87 of the
7,584 complaints filed about the Tesla Model 3
are about the lighting —
1% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2024.
Tesla’s replacement of physical steering column turn signal stalks with capacitive touch buttons on the steering wheel face creates an active safety hazard. First, the capacitive sensors frequently become entirely unresponsive. If a driver rests a finger near the buttons, the system triggers a timeout/lockout, rendering the signals non-functional for several seconds when pressed. They also fail to register inputs under normal pressure or when wearing gloves. Second, because the buttons rotate dynamically with the steering wheel, it is structurally impossible to signal by muscle memory during sharp or sequential maneuvers, like navigating roundabouts. To signal while the wheel is turning or when buttons fail to respond, the driver must repeatedly look away from the road to visually target the wheel. This defective layout causes delayed signaling, severe driver distraction, and elevates the risk of a collision.
NHTSA complaint #11757541 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a loss of camera and safety feature functionality for eight hours daily. The message "Adaptive Headlights Feature Unavailable" was displayed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a complaint was filed. The contact was referred to a service center that was over an hour away. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
NHTSA complaint #11755531 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Suspension is grinding. I had it replaced once at Tesla and it began grinding again in less than 18 months. I took it to Tesla and was informed the lower control arm failed and the price had more than doubled from the prior replacement. No warning lights have come on regarding this issue. The original replacement was 3/7/2024. I noticed the grinding between 12-18 months later. Also, the rear brake light gets condensation in it somehow. I had noticed this about 1 year ago.
NHTSA complaint #11754235 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In the last 18 months I have had 8 service visits relating to electrical issues. In the last 30 months: - I had my car computer replaced after it shorted out, and then had to have it replaced again the next week. - I had the same taillight short out twice in a row. - I have had the 12V battery replaced three times. - I have had multiple low voltage controllers short out over multiple service visits. - The sound system has shorted out once as well. - One time, I was unable to shift to drive because a heater had shorted out. Now, I have to replace my right headlight and passenger airbag occupancy sensor due to shorts as well. The right headlight goes out intermittently and the passenger airbag alert fires sometimes. Tesla Corte Madera submitted a buyback request on my behalf after witnessing all these issues, but Tesla corporate denied it. I am sure the electrical issues will continue to affect the safety and drivability of my car. Thank you for your help.
NHTSA complaint #11749184 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The wiring in my trunk harness was severed due to the repeated opening and closing of my trunk. This caused my reverse lights to fail and my trunk latch to stop working. This issue is part of a known recall: Campaign 21V-00D. Tesla attempted to fix the issue in 2023 but the poor repair did not work. I took my Tesla to the dealer and they refused to remedy the issue unless I would pay $1300. I persuaded them to lower the feet to $300 but still feel that I should not pay anything because this issue was due to the recall.
NHTSA complaint #11746953 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am filing a safety complaint regarding water intrusion into the rear tail lamp assembly of my 3-year-old Tesla Model 3. The rear tail light has progressed from minor condensation to active water accumulation and visible pooling inside the sealed housing. This is not light fogging — there is standing moisture inside the assembly. The vehicle has not been involved in any collision and there is no visible external damage to the lamp. I have already been pulled over, and drivers behind me have indicated that the affected tail light is not clearly visible. Reduced rear illumination creates a serious safety risk, particularly at night or in poor weather conditions. A malfunctioning tail lamp increases the likelihood of a rear-end collision. Rear lighting is a federally regulated safety component. Water intrusion into a sealed LED lighting assembly creates risk of electrical malfunction, corrosion, and sudden loss of rear illumination. The vehicle is currently out of warranty due to mileage; however, it is only three years old. A sealed LED tail lamp is not a wear-and-tear item and should not fail due to normal mileage accumulation. This appears to be premature sealing failure. I contacted Tesla Service regarding this issue. Their written response stated that because the vehicle is out of warranty due to mileage, any repairs would be at my expense. They did not address the safety concern or the presence of internal water accumulation. There are numerous reports from other Model 3 owners describing similar tail lamp water intrusion issues. I am requesting that NHTSA review whether water intrusion into sealed rear lighting assemblies constitutes a safety defect and whether further investigation is warranted.
NHTSA complaint #11719385 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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.
NHTSA complaint #11692963 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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 of time. The service appointment I had with them produced a multiple thousand dollar bill to fix the damage caused by the traffic reflector which I did not pay. I have not heard back from them since then. I am reporting this incident because I don’t think lights should be able to shut off completely at night, whether it was a software malfunction or someone accidentally pressing a button on the screen. If this incident continues to happen in the future many passengers may not be as lucky as us to escape with only a scratch. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11690397 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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 newly manufactured vehicles. Due to the immediate safety issue and Tesla having no retrofit available, I have purchased a 3rd party accessory that fixes the issue. The accessory is from a company called Enhance Auto and it is called "S3XY Stalks". It is a bluetooth enabled turn signal that connects to a device that is attached to the OBD sensor. This device works perfectly and it solves the safety issue. Tesla has refused to reimburse me in the amount of $522.50 for this turn signal device.
NHTSA complaint #11689524 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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 works as intended. This after I gave them a video I took, while driving, of my fingers repeatedly pressing the indicator area as hard as I could, while describing how the indicator wasn’t turning on. I see you don’t allow videos to be uploaded here, but I still have that video and can supply it if needed.
NHTSA complaint #11688913 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The design of the turn signals has several severe driver distracting safety issues. This is ultimately a design issue due to the choice of buttons on the steering wheel instead of a turn signal stalk. The buttons do not always activate the turn signals. Deactivation of the turn signals is counter intuitive, pressing the opposite direction does not deactivate them, instead activating the direction pressed. The significant departure from a standard stalk is dangerous. This is opposed to the other digital modifications tesla has made, as they are not in, or do not need to be in active use during driving activity, but the turn signals are a different matter.
NHTSA complaint #11681259 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Subject: Safety Hazard – Turn Signal Button Placement on Tesla Model 3/Y (Newer Models) Hi there, I am reaching because the newer Tesla models have eliminated the turn signal stalks and instead incorporated the turn signal controls as buttons directly on the steering wheel. This became a critical safety hazard multiple times when taking a turn and had to give the turn indication. The issue happened because the turn signal buttons are not fixed and they rotate along with the rotation of the steering wheel. It makes us look for the turn signal buttons every time the steering wheel is turned and becomes a safety hazard when in motion. Also, it is very challenging when we have to make a right/left turn while on the ramp to take an exit because the buttons are not fixes unlike the turn signal stalks. There were times when we were unable to give the turn signals. It is not only dangerous for the Tesla drivers but also for the other drivers on the road to effectively communicate. Please, I request you to re-assess this configuration. Thank you!
NHTSA complaint #11678356 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2025 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the turn signal button on the steering wheel was activated but was unresponsive. The contact stated that the button was stuck but then loosened up. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11653272 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My car just made 50k and is out of warranty and the headlight fail. I contacted Tesla and they quote $1800 to fix it. When I went on the internet and found out that this is very common and seems to be a bad design. Can you do anything so they redesign and recall so we consumers are not ripped off by Tesla? I know is a long shot now that Elon is running the government but I have nowhere else to complain. Thank you
NHTSA complaint #11641101 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The indicator buttons randomly disable and also disable if the user rests their finger lightly on an indicator button for some number of seconds. The car is available for inspection on request. Tesla looked at it and said it's "normal" and "expected" for the buttons to disable if you simply rest your finger on the button for too long prior to clicking it in. When this occurs, BOTH indicator buttons will be disabled for upwards of 12 seconds. Neither button will physically click, and the indicators themselves will not activate no matter how many times you try pressing the button. This put the safety of others (AND MYSELF) at risk three times in my one month of owning the car. Tesla did nothing the first time I tried to get it fixed and said it's "normal", and wanted me to leave the service center with nothing done. I refused, so they replaced the entire steering wheel for me. The new steering wheel exhibited this same behaviour this morning - nearly resulting in a car smash as I was trying to navigate around an existing car smash on the highway. No warnings, messages or anything. I've only owned the car for a month.
NHTSA complaint #11638799 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Steering wheel mounted turn signal buttons intermittently do not work - even when pressed multiple times, nothing happens. This is not a daily occurrence but has happened often enough to be dangerous ~5% of the time and happens randomly / unexpectedly. To be clear - this issue is separate and distinct from the poor design and placement of these buttons which - even when working as designed - are regularly engaged unintentionally or wrong direction is mistakenly engaged (i.e., click right when going left). This complaint is prompted because there are occasions where they simply and unexpectedly do not work after repeated attempts. Please force a recall - I know there are many Tesla owners who are encountering the same safety issue and have similar concerns due to these unreliable turn signal buttons.
NHTSA complaint #11638145 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while using the right turn signal, the signal seized and failed to turn off and remained engaged. The vehicle was taken to the Tesla Service Center; however, the service tech was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The Tesla Service Center declined to provide a steering wheel replacement. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 1,800.
NHTSA complaint #11634391 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.