2020 Tesla Model Y Airbags Problems

I am reporting a recurring Safety Restraint System Fault error in my 2020 Tesla Model Y. The issue manifests as an alert on the vehicle's dashboard, warning of a problem with the safety restraint system. This error began appearing at approximately 75000 miles. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The Safety Restraint System in my Tesla Model Y is giving errors. Yes, the component is still installed in the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This malfunction affects critical safety features, including the airbag system and seatbelt functionality, potentially preventing proper deployment of airbags in an accident. Additionally, when the fault occurs, it disables key driving safety features like Autopilot and cruise control, which increases the risk of accidents, particularly in scenarios where these features are expected to function. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, the problem has been reproduced and confirmed by Tesla. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? Inspection by tesla is scheduled Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes, the "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault" warning appeared on the vehicle's display prior.

NHTSA ID

11615886

Incident

Sep 16, 2024

The contact owned a 2020 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH in rainy weather, the vehicle inadvertently spun in circles, and he lost control of the vehicle. The contact took his foot off the accelerator pedal. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle crashed into an embankment and then spun twice before inadvertently driving into the forest and coming to a complete stop. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact and his father, who was a passenger, were uninjured. There was no medical attention received. The vehicle was first towed to the tow yard, and then the insurance company had it towed to the salvage yard, where it was deemed totaled. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to contact the local dealer for the computer data. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

NHTSA ID

11611115

Incident

Aug 9, 2024

Mileage

68,000 mi

I have been getting "RCM2_a626" error for "front passenger safety restraint system fault. It comes and goes. Apparently it is a common issues among tesla owners. When I first filled for the error they quoted $2000 for replacing front passenger seat. The error went away so I canceled the appointment. Then it came back in a random fashion and getting more frequent. This time, in addition to replacing the front passanger seat cushion, "they're retrofitting "SBR in OCS Equipped Front Passenger Seat." I'm not sure what that means. If this is a common issue, there must be something to do with manufacturer QC.

NHTSA ID

11603610

Incident

Jun 10, 2024

we were in a head-on collision (not our fault) in April. The police determined the combined speed of the crash impact to be 60-65 miles per hour. The 2020 Tesla Y  did not deploy its airbags. And as far as we can determine, the accident was not automatically recorded by the Tesla as it should have been. Because the airbags did not deploy, I sustained a fracture to my sternum that traverses over to my collarbone. We both have TBIs and other injuries. With that kind of an impact, one would expect an airbag to protect oneself, yet it did not. There were no warning lights/messages/etc from our vehicle. We are asking that you please look into this safety matter. (Especially since you are part of the push to have us own electric cars, they need to be safe for us). I do not know how much longer the Tesla will be available to inspect.

NHTSA ID

11595352

Incident

Apr 10, 2024

Rcm2_a636 Front passenger safety restraint system fault

NHTSA ID

11582868

Incident

Apr 13, 2024

I am writing to file a complaint against Tesla, Inc. for refusing to repair recurring suspension issues that were supposedly addressed through previous recalls. As an owner of a 2020 Tesla Model Y (VIN: [XXX] ), I have experienced numerous problems related to the vehicle's suspension system, steering, and safety restraints, which I believe pose serious safety risks. My vehicle has undergone multiple repairs at Tesla service centers for issues such as squeaking noises when turning, vehicle shutdowns while driving, steering difficulties, and excessive tire wear. Many of these problems are related to the vehicle's suspension system, which has been the subject of several recalls by Tesla in recent years, including recalls [XXX],[XXX], [XXX], and [XXX]. Despite these recalls supposedly addressing the suspension issues, my vehicle continues to experience problems. Most recently, on [XXX], I brought my vehicle to a Tesla service center for a loud and distinct sound coming from the steering system. The service center diagnosed the issue and recommended repairs to the front half shaft assembly, front damper assembly, and front lower lateral links, with a total estimated cost of $3,670. These issues should be covered under warranty and are directly related to the previous suspension recalls. However, Tesla has refused to cover the repairs under warranty. Furthermore, I have experienced recurring issues with the front passenger safety restraint system, which required a retrofit of the Occupant Classification System (OCS) on two separate occasions. This suggests that the initial repair was ineffective and that the system may have an underlying design flaw. I request that the NHTSA investigate these issues and take appropriate action to ensure Tesla addresses these safety concerns and honors its warranty obligations. I have attached documentation detailing the repair history, invoices, recall notices, and correspondence with Tesla. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(

NHTSA ID

11579715

Incident

Jan 5, 2023

The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH with the Auto Pilot activated, the driver attempted to steer into the left lane to avoid a collision. The vehicle suddenly began to fishtail causing the driver to lose control of the steering and crash into the concrete median. During the crash, the vehicle was destroyed. The air bags did not deploy and the driver sustained a head contusion and later received medical treatment. No police report was taken. The vehicle was towed to the home. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the incident. The contact later received a recall notice for the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V838000(Electrical System). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 45,000.

NHTSA ID

11572864

Incident

Dec 20, 2023

Mileage

45,000 mi

Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault​, error message appeared. Tesla is asking for ~$1500 to fix a sensor that would prevent air bag from deploying. Seems like a safety issue that should be addressed. The message appears whenever there is someone/some thing in front passenger seat. Tesla has inspected. I believe it happened after a minor accident in a parking lot, but Tesla and the repair shop can not prove that it did, so insurance will not correlate to the accident.

NHTSA ID

11571479

Incident

Sep 3, 2023

Front Passenger safety restraint system fault. This is 3rd time this system warning has come up. The previous 2 fixes were under warrantee (the last one was Feb 2023), the new one is not and estimated at $1100 fix.

NHTSA ID

11548866

Incident

Sep 29, 2023

The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated, indicating that the passenger’s side air bag was disabled. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty; however, the manufacturer sent a mechanic to the residence, who replaced the sensor; however, the failure recurred. The mechanic came back a second time and performed a bypass on the sensor; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer informed the contact that the passenger's seat needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to the code RCM2_A636 (Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault). The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ID

11523659

Incident

Jan 1, 2023

Mileage

90,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a stationary dumpster. During the crash, the front driver-side air bag did not deploy and the front driver-side seat belt malfunctioned and failed to secure the driver in place. As a result of the failures, the contact sustained an injured nose and facial bruises after making contact with the steering wheel, a fractured rib, and a right elbow injury along with torso bruises. No police report was taken. The vehicle was towed away. Medical treatment was later provided. The cause of the failures was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 22,000.

NHTSA ID

11483691

Incident

Aug 14, 2022

Mileage

22,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that after an update was made to the vehicle's autopilot feature, the vehicle experienced phantom braking intermittently that activated without the brake pedal being depressed. The contact stated that while his wife was driving on autopilot at 55 MPH, the phantom brake occurred which caused the vehicle to hydroplane. The vehicle initially veered to the left and then to the right, hitting a guardrail. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The guardrail was damaged as a result of the incident. The contact's wife did not notice any warning lights during the failure. His wife did not suffer any injuries during the crash and a police report was not filed. The contact's wife managed to drive the vehicle home after the incident. The service center nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ID

11483629

Incident

Sep 5, 2022

Mileage

30,000 mi

my wife who is 130 lbs while driving the passenger airbag turns off, I have told tesla service and they keep saying she needs to sit all the way back in the seat which we have tried and this does not work either, I took it into service to have this fixed and they did not fix it. I continue to send the bug report when it happens, it is oblivious that the sensor is not reading the correct weight. I have been dealing with this for over 5 months

NHTSA ID

11465863

Incident

Jan 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model Y. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH in the right-hand lane, another vehicle was swerving towards her vehicle, and she instinctively veered to the side of the road. The contact hit a fire hydrant, drove on a sidewalk, and crashed into a building. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact sustained severe whiplash injuries that included torn ligaments in the neck, a large abrasion and bruises on the shoulder, bruised abdomen from the seatbelt. The contact was transported to the hospital by emergency services. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 14,608.

NHTSA ID

11449247

Incident

Jan 25, 2022

Mileage

14,608 mi

The car suddenly picked up the speed in the parking lot, went over the car stopper, curb and hit the Tree. The airbags never got activated, OR the sensors were nonfunctional. I received a call in less than 1 minute from Tesla Roadside if I was safe. Paramedics took me to the ER by 911. I had some injuries because of a malfunction of airbags, brakes, and warning systems. The car is towed to the nearby Tesla-approved repair place. I am somewhat concerned about the cause, and I believe Tesla knew what had malfunctioned in their car. I have been a safe driver without traffic tickets and accidents ever in the last 45 years.

NHTSA ID

11434806

Incident

Sep 20, 2021

A FEW WEEKS AFTER I BOUGHT MY CAR IN EARLY JUNE 2020 I GOT AN ERROR ON MY SCREEN THAT SAID THE PASSENGER SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEM HAD FAILED. IT TOOK TESLA SEVERAL WEEKS TO SEND A MOBILE TECHNICIAN TO MY HOUSE TO LOOK AT THE ERROR, THEY KEPT RESCHEDULING THE APPOINTMENT. BY THE TIME THEY SHOWED UP THE ERROR HAD GONE AWAY ON ITS OWN. I FELT VERY UNSAFE HAVING ANY PASSENGER IN MY CAR DURING THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF HAVING MY CAR. WHEN THE MOBILE TECH FINALLY LOOKED AT IT ON JULY 1ST 2020, HE ADVISED ME TO TAKE IT IN TO THE SERVICE CENTER BECAUSE HE DIDN'T HAVE THE PARTS OR TOOLS REQUIRED TO DIAGNOSE IT FURTHER. I SENT TESLA SEVERAL TEXT MESSAGES TO 408 560 5674 ASKING TO HAVE MY SEATBELT MODULE REPLACED ASAP, INDICATING THE ERROR AS A PASSENGER SEATBELT RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAILURE. I ALSO SENT THE SANTA CLARA SERVICE CENTER AN EMAIL JULY 2ND THE DAY AFTER THE MOBILE TECH VISITED. THE EARLIEST APPOINTMENT THEY'D LET ME SCHEDULE WAS A ALMOST A MONTH OUT, ON JULY 29TH. - MY PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAILED ON MY NEW MODEL Y. I HAD A MOBILE TECH COME LOOK AT IT AND HE TOLD ME I NEED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AND THE EARLIEST I CAN GET YOU TO FIX IT IS JULY 29TH? THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR A SAFETY ISSUE. PLEASE FIND SOME TIME TO GET ME IN SOONER OR I WILL HAVE TO GET THE NTSB INVOLVED. - WHEN SANTA CLARA FINALLY LOOKED AT IT IN 2020, THEY TOLD ME THE MOBILE TECHNICIAN LEFT NO NOTES ABOUT THE ISSUE AND THAT TOO MUCH TIME HAD PASSED TO DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE BECAUSE THE LOGS WERE DELETED. I WAS PRETTY UPSET BUT THEY CONVINCED ME TO TAKE IT HOME AND WAIT FOR THE ISSUE TO REPRODUCE ITSELF AGAIN. FINALLY THIS PAST WEEK IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON MARCH 28TH I WAS DRIVING DOWN TO SANTA BARBARA FROM SAN JOSE AND THIS TIME SAFETY RESTRAINT FAILURE POPPED UP IN THE MIDDLE OF MY DRIVE. THEY SAID THEY FIXED IT BUT THIS CAR IS DANGEROUS AND I DON'T FEEL SAFE IN IT.

NHTSA ID

11406730

Incident

Jun 15, 2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 TESLA MODEL Y. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HIS WIFE WAS DRIVING INTO THE DRIVEWAY OF THEIR RESIDENT, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING AND CRASHED INTO THE GARAGE. NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THE SAFETY COLLISION DID NOT FUNCTION. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES FROM THE SEATBELT TO THE NECK, CHEST, SHOULDERS AND UPPER BACK WHERE HE WAS TAKEN TO URGENT CARE THEN TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. THE WIFE WHO WAS THE DRIVER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES TO THE CHEST, ARMS, AND NECK WHERE SHE RECEIVED MEDICAL ATTENTION FOR AT AN URGENT CARE. NO POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED ON THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE. IN ADDITION, THE GARAGE DOOR FRAME DAMAGED. NO DEALER WAS CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TOWED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT AN ENGINEER HAD TO ESTIMATE THE VEHICLE DAMAGES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 800.

NHTSA ID

11374936

Incident

Nov 13, 2020

Mileage

800 mi