2018 Tesla Model 3 Collision Avoidance Problems

Which parts fail

• Adaptive cruise control
  131
• Automatic emergency braking
  116
• Warnings
  43
• Assist
  24
• Blind spot detection
  22
• Warning
  14

Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  838%
• 25k–50k
  629%
• 50k–75k
  314%
• 75k–100k
  314%
• 100k–150k
  15%
• 150k+
  00%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Tesla Model 3 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at 45 to 50MPH in auto-pilot, the vehicle inadvertently veered into the left turn lane but continued straight into oncoming traffic. The contact stated that the vehicle collided head-on with the other vehicle. The contact was unaware of any warning lights or audio warnings. The contact stated that the front driver side and the knee air bags deployed. The contact stated that he sustained chest injures and a scrape on the right wrist and left knee. The contact declined transportation by ambulance so no medical attention was required. The contact stated that the other driver was complaining of pain but also denied transportation by ambulance but informed the contact that she would seek medical attention later. Both divers were seen on the scene by emergency personal. The contact stated that a police report was filed. …

I may have figured out the common link between Tesla Autopilot crashes. Distracted operators have the accelerator pressed while the TACC is engaged, thinking (for many reasons) that the vehicle will stop if there are any obstacles in front of them. However, when the accelerator is being pressed, the vehicle will not stop. It will happily run into a wall. One second before impact, the forward collision warning turns on, followed by the ABS and the slamming of the brakes, but by then it's too late for a distracted driver. The raw Tesla "Vehicle Data" on Column D, shows "Accelerator Pedal Position (%)." I strongly encourage you to take a look at the data for the autopilot crashes and review this column to see how many had the accelerator pressed until 1 second before the accident, even if the autopilot was engaged. …

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the warning message "Front Left Safety Restraint System Fault. Service Required." The contact continued to drive. The contact stated that the next day, the air bag warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a field mechanic would be sent to his residence to repair the vehicle however, the repair appointment was rescheduled several times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. …

On Sept. 9th, around 9:05pm, my wife was on the driver's seat, FSD was engaged. so the Tesla model 3 car was driving itself on highway 395 close to susanville. Then suddenly a car coming, we had a head-on collision, the other car's front left hit our front left. The other driver passed away, my wife and I got serious injuries, we are recovering from 3 surgeries. 1.FSD did not give alert or warning, 2.FSD did not break the car, 3.FSD did not slowing down the car 4.FSD did not change direction of the car. 5.FSD just kept the speed and direction. "Disabling FSD" needs time, my wife did nothing, because there was only few 10th of a second. But I am afraid if she was driving without engaging FSD, she might be able to steer the car slightly to the right to avoid the accident. CHP will pull data from the car in the next few days. …

The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the Back Over Prevention camera intermittently failed to operate as needed. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention). The vehicle was taken to the service center where the back-up camera cable was reinforced as stated in the recall. Upon return of the vehicle, the contact stated that the back-up camera failed to operate as needed. The contact stated that the dealer had not tested the cable and that the recall repair did not fix the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that since the failure was intermittent prior to the failure, they were not responsible for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000. …

I have a 2018 Tesla Model 3 that was involved in an accident on 10/12/2024. It has Enhanced Autopilot, which was the most advanced version of self driving when I bought the car. It was engaged in "Navigate on Autopilot" on the freeway. The car was following the freeway as it veered to the left, but then it stopped following the lines and crashed into the side of the freeway. The result of the accident was a total loss on the vehicle. I had shoulder and neck pain that have not required serious medical attention, but it was almost a week of discomfort and difficulty sleeping. My insurance company has deemed the vehicle a total loss and I will have to get a replacement. There were no warning alerts and the vehicle did not recognize that it was leaving the freeway lines. I was not going over the speed limit. The car did not prompt me to take over the vehicle because of danger. …

This car was hit in a T bone on March 15th 2022 by a Toyota RAV4 on the driver side , the driver side was completely smashed and the car spun 2 times and came in the middle ramp. In spite of this heavy impact there were no airbags deployed , after several follow ups with Tesla I have no answer so far. The car was deemed total loss last month and even after consistent follow ups I have no answer from. Tesla. The impact was very heavy that my wife had whiplash and she went through chiropractic treatment for 2 months .. I'm very worried as the impact was so bad that this is a fatal flaw in Tesla and they do not have the airbag curtain deploy to protect the driver side at all - my wife was lucky and she is alive but this could happen to anyone .. …

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention), 23V838000 (Electrical System), and 24V051000 (Electrical System); however, the dealer stated that to perform the upgrades, the contact needed to purchase a new computer before the software could be updated. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that it would be necessary to complete the updates. The contact stated that the manufacturer was unreasonable in determining that to complete the software updates that he needed to purchase a new computer. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera image intermittently was blank. Additionally, the on-board cabin camera ceased to function as needed, causing the autosteer feature to become inoperable. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. …

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that there was no vehicle or objects around the vehicle at the time the failure occurred. The contact was not using autopilot at the time the failure occurred. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving at 5 MPH with her 12-year-old son sitting in the front passenger's side seat. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they were not aware of the failure and the issue would be escalated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

During rush hour traffic on Highway 101 Southbound near Redwood City, I experienced an incident while utilizing AutoPilot and AutoSteer. Despite being in stop-and-go traffic, the vehicle did not respond to the car in front which suddenly came to a complete stop. Neither the Automatic Emergency Braking system nor warning sounds, which has been known to activate erroneously, were triggered. As a result, I was forced to manually brake at the last moment, but there was not enough time for manual intervention and the vehicle collided with the car in front. It is worth noting that every other instance in which I have utilized AutoPilot and AutoSteer, which occurs on nearly every trip I take, the vehicle has been able to respond and brake, albeit with slow reaction times and close distances.

Related recalls

NHTSA investigations

Collision Avoidance complaints in other Model 3 years