2018 Tesla Model 3 Powertrain (other) Problems

The front upper control arms on my 2018 Tesla Model 3 have failed multiple times, producing loud clunking, popping, and binding noises during steering. The issue has worsened and poses a serious risk of loss of control while driving. Tesla replaced these parts under goodwill in the past, but the failures have returned. The most recent incident occurred around 03/05/2025 at approximately 106,867 miles. The failure has been confirmed and documented by Tesla Service Centers, and I have multiple invoices showing repeated replacements of the same components. The problem directly affects steering and suspension safety.

NHTSA ID

11694649

Incident

Mar 5, 2025

I just traded in my vehicle for a Tesla from 3rd party dealership on [XXX] A light came on once I reached my home. I called right away before the dealership closed but no one answered. So I took it upon myself to make a service call to Tesla to get my vehicle checked come to find out my vehicle has extensive damages from my unit drive, my subframe and the battery pack is severe punctures and needs to be replaced. Choice Automotive LLC in Honolulu Hawaii didn’t disclose anything to me before purchasing this vehicle. also they didn’t disclose that this vehicle was in a car accident, but they carried on with the sale. I have pictures of what needs to be repaired. Tesla said, I will need $20,000 to repair these damages. So I’m trying to take legal action against Choice Automotive LLC for selling me a vehicle that needs a lot of repair to drive normal again. I need them to pay for these repairs immediately. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11658029

Incident

Mar 27, 2025

On March 21, 2025, my Tesla Model 3 Long Range entered "Power Reduction Mode" — a safety feature that limits power to protect the high-voltage battery from overheating or failure. Tesla later diagnosed a coolant leak near the battery area. Their own service advisor stated in writing that the failure was “most likely related” to the battery’s thermal management system — the very system responsible for regulating battery temperature and preventing damage. Despite the connection to the battery protection system and the vehicle being under the 8-year/120,000-mile battery warranty, Tesla has refused to cover the repair. The issue remains unresolved, and I have not picked up or approved any repairs on the vehicle. My concern is that driving the vehicle in this state — or leaving this failure unaddressed — could lead to further battery damage or pose a safety risk. I am requesting that NHTSA evaluate this issue as a potential safety concern, especially as the manufacturer is refusing to repair a system directly linked to high-voltage battery safety.

NHTSA ID

11651017

Incident

Mar 21, 2025

Power conversion system (PSC) failure. Only charges at 16 amps. I know other Tesla owners have had this problem as well.

NHTSA ID

11629274

Incident

Nov 1, 2024

ISSUE: PTC Heater failed at 63,617 miles after 6 years of use WARNING MESSAGE: "Vehicle may not restart" CONTACT: [XXX] [XXX] main contact for owner [XXX] . VIN: [XXX] MAKE: MODEL 3 YEAR: 2018 REPAIR QUOTED: $1,104.18 LINE ITEMS: PTC HEATER DUALZONE(1088218-00-I) HVAC, PTC SERVICEASSY(1107677-00-A) LABOR & DIAGNOSTICS SUMMARY: TESLA Model 3 Electric Vehicle shut down into "Asleep mode" and will not respond (turn back on). Locked out. Will not wake up. Will not respond to software nor car keys. All systems turned off. Will not charge. Will not release charger from charge port. Issue suddenly happened after [XXX] software load (deemed to not be the cause of issue). Dealership diagnostic shows PTC Heater failure which cuts off the battery. Dealership quoted estimated repair (see below). This could have happened while driving causing the vehicle to be uncontrollable, and a major safety issue. Fortunately, my incident happened after I parked the car in the garage. Overnight there was a software install (supposedly not causing the problem). In the morning the vehicle would not turn on. PRECEDENT: There were several small claims filings in Canada for same issue. This was deemed a design flaw, and safety issue. (See [XXX] ) DIAGNOSTICS: On-line debugging is pointing to resistance issue with 1 of the 5 heating elements in the PTC Heater. PTC Heater cuts off supply to PCS which charges the 12V battery when there is an issue with the heater. This allows the 12v battery to drain, and the EV becomes unresponsive. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11625537

Incident

Nov 13, 2024

If both brake and throttle pedals are depressed simultaneously for a fraction of a second the software does two things: 1) raises a warning to that effect on the computer display and, 2) greatly reduces motor output, limiting acceleration. Item two is the safety concern. Removing the foot from the left pedal does not immediately remove the power restriction. There is a few second delay for that to take place. As a result I find myself expecting to be able to merge rapidly or complete a turn, or cross in front of oncoming traffic but am left in a precarious position in traffic unable to move as expected to avoid a potential collision. This is a behavior that I have not experienced with a conventional engine powered vehicle. In addition when this two-foot power-down mode is waiting to clear, and I am sitting stationary on a steep up incline, the vehicle can slip backwards downhill. The only solution to this issue may be to push the park button on the right control stalk to stop this rolling.

NHTSA ID

11608732

Incident

Aug 15, 2024

PTC Heater failed. This is a critical component that helps to maintain the battery's temperature within safe operating range. The only alternative is to replace this PTC Heater. Till the replacement is done, EVs battery may not maintain safe operating temperature range and could cause the car - not drive able. I consider this a significant safety risk. Cabin temperature cannot be maintained as well. Cause for PTC Heater failure is known - "change in temperature" could cause this item to fail per Tesla. i.e. when cold air blows over the heating element. Not sure if enough has been done to fix this from occurring for such a critical component with some hardware or hardware recall for several vehicles on the road. Else these cars must be considered for sales only for few states in the USA which have a stable operating temperature ranges for their PTC heaters to not run into the risk of failure due to big change in temperature.

NHTSA ID

11574024

Incident

Feb 26, 2024

The High Voltage Service Panel is part the battery which is part of the manufacturer warranty and drivetrain. A lot of Tesla cars had this problem and they are being charged $1800 to $2000 to “fix” this common failure. The problem is that the battery stop receiving the full amperage to charge the battery appropriately. In my case, I started charging more frequently on Superchargers during a long trip to different locations without a Level 2 homecharger and stopped several times into the Superchargers of Tesla. A diagram of the drivetrain and Battery system placed the High Voltage Service Panel as part of the battery. I had the problem since the past 2 years and did not fixed it, after I was sent an estimate cost of “repair”. I said that it was part of the battery system and they refused to accept it. As of 2024, I have search about this problem and most of the cars after 3-4 years are having the same problem. I am not sure what the repair consist of, but it might be a full battery replacement, and maybe opening the battery unit. In terms of safety, I feel unsafe about the possibility of the car catching fire during a supercharger session or even when plugged into my house Level 2 charger at 220 volts. Please inquire more about this frequently ongoing problem and safety, or any TSA related to this common issue. I included a picture found on the internet and the service panel is just on top of the battery

NHTSA ID

11573830

Incident

Feb 1, 2022

I don’t feel comfortable driving this car because it is unsafe when I am on autopilot on the highway it would randomly stop the car by breaking instantly out of nowhere when there isn’t any car in front of me?! Please give me another car that is more safe to drive!?

NHTSA ID

11572026

Incident

Feb 14, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the front upper control arm, and the shifter cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 39,000.

NHTSA ID

11540617

Incident

Aug 21, 2023

Mileage

39,000 mi

I was exiting the highway onto a Blvd and I slowed down. The car all of a sudden accelerated by itself, went over the exit curb and hit the central median of the blvd. Fortunately, no vehicles on the blvd wer crossing when this happened. I was fortunately not physically hurt in the incident but it could have been afr worse if I had a vehicle in my front or on the lvd when the incident happened.

NHTSA ID

11539903

Incident

Aug 15, 2023

The Rear Camera feed was delayed by almost 1 sec resulting in the crash and hitting the shelf while backing the vehicle. The software version which was installed 2023.12 Tesla more and more relying on cameras for ADAS but the Software patches result in lot of random behaviors in the car... Tough being on stable release the Software still buggy and continue to surface random software related bugs In my case the feed from froze for more than a second .. Resulting in the Crash..

NHTSA ID

11526669

Incident

Jun 6, 2023

This is a report of suddent unintended acceleration on a 2018 Model 3 performance with 47,800 miles on the odometer - the first known occurrence on this car. At 50% state of charge, I drove the Tesla on a 10 minute trip and pulled into an underground parking garage with 3 lanes of valet parking. At about 5-10 MPH, the forward collision warning came on as I was driving towards the cones and stop sign. I brought the vehicle to a full stop with the friction brakes (not regenerative braking, which was set to LOW). The drive mode was set to HOLD, which lets the car roll forward but not backwards and doesn't CREEP when foot is off the brake. About 15-30 seconds after coming to a complete stop, my foot was hovering over the brake with maybe slight pressure up to 5%. The car suddenly lurched forward with wide open throttle type acceleration. It has over 450 electric horsepower from 2 motors. The car moved between 2 feet and 5 feet. My passenger noticed and asked what I did, if anything. I did not ever once touch the accelerator. Since my foot was on the brake pedal but not pushing hard on it, I was able to depress it with my foot and stop the car. There was a concrete wall perhaps 25 feet in front of the car. No people were in the front of the car. I was at the stop sign in the garage where valet takes over. I do not know if the car would have kept accelerating if I wasn't able to engage the brakes hard.

NHTSA ID

11508223

Incident

Feb 18, 2023

The Power Conversion System is failing, this makes charging the car difficult. The charge rate is reduced and charging fails without warning. There is no warning from the vehicle that the part is failing but instead says the power grid is the issue. The issue started while the car was still under warranty, but falsely claimed the problem was with the evse or the wiring to the evse. Had the failure been properly reported rather than being misleading, the vehicle could have been repaired under warranty,

NHTSA ID

11501150

Incident

Sep 1, 2022

Originally received notification of DTC "BMS_a035 - Vehicle may not restart." Vehicle was serviced and the rear motor drive unit was replaced. Was not given the oppertunity to inspect the serviced components upon request. Within 48 hours of service, "BMS_a027: Power limited, OK to drive," & BMS_a170 - (de)acceleration warning & top speed warning." My concern is related to a potential cascading problem, which cannot be diagnosed, and which will lead to failure of the propulsion system or an unexpected discharge issue / thermal event from an electrical issue while the vehicle is in use and/or parked.

NHTSA ID

11485819

Incident

Sep 7, 2022

The car charging is not functioning at certain Amp rating ( 48Amps). Car displays " Power Grid or Vehicle issue limiting the AC charging" and goes to a lower 32Amps charging mode. This could lead to Battery damage and I see that there is a service bulletin asking Tesla to replace "Power Conversion System" (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10148850-9999.pdf) but that is limited to a limited time period. But I see several cars manufactured outside of those dates having the issue and this part should be replaced on all cars without a charge to the customers

NHTSA ID

11482820

Incident

Aug 20, 2022

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at a slow speed in ongoing traffic, the vehicle accelerated independently and bumped into the vehicle in front of her lane. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. No police report was filed. The contact stated her vehicle did not need any repairs but the other vehicle did. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted about the incident. The contact stated she continued to experience the failure. The contact stated on November 2021, while she was driving at slow speed in a parking lot, the vehicle accelerated independently and she crashed into a concrete post. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. No police report was filed. The contact called the manufacturer and was referred to the body shop. The contact took the vehicle to the body shop and had the bummer, the passenger side headlight, the bender, and other front components. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated she had experienced the failure on 4 different occasions in total to herself and once to her husband. The contact stated her husband ran into bushes but no damage to the vehicle. No one was injured nor sought medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000.

NHTSA ID

11460392

Incident

Jan 1, 2019

Mileage

17,000 mi

I needed to back up slightly to make room to get our of a parallel parking position. I pressed the brake and put the car into reverse, pressed the accelerator slightly to back up. I then pressed the brake again and put the car into Drive. I then pressed the accelerator slightly to drive off, but the car suddenly accelerated in an uncontrolled manner. I was able to slam on the brakes to prevent an accident. This is not the first time that this type of unintended acceleration has occurred in this vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11455066

Incident

Mar 3, 2022

I WAS DRIVING MY MODEL 3(IN MOTION) IN THE LEFT LANE OF A 3 LANE LOCAL ROAD (3 LANES EACH DIRECTION). THE CAR SUDDENLY DISPLAYED 2 WARNING LIGHT, "UNABLE TO DRIVE" AND ANOTHER WARNING ABOUT VEHICLE POWERING DOWN, MOVE TO A SAFE LOCATION. THE CAR STOPPED A FEW SECONDS AFTER DISPLAYING THESE WARNINGS. I DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO MANEUVER THE CAR TO A SAFE LOCATION. I WAS STUCK ON THE LEFT OF THE BUSY ROADWAY. I WAS OFFERED HELP BY A POLICE OFFICER AND A PEDESTRIAN TO HELP PUSH THE CAR TO SAFETY. I WAS UNABLE TO ENGAGE THE CAR IN NEUTRAL TO ALLOW THE FOLKS HELPING ME TO PUSH THE CAR. THE 2 MAIN MAJOR SAFETY CONCERNS WAS THE VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN COMPLETELY AND THEN BEING UNABLE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE TO NEUTRAL TO MOVE IT TO SAFETY. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS. MY FAMILY COULD HAVE BEEN IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME AND WE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED IN AN ACCIDENT. THANKS.

NHTSA ID

11406279

Incident

Apr 1, 2021

Mileage

45,516 mi

OUR CAR CAUGHT FIRE SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY OF MY HOUSE. THIS HAPPENED AROUND 4AM IN JAN9, SECURITY FOOTAGE FROM NEIGHBORS HAS BEEN HANDED OVER TO FD AND TESLA ENGINEERING TEAM. THE LAST TRIP WAS 10 HOURS PRIOR TO PARKING THE CAR. WE ARE LUCKY IT WAS NOT IN THE GARAGE OR CHARGING, THE DAMAGE COULD HAVE BEEN MORE THAN A FEW BROKEN WINDOWS, AS SOON AS WE SAW THE FIRE WE CALLED THE FD, THEY PUT OUT THE FIRE WITHIN 15 MINUTES.

NHTSA ID

11397073

Incident

Jan 9, 2021

Mileage

16,675 mi

WHILE I WAS PARKING, THE CAR IT UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED AND JUMP OVER THE SIDE WALK AND CRASH ITSELF INTO THE BUILDING AND DESTROYED THE FACE OF THE BUILDING AND THE CAR. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED FROM THE IMPACT OF THE CAR.

NHTSA ID

11383180

Incident

Dec 11, 2020

Mileage

13,830 mi

MY WIFE ( DRIVER FOR OVER 40 YEARS, NO ACCIDENTS, NO TICKETS) WAS STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT ON A DOWNGRADE, FOOT ON THE BRAKE, IN OUR BRAND NEW TESLA MODEL 3 WHEN IT SUDDENLY BEGAN TO MOVE FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO CARS STOPPED AT THE LIGHT IN FRONT OF HER. MY WIFE TRIED DESPERATELY TO STOP THE TESLA WITH THE BRAKES AND EMERGENCY BRAKE. OU CAR WAS STOPPED BY THE CAR IN FRONT. I HATE TO THINK OF WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED HAD THERE NOT BEEN CAR IN FRONT. WE PURCHASED THE TESLA IN DECEMBER OF 2018 AND THE CRASH OCCURRED IN FEBRUARY OF 2019. AFTER THE CRASH I CALLED TESLA, THEN I WENT TO THEIR SHOWROOM IN SAN DIEGO, THEY REFERRED ME TO TESLALEGAL.COM. SO I ASKED MY ATTORNEY TO HELP. IN THE MEANTIME, AFTER THE TESLA WAS RELEASED FROM THE BODY SHOP IT WAS SENT TO THE TESLA SERVICE CENTER IN SAN DIEGO. IMMEDIATELY, MY ATTORNEY EMAILED [email protected] FOR TESLA TO PRESERVE AND PROVIDE THE ELECTRONIC DRIVING RECORD TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CAR. SERVICE CENTER DID NOT RESPOND TO OUR REQUEST. AT THIS POINT TESLA DEFINITELY KNOWS THAT WE HAVE A PROBLEM. OUR ATTEMPTS AT CONTACT BEGAN IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE CRASH IN FEBRUARY. AS OF MAY 15TH THERE IS NO CONTACT YET. WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT I HAD AN ATTORNEY, TESLA SERVICE STILL SENT ME DOCUMENTS TO SIGN. THEY RECENTLY SENT ME A TEXT THAT THEY HAVE 'UPDATED FIRMWARE WITH THE LATEST VERSION' AND THE CAR 'IS SAFE TO DRIVE AT THIS TIME.' TO ME IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY MODIFIED THE TESLA. MY ATTORNEY HAS CALLED AND EMAILED TESLA SERVICE, TESLA CUSTOMER SERVICE, TESLA LEGAL, AND TESLA HEADQUARTERS IN FREMONT. SHE HAS WRITTEN LETTERS TO ALL OF THE ABOVE AND MAILED THEM CERTIFIED MAIL. IN THE LETTERS SHE HAS EXPLAINED THAT MY WIFE AND I ARE FEARFUL OF DRIVING THE CAR AND DEFINITELY DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO GET KILLED. THE TESLA SITS IN THE SERVICE CENTER STORAGE.

NHTSA ID

11207877

Incident

Feb 26, 2019

Mileage

2,400 mi

VEHICLE HAS A "BRAKE HOLD" FEATURE. THIS FEATURE IS ENGAGED WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN GEAR, STOPPED, AND THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED AN ADDITIONAL DISTANCE. THIS FEATURE KEEPS THAT VEHICLE AT A STANDSTILL WITHOUT A NEED TO CONTINUE TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL. PER THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL, BRAKE HOLD CAN BE RELEASED BY PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR, BRAKE, OR BY SHIFTING THE VEHICLE INTO "NEUTRAL". THE RIGHT STEERING COLUMN STALK, HOWEVER, CAN BE USED TO SWITCH THE VEHICLE FROM BRAKE HOLD INTO THE OPPOSITE TRAVEL DIRECTION (D TO R OR R TO D) BY MOVING THE STALK TO THAT SETTING. FOR EXAMPLE, A VEHICLE IN D WITH THE BRAKE HOLD ENGAGED, CAN BE SHIFTED INTO R BY MOVING THE RIGHT STALK FULLY UPWARD (TO THE "R" SETTING). THIS BEHAVIOR, I BELIEVE, SHOULD BE PROHIBITED UNLESS THE VEHICLE IS FIRST PLACED INTO "P" OR "N".

NHTSA ID

11203866

Incident

Apr 25, 2019

Mileage

15,000 mi

ON 04/13/2019 THE CAR ABRUPT STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHILE I DROVE IT ALONG NORTHBOND SANTA RITA ROAD IN PLEASANTON CA. . CARS COMING FROM BEHIND HAD TO MAKE URGENT BRAKING OR LANE CHANGE TO AVOID HITTING US. MY YOUNG CHILD WAS CRYING IN HORROR, AND WE HAVE NO WAY TO GET OURSELF TO SAFETY WITH THE CAR TOTALLY UNABLE TO MOVE. WE CALLED 911, AND LOCAL POLICE WAS DISPATCH TO HELP OTHER CARD AVOIDING HITTING US, WHILE WE WAITING FOR TOW TRUCK TO ARRIVE. THE CAR WAS UNRESPONSIVE FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES, WITH THE DISPLAY SHOWING MESSAGES: "UNABLE TO DRIVE, PULL OVER TO SAFETY. CAR SHUTTING DOWN". THE CAR RESUMED OPERATIONAL AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES, WITHOUT ANY NOTICEABLE CHANGE. I DROVE THE CAR TO NEAREST SERVICE CENTER (PLEASANTON CA). AFTER A FEW DAYS, I WAS CONTACT BY THE SERVICE CENTER STATING THE CAR CAN BE PICKED UP, WHILE NOTHING WAS DONE TO FIX THE ISSUE. THEIR OFFICIAL INVOICE STATES: "THIS IS CURRENTLY SCHEDULED TO BE FIXED IN 2019.20, BUT THE CUSTOMER CAN CONTINUE DRIVING. IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN (SEEMS UNLIKELY), THEY CAN JUST GET OUT OF THE CAR AND GET BACK IN TO RESUME OPERATION.". I POINTED TO TESLA SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE THAT THEIR RECOMMENDED SOLUTION IS UNACCEPTABLE - JUST LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO US ALREADY - IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL AND UNSAFE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE IF IT STOPS IN THE MIDDLE OF HIGHWAY, WITH NO CHANCE TO PULL OVER EVEN TO THE CURB. THE TESLA REPRESENTATIVE BROUGHT AN ENGINEER TO HELP "EXPLAIN" THE INFORMATION, WHEN HE MENTIONED THAT THIS ISSUE IS A KNOWN CHARACTERISTIC RELATED TO USE OF CRUISE CONTROL. AND THE ENGINEER SAID HE WOULD PERSONALLY BE OK TO DRIVE THE CAR WITHOUT USING CRUISE CONTROL. I ASKED IF THAT MEANS THE CRUISE CONTROL IS NOT SAFE, THEY SAID IT WOULD BE MY OWN JUDGMENT. I THINK THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY HAZARD TESLA IS INTENTIONALLY IGNORING AND NEED THOROUGH INVESTIGATION.

NHTSA ID

11203847

Incident

Apr 13, 2019

Mileage

13,350 mi

THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. BUT WOULDN'T MOVE TO GEAR (DRIVE OR REVERSE). IT WAS GIVING THE MESSAGE "CANNOT MAINTAIN VEHICLE POWER". HAD I LOST THE POWER WHILE DRIVING, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A CLEAR SAFETY ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11180376

Incident

Feb 8, 2019

Mileage

1,500 mi