2022 Tesla Model Y Air Bags & Restraints Problems

On January 12, 2026, I was involved in a multi-vehicle collision on I-4 West near US-27 Off Ramp in Polk County, Florida. My vehicle was struck on the left rear quarter panel causing me to lose control, hit a second vehicle, and travel off the road to the hazard lane. The vehicle was declared a total loss by the insurance company. Despite the severity of the impact, none of the airbags deployed. The Florida state crash report confirms airbags were marked as Not Deployed. The vehicle is currently at a salvage yard and is available for inspection. No warning lamps related to the airbag system were present prior to the crash. The failure of the airbag system to deploy in a total loss collision put the driver at significant risk of serious injury.”

I keep getting alerts that there is a front right safety restraint system issue and service is required. Repair note Nov. 14 2024 stated: Safety Restraint alert has been intermittent over at least the past year. Customer has had previous Service Visits for same alert (RCM2_a136_sideAB1stRowROpen). Issue seems to be somewhere within the harness affecting the passenger side airbag. Replaced the Front Right (passenger) seat harness.Alerts are currently cleared. Feb 15, 2024 Repair Notes: Technician verified customer concern. Tech found the alert was for the 1st row passenger side airbag. Tech checked the connector in the seat and it was softset. Tech plugged it back in and made sure it was secure. Tech test drove and verified no alerts present.

Subject: Complaint – Tesla North Hollywood Service Visit on Aug 30 Date: August 30, 2025 Time: Around 12:25 PM Location: Tesla North Hollywood Service Center Advisor: Anthony I visited the Tesla service center to report issues with my car: Possible seat belt problem in the back seat (my two kids sit there) Front and rear windows sometimes stop working I spoke with Anthony explained the issues and showed him the video i recorded it clearly show seat belt and windows malfunction . tesla Security cameras will confirm this. He smiled and asked if we wore seat belts. I said yes. He asked me to go to the car, but he didn’t inspect anything. I asked him again to check, and he said there’s nothing he can do unless the problem is happening right now. Then he walked away. This was very disappointing, especially because this is a safety concern involving children. No inspection was done, and my concerns were dismissed.

Seat belt locked up on my son(8yr old) on the back of passager seat. he can't unbuckle. It got tight. I have to drove to fire department ask for help. We had 3 fire fighters helping him to get out of it. they can't. so the fire fighters have to cut the seat belt.

I have an intermittent warning message "Front passenger safety restraint fault" which started about 1.5 years ago. Tesla added a "filter" which sorta resolved the problem, but as i mentioned its an intermittent problem. I submit another service reqyest for the same issue January 2024 at 51k miles but they denied my warranty claim because it is past their 50k basic warranty. I resubmitted a service request around September 2024 to look at the issue but they said they will look into my request for warranty but never got back to me. Fast forward to 2025 I submit another service request because the warning message keepings popping up more frequently and I read that Tesla SRS warranty is up until 60,000 miles which as of January 2024 I was still within. Now they are denying my claims because I didnt request a service within warranty period. I wasn't aware of the SRS warranty and Tesla employee saying i am outside the warranty and deny my warranty claim which was either incorrect, a lie or both. I have tried explaining to them multiple times but every time they say its outside of warranty now.

While driving a front passenger seat occupant classification system (OCS) error appeared. Made appointment February 7, 2025, Tesla replaced front row seat harness assembly as well as the front row occupancy sensor. Invoice # 3000S0012299476 states they did a retrofit service and proceeded with the required update and replaced sensor with the latest version.

Rear seatbelt buckle won’t latch

Seat belt latch system failed on rear middle seat during multiple trips in the car. Could buckle the seat when we left the house but after unbuckling at first destination could no longer latch the buckle. Looked on Google and this is a known issue with Tesla Model Y cars. Had to wait weeks for a repair appointment to fix the buckle leaving us with an unsafe car. No explanation from Tesla why it failed unsure if other buckles will also fail mid trip. Very concerned about the safety of seat belt latches in the event of an accident.

The rear passenger side seat belt has been defective for the last 12+ months. It first started with it not registering a person was occupying the seat and would not signal that a seat belt needed to be fastened, such as the other side when both are occupied simultaneously. For the last 6+ months the latch where the seat belt buckles would latch inconsistent. As of yesterday, the seat belt buckle fails to latch completely, rendering it useless and requiring repair.

Seat belt locking mechanism won’t keep belt locked in. Tesla says it is working properly.

The driver-side rear seatbelt latch has malfunctioned. The spring mechanism appears broken and now will not lock / click the seatbelt in place when inserted. This is a major safety concern that has been documented numerous times specifically for the Model Y. The Tesla mobile service center will come out and diagnose which can take 1-2 weeks for appointment. But when the broke latch is replaced, it will cost +$80 per latch that is replaced.

Have had a service error come up multiple times front passenger safety restraint system fault -

Front passenger safety restraint system fault service is required error. this just appeared on my screen when my wife sat in the passenger seat.

Middle seatbelt buckle fails to latch. Normal use, just stopped working.

The seat belt buckle not latching and keep popped out while driving

Rear driver side seat belt won’t latch. Passenger cannot properly fasten seatbelt.

Seatbelt mechanism stopped latching and would not buckle. This puts everyone in the car in a very unsafe situation. Only way to request help is through Tesla app but no response from their support team. My seatbelt latch mechanism is still broken.

My vehicle encountered a severe loss of control, resulting in a collision with a concrete wall on I-90 west towards Seattle at 19,877 miles. This critical event, leading to non-deployment of airbags and subsequent hospitalization, occurred shortly after two prior services addressing a Rear Drive Motor unit malfunction, first at 14,768 miles and again at 14,820 miles. These incidents underscore a troubling pattern of safety concerns. Inspection Details: Front Suspension: Replacement of Stabilizer Bar Link (1188391-00-B). Steering Gear: Replacement of Steering Gear Assembly (1044831-00-H), essential for control. Sub-Frame & Steering Components: Reinstallation of the sub-frame and replacement of the tie rod end (1044841-00-E), indicating significant structural and steering issues. Safety Risks: The sequence of malfunctions, particularly the recurring issues with the Rear Drive Motor unit followed by a severe loss of control and airbag system failure, presents an extreme safety risk. The absence of warnings prior to these failures compounds the danger, suggesting systemic safety and reliability flaws. Conclusions & Reporting: The vehicle's history of critical malfunctions within a short mileage interval demands an in-depth examination by the manufacturer and safety regulatory authorities. The objective is to uncover root causes, evaluate if these issues are widespread among similar models, and implement corrective actions promptly. This report aims to highlight the critical nature of the encountered safety issues, advocating for immediate interventions to safeguard vehicle occupants and the public.

The seat belt doesn't work. It buckles in but doesn't lock

Every few months, my car receives a warning stating "Front passenger safety restraint system fault". This error noted that there are issues related to checking the front passenger seatbelt/airbag status, and that they may not work as expected. Tesla has tried to repair this 4 times on my car already, but the error keeps coming back after a few months. This is now the 5th time this is happening in my car over the 3 years I've owned it. The date/mileage listed is when this issue first started occuring.