearly be a safety flaw. The service team mentioned this isn't covered. My airbag light doesn't go off and is constantly on, my seats no longer save the seat setting (which occurred a couple of months ago but I didn't think about it).This is a safety hazard should I get into an accident. There were no previous warning issues prior to this warning error which occurred this week. According to Tesla, if the airbag light remains lit, schedule a service appointment immediately and do not drive. The service team mentioned the seat harness is faulty remotely...