2021 TESLA MODEL 3 Steering Problems
24 NHTSA complaints on file
Steering Issues in the 2021 TESLA MODEL 3
24 steering complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2021 TESLA MODEL 3. Of these, 9 involved a crash, 1 involved a fire, and 3 resulted in injury.
24
Complaints
9
Crashes
1
Fires
3
Injuries
1
Deaths
All Steering Complaints
After Tesla replaced my high voltage battery in May of 2024 all of the following started to happen. Prior to the replacement none of these issues were present. While driving under normal conditions, my 2021 Tesla suddenly and violently steered into an oncoming lane or toward the roadside without any driver input. The steering wheel physically turned on its own with force. Full Self-Driving was NOT engaged at the time of the incident. This was not lane assist correction and occurred without warning. Importantly, the vehicle did NOT issue a warning at the time of the steering event. A “Take Control Immediately” message appeared several minutes AFTER the incident, not before or during, indicating a delayed or failed system response. This defect began immediately after a High-Voltage Battery replacement performed by Tesla Service in May 2024 and has occurred multiple times since. The incident presents a serious safety risk, including...
Steering wheel is peeling/degrading and causing difficulties with steering and control.
Steering rack failure. Steering assist, auto pilot and lane departure prevention failed and would not work properly so this is a safety issue. Manual steering worked fine but the safety and auto pilot functions would no longer function. Paid for Tesla service over $3,000 to replace steering rack and now is working properly. Reporting this as this may happen to others and probably should be a proactive recall on the steering racks so others don't lose these safety features. Maybe related to computer as it failed, worked again and then failed again and was then repaired by Tesla service center.
While driving a Tesla 2021 model 3 tonight at 8:45 P.M. turning left the wheels locked to the left and would not turn straight causing me to hit a concrete divider. After hitting concrete divider steering released to normal driving but driver side car front rim tire was damaged and wheel alignment misdirected.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - ABS, Automatic Emergency Braking, Traction Control, Stability Control failed while braking using the regenerative braking. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - While coming to a stop using the regenerative braking, the regenerative braking immedietely ceased to work, and the driver had to immediately apply the hydraulic brakes to avoid a rear end collision Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? - No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? - No, they appeared while braking. This issue is not new to this vehicle and has happened in the past, however the errors cleared themselves out.
UNKNOWN
1. Autosteer/Lane assist failure, yes its available for inspection upon request with Tesla 2. Due to above failure met with a crash which led to severe medical issues 3. The car has been totalled and the car is not functional, waiting on Tesla to inspect and confirm 4. Police has filed a crash report but manufacturer, insurance yet to inspect the vehicle or component 5. Absolutely NO WARNING lamps/messages prior to the failure.
While driving, I started to hear a creaking sound while backing up and turning the wheel left. The sound became worse over the course of a few weeks. The steering also felt a little loose. I reached out to the manufacturer for a service appointment, and could only be scheduled about a month out. After a few weeks, while trying to parallel park, the car felt like a tire was stuck, or had a flat. I stopped the car to look at all of the tires and they looked fine. When I returned home, I tried to recreate the issue with my wife moving the car slowly from the driver seat while I looked at the wheels. As she turned and backed up, the creaking sound was very loud, but the tires looked fine. When she put the car in drive and began to pull back into the driveway, I...
lost power steering suddenly on the road.
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle made a violent right turn inadvertently crashed into a ditch, and rolled on the driveway. The contact sustained a concision. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 44,410.
Please note that the VIN I have used is not the VIN of the actual vehicle which is the subject of this complaint. There has been a fatal crash in San Diego. Here is a video of the aftermath. [XXX] I have taken stills from that video that show the Tesla wheel lying on the roadway well before the crash site and marks on the road that show the car slewed sideways after the wheel fell off and then crashed and burned incinerating the young driver. Photos are attached. You know full well that Tesla has defective suspensions. You have blood on your hands for failing to take action against Tesla. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving out of a parking space, the steering wheel seized. The message "Front Motor Disabled. Continue Driving" was displayed. The manufacturer was contacted and provided remote assistance, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle regained power steering functionality after an hour. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving out of a parking space on another occasion. The vehicle was towed to a Tesla Service Center however, the failure could not be duplicated; however, the circuit board was replaced. The contact stated that the failure recurred while pulling out of a parking space on a third occasion. The vehicle was towed to a second Tesla service center, Tesla Sales (750 E El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087) who informed the contact that an unknown software update was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The...
I was driving my car on the highway I275 approximatley 5 miles North of St Petersburg Florida. When without reason the car spun to the left very quickly, I did not have any steering control at that moment. If the car had hyro plained it would not have spun out of control so quickly. The road was slightly wet as there was a drizzle but not to any extent to allow the car to spin out of control due to heavy water. My vehicle hit the highway guard rail and was badly damaged.
When performing a u-turn, at low speed, the steering wheel locked in position, only allowing the car to go straight. I was able to regain the ability to steer, after approximately 5 seconds. I didn't notice any alerts or warnings, as it was happening. It was in the middle of a busy intersection and I was fortunate I managed to regain control of the vehicle, in time. I have scheduled a service appointment with Tesla. the earliest available appointment is the 20th, in my area. I have since driven the vehicle, approximately 40 to 50 miles, without incident, but I am concerned that this might happen, again.
On certain sections of highway unsuccessfully attempted to activate auto-steer (two down clicks) multiple times in a row. Did this multiple times in a row but was unsuccessful to activate auto-steer. Instead a supposed "easter egg" (which activates with 4 down clicks) very loudly plays loud jarring music (called "rainbow road")...this is NOT FUCKING FUNNY--I nearly ran my car off the road and into oncoming traffic. Giant 2000 pound hunks of metal going at 60 mph should NOT FUCKING COME with special surprises. This is incredibly dangerous and jarring to drivers.
The steering system malfunctioned. Yes it is available for inspection. The car turned across oncoming traffic turning the vehicle 180 degrees leaving me facing oncoming traffic during rush hour. I could have died in a horrific accident. The service center for the vehicle sulfate they will not evaluate vehicle until body damage to vehicle are repaired. The vehicle had no notifications or warnings prior to the incident.
This is a complaint about Tesla using unqualified drivers to test Atopilot Beta on the public roads. Please note that the VIN of a random Model 3 Tesla has been used to enable this submission to be completed. Here is a video of a driver testing Autopilot on what is in his own words the most dangerous road in Virginia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VBhdrj1CqM He is driving hands free around sharp bends and against oncoming traffic entirely hands free but just giving the wheel a little nudge with his finger every 30 seconds to defeat the nag. At one point the car does swerve towards an oncoming car but corrects itself just in time. The driver is alert and monitoring the situation but because he does not have his hands on the wheel he is playing russian roulette with many lives. Please do not allow this madness to continue for one day longer....
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while reversing the vehicle from her residence at 3 mph and attempting to turn to the left, but failed to turn. The contact stated the vehicle continued to go straight and ran into a chain link fence. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention but she was frightened. The contact attempted to straighten the vehicle by turning left again and drove into a railing. The contact stated the instrument cluster screen when blank after the second crash. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact towed the vehicle to local dealer and was being serviced at the moment of the call. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 12,297
This "self driving" Model 3, with FL License Plate [XXX], attempted to merge onto I95 south from an on-ramp, and very nearly caused a major accident. The vehicle had a bumper sticker on the back that said something like "please be patient, I am a self driving vehicle." The vehicle was merging from a left side on-ramp, at a VERY LOW SPEED, and crossed two lanes of interstate traffic, very erratically accelerating, then braking, then accelerating again, and then braking. My vehicle was directly in its path, and I had to brake hard, and take to the shoulder to avoid the collision. If this vehicle's trips are logged, it needs to be investigated. If it weren't for the humans paying attention, the actions of the Tesla car/driver would have caused a major accident, and most likely bodily injury or death. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA),...
Please note that I have used the VIN of a random Tesla Model 3 to submit this complaint since the number of the actual car is unavailable. There has been an incident on a motorway in Germany and a full video is available here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKcvLeMWp3c This is a single vehicle incident. The front RH wheel has simply fallen off. There is no other car involved. There are no air-bags deployed. How much more evidence do you require before you demand a recall? The suspensions are deadly fragile. I will make it simple for you. Watch THIS video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fkpIvIeHhc Plenty more where that came from. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fkpIvIeHhc Have a nice day. Keef
Hello, Driving on a snowy road around 20 MPH. Attempted to slow down in a straight line, used the brakes to try and slow vehicle to go into a driveway. Vehicle would not respond to any inputs. The brake pedal seemed frozen, coming off and back on the brake pedal did not change anything. There sounded like an ABS pulsing but it was not working. Post accident pictures showed it looked like the car was dragging one axle like it was locked in the snow. Car ending up grazing a mailbox post and afterword said 'take control'. I believe the car tried to do an automated braking maneuver which did not work. The road was covered in 1-2" of snow and the mailbox would have been a reference point in the distance. When turning the steering wheel away from the object that was hit, the car continued to go straight...
On September 1st, I was perpendicular back parking on the street in front of my home. Spaces are fairly tight and the street fairly narrow, so it is not uncommon to shift between reverse and drive a couple times to adjust one's fit before parking. That said, a quarter of the way into my parking spot, I shifted from drive to reverse after finishing adjusting. After doing so, I pushed on the accelerator and was sent forward as if I were in drive. I toggled between drive and reverse multiple times over the course of 15 seconds. Pushing on the accelerator continued to send me in the opposite direction, causing me to hit the sidewalk curb in front of me multiple times. The situation resolved itself after 20 or so seconds. Then, the same exact situation occurred on Sept 7 and again on Sept 13, and those times, I nearly...
I was pulling up next to a curb inside a neighborhood to park my car. I released my foot on the accelerator pedal to slow and stop my car. I slowly stepped on the brake pedal to switch the gear into reverse and my vehicle sped up very fast and hit the parked car in front of me and ran over the curb, my steering wheel also shifted to the right as if it was trying to dodge an obstacle on the road. It happpend so fast that I could not avoid the impact. I could have ran into a pedestrian and put their life at risk, or injured the person in the car that was parked, and even hurt myself badly. I've been getting neck pain and headaches. This incident was very terrifying and traumatizing. I tried to reach out to Tesla Service Center, but my tesla app was...
WHEN I TEST DROVE THE TESLA MODEL 3, THERE WAS AN OPTION TO TURN REGENERATIVE BRAKING TO LOW. THIS ALLOWED THE CAR TO HAVE MORE OF A COASTING EFFECT WHEN ONE LIFTS THE FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR. WHEN I RECEIVED DELIVERY OF THE CAR, THE ABILITY TO REDUCE THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING EFFECT WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE REMOVAL OF THIS FEATURE IS BEING DISCUSSED AT LENGTH IN ONLINE FORUMS. THE LATEST VERSION OF THE OWNERS' MANUAL STATES THAT REGENERATIVE BRAKING IN THE STANDARD SETTING COULD CAUSE THE CARE TO LOSE TRACTION IN WINTER CONDITIONS AND THAT DRIVERS SHOULD SELECT THE LOW SETTING. BY REMOVING THIS ABILITY, TESLA, BY ITS OWN ADMISSION, HAS DECREASED THE CAR'S SAFETY IN WINTER CONDITIONS. A RAPID DECELERATION OF A CAR ON SLIPPERY ROADS IS ALMOST GUARANTEED TO INDUCE A SKID AND MAKE THE CAR DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL. I FIND THIS EXTREMELY CONCERNING. TESLA...
Other 2021 TESLA MODEL 3 Problem Areas
Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control
275 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking
225 complaints
Service Brakes
123 complaints
Vehicle Speed Control
119 complaints
Unknown Or Other
89 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings
73 complaints
Electrical System
58 complaints
Visibilitywiper
28 complaints
Lane Departure Assist
18 complaints
Power Train
16 complaints
Structurebody
13 complaints
Lane Departure Warning
12 complaints
Seat Belts
11 complaints
Suspension
11 complaints
Exterior Lighting
8 complaints
Air Bags
7 complaints
Fuelpropulsion System
7 complaints
Electrical Systemadasautonomousself Driving
6 complaints
Seats
6 complaints
Wheels
6 complaints
Engine
5 complaints
Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking
3 complaints
Back Over Prevention Sensing System Camera
3 complaints
Back Over Prevention Warnings
3 complaints
Electrical Systemadas
3 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance
3 complaints
Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection
3 complaints
Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslatchemergency Mechanical Release
3 complaints
Electrical Systemhorn
2 complaints
Latcheslockslinkageshoodlatch
2 complaints
Tires
2 complaints
Electrical Systembody Control Modulesoftware
1 complaint
Electrical Systempropulsion Systeminverter
1 complaint
Engine And Engine Cooling
1 complaint
Firerelated
1 complaint
Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Controlsoftware
1 complaint
Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Controlsoftwaresignagesignal Recognition
1 complaint
Forward Collision Avoidance Dynamic Brake Supportbrake Assist
1 complaint
Latcheslockslinkages
1 complaint
Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslatch
1 complaint
Service Brakes Hydraulicfoundation Componentsdiscrotor
1 complaint
Steeringautomatedadaptive Steering
1 complaint
Structure
1 complaint
Structurebodydoorhandleexterior
1 complaint
Vehicle Speed Controlcruise Control
1 complaint
Visibility
1 complaint
Visibilitydefrosterdefoggerhvac System
1 complaint