2018 Tesla Model 3 Window & Wiper Problems

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  853%
• 25k–50k
  533%
• 50k–75k
  17%
• 75k–100k
  17%
• 100k–150k
  00%
• 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 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. …

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V702000 (Visibility) 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver's and passenger's side door panels made clicking sounds while the windows were rolling up and down. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the backup camera malfunctioned and the screen displayed completely black or completely white causing a visibility hazard to the driver while reversing the vehicle. The vehicle was previously serviced under the NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention) however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the replacement parts were not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 35,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that recently the rearview camera intermittently flickered while in use. The failure mileage was 49,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V702000 (Visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while attempting to roll up the windows, the windows failed to respond as needed. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while reversing, the Back Over Prevention camera became inoperable nearly causing the vehicle to crash into the garage. The dealer and the manufacturer were contacted and stated that the contact had to pay for the diagnostic test even if the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention. The failure mileage was 90,000.

VIN: [redacted] I had an accident driving my Tesla model 3 on July 16th. Here is what happened: Driving autopilot at highway speed at ~65 mph Stray wheel/tire came and hit the front center hood/bumper of the car headon The hood flipped open tearing the hinges/struts on both sides of hood; hood lay flat on the front windshield With hood laying flat covering the whole windshield, front visibility became ZERO, also covering front windshield cameras Airbags popped on driver side (steering and below steering), and DEFLATED right away Autopilot did NOT disengage even after airbags deflated; car continued to drive ~65 mph on autopilot Not been able to see anything in the front, with both airbags deflated, and car still on autopilot at ~65mph, I found myself in a very life-threatening situation Eventually pulled the car to the shoulder on the left after changing one lane (still not been able to …

The issue is with autostart, enhanced auto pilot and lane departure warning. I paid for Enhanced auto pilot. This car totally relies on cameras. 1. In the slightest occurrence of rain, it complains about one or more cameras malfunctioning or out of vision. This doesn't happen often in Full Self Driving version. For early adopters of Model3 FSD, manufacturer updated the cameras. However they did not do that for early Enhanced Autopilot customers. 2. For the same reason, on a 3 lane or more highway, on autopilot when one moves from speed most lane and if there is a truck on the slowest lane, the camera shows somehow that the truck is on the middle lane when it is not, and hence the software assumes an impending crash and pulls you back to the speed most lane, giving no time for anyone behind you to think anyone, and leaves yourself in a dumbfounded state. 3. …

The automatic wiper does not always work. Set to auto but despite poor visibility on the windshield, it failed to start until I manually adjusted the wiper control on the screen. With poor visibility and having to look at the infotainment screen to adjust wiper while vehicle is in motion, my safety was put at risk. Every time it rains, the auto wiper is unreliable and often fails to start or is too slow to start as if there is a huge delay and does not keep up with in heavy rain as it sometimes wipes too slow and I have to look at the screen to find the settings for the wiper to manually override the wiping speed. Also, the adaptive cruse control accelerates too aggressively at stop and go traffic causing hard braking by the car and I worry this will cause rear end collisions. …

I got into my car and turned on the climate control as normal. The vehicle is always parked in the garage. It was blowing cold air, no matter the temperature setting, or vent selection. There is a message on screen that reads "climate keeper unavailable due to system fault." It's not just that the cabin has no heat, which is uncomfortable, but terrible in much colder climates than mine. The heat not functioning means the defrost feature is useless. Water sprayed onto my windshield while driving this morning and froze! It stayed frozen because I didn't have a functioning defroster or a warm enough cabin to melt it off that way either. It's a known issue for Tesla's, particularly with Model 3s. Tesla has never done anything to rectify it. My car has a resistive heat system, and this is the first time this has happened to me. There was no warning or indication this would happen. …

Related recalls

Window & Wiper complaints in other Model 3 years