NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2024 Tesla Model 3. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
In addition to the previous problem I reported concerning the intermittent failure of the back-up camera (which was replaced but the problem continues to this date) leading to Park Assist not working, the touch screen freezing and showing no movement of the car, and the speed control not working, I've also discovered on a freeway trip after putting the car into reverse first that navigation was not usable and the turn signals failed to automatically turn off when the lane change was made. After a rest stop, though, everything worked just fine again. This time I'm writing about the pedestrian warning sounds which do not play when reversing or driving forward at a slow rate of speed. Two of my neighbors have Tesla Model Ys that sound properly; it dawned on me that even with the windows open, I'd never heard the sounds coming out of my car since I took delivery of it on March 30, 2024.
Tesla removed the physical stalks for turn signals and replaced with buttons on the steering wheel that get stuck when pressed preventing you from indicating at all. Further, putting turn signals on a steering wheel means that the orientation can change when trying to indicate in any situation other than driving on a straight away. This is incredibly dangerous for the driver and other surrounding vehicles. There are numerous blog posts out there with similar driver experiences. Most people who report this issue also report that after Tesla replaces their wheel, the same problem happens again.
The steering wheel buttons on the left include left/right signal indicators buttons that get stuck. This is a problem that is discussed by multiple drivers on online forums. Others are indicating that there isn’t a fix when reported to Tesla. The left/right indicator design is distracting at best and dangerous when not working properly. The approval of the design should be revoked.
Several times while using Traffic Aware Cruise Control, the system will suddenly brake severely for apparently reason. At these times, I was on a lightly traveled Interstate with no vehicles ahead of me. Each time, it was during daylight hours and it was sunny. This has also occurred while using Autopilot with Autosteer and with Full Self Driving. Once, there was a vehicle close behind me, so this sudden braking can be dangerous.
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.
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 raised the request. That means I am forced to drive a dangerous, unreliable vehicle without being able to reliably properly signal my intention to other drivers.
The right turn blinker button on the steering wheel freezes in many occasions while the vehicle is in motion. Unable to signal right turn when the button freezes randomly. It happened four times to my vehicle during a 40 minute driving trip on Sunday [XXX]. Prior to the incident on [XXX], the same issue had occurred occasionally while driving but with less frequency compared to [XXX]. This issue was brought to the attention of Tesla service center in Syosset NY on [XXX] and I have been told that it was a firmware issue and there was nothing they could do at the moment other than waiting for firmware update. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Right turn signal doesn’t not work properly. I will press the button where the icon is and nothing happens. The issue is intermittent but apparently all model 3 2024s are affected and tesla doesn’t have a real fix, they’ve replaced peoples steering wheels and they have the same exact issue. It causes distraction and panic when the turn signal doesn’t work as expected. People are complaining on a ton of forums online here’s a link to a reddit post: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving in the right lane of an Interstate using Full Self Driving (Supervised) mode (version 12.3.6), I was behind a motorcycle that was traveling slower than I. FSD was gaining on the motorcycle, but failed to move to the passing lane. I had to disengage the system so that the car didn't get too close to, or strike, the motorcycle. I manually moved to the passing lane and reengaged FSD. The car eventually decided to move to the right lane, behind the motorcycle. Again, it was gaining on the motorcycle and got too close, so I once again had to disengage FSD. It seems like the system didn't recognize the motorcycle or didn't recognize that it was traveling than slower than my vehicle.
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.
2024 Model 3 Highland LR, right and left blinker buttons stuck occasionally.
the left and right turn signals are not functioning at times. My car is very new. I did not get into any accidents that would compromise the car's hardware. It is dangerous when I need to switch lanes or make a turn because I am unable to apply the indicator button on the steering wheel. the button gets stuck and I am unable to use it at the time of need. sometimes when I try to press the button, instead of the turn signal, radio starts. It is both stressful and such a headache. it is illegal to switch lanes without turn signals. it is frustrating to drivers on other cars, sometimes dangerous even. in high traffic areas like the bay area, california(where I drive) it is bound to cause some accidents if this is left unresolved. I am sometimes afraid I would cause harm to others because of this system failure and also get cited by the cops. Also, I spent a hefty money on this car. I think it is ridiculous that they did not get this basic part right that cars that were manufactured before the 1900s also manage to have a proper left/right indicator.
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!
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.
Occasionally, the Turn Signals decide to not work for a 5 second period. This is a car that is "stalkless" (meaning there isn't a physical turn signal stalk to press), but rather it's touchpad buttons on the steering wheel. While these usually work fine, occasionally when I depress one, I can feel that it does not press down at all, and the turn signal does not turn on. I view this as a SAFETY ISSUE in that a Turn Signal indicates intent to other drivers, and it's unsafe to not be able to use it. Tesla has replaced my steering wheel once (after 2+ months of waiting for "diagnostics") but the new wheel has the same issue. This has been occurring ever since I got this car, and that was many months ago. And I've heard other Model 3 and Model S customers have similar complaints. There is something fundamental going on, and Tesla does not seem to want to solve it on their own. They need to have NHTSA add some priority to this.
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 investigate this design and require Tesla to implement a more reliable solution, especially considering the horn’s essential role in preventing accidents.
The new Tesla 3 Highland has eliminated the driving wheel stalks and in order to signal a turn, one has to press on one of two side-by-side areas of the steering wheel. After many years of pushing the stalks to indicate a turn, it's not easy to determine which part of the wheel to press to signal a turn or lane change. I have to look at the wheel to do this, which is clearly a safety issue. Better to have Tesla reprogram the wheel to have a left turn signal on the left side of the wheel and the right of the steering wheel to signal a right turn. The windshield wiper area of the wheel an be move to the left side and the right turn signal can go in its place . I assume that it's all computerized and after the coding done, Tesla can send out new decals to indicate the change on the wheel.
Steering wheel buttons fail to activate turn signals no matter how hard they are pressed intermittently. Occurrences happens around 15% of the times when changing lanes or requiring signaling leading to increased danger due to failure of turn signals. Manifacturer has replaced steering wheel and problem still exists with no resolution. When presented to service center subsequently, I am instead recommended to correct fixing hand location and posture, which does not rectify the issue.
1. Blinker button trim/keycaps occasionally become physically stuck in the default (unpressed, open) position. Clicking the buttons at an angle sometimes remediates the issue but not consistently. As a result, the blinkers are physically inaccessible for lane changes. 2. The blinker buttons occasionally signal the incorrect way when depressed. For example, clicking the left signal results in a right-sided signal. Seems to also be a physical issue. These defects can be a hazard to other drivers because of improper use of blinker signals. Component has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer. Malfunctions have been occuring since receiving the vehicle and occurs seemingly at random.
When I indicate to turn right, the indicator sometimes indicates to turn left. This happens randomly but approximately once every eight times that I indicate to turn right. I reported the issue to Tesla in April 2024 and they replaced the steering wheel to verify if there was a hardware issue. This did not fix the problem. Tesla Service then informed me that it was a known software issue and that I would have to wait for a software update to fix the problem. I have been waiting for four months but no software fix has been forthcoming. I took the car back to Tesla today, and they told me that they had no ETA on the software fix. This is a dangerous issue because if I indicate to go into a right hand lane and the car signals left, then another car can turn into me from the right hand lane, which has happened on one occasion.
The horn stops working after rain. Took the vehicle to Tesla and they stated that this was expected after heavy rain. This is a safety issue because you cannot honk to warn other vehicles or pedestrians as an issue issue, even after the rain until the whole thing dries out
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.
Incident Description: One week after purchasing our new Tesla Model 3 2024 , we encountered several error messages upon returning to our car after a brief stop: "APP_w264 - Lane Departure Avoidance feature unavailable," "GTW_w075 - Steering assist reduced," and "UI_a020 - Steering assist reduced." With no cell signal available, we had to drive back slowly with hazard lights on. The steering was extremely tight, making it very difficult to maneuver. Tesla Roadside Assistance suggested towing the car and using an Uber coupon, which was impractical due to our location in the outskirts of Vancouver, Canada, with no Uber services, and our home in Seattle, USA.We drove over 100 miles to the nearest service centre in Vancouver, posing a significant safety risk on curvy freeway roads. The service centre confirmed that the wire supplying power to the steering was cut due to contact with the fan, and they repaired the issue. Conclusion: The steering failure of our Tesla Model 3 was a major safety concern. Driving with impaired steering could have led to a severe accident. The issue was due to a design flaw, with the wire contacting the fan. We request a thorough investigation to prevent future occurrences and consideration for the inconvenience and risk we faced. Component/System Failure: The wire supplying power to the steering mechanism was severed due to contact with the vehicle's fan. Safety Risk: The steering became extremely tight, making large turns nearly impossible and small turns very difficult. This posed a significant safety risk, especially while driving on curvy freeway roads. Inspection & Problem Confirmation: The problem was confirmed by the Tesla service centre in Vancouver. They verified that the wire was cut due to contact with the fan. Errors: "APP_w264 - Lane Departure Avoidance feature unavailable" "GTW_w075 - Steering assist reduced" "UI_a020 - Steering assist reduced"
The turn signal buttons on the steering wheel stick at random. It is extremely dangerous and doesn’t allow for communicating to other drivers when needing to quickly turn or merge. You also have to feel around for these buttons as they’re very small and are not user friendly. You often need to take your eyes off the road to find them, and it’s increasingly dangerous.
Today is June 25,2024 I took delivery of my 2024 Tesla model 3 long range on May 26,2024. At time of delivery I visually observed crease in metal of rear right door and damage to paint after Tesla over polished the vehicle with electric equipment. Tesla representatives created a due bill for this repair but decided to do smaller repair by buffing & polishing door panel (and not address the physical crease damage observed on right rear door). Over past 28 days the left and right turn signal buttons located on steering wheel have frequently been inoperable while I drive vehicle. Unfortunately turn signals have failed to activate on multiple occasions while I was driving on highway and trying to change out of far left fast lane. Tesla Burbank service center was notified prior to my 1st scheduled service appointment on June 5,2024 that I experienced times while driving where left and right turn signal buttons didn’t activate after being pushed. Tesla elected not to do anything to resolve customer stated problem during the June 5,2024 service appointment. From June 5,2024-June 25,2024 I have sent 6 messages to Tesla Burbank service center with date and time stamp when turn signal buttons on steering wheel didn’t activate. Tesla Burbank service center feels that this car continues to be safe to drive. As vehicle owner it is my opinion that Turn signals not operating properly creates condition that is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury if the vehicle is driven; Defective turn signal buttons are in vehicle owner opinion a Significant impairment of the motor vehicle Tesla should proceed to immediately recall 2024 Tesla model 3 vehicles to correct the operation of turn signal buttons.
I was sitting in the back seat adjusting my seat belt. The person sitting in the front seat ahead of me was adjusting their seat position. When they did this, the steel seat mechanism came down on the big toe of my left foot. It crushed the toe so hard that I was not able to remove it from the lowering seat mechanism. This was extremely painful and required medical attention at urgent care and at my primary care physician. I consider this a serious safety defect and design error in this model and possibly other models of this car.
The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that the driver lowered the front driver's seat using the seat adjustment mechanism while seated in the rear driver's seat. The contact stated that the front driver's side seat crushed his toe. The big left toe was crushed. The contact had to have medical attention. The contact stated that the medical attention consisted of an x-ray and pain medication. The contact stated that the injury was extremely painful. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
The left and right turn signal indicator buttons gets stuck sometimes. But I noticed on my vehicle it is the left turn indicator button is the one gets stuck most. When it is stuck I cannot make left turn signal. Before I asked Tesla to fix it the issue happens every time on my 8 mile trip. After Tesla attempted to fix it it happens a lot less now but this could mean it can go worse as the component wears out. This can put me and others at risk as sometimes I get panicked and depending on the situation.
This car has a new, unique design for activating turn signals. The right and left turn signals are buttons on the steering wheel. The buttons need to be pushed to activate the left or right turn indicators for the car. But the buttons do not work all the time. I thought it was a finger placement issue, but have confirmed it is not that. Instead, the buttons simply become stuck and cannot be depressed. This is very dangerous when I cannot signal to change lanes on the road or freeway, or signal to indicate when I will make turns. An Internet search has revealed this is a common problem for this vehicle model, according to various message boards.
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.
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 cannot afford to do that not knowing how long I'm going to be without transportation.
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.
I took delivery of my ordered 2024 Tesla Model 3 LR 3/30/2024. Later in the day when I put the car into reverse, I had no back-up view on the touch screen. When it occurred, it also froze the illustrated car on the touch screen when car was put into Drive. There was also no movement of the vehicle on the touch screen's map. After contacting Tesla two times and rebooting the touch screen, I was asked to do time stamps on the date and time when the problem occurred, which I did. The problem comes and goes which, in addition to the noted problems, also results in Park Assist being unavailable. I had an appt on Memorial Day to bring the car to my Service Center so it could figure out what the problem was. I was given a loaner older model Model 3 to use while it was in the shop. When I picked up the car, I was told it "may be" the rear-view camera, which was not in stock and had to be ordered. I was scheduled for a Mobile Service visit to have it installed while working from home the following week, which it was. Later in the day when I was going to the grocery store, I encountered the exact same problems after putting the car into reverse: no back-up view; frozen illustrated car on the touch screen; no movement on the right-side map; and no Park Assist availability. That evening (Friday, 6/07) I contacted my SC to let it know what happened, and asked "What's next?" I'm still awaiting a response. Today I contacted my SC by phone and was told to bring it in again, but that such appt would be weeks away. I contacted the Tesla Consumer Assistance # later this morning and was told it would contact my Service Center about expediting an appt; I'm to hear from it within 24 hours about setting an expedited appt. As of this writing, it's only been about 10 hours since my call. Hopefully I'll hear from the SC tomorrow morning. I'm very discouraged as I had hoped to show the car off in the coming weeks to friends and family and go on a mini-vacation. Nearly 2.5 months & counting.
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.
Automatic wipers are unreliable and vehicle does not accurately detect amount of rain. This led to obstructed view of the road during heavy rain. Only option was to choose manual speed wipers but had to keep choosing different speeds through my 3.5 hour drive due to constantly changing rain amount. Having to focus on constantly changing wiper speed takes focus off the road each time which increases risk. Tesla has many complaints against the auto wiper function not working across various models and hopefully this will be addressed.
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 signal not working and putting me in highly precarious situations on the highway. There is still NO FIX currently and the technicians even acknowledged/admitted it is a serious safety issue, yet they are returning the car to me unfixed. This feels like an extremely dangerous problem to not address urgently via a software fix. There is no message or warning displayed related to the issue.
This is an ongoing issue since I bought this car. There is a vibration felt in the steering and throughout the entire car when driving both at low and high speed. It is felt more when driving at higher speeds.Does not seem to be an alignment issue. Car was taken to service center multiple times and will be going again in a few days to attempt to diagnose this issue. I do not know the source of this issue but it causes a lot of concern while driving. Unsure whether something will break apart or will lose control of car etc.
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.