2024 TESLA MODEL 3 Electrical System Problems
33 NHTSA complaints on file
Electrical System Issues in the 2024 TESLA MODEL 3
33 electrical system complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2024 TESLA MODEL 3. Of these, 4 involved a crash, 0 involved a fire, and 6 resulted in injury.
33
Complaints
4
Crashes
0
Fires
6
Injuries
0
Deaths
All Electrical System Complaints
Screen is black and no app access. No power to accelerate.
To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting a formal safety complaint regarding a potentially dangerous defect in my 2024 Tesla Model 3. Unlike traditional vehicles that use a dedicated horn assembly, this model relies on the external speaker system as its horn. While this may function under normal conditions, during rain or heavy moisture the speaker becomes saturated with water, causing the horn’s output to become extremely quiet and ineffective. This is a serious safety concern. The horn is a primary means of warning surrounding drivers and pedestrians of danger, especially in poor weather conditions, where visibility is already compromised. Ironically, during heavy rain when a horn is most needed it becomes significantly quieter and nearly unusable. I have personally experienced this issue multiple times, and it poses a clear risk to myself and other road users. I believe this design presents a safety defect because: The horn does...
Tesla suddenly lost power without any warning or a chance to move to safer area. Had to call 911. Incident around 5pm Oct 23rd 2025 at intersection of E Pennsylvania Ave and Wallace Rd, Dowingtown, PA
On October 17, 2025, while Full Self-Driving (Supervised) was engaged, the vehicle made an abrupt, uncommanded steering input to the right, causing a collision with a tunnel wall. This crash appears to be the result of a critical vehicle hardware failure. In the 24 hours prior to the crash, the vehicle logged multiple critical steering errors, including EPAS3P_a086_dasMia, which indicates the Electric Power Assisted Steering system was "Missing in Action" and not communicating. Furthermore, the vehicle has logged daily, recurring hardware faults for the Steering Column Control Module (SCCM_a016_hardwareError) since it was purchased. The uncommanded steering action created an extremely dangerous safety condition resulting in a collision. All stability and traction control faults appeared at the exact moment of impact, not before, indicating the steering system failure was the root cause. The problem has been confirmed by the vehicle's own internal diagnostic logs. The vehicle is available for inspection.
My Model 3 was T-boned in an intersection, hitting both the front and rear doors, as a result of a vehicle running a red light. The driver that hit us was speeding and didn’t hit brakes. The impact pushed the Tesla almost in a complete 360 on an adjacent street where the driver side of the car jumped a curb and stopped after hitting a pole slightly on the driver side. Red light etc all substantiated by police report. Airbags deployed on the passenger side from the seat and upper panels. Front airbags failed on both sides. There was also a delayed airbag deployment from the back of the driver seat that only ripped the seat but never deployed fully. The smell of fire / burning and debris was all that happened from the driver seat. I requested a crash report from Tesla which outlines the speed and airbag deployment....
The contact owned a 2024 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH on the freeway, the central touchscreen interface displayed a blank screen. The contact mentioned the autopilot engaged independently, causing the vehicle to merge to the left and collide with another vehicle in front of the driver's side. No air bags deployed. The contact stated that she sustained injuries on the left side of her wrist and arms, and a bruise on her right arm near her elbow and upper right thigh swollen on her neck, shoulders, and full back and both hands are swollen. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision garage. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the dealer diagnosed and informed the contact to speak with a lemon law expert. The vehicle was deemed...
I was in a drive thru of a fast food restaurant and the car rapidly accelerated on its own and crashed into a wall. The air bags deployed and we were injured. We also narrowly missed hitting a pedestrian. The car hasn’t been inspected by anyone yet, however it is available if someone wants to inspect it.
When driving vehicle over the past month, vehicle turn signals on the steering wheel fail to respond to commands and feel almost as if the controls are locked out by a steering wheel software fault. Upon further inspection, checking service mode, found the SCCM service alert to correlate with the exact moment of turn signal unpressability directly. No debris or liquid has ever entered the area, and this issue has gotten so bad that it happens 3-4 times over a 45min drive I cannot activate the turn signals at all when the failure occurs. There is no alternative way to activate them. The steering wheel is the only way to activate the turn signals and the fault does not permit me to use either turn signal when attempting to change lanes on the highway. Tesla reports that it's a normal software bug and to "deal with it" because there's nothing...
The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle shut off. The contact stated that the vehicle lost electrical power and the main computer screen was black. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn left or right, and the brake pedal was soft while depressing the brake pedal. The contact was able to coast to a stop. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle but was unable. The contact was able to get the main computer screen back online. The contact stated that the computer had several unknown warning lights displayed and a timer was activated and counted down and the vehicle shut off. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was blown fuse, and that the vehicle went into "Fail Safe Mode” and shut...
The horn on my 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance becomes severely muted, distorted, or inaudible when the vehicle is wet—especially during rain, which is when a functioning horn is most critical for safety. The horn sound in this vehicle is emitted through an external speaker (used for pedestrian alerts), not a traditional mechanical horn. This speaker is exposed to the elements and appears to degrade in sound quality and volume when wet. This presents a serious safety risk in conditions where visibility is already compromised, and the horn may be needed to avoid a collision. The issue resolves once the speaker dries out, but it is highly repeatable and affects the horn’s ability to fulfill its basic safety function. I believe this design may violate the intent of FMVSS 108 by failing to ensure a consistent and reliable horn sound in common real-world driving conditions. I urge the NHTSA to...
Turn signals on steering wheel don’t work sometimes. They also get stuck causing no signal to turn on.
Turn signal capacitive buttons are incredibly hazardous for safe driving. They are failing to register inputs for me regularly as resting your finger on one as is natural in a normal driving position, locks the signal out for a period of time. I had to look down trying to work out why the signal button was not registering my intent to change lanes on a freeway causing significant distraction at a critical time. Manufacturer refuses to do anything as they say it is just normal for the vehicle.
This vehicle has push button turn signals that have replaced traditional steering wheel stalks. These can be difficult and dangerous to use as the steering wheel is being turned especially when you are trying to signal direction in the now numerous round-abouts that are installed in Florida and around the nation. They are also dangerous to operate during night time driving. I believe Tesla should recall these vehicles and install steering wheel stalks similar to their older model cars and which have been in use on all the vehicles I have operated in the past 60 years. It is not a matter of just getting used to their operation. It is a bad design.
Specifically when in somewhat cool and cold temperatures the Front Drive Unit is emitting abnormal high pitched sound that is intermittent at times and that is causing a distraction while driving and is very bothersome. Tesla acknowledged they hear it but nothing is being done about. Front Drive Unit should be replaced.
When vehicle is in rain or sub-freezing conditions, the horn completely stops functioning. Took vehicle to Tesla Service and was told, "Technician inspected and found the vehicles horn to be working as expected at this time. Technician noted that under heavy rain/snow the vehicles horn may not work as expected due to water accumulation in the cut out for the horn." The issue is reproducible every time the vehicle is exposed to rain or snow.
Rear Display (1875931-00-D) glass breaking without any impact. Tesla Service Center refused to honor warranty repair.
Touch activated car signal buttons often cease to work or allow input preventing safe and legally required signaling to show intended path of car to pedestrians and other vehicles. Tesla say it’s normal behavior and won’t repair.
Entire screen froze. FSD stopped working completely. The system GPS stopped working, auto wipers stopped working, auto park, anything related to the cameras stopped working. After trying multiple resets, it didn't help. It luckily started working again in the morning. Others have reported this issue to Tesla and all over Reddit. News articles are starting to come out about it now. The entire motherboard dying is a massive safety issue, especially if there are any safety systems linked to it (like auto wipers, speedometer, ABS or AEB, FSD, etc.). Tesla refused to replace my computer after I showed them the issue. [XXX] 552(B)(6) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Issue is with Tesla's new turn signal buttons. They removed regular turn signal stocks with a left/right button on the left side of the steering wheel. This is a safety issue because it hardly works because you have to tap it dead center and I would have to take my eyes off the road to do that. If I'm on the curve already, with the buttons being on one side of the steering wheel, it's very difficult to click when the buttons are upside down. I have to take my eyes off the road more often than not which makes it a safety concern.
Screen cracked without any direct cause. Manufacturer defect. Manufacturer will not cover under warranty.
The right and left turn indicator buttons freeze up, and will not operate for indefinite periods. The problem is intermittent, however, the buttons may be frozen for several minutes before the problem clears. I believe the manufacturer is already aware of this problem affecting numerous 2024 model 3 vehicles. I believe this appears as a definite manufacturer design flaw, and does not appear as reasonable user error, or other isolated random defect. The problem is presently becoming well known to 2024 model 3 owners in all markets, and there are now many online posts by other owners of this vehicle model for this identical problem. I encourage NHTSA to conduct a quick online search of user reported incidents, as an easy starting point. This problem creates a serious safety risk to other drivers, since other drivers cannot be made aware of affected vehicle's driving intentions. There is no reliable means...
On multiple occasions (at least five times) in the past week, the turn signal buttons on my Tesla did not work. The buttons were stuck and could not be pressed (they are on the steering wheel.) This is a major safety concern as I cannot "communicate" my intentions to other drivers on the road. I have reported this incident to Tesla and will have the issue looked at by a technician. However, Tesla threatened to cancel my appointment if I did not provide them details of the incident prior to my appointment. I feel that a safety issue such as this would have them rushing to resolve it whether or not I answered their online question. Thank you.
The car looses power while Driving on roads and freeways. This has happened to me 3 times in less than a month. And after every power loss I tow the vehicle to the dealer the Tesla dealer says it’s fixed but this problem has happened 3 times start Oct 11th 2024 then on the 26th and today October 28th. The vehicle turns on drives then alerts to a problem with audible alarms followed by all indicator warning lights saying there’s a problem along with the brake pulsing when applying the brake almost like ABS is working but no need for it. The car is completely powerless no power steering but the center console works. Please help and pressure Tesla for a recall on this issue
The rear motor failed on my car. It has less than 4,000 miles on it. It is already being worked on. The car barely gave me 10 seconds before it lost power, locked up and wouldn’t move. Yes. They told me the rear motor failed and needed to be replaced. Tesla inspected it themselves and confirmed the issue. Yes, they appeared 10 seconds before it died, I had no other warnings prior to that. This was extremely dangerous as I barely had time to get to a safe place.
On several occasions, the turn signal indicator buttons on the steering wheel failed to activate the signal. The button appeared to be jammed, it was not possible to feel the "detent" when pressed. This puts myself and others at risk due to the inability to properly signal when preparing to make a turn which has to then be aborted. I've found the button can only be "unstuck" by clicking the opposite turn signal indicator one or more times (this act can also be confusing to surrounding drivers). This happens randomly. Vehicle was brought to service center however they were not able to replicate the concern.
Turn signal capacitor buttons on the steering wheel on the 2024 Model 3 occasionally do not activate while driving causing an inability to signal a lane change. This is a major safety issue and is known by Tesla who has not provided an adequate fix to many 2024 Model 3 owners who are struggling with the issue. For a quality vehicle otherwise, this concern has placed me in a many unsafe situations.
Tesla Model 3 2024 does not have stalks to enable turn signals. Instead, it has buttons on the steering wheel. Sometimes these buttons stop working, so I'm unable to enable the turn signal, which puts me and others at risk. After a few minutes, the turn signal buttons work again. This happens randomly. It has occurred three times in the first 30 days of owning the car.
Occasionally the turn signal button cannot be pressed down to make a turn signal. This event has happened quite a few times during some urgent moments when I need to exit the highway and gives us a big concern. I heard from many other owners that Tesla just replace your steering wheel, but it dose not fix the problem. It is not because of pressing on the wrong area of the button. This should be a systematic issue.
Turn signal buttons are sticking regularly, preventing turn singal lights from flashing to make safe lane changes
Turn signals occasionally are not working . Electrical buttons get stuck and will not allow me to signal right or left
The turn signal indicator buttons fail to work consistently. About 30% of the time when I try to indicate a turn or lane change the button does not respond. It is sort of stuck in place. Not being able to show an intent to turn is a serious safety issue in heavy traffic.
I have my phone mounted to the back of the computer screen, and I also have the phone power cord running from the center console 12V plug up to my phone. I have found that if the power cord comes in contact with the computer screen, it can inadvertently put the car in Neutral (it acts like a finger touch). This could be extremely dangerous if, for example, the car is making a left turn in front of oncoming traffic and the car unexpectedly goes into Neutral. I think consumers should be aware that a phone power cord can cause changes on the computer screen if there is contact, especially if it switches the car to Neutral.
Tesla officially confirmed as I brought my car in a THIRD time that the repeated turn signal failure I was/am experiencing is now a known software issue. They looked at the timestamps and video I shared and saw that I had indeed applied pressure to the turn signal buttons to no avail/effect. Out of the three times I took the car in and shared timestamps for when this issue occurred this is the only time they identified the issue in the logs, which leads me to believe they never even looked at the logs the previous two times I had brought the car in and they failed to ID the issue or a fix. They have been unable to reproduce in person, as the issue occurs at random while the vehicle is in motion. I brought it in a third time after multiple instances in one day of the turn...
Other 2024 TESLA MODEL 3 Problem Areas
Unknown Or Other
58 complaints
Steering
34 complaints
Exterior Lighting
25 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control
24 complaints
Vehicle Speed Control
19 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking
13 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings
11 complaints
Lane Departure Assist
8 complaints
Air Bags
7 complaints
Electrical Systemadas
4 complaints
Engine
4 complaints
Fuelpropulsion System
4 complaints
Suspension
4 complaints
Visibilitywiper
4 complaints
Wheels
4 complaints
Back Over Prevention Warnings
3 complaints
Lane Departure Warning
3 complaints
Power Train
3 complaints
Seat Belts
3 complaints
Service Brakes
3 complaints
Exterior Lightingturn Signal
2 complaints
Seats
2 complaints
Structurebody
2 complaints
Back Over Prevention Automatic System Braking
1 complaint
Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking
1 complaint
Back Over Prevention Sensing System Camera
1 complaint
Electrical Systemadasautonomousself Driving
1 complaint
Electrical Systemhorn
1 complaint
Lane Departure
1 complaint
Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection
1 complaint