2020 TESLA MODEL 3 Electrical System Problems

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 way to open the doors or the issue the car was experiencing. The battery cover would not open. Eventually after I searched the Internet I determined that the 12V battery died (no warning whatsoever, doors worked before loading children) and this caused all occupants to be detained in vehicle as the emergency release is the mechanical means of opening the door and this emergency release is not intuitive or obvious. Within 20 minutes I was able to use an arcane hot wiring method to unlatch a door with a spare 12 V source and a hidden 12 V port not immediately obvious either....

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 instrument panel, or the trunk release button. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed. The contact was informed by the dealer that the cable harness was not repaired and that a zip tie was placed on the cable harness. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that after the dealer visit, the trunk failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 69,125.

Software update was pushed onto my car, after the update the car autopilot ECU no longer works. When the ECU finally failed these features were stuck or are completely broken/not working: - Auto dim rear view mirrors (these were stuck in dim mode, preventing me from seeing in rain or darkened environments such as at night or under shade, 0% visibility under these conditions when changing lanes or reversing) - Rear view camera completely stopped functioning, as did all cameras on the car - Forward collision warning no longer works - Autopilot (ADAS features in general) no longer functioning including lane keep assist - On screen navigation is locked in place where the car failed (screen shows location where the car ECU presumably failed). I am further unsure if the following features function as required: - Airbag deployment - AEB (Automatic emergency braking)

Back and buttocks area suffered electrical burns and pain from Tesla Seat Heaters (in heated seats) twice 1. Happened in 2024 on temperature level 3 2 Although I turned it down it happened again in 2025 on temperature level 2

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 faulty MCU to start with. I bought my car in 2020, so just over 4 years later my MCU died.

Found the front body controller to be internally faulted

The Tesla is reflecting an error “DIR_a126” that is reducing the speed below the speed limit and with no rhyme or reason. Tesla services are not available and the problem is intermittent. Additionally, based on research it is found to not have consistent resolutions and reasonings

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 BEEN OVER A YEAR AND A HALF SINCE TESLA ANNOUNCED THE RECALL AND IT HAS FAILED TO REPAIR MY CAR. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE HARNESS CAN SHORT OUT AND CAUSE A FIRE.

Braking and Stopping - Braking system - Improperly functioning braking systems. I experienced a problem with the brake pedal, brake calipers, and/or any component of a Model 3 braking system. “Model 3 has an anti-lock braking system (ABS) that prevents the wheels from locking when you apply maximum brake pressure. This improves steering control during heavy braking in most road conditions…Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking do not operate when driving at very low speeds (see Collision Avoidance Assist on page 128). Do not rely on these features to warn you, or to prevent or reduce-the impact of a collision. (Tesla owners Manuel71-73) I stop on a downward slope with my foot on the brake to wait for a gate to open in my apartments. I let go of the brake and the vehicle remained steady until it started rolling. When it started rolling, I jam my foot on...

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 considered one of the most dangerous freeways in [XXX] . After all the warnings came online, we had 30 seconds before the entire car stopped. Of the warnings (Power Reduced, Acceleration and Top Speed Reduced, Automatic Emergency Breaking is Disabled) there was no indication that the car would shut down. We made it to the exit ramp, but couldn’t make it to the shoulder so we blocked the entire exit. [XXX] was able to come in and help tow our car to a safer location. We took it to Tesla to be serviced and when asking the service rep...

On August 2, 2023 at 0400, the Tesla M3 was charging in the garage using a home charger. Smoke indicative of an electrical fire likely originated from the vehicle and eventually triggered a smoke alarm in the kitchen. The driver was unaware the source of the smoke was the Tesla, disconnected the Tesla and moved it out of the house to protect the vehicleb assuming a fire was in the house, and called firefighters who searched the home without success for a source of the fire. The driver now believes the Tesla was the source as the garage access door was cracked open to feed the charging cable from the 240v outlet in the laundry room. The nearest smoke detector from the Tesla is in the kitchen, where the driver smelled smoke from an electrical fire. At roughly 0745, the driver was about to complete a one hour commute to...

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 warning. There should have been on screen display informing driver of the need to replace 12v battery. There was none. Car needed to be towed. If this has happened while we were in the car we would have been locked in. Tow operator jumped the battery to open hood. Touchscreen restarted but car still unresponsive. Multiple warnings on screen. Tow mode would not work so car needed to be pulled with the rear wheels locked onto tow truck.

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 contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

I got a "power reduced dir_a126" error code that limited my speed to 55 mph. This is dangerous on the highway as 55 mph is significantly under 70 mph and cars were almost rear ending me.

Left headlight blinker and windshield wiper not working. Happened twice once in 2022 and now. Repaired once in 2022 and when happens is dangerous because can’t signal and can’t use wipers in the rain

The problem is my car has been in the shop six times for an issue that Tesla claims it is unable to fix. I started smelling a burning smell (smoke coming from my air vents anytime the air is on) and brought it in. The first three times they were unable to find anything the fourth time they noticed debris That was embedded in the heating fins. They replaced that unit. The fifth/sixth time they actually took the HVAC unit out and noticed the entire plastic underneath was melted and warped. Since the smell has continued and I’m worried that it’s dangerous, I had the air quality tested. The formaldehyde levels were 50 times higher than the EPA recommends as a safe level. (HCH0 level of 6 ppm) I’ve submitted all this to Tesla and they said they are currently working with their legal team to figure out if a...

The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated he was not able to operate the rear windows in the vehicle. The contact referenced his concerns about regulation Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard: 571-6; not allowing him to open or close the rear windows. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure through the App. The failure mileage was approximately 44,300.

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 not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that a request was not needed at this time and that he would receive a notification for an appointment for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Back Over Prevention, Visibility) and 22V702000 (Visibility) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The car broke down completely saying that "Electrical system failure". It is immobile. This is dangerous as I was driving on the freeway and it suddenly started showing lot of warnings. Warning included "12v power system failure", "Electrical system failure". "Brakes might not work". Somehow I got in to the garage and the car is now immobile. It does not even lock. It is in the same condition as I parked. Cannot open other doors. This could have been life threatening if it had stopped on the freeway. With the price and safety rating, I never expected Tesla to have total failure.

The 12 volt battery on my T2020 Tesla Model 3 failed without warning last week when I entered the driver's side and closed the door. There was a very brief warning on the control screen that the "12 volt battery should be replaced soon." Then the screen went blank and all controls to the car were rendered inoperable. I could not open the door. I had to go on line on my mobile phone to the Tesla website to get the manual to remind myself how to use the mechanical latch on the door. I then exited the car, and could not re-enter the car. My biggest concern is that if a child or an animal were in the back seat there would be NO WAY to get them out without breaking a window. The Tesla technician came the next day to change the 12 volt battery. To do this...

The contact's husband owned a 2020 Tesla Model 3. According to a police report, while traveling at 70 MPH, the vehicle veered across three lanes of traffic and hit a light pole. The contact was wearing a seatbelt and the air bags deployed upon impact. The paramedics arrived at the scene; her husband was intubated and taken to the hospital. Her husband was pronounced brain dead due to injuries suffered in the accident and passed away two weeks later. According to the police report, witnesses stated that no effort was made by her husband to avoid or slow down prior to the collision. The contact disputes this claim and stated that her husband was not a reckless driver and would not have intentionally hit a light pole. The contact believed that the cause of the accident may have been related to a mechanical failure and would like an additional investigation...

The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, there was a loud sound coming from the vehicle. There was a warning message to take control of the vehicle displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V063000 (Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance). The approximate failure mileage was 9,800.

The contact's granddaughter owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while her granddaughter was reversing, the rearview camera failed to turn on, causing the rear end of the vehicle to crash into a cement post. The contact was unsure whether there was a warning light illuminated. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a Tesla-certified autobody mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was then towed to the contact's residence. The contact later 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure...

Need to ship vehicle to Hawaii however the remedy for the active recall is currently unavailable.

The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in reverse, the rear camera would intermittently fail to operate as needed. The contact had previously received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention) but stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

Car will brake without any warning and with not reason to brake. Many complaints I’ve read online call this phantom braking. It has happened over ten times now and can be extremely dangerous as it will brake the car almost instantly and I have almost been rear ended because of it. Only matter of time before this happens and it results in a wreck.

The contact owned a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 60 MPH on autopilot, she lost control of the vehicle due to an unknown reason. Once his wife lost control of the vehicle, she had run the vehicle into a fence. The airbags deployed upon impact. The contact's wife did not suffer any injuries and did not seek any medical attention. A police report was filed. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard where the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The contact filled out a form online to recover the data from the vehicle but was later informed that only California residence could have access to that information. The vehicle had been destroyed. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.

While turning into a parking spot in a covered parking garage the car seemed to speed up and lurch. It hit the cement wall and pushed the car back with such force the air bags deployed. Thank God it was just a wall. The car is now at the repair garage and have not heard back regarding how much damage and if the car is going to be "totaled". When I mentioned this at a party we were at, a friend of mine said she had the same problem. There were no collision warnings. It happened in a split second. The parking garage was at my Doctors office so I was able to have my wrist x-ryed right then. No serious injury. Just a little leary of driving this model car if not any electric vehicle.

THIS IS A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE BETA RELEASE AUTOPILOT. A RANDOM MODEL 3 VIN HAS BEEN USED TO BE ABLE TO FILE A COMPLAINT. THIS COMPLAINT APPLIES TO ALL MODELS OF TESLA. HERE IS A VIDEO OF A PROUD BETA TESTER. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=PQ-RGY1V8UG THIS OWNER HAS A MISPLACED TRUST IN THE SAFETY OF THE AUTOPILOT. HE IS USING IT IN HIGH RAFFIC AREAS WITH PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS HE IS ALSO USING IT AT EXCESSIVE SPEED ON NARROW ROADS ONLY INCHES AWAY FROM ONCOMING TRAFFIC. RATHER THAN HAVING HIS HANDS HOLDING THE WHEEL IN THE CORRECT WAY HE ONLY HAS HIS FINGERS TOUCHING THE WHEEL WITH THE PALMS FACING THE WRONG WAY. IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG HE WILL NOT BE ABLE GRAB THE WHEEL PROPERLY IN TIME TO PREVENT A COLLISION. FINGERTIP DRIVING IS UNSAFE AT THE BEST OF TIMES. IF AUTOPILOT HAS A GLITCH OR A SPASM THE DRIVER WOULD BE...

FROM THE MOMENT I DROVE MY BRAND NEW TESLA OFF THE LOT - THE SCREEN - THE ONLY WAY TO CONTROL ANYTHING ABOUT THE VEHICLE - WOULD FREEZE; BLACK OUT; AND TAKE SEVERAL MINUTES TO RESET ITSELF. WHILE IN THIS COMPLETELY INOPERATIVE STATE: THE AUDIO SYSTEM WOULD EMIT A HIGH PITCH NOISE; ANY ABILITY TO TELL SPEED; TURNING SIGNAL STATUS; ANYTHING WAS COMPLETELY IMPAIRED; THE CLIMATE CONTROL BLASTS ON HIGH FAN A TORRENT OF COLD AIR. AT 2000 MILES; THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL HUNDRED TIMES - ON AVERAGE ONCE EVERY 10 MILES DRIVEN; THOUGH SOMETIMES TWICE WITHIN A FEW MOMENTS (BOOTS UP ONLY TO RESET AGAIN) AND SOMETIMES IT CAN GO AS FAR AS 30 MINUTES WITHOUT FREEZE; BLACK; RESET. THIS IS EASILY THE MOST EXPENSIVE CAR I'VE EVER PURCHASED; AND HAD NEARLY 0 MILES UPON PICKUP - IT IS EASILY THE MOST FRUSTRATING EXPERIENCE I'VE HAD WITH A CAR....

CHARGING PORT, PLASTIC TIP OF ONE OF THE CHARGING PINS BROKE OFF AND WAS STILL INSIDE THE PORT. IT WAS OBSTRUCTING THE CHARGING HANDLE, NOT ALLOWING IT TO FULLY SEAT. THE CAR WAS SHOWING AN ERROR MESSAGE SAYING THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CHARGING CABLE. I FOUND THE OBSTRUCTION AND REMOVED IT WITH A TOOTHPICK. THE ERROR MESSAGE WENT AWAY HOWEVER ONE CHARGING PIN IS NOW MISSING ITS PLASTIC TIP. THE ONE I REMOVED FROM THE PORT WAS BROKEN AND UNUSABLE. CAR HAS ONLY 5000 MILES ON IT. THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE NOTED IN ANOTHER SERVICE BULLETIN THAT SAYS IT ONLY AFFECTS 2018 VEHICLES. OBVIOUSLY THAT IS NOT TRUE. THIS CAR IS A 2020 AND IT IS STILL HAPPENING.

WHILE NAVIGATING ON AUTOPILOT ON THE FREEWAY THE CAR TOOK THE INTENDED EXIT RAMP, HOWEVER NEVER SLOWED DOWN UNTIL I HAD TO INTERVENE. REMINISCENT OF THE CHARACTERISTICS WHICH LED TO THE RECENT FATAL CRASH REPORTED OVER THE LAST WEEK.