2020 TESLA MODEL 3 Power Train Problems
8 NHTSA complaints on file
Power Train Issues in the 2020 TESLA MODEL 3
8 power train complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 TESLA MODEL 3. Of these, 2 involved a crash, 0 involved a fire, and 2 resulted in injury.
8
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths
All Power Train Complaints
I am filing a complaint regarding a serious safety issue with my 2020 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus. While driving on the freeway, the car displayed a “Power Limited - OK to Drive” message, followed by “Power Reduced,” and then automatically limited my speed to 60 mph. This happened unexpectedly on a busy freeway, nearly causing an accident with a car behind me. The message advised that “exiting and re-entering the vehicle may restore operations.” I took the freeway exit and exited the car, re-entered, and resumed driving, but the error returned, reducing my speed further to 58 mph, and at one point, down to 7 mph. This behavior makes the car unsafe for freeway driving, as the speed can drop suddenly, putting me at risk of a collision. This issue persists on city roads as well, with speed reductions happening within a mile of driving, restricting the speed...
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...
We had Model 3 with instance of unintended acceleration at the gate of a parking lot. This car was bought in May 2020. On December 6, 2020, she was on the way out of the parking gate and suddenly the car accelerated, hitting the side wall of the gate. The car flew over a two-way street, resulting in a compound fracture of her right hip requiring internal fixation and transfusion. The vehicle was inspected by the police. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to failure.
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.
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.
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while reversing or driving forward, while depressing the accelerator pedal and adjusting the seat, the vehicle independently shifted to park abruptly. There were no warning lights illuminated. A software update was previously completed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and suggested a reboot and service on the vehicle. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and using Self Driving feature, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and continued to drive the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated while reversing, the vehicle inadvertently moved forward and slightly bumped into a guardrail. There was no further information provided. The contact depressed the brake pedal and was able to successfully reverse after several attempts. The contact also stated that the vehicle would fail to make normal beeping sounds and alerts while reversing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that unless he provided the specific time and date of the failure, they could not assist. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
Other 2020 TESLA MODEL 3 Problem Areas
Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control
102 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking
80 complaints
Unknown Or Other
76 complaints
Vehicle Speed Control
65 complaints
Service Brakes
45 complaints
Steering
43 complaints
Electrical System
34 complaints
Suspension
34 complaints
Air Bags
29 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings
24 complaints
Seats
22 complaints
Lane Departure Assist
21 complaints
Visibilitywiper
21 complaints
Seat Belts
18 complaints
Structurebody
18 complaints
Exterior Lighting
12 complaints
Lane Departure Warning
9 complaints
Back Over Prevention
8 complaints
Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection
7 complaints
Fuelpropulsion System
6 complaints
Visibility
6 complaints
Wheels
6 complaints
Back Over Prevention Warnings
4 complaints
Electrical Systemadasautonomousself Driving
3 complaints
Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslatch
3 complaints
Back Over Prevention Sensing System Camera
2 complaints
Engine
2 complaints
Air Bagssensoroccupant Classificationdriver
1 complaint
Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking
1 complaint
Forward Collision Avoidance
1 complaint
Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslatchemergency Mechanical Release
1 complaint
Latcheslockslinkageshoodlatch
1 complaint
Service Brakes Hydraulic
1 complaint
Structurebodybumpers
1 complaint
Structurebodydoorhandleexterior
1 complaint
Structureframe And Membersunderbody Shields
1 complaint
Tires
1 complaint
Vehicle Speed Controlaccelerator Pedal
1 complaint
Vehicle Speed Controlcruise Control
1 complaint