2024 TESLA MODEL 3 Exterior Lighting Problems
25 NHTSA complaints on file
Exterior Lighting Issues in the 2024 TESLA MODEL 3
25 exterior lighting complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2024 TESLA MODEL 3. Of these, 1 involved a crash, 0 involved a fire, and 0 resulted in injury.
25
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
All Exterior Lighting Complaints
The push type turn signals for the model 3 almost caused when accident when I had to enter and exit a roundabout. The orientation wasn’t clear and I was trying to signal to not exit instead - another car misunderstood my intent. this miscommunication lead to a close call. I’ve been driving for over 20 years - this is an unsafe implementation of something basic.
To whom it may concern, I am reporting an incident regarding my Tesla Model 3 (2024) that occurred on June 30th around midnight. My partner was using FSD (full self driving) and driving down i5 towards Vancouver, WA and I was attempting to turn on Bluetooth to listen to music when the exterior lights completely shut off. The section of the freeway we were on had no lights, so it was completely dark. The FSD made my partner take over the wheel and we careened off the road because there was zero visibility. Thankfully and luckily we only hit a traffic reflector. What followed has been a few concerning months of back and forth with Tesla. I reported the incident to them immediately and requested data from that night. The data that they eventually sent over was from the previous day and following days, and conveniently missing that crucial period...
Tesla has removed the turn signal stalks on some of their vehicles in favor of buttons on the steering wheel. While Tesla may argue that these buttons work fine, they are unsafe and they do not work in all driving situations (roads with multiple tight turns, roundabouts, etc). The buttons are also prone to sticking, which renders them inoperable. I have been pulled over due to failure to signal on a tight roadway in San Francisco, the officer did not write a ticket when he saw the design defect and advised that I remedy the issue with Tesla. I have also almost gotten into an accident several times in roundabouts because of failure to signal -- it was impossible to signal via the button on the steering wheel while in the roundabout. Tesla has acknowledged that this design is a safety issue and has brought back turn signal stalks on...
The indicator controls on the steering wheel are unreliable. Soon after purchasing the car, I returned it for warranty repair because sometimes the right indicator fails. When pressing the indicator area in the steering wheel, one can usually feel a button click, but at times it’s like pressing a brick wall, no give and no click. It seemed ok after the repair, but now it’s back to doing exactly the same thing. In addition, sometimes when I press near the bottom of the right indicator area, the left indicator turns on instead. It’s bad enough that I often can’t indicate when turning as I can’t always keep track of directions when the buttons turn upside down and the visuals on the buttons are backwards. It’s much worse that this bad design is so poorly implemented. Now writing this, I noticed when uploading the warranty invoice that they said the indicator...
Turn signal button frequently gets stuck and will not activate. This prevents driver from being able to properly signal when changing lanes and causes very dangerous situations, particularly when trying to exit the highway. My vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, but this issue is very common across owners' forums. No warning signs or messages prior to failure.
The buttons on the steering wheel stick and do not work. These include the turn signals and also bright lights and windshield wipers. They stick on my car, and I am renting a 2024 model 3 that they stick on as well. It’s not possible to signal a turn or wipe the windshield when this happens, which is a safety issue.
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...
While merging into heavy highway traffic, turn signal failed to turn on when button was pressed. This made me have to merge without a turn signal on putting me at a higher risk of a collision and surprising the drivers behind me. Immediately after the merge was complete I attempted to troubleshoot the button and found that it was stuck in the up state, flicking it multiple times made it possible to press the button again. Later that day experimentation showed that the button was prone to sticking if pushed at an angle but would work correctly as long as a deliberate and vertical press is applied. Specifically pushing the button with force pushing the button outwards relative to the steering wheel would cause the button to shift to the outward edge and get stuck on the plastic housing rendering the button impossible to depress. This angle is typical as...
Left and turn signal buttons randomly do not work especially after disengaging FSD. Sometimes I have to re-engage FSD for the buttons to work. This can be dangerous when I'm trying to make a turn and cars behind me could be going really fast or not pay attention. I believe this is a software or firmware issue and not the steering wheel itself. No warning messages. I did report to Tesla warranty.
Turn signals are now touch sensitive buttons on the steering wheel. On many occasions the turn signals fail to activate when pressed. I’ve reported twice to Tesla only to be told that “it’s normal” and they think it’s a software issue. I’ve also read many others have had the same experience. Definitely needs to be addressed sooner than later.
1) Turn signal indicator (right side) does not always activate signal. It doesn't have the feeling that it was being pushed in. Has happened at least a dozen times since taking delivery, some of the times I have documented. Tesla says they won't just repair/replace it unless it's happening when I bring it in. Happens at random times. Cars behind me not alerted to me turning. 2) Turn signal indicator (both) cannot safely be used unless the steering wheel is in neutral position (car moving straight). This is especially true when in a roundabout and trying to signal to exit. It is impossible to select signal direction or even activate at all. This needs to be moved off of the steering wheel and onto a stalk like most other cars.
I’m reporting an ongoing issue with the turn signal button on my 2024 Model 3, purchased a few weeks ago. From day one, the button has intermittently failed to activate. Initially, we thought we were not pressing it correctly, but after continued issues, it’s clear this is a malfunction. Last night, while driving on a busy road, the right turn signal failed repeatedly, forcing me to miss a highway ramp. This is not only frustrating but dangerous. I’ve since discovered similar complaints from other owners, which raises serious safety concerns.
Since delivery of my new Tesla Model 3, the haptic turn signal buttons intermittently fail to register inputs despite repeated presses. This issue began immediately and occurs without any warning lamps or error messages. I am requesting the NHTSA to investigate this matter promptly due to the significant safety risks posed by the malfunctioning turn signal system in the Tesla Model 3. The inability to reliably signal turns and lane changes endangers not only us but also other road users. **Safety Risk:** • At highway speeds, I was unable to signal lane changes, leading to dangerous situations where other drivers were unaware of my intentions. • In one critical incident, I needed to make an emergency lane change to avoid road obstacles but could not activate the turn signal, nearly resulting in a collision due to surrounding drivers not being alerted. • Driving in high-traffic areas like Austin increases the...
Left and right turn signal buttons located on the steering wheel intermittently does not work when pressed. I have taken my car to a Tesla service appointment on 10/11/24. There diagnostic system did not show an error and Tesla choose not to offer a repair or help of any kind. I feel unsafe driving my vehicle. Upon a google search, it appears I am not the only 2024 model 3 customer with this issue. I am unable to upload a video, but I have one that I can submit if provided further instructions.
Ever since receiving this vehicle, the turn signals will intermittently not work. This is the new 'stalkless' turn signal design, using push buttons on the steering wheel. When going to signal a lane change, either direction, the button will not register me pressing it, no matter how hard I try to mash on it. It will not signal, resulting in a dangerous, illegal situation for myself and other drivers either missing my turn, causing a distraction while trying to rectify the situation, or forcing me to make a lane change or navigate a turn without signalling. I have found a slight workaround that works some times, which is to press the button to signal the opposite direction of my intention, then switch it back. Again, this is dangerous. When I raised a service request to Tesla, the soonest available service date given was over 2 months out from when I...
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 button on the steering wheel gets stuck occasionally (it is like a mouse button, and when this happens it cannot “click”). This effectively disables the turn signal and I am thus unable to indicate.
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.
Turn signal buttons on steering wheel fail to activate turn signals at times. Intermittent problem. When it works, I can feel a click from the button. When it doesn’t work, no haptic feedback received.
The blinker buttons get stuck and stop working temporarily. This happens repeatedly and a lot of people online are reporting the same issue. This prevents the blinkers from being turned on and is dangerous!
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.
Two issues regarding vehicle turn signals not working as intended: Issue #1: Sometimes, vehicle turn signal turns on for the opposite direction than intended. Narrowly missed a few accidents because of this issue, and I have been honked at and flipped off by drivers thinking I'm a careless driver. This issue can be replicated on demand. Issue #2: The turn signal buttons on the steering wheel lock up and no matter how hard I press, does not turn on. Creates a safety hazard when trying to change lanes, merge, or exit where I cannot communicate intent to other drivers. This issue happens randomly & resolves itself after about 10 seconds. Both of these issues were brought to the notice of the manufacturer, but service technicians were not concerned about the issue. Wanted me to leave the car behind for an extended period with no loaner car or rental provided. I...
Right turn signal gets stuck and doesn't allow me to press it. It is very dangerous when it happens out on the road. First attempt to fix it was April 5th 2024. According to Tesla service invoice the steering wheel was replaced and software was updated. As of April 19 2024 the problem has returned. As I attempted to make a right turn and couldn't signal. I also have videos showing the issue I am having. After reviewing online forums it seems this is a common problem for 2024 Tesla Model 3 which is extremely dangerous.
The rear tail light on the driver side of the vehicle is filling with water. Additionally, the brake light is occasionally not working, presenting a potentially serious safety issue. The vehicle is brand new. Tesla has a history of this issue with previous generations of this vehicle, but the problem persists in the new model. I have been waiting for a new tail light to come in for two weeks. A quick internet search reveals other drivers with the same problem. Tesla is doing nothing to expedite the parts needed for the repair, but they sure continue to sell new cars. They should not be selling any cars until they figure out how to successfully seal the light and keep standing water out of the unit.
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
Electrical System
33 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