2022 TESLA MODEL 3 Electrical System Problems

RECURRING 12V LOW-VOLTAGE SYSTEM FAILURE AND DEFECTIVE REAR DEFROSTER HEATER GRID VEHICLE: 2022 Tesla Model 3 (VIN: [XXX] ). ODOMETER: 114,093 miles at time of third service visit. SUMMARY OF DEFECT: Vehicle has experienced recurring low-voltage (12V) system alerts since late December 2025. The 12V battery has been replaced three times by Tesla service. After each replacement, the low-voltage alerts return within days. Tesla's diagnostic system detected a DCR (DC resistance) reading of 16.8 milliohms against a threshold of 16 milliohms, indicating the battery's internal resistance is too high for the vehicle's electrical system to function properly. A brand-new 12V battery showed "Degraded - Replace" status within one week of installation. These low-voltage errors did not exist before Tesla replaced the 12V battery during the first service visit. DIAGNOSTIC FINDINGS: During the third service visit (February 2026), Tesla technician performed a resistance check on the rear defroster heater grid and...

When cabin heat is enabled, visible vapor/smoke emits from the front trunk area under the windshield cowl and is pulled directly into the cabin through the HVAC intake. The vapor has a chemical/sweet odor consistent with coolant or refrigerant. Smoke enters the passenger compartment, especially when stopped or idling. This occurs repeatedly in cold temperatures and stops immediately when HVAC heat is turned off. No warning lights appear. This appears to be a heat pump or coolant system leak upstream of the cabin intake, allowing chemical fumes to enter the cabin air stream. Occupants are exposed to fumes while driving. This is a safety concern due to inhalation risk and lack of driver warning.

While driving, the center display intermittently goes completely black. When this occurs, I lose access to the speedometer and all driver information. The issue has been ongoing and progressively worsening. The vehicle was purchased new. The issue was reported during the warranty period and initially attributed to software updates. A recent service visit confirmed the vehicle computer is failing, and the issue immediately recurred after pickup. Loss of speed and driver information while driving creates a safety concern.

Submitted Under 49 CFR §552.3 Request for Defect Investigation & Safety Recall Tesla Model 3 / Model Y: Interior High-Voltage Heater Fire Hazard, Missing Firewall, and Entrapment Due to Electronic Door Failures. My 2022 Tesla Model 3 experienced an interior flash fire caused by a design defect. Tesla placed the high-voltage PTC cabin heater and HV wiring inside the dashboard with no firewall. After a crash, I saw a straight “strip flame” shoot out of the HVAC dash vent, exactly like a gas heater. The fire began INSIDE the dash/HVAC ducting within seconds of impact, not from the battery. This shows an arc-flash failure of the HV heater or wiring inside the cabin. The flame entered the cabin instantly because there is no firewall separating HV components from occupants. During the fire, all electronic door releases failed. Tesla hides the manual front releases and provides NO rear mechanical releases. I...

The vehicle has a manufacturing defect in the charge port body seal allowing water intrusion into the vehicle cabin and near high-voltage charging components. This has resulted in dampness and potential mold growth, posing a respiratory health hazard to occupants.

All safety and driver-assistance systems on my 2022 Tesla Model 3 failed due to an internal short in the vehicle’s computer, as confirmed in writing by Tesla’s technician. All cameras (rear, side, front) are non-functional, navigation does not work, and all ADAS features (Autopilot, lane-keeping, collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, emergency braking, etc.) are disabled. The vehicle has no visibility when reversing and no active safety protections while driving. Tesla documented the cause as an internal computer failure, not related to damage or misuse. This creates a dangerous condition on public roads since the car loses all safety systems. Tesla quoted ~$2,900 for a new computer even though the failure involves critical safety components. This may indicate a broader safety defect.

During a head-on collision on [XXX] in Georgia, the electrical system in my 2022 Tesla Model 3 lost power and the electric door releases stopped functioning. The vehicle interior caught fire and I was trapped inside. I was unaware of the location of the hidden mechanical emergency door release because it is not visibly labeled, not explained upon delivery, and not intuitive in an emergency. I was forced to climb to the back seat and break the rear passenger window with my legs to escape while the interior was burning. I suffered a broken hip, broken arm, and later required a full hip replacement. The mechanical emergency door release was concealed and unlabeled, resulting in entrapment during a fire, which is a violation of FMVSS 206 and presents a continuing and life-threatening safety hazard to all drivers and passengers. Tesla has not provided warnings, recall guidance, labeling, or owner education...

Shortly after purchasing my 2022 Tesla Model 3 RWD in February 2025, I began noticing a persistent musty, mold-like odor coming from the HVAC vents whenever the air conditioning or defrost was on. The odor worsens when driving with the windows down. I reported this issue to Tesla multiple times between May and October 2025. Tesla replaced the cabin filters but refused to perform a full evaporator or HVAC disinfection, stating the odor was “normal.” Despite the filter changes, the smell always returns within a few weeks. Between these visits, I also tried to resolve the issue myself by replacing filters, using odor-eliminating products, and placing moisture absorbers inside the vehicle, but nothing has resolved the problem. This ongoing issue has led to repeated respiratory and eye irritation, including a documented pneumonia case in April 2025. The symptoms clearly worsen after time spent in the car. Tesla has not offered...

SAFETY CONCERN: for kids getting trapped in rear doors with no manual release in the rear of my 2022 Tesla model 3. Only the front has a manual release which is not practical for two kids in the back.

pedestrian warning system has failed for a second time. speaker was replaced once already. presents safety issue to pedestrians (this displays an error that it is not working, the error also states that the horn may not work, however this is for newer cars that do not have separate horns and PWS speaker) Horns are intermittent in functionality, sometimes high or low tone only works, other times no horn sounds, this is a separate device from the PWS speaker, there is no error message shown for this when the PWS is functioning as intended

Tesla M3 RWD 2022 - 79750k miles. Touchscreen keep restarting throughout the day , in the morning when I am backing out of the garage, while I am driving, while I parked. It is dangerous specially while I am backing out of garage, car will stop sometime, because whole system reboots. I have no visibility I have to wait till its finish restarting. Tesla's main computer handles everything in the car, A/C, Turn signals, speedometer, backup cameras, forward collision warning and many more necessary function of the car. Tesla service center diagnose stats "The cause was identified as kernel panics detected in the system. The internal memory of the car computer is corrupt and will not allow enough data transfer and causing the computer to reboot to clear space" They suggested to replace the computer and its a out of warranty fix, since I drove 79k miles. This is a...

Rodents Chew on Car Wires Consequences of Rodent Damage: Malfunctioning Components: Chewed wires can lead to a variety of problems, including issues with the engine, lights, sensors, and other electrical components. Expensive Repairs: Repairing or replacing damaged wiring harnesses can be costly, potentially running into the thousands of dollars. Safety Hazards: Damaged wiring can pose safety risks, potentially causing electrical shorts, fires, or malfunctions while driving.

Sometime I have power steering and sometime I don’t have power steering assist sometime came back and was driving and car just took my wheel to left itself on [XXX] 2 times on same spot was coming out of highway didn’t have no cruise or self driving On all was off INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Our car was parked in our garage for two days before August 25, 2024 not plugged in for charging and was clear of issues. On the morning of August 25, 2024 we woke up to the smell of smoke and evacuated our house as the source was coming from our Tesla in the garage. This incident burned our home and took 6 of our cats with it. We filed with insurance and they are reporting that they are not liable for the accident. They did not bother to show up to the joint investigation and paid the bare minimum for the market price of the vehicle. The company has been slow in responding and has shown zero remorse or care of the matter. Fire department pinned it as a 99.9% probability of cause that the front battery of the Tesla triggered the fire.

I was driving on the highway when the touchscreen lit up with multiple error messages including: - Steering assist reduced (Steering may require increased effort) - Traction control disabled (Drive with caution) - Stability control disabled (Drive with caution) - Parking brake functions degraded (Parking brake may not apply or release) - Lane Departure Avoidance features unavailable (Features may be restored on next drive) Also, the speedometer changed to 0 (while we were going 70 mph). When I pulled onto the next off-ramp the steering was very heavy and the regenerative braking was not working. Pressing the brakes (even slightly) felt like the ABS was pulsating. This was extremely dangerous and easily could have resulted in a serious accident in heavy traffic or if the road had not been straight. It was a rental car so I have not seen the car since the rental company towed it away. I...

The following will happen in drive or reverse. Causing the vehicle to enter a free roll condition. If the vehicle detects both pedals are pressed. The vehicle will then disengage the motors and the brakes. And it will free roll. The vehicle does not successfully maintain stop and hold in this case. I was stopped at a red light and on an uphill. When the light turned green, I bumped the brake pedal when I went to accelerate forward in drive. My car rolled backwards downhill as a result. My instinct was to press the accelerator to try and go forward before I thought to hit the brake. My car rolled about 1.5 car lengths backwards. Luckily nobody was behind me. This is a safety issue that has existed for the 3 years that I have owned this car. Not once has this been corrected in a software update. This...

My 2022 Tesla model 3 has a major issue that should be widely addressed and because the computer screen has completely turned off although there was never any damage done to the vehicle. The cost to fix this issue is $3,052.30. I went on a three day vacation and came back to the screen not turning on but the vehicle can still drive, the major issue is that the screen controls all major functions of the vehicle and is a major danger driving the car if you cant see how fast your going, how much battery is left or will basic safety equipment will deploy? How can a vehicle be driven under these basic safety standards and conditions when it’s a faulty manufacturing issue. In addition come to find out that the computer tried to update it’s software with out my consent and causing the computer to fail there fore...

Tesla has confirmed that the firmware of the high-voltage controller of the Model 3 is known to occasionally go "missing in action", causing regenerative braking to entirely cease to function and the driving performance of the car to drop considerably. This was expected to be resolved in a firmware update, but the problem continues. The service representative advised that they (Tesla employees) are not allowed to refer to the problem as a defect and instead must use the euphemism "firmware characteristic". The impact of the issue occurring while driving is that braking and acceleration are significantly reduced, thus reducing the ability of the driver to respond to unexpected situations and operate the vehicle safely. The impact of the issue occurring while parked is that the vehicle cannot start until such time as the controller resumes responding. The driver has no control over when/if this will happen, and the car may...

Vehicle suddenly and violently lost power to its front drive units while driving steady on neighborhood street at low speed, <25 mph. Vehicle shuddered to a stop, then put itself in park, rendering it immovable in the middle of the street. Vehicle indicated a critical failure on its screen. Vehicle towed to Tesla service center. Vehicle had front drive unit inverter and pyro fuse replaced. No prior indication or errors before the failure.

Have reported multiple times the safety hazard with the unnacuracy of the mileage given per charge. Vehicle will drain through battery leaving motorist standard. When using self drive option vehicle will not stay in appropriate lanes. Vehicle will overheat on battery and start making concerning sounds while driving. When reported to Tesla they acknowledged the issue but have failed to fix the issues on the vehicle.

The contact owned a 2022 Telsa Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at 18 MPH, the vehicle veered to the right hitting an electrical pole. The contact stated neither the autopilot nor cruise control was set to on, and the vehicle failed to stop. The contact stated it happened so fast he was unable to depress the brake pedal in time. No warning lights were illuminated and the air bags in the vehicle failed to deploy. The contact sustained a knee injury and later received medical attention at an urgent care. However, the contact stated he was traumatized from the crash. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. A police report was filed. The contact notified the manufacturer of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,372.

Rear view camera display sometimes just a blank screen, other times delayed by 2-15 seconds. Has been in for service 3 times and Tesla Service will either say could not duplicate or acknowledge problem, but not repair. Seems like a widespread Tesla problem, but no resolution as of yet.

Accelerating with no input braking unsuccessful resulting in running a stop sign across two-way traffic. Vehicle stopped after approx. 100 meters after running the stop sign. I have discussed with Tesla service to run a diagnostic report (not completed at this time). No warnings or error messages. Vehicle resumed normal functional control after. Tested accelerating and braking at the same time gives error message did not present during the incident.

the car started to abruptly accelerate when slowing down the car at a stop light and would not brake. the anti collision functions did not work. the car went into a truck.

For several months now, my Tesla Model 3 has exhibited a persistent issue with the turn signal blinkers. The turn signals operate visually as intended but fail to produce an audible clicking sound. Despite being advised by Tesla support that this issue is slated for resolution in a future software update, the problem persists, causing concern over the safety implications associated with the lack of auditory indicator. The absence of the audible turn signal notification may compromise overall road safety, especially for individuals who rely on both visual and auditory cues while driving.

My tesla stopped on me in the middle of the interstate because the car thought it was not charged. Tesla assured me that the vehicle was fixed. A few weeks later the car started telling me again that it thinks it is not charged. Tesla is not providing no solution on what the problem is. This vehicle is a major highway hazard because it can stop suddenly with no warning.

The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated there was wiring that was loosened from the ground unit. The camera was making an abnormal crackling sound when it was hot. The contact stated that the screen was pink or blank at times. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer six times, where it was diagnosed that the wiring was loosened. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 500.

I was manually driving my Tesla Model 3 on the interstate when without warning the car stopped in the middle of the interstate. The entire car locked up and I was unable to turn the wheel or even get it back into gear. I even tried to put on the hazards but the car just completely died. When the vehicle stopped it was at 60% charge on the battery. I sat in panic thinking I was going to get rear ended by the highway traffic. I called for police to come out and cut off traffic. They also had a tow truck company come and tow the vehicle to a local Tesla service center. This was a very dangerous incident because the normally on the interstate vehicles travel at high speeds. I was fortunate that it was rush hour traffic so cars were moving slower than usual and the car...

So here goes my story back in may I bought Tesla model 3 2022 46k from hertz clean title however, in the history, it showed a prior accident Long story short one day I was charging at Tesla supercharger I drive home the car did update and after that it wouldn’t charge or going in to drive so of course the car has warranty. I sent it to Tesla service first time. Coral cables The response was oh this car had an accident we can’t touch it the second service center after a week of diagnostic and charging me $590 for no help at all and the response to my issue first was because of the accident but when I was able to prove that the car was driving when I bought it and nothing wrong, they blamed it on the supercharger tesla supercharger that it overheated the batteries and...

the window is opening alone

Received a recall notice in Nov. 2022. In Dec. I was putting something in the back seat, when I closed the door my fingernail was clipped by the window as it retracted to close. The back and front windows retract whenever the doors are open. For no apparent reason that I can figure out. They close when the doors are shut but if your finger is in the way it's going to get caught as my fingernail did. I was lucky it was only the nail as the windows retract with a bit of force.

The contact leased a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that the passenger’s and driver’s side windows failed to close completely. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds with the window rolled down and his hand outside the vehicle, the window inadvertently rolled up. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer arrived at the residence, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 25,015.

Recall is not being corrected in a timely manner. Window has pinched my finger before retracting

My brand new model 3 stopped in the far left lane of the highway in Camp Pendleton this October 7th. There was 139 miles in range left (40% battery), and it clearly was not out of charge. It was towed to Tesla Santa Monica service center, and the battery slowly drained in the 5 days before it was looked at. Once the Tesla service center looked at the car for the first time on the night of October 11th, the battery had dropped to 5%, and the service center tried to give it back to me after a simple charge. They would not listen to me when I told them it was charged when it stopped on the highway, and something else was wrong. They closed the case and told me to pick up the car. I refused to pick up the car and left it in their service lot....

The car slammed on the brakes while we were using auto pilot on the freeway, even though there was no one braking in front of us. This was the 2nd time this has happened. The ac and radio shut off for the rest of the ride and the ac has been working intermittently since. We have a baby and she was not in the car but she is in the car with us often. We have submitted a service request for this week.

Vehicle stated it was in turtle mode and completely shut off in the middle of the road and was not able to drive. Park, reverse, neutral, and drive was not available.

Got in vehicle in driveway and upon turning on there was a large thump in rear of vehicle, proceeded by a message to pull over safety indicating rear drive unit failure. Tesla replaced the rear inverter unit. Vehicle only had 3k miles. Similar experience have been documented globally see attached article https://www.autoevolution.com/news/tesla-recall-for-127785-model-3s-in-china-due-to-rear-motor-inverter-defect-185844.html

Driving like normal, using autopilot on the highway when I got an alert ‘Automatic Emergency Braking is disabled’, and the autopilot stopped working. Made a service appointment with tesla, but it’s scheduled for June 20, so thought this might help…

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? - Touchscreen goes black while driving. It can be inspected, but Tesla has not fixed the issue in the last 2 months. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - Can't tell what speed I am going and can't hear turn signal active sound since screen is black and I have to wait 2-5 minutes after doing the steering wheel reset to see what speed I am going and if turn signals are on/off. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? - Had two appointments so far for the issue and the issue is confirmed by me but cannot be reproduced by the service center after two separate appointments even with detailed accounts of when the issue appeared. Has the vehicle or component...

When my wife was driving the vehicle this morning by herself, she heard a noise behind her. It was the driver's side rear door unlocked itself and popped opened. The vehicle immediately made a warning sound that a door was opened while the vehicle was in motion. She pulled over and noticed that the driver's side rear door can be opened without touching the door handle. The door was opened, not locked or partially locked. It would be extremely dangerous if there was a passenger next to the door.

While I generally love the car during the 6 weeks i’ve owned it, I am concerned about the fact that occasionally, while traveling at freeway speeds with cruise control engaged, the car will slow dramatically as if I had jammed on the brakes. The rapid deceleration has occurred at least once a week during my time with the car. This week, while traveling from North Carolina to New Jersey, the car “braked” from 70mph to about 40mph four times. This happens suddenly, no warning. As frustrating and annoying as this is, it is also dangerous given the high number of brain-dead tailgaters that populate the highways.

Power steering and full power to the vehicle failed - these failures can be seen upon requested inspection. Power steering failed during operation - meaning that while i was driving the vehicle i was not able to change the direction of travel at a high rate of speed. Then the vehicle came to a sudden stop, stranding the driver/passengers in the middle of the road which has a high speed limit. Since full power failed quickly afterward, hazard lights or other warning lights (brake lights) could not be activated. Emergency manual exits had to be used to exit the vehicle This problem has been reproduced in both Model 3 and Model Y and has been confirmed by a dealer service repair center. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer and the problem has been confirmed - a full steering console replacement is required due to electrical and hydraulic issues...