2018 TESLA MODEL 3 Seats Problems

Received an error "Front left safety restraint system fault. Service is required." error on my vehicle yesterday (7/11/2023) which disappears when lifting seat to highest position. As soon as seat is lowered more than 1/2" the error reappears and airbag light is illuminating notifying that the airbag is not enabled. This error is clearly an issue with the safety restraint system on the vehicle but Tesla will not honor fixing this under their Supplemental Restraint System Limited Warranty. The vehicle is within coverage period (<5 years and <60,000 miles). I am being told this SRS Limited warranty covers air bags, seat belt, seat belt buckles, sensors, and modules only. I have not taken the vehicle in for service as the quote I received is too expensive ($601). Please see photos for my conversation with Tesla service as well.

I received a random RCM_a056 safety alert message on my 2018 Tesla Model 3. The Tesla Service Center requires the following repairs: 1) replace front passenger airbag and update vehicle configuration and 2) retrofit SBR in OCS equipped front passenger seat. My vehicle has over 110,00 miles on it, so I am past the Supplemental Restraint System warranty period of 5 years or 60,000 miles. The cost to repair these safety alert is $1,257.76 as Tesla does not classify this safety failure as a recall issue; however, there are numerous Tesla Service Bulletins and complaints as early as 12/30/19 discussing this issue in online Tesla forums. Why is this known issue not classified as a Recall?

I am writing to report a safety concern with my Tesla Model 3 vehicle. The issue pertains to a persistent warning message that displays "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault". This warning suggests a potential malfunction in the safety restraint system, which could pose a significant risk to the passenger in the event of an accident. The warning message first appeared in July 2019 and has since been a recurring issue. Last December 2023, I paid out of pocket to get this serviced. The warning disappeared for a few months but reappeared recently. I have scheduled a service appointment with a Tesla service center to diagnose and hopefully rectify the issue. However, I felt it was necessary to report this to the NHTSA due to the potential safety implications for other Tesla Model 3 owners if this is a widespread issue.

Got an error code "RCM_a056" that indicates that there is a fault with the Front passenger safety restraint system. Looking at this problem online it seems that is not very unique and many owners of 2018 Model 3 have suffered the same issue. I was quoted for a service that changes the OCS sensor, but then they also have to replace the airbag due to "compatibility" reasons.

Driver received alert "front passenger safety restrain system fault." Tesla advised that airbag may not deploy when occupant in passenger seat due to seat pressure sensor malfunction. Added "filter" and issue corrected. Issue has returned and Tesla is asking for $2,000 to replace the entire seat due to pressure sensor not being otherwise accessible. I would like to alert the NHTSA to this issue since I do not feel as though a safety issue such as this should exist on a 4 year old car and, in addition, the cost of repair should not be left to the consumer to cover. I feel as though a safety recall is warranted. Thank you.

The car started producing a warning that there was an issue with the driver’s side safety harness. Tesla has a warranty described as “Supplemental Restraint System Limited Warranty” which should cover this repair. The Tesla service center would not cover the cost of the repair under the terms of the warranty. I asked for a list of which specific equipment was covered under the terms of this warranty and they would not provide any details.

Seat moves back and forth during acceleration and deceleration. Previous owner said he was told by Tesla that it is within “spec”

I was experiencing intermittent Bluetooth connection issues along with vehicle not powering off and the gear shifting to park when moving the vehicle at (very) low speed without the seatbelt buckled. I noticed the Bluetooth connection problem after a bad software installation in Jan 2023, however the other two issues have been noticed since at least 2020. When I took the car for a second time, Tesla diagnosed the problem as a faulty seat occupancy sensor (SOS). Tesla told me that the driver side seat SOS is “sticky” that the car didn’t consistently know there was a driver in the car when I sit on the seats (which explained why the car would put itself in park when driven at low speed (<3mph) without seatbelt on, and why the engine kept running even after I stepped out of the car when the car wasn’t locked ( like, when the car...

My 2018 Tesla Model 3 Long Range abruptly parks itself when a seatbelt is not used. The car does not wake up when sitting into the driver seat and the likely culprit is the driver side occupant sensor. To wake up the car one must press the brake or tap on the screen multiple times. If the sensor is faulty this means the airbags on the driver side will not deploy due to the car thinking there is no occupant. Tesla wants to charge customers $1300 for a replacement seat, which is unfair as it compromises the cars air bags and safety system. The car is drive able even when the sensor is not working. I am scared that if an accident were to occur the airbags will not deploy.

Tesla models are equipped with an "Easy Entry" feature and driver profiles which allow configuring seat and mirror adjustments based on who is driving. After repeated use, it's possible for the driver's seat to get stuck in "Easy Entry" mode and unable to roll forward. It is not possible to adjust the seat manually since the controls are all digital. Tesla's recommended fix is a $1000 seat motor replacement, even though other adjustments (seat height and tilt) can still be adjusted. This appears to be a manufacturer defect and is a common complaint in owner forums. https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/driver-seat-stuck.179625/

I believe the front passenger occupancy sensor has failed or malfunctioned again. The first instance of issue took place on 03/05/2020 and a second instance of the same issue has occurred again on 09/29/2022. It is available for inspection upon request. Front passenger safety is put at risk because the vehicle may not deploy the front passenger airbags if it is not able to detect the occupancy status of the front passenger seat. The problem was reproduced by the Tesla dealer after the first instance of failure. The vehicle was inspected by the manufacturer after the first instance of failure. The system warning that displays on screen - "Front passenger safety restraint system fault/Service is required".

In 2021 the vehicle reported – “Front passenger safety restraint system fault/Contact Tesla Service”. Tesla performed OCS rework installing an Occupant Classification System (OCS) Filter Module (part SERVICE KIT – OCS REWORK (1479982-00-C)). In 2022 the vehicle reported “RCM_a056 Front passenger safety restraint system fault service required”. Tesla’s proposed correction is to replace seat (part 1ST ROW SEAT ASSEMBLY – RIGHT HAND – PUR BLACK (7654324-91-C)). The safety risk may be serious and alert RCM_a056 is being reported by other owners on the web so the problem is not isolated. My understanding is the Occupant Classification System (OCS) Filter Module is part of the airbag system and weighs occupants in the front seat. The OCS Filter is used to determine if the front seat is occupied and possibly classify occupants by weight to determine if and/or by how much airbags should be deployed. The safety of a person in the...

Every time a passenger sits on the front passenger seat, an alert " passenger seat restraint system fault" comes on. First time it was repaired under warranty back in 2009 and now the same issue has come back Feb/ March2022. The car is no longer under warranty and Tesla said this repair will the responsibility of the car owner.

BECAUSE I HIT A SMALL PUDDLE OF WATER ON THE ROAD, MY VC RIGHT GOT WATER INSIDE AND THE PASSENGER SEAT STARTED TILTING FORWARD, THEN MOVE FORWARD THEN TILT BACK. ALL MOVES TO THE MAXIMUM RANGE. IF SOMEONE WOULD'VE BEEN SITTING ON IT, THE BEST CASE WOULD'VE BEEN SOME BROKEN LEGS, WORST CASE DEATH. I WAS UNABLE TO OPERATE THE PASSENGER SEAT WITH THE CONTROLS. HAD TO GO TO SERVICE FOR EMERGENCY, AND THEY SAID THAT 2018 MODELS HAVE A PROBLEM THAT LETS OUTSIDE WATER INSIDE AND SHORTCUTS VC RIGHT. THEY REPLACED THAT VC RIGHT COMPUTER AND SAID THEY RETROFITTED IT AND HOPE IT DOES HAPPEN AGAIN. NOW I HAVE 2 MODEL 3'S AND WHEN I ASKED SERVICE TO RETROFIT THE OTHER ONE TOO, THE ASNWER WAS WELL IF IT DIDN'T HAPPEN IT'S OKAY NO NEED. I'M NOT FEELING SAFE TO PUT MY LOVED ONES ON PASSENGER SEAT IF IT'S...

DRIVING ON RURAL DIRT ROAD. DUST COMING IN FROM REAR SEAT BOTTOM, TRUNK, SEAT BELT HOLES. SO MUCH DUST IT IS UNBEARABLE, CAN'T BREATHE AND HARD TO KEEP EYES OPEN WHILE DRIVING.

OVER 5000 MILES OF DRIVING, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF VIBRATION AND BUFFETING IN CAR AT ANY SPEED OVER 45MPH. TESLA SERVICE HAS HAD EIGHT OPPORTUNITIES TO RESOLVE THIS, TO NO AVAIL. THE TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACED TO ELIMINATE THIS AS A POSSIBILITY, AND THE WHEELS CHECKED FOR RUNOUT - ALL MEASURE VERY GOOD. SUSPENSION COMPONENTS OR CONTROL ARMS ARE THE LIKELY CULPRITS. IN ADDITION TO THE SUSPENSION COMPONENTS FAILING AFTER LESS THAN 5000 MILES, THE DRIVERS SEATS ON MOST ALL MODEL 3 ARE LOOSE AND ROCK BACK AND FORTH, WITH TESLA SAYING IT IS 'WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS'. THIS COULD BE ANOTHER SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, AS IT IS UNCLEAR WHY THE SEAT DISTURBING BECOMES LOOSE WITH NORMAL USE. AFTER DISCUSSING WITH OTHER MODEL 3 OWNERS WITH IDENTICAL ISSUES, IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS IS A INHERENT VEHICLE / PARTS PROBLEM, AND TESLA IS DOING...

SEAT HEADREST BUBBLING AND HAVING OOZING STUFF. LOOKS LIKE MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. YESTERDAY I WENT AND THEY SAID THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE AND THEN I FIND IN MANY ONLINE FORUMS PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS. AND FOR SOME PEOPLE THEY GAVE A FREE REPLACEMENT. CHARGED ME $330 FOR THIS. EVEN THE REPLACEMENTS ARE STARTING TO SHOW SAME ISSUE HTTPS://WWW.REDDIT.COM/R/TESLAMODEL3/COMMENTS/CY0ZWU/TESLA_MODEL_3_HEADREST_BUBBLING_BIG_TIME/?UTM_SOURCE=SHARE&UTM_MEDIUM=WEB2X