2018 Tesla Model 3 Electrical System
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH with the Self Driving feature activated, the vehicle failed to slow down while approaching oncoming traffic. The vehicle accelerated and drove around the traffic. The contact depressed the brake pedal and touched the steering wheel to disable the Self Driving feature, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that once the vehicle passed through traffic, the brake pedal was depressed again, and the Self Driving feature was deactivated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,866.
My 2018 Model 3 recently started experiencing issues during AC charging where I’m only able to use 16A out of the 48A available from my Tesla mobile connector charger at home. The specific error warning and error I’m seeing says “PCS_a019 Power grid or vehicle issue limiting AC charging Unplug and retry/ Try different charging location”. Before this started happening I’ve been charging with the same charging setup at home since 2019 and have been getting 32A consistently.
I’ve tried the following options to diagnose the issue: 1. I’ve unplug and replug mobile charger from the connector. (the end plug to the mobile charger), I’ve also plug and unplug connector to the nema 14-50 receptacle. 1. The mobile connector exterior shows a constant flowing of green color on the “TESLA” letters outside the charger 2. I also separately own a second 2023 Model Y Performance, my Model Y is able to use the same Tesla mobile charger connector/receptacle at my home. It it getting AC charging at 32A 3. I’ve also tried charging the 2018 Model 3 (w/ the issue) at another separate AC charging station from a friend’s house that can normally deliver 48A, but I’m still also only getting 16A out of the possible 48A After sending the above to Tesla service center, they remotely diagnose and stated that it was an partial failure/issue with the " Power Conversion System" on the vehicle. However, Tesla mentions that is is not covered by their "HV Battery Warranty" and only covered by their 4 year 50k miles Basica vehicle warranty. My particular vehicle has only 37k miles on the odometer but it exceeded the 4 year period so I'm out of warranty. However I found that my vehicle fits the criteria for this outstanding NHTSA bulletin notice (SB-18-16-011) [XXX] , which also specifically mentioned "Replace Reworked Power Conversion System". My vehicle meets the criteria ( manufactured [XXX]) but Tesla refused to honor the bulletin. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power Coversion System (PCS) failed on vehicle Causing issues with charging No User facing errors to alert of issues prior to problem (hidden in service menu) - preventing owners from claiming under basic 50k mile warranty. Stated as not part of HV Battery warranty and replacement is ~$2000 Advised to replace or could leave car unusable.
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the GPS failed to function as intended. In addition, the “Unable to Charge” warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the GPS provided incorrect directions. The contact attempted to recharge the battery; however, the battery failed to charge. The contact stated that the failure had occurred the following day after an over-the-air software update was performed. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. In addition, the contact referenced a document that stated that the battery life should last 200,000 to 300,000 miles. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 106,884.
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention). The contact attempted to schedule an appointment for a recall repair on the Tesla App however, the app displayed an error “Unnecessary to schedule an appointment; You will be notified when parts are available" since June of 2023. The local dealer was contacted but confirmed that the recall repair needed to be scheduled via the Tesla App. The contact attempted to reach out to the manufacturer but was unable to reach a representative. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
RECALL NEVER COMPLETED FOR MY CAR. WAS FROM 2021. WORRIED THAT REAR CAMERA MAY FAIL AND CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION.
A charging warning error msg appeared that there maybe something wrong with the cable leading to charging the battery and may lead to a fail charging and this the 2nd time. The first time I had a failed charging with no warning that it was failing amd that lead to the entire battery wouldn’t charge leaving me stranded and the car had to be towed to a Tesla service center., this time 02/08/2024 it’s sending me a notification that there is something wrong internally and I need to see service asap so this time it did send me a msg warning me there’s something wrong
The car's horn has stopped working. A car was entering my lane almost running me off the road and I could not alert the other driver because the horn wouldn't work. The car has not been inspected by the dealer, police or insurance yet. I received no warning lights or messages before the failure. problem was recognized on 8/30/24. This seems to be a known issue that Tesla has not addressed. Estimate they have given for repairs is $195.00
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle independently accelerated with an unknown message displayed on the Phone APP but not on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that a screw had detached from the undercarriage which resulted in an abnormal, squeaking noise coming from the vehicle while driving at various speeds. Additionally, the contact also stated that the automatic walk-away lock feature intermittently failed to operate as needed; as a result, the vehicle remained unlocked while away from the vehicle. The vehicle had been taken to a Service Center for repair; however, the failures persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Vehicle touch screen will shut off while driving and take 5 minutes to reboot. I have taken it to Tesla multiple times since November and they said it’s a firmware issue and nothing is being done to resolve.
Tesla model 3 Power Conversion System failure which will now limit the car charging to 16 amps (half the normal charge rate). This is a common failure which should be recalled
Low coolant alert while in the hidden service mode only. Happens to all my 3 cars. Went to service to fill up the coolant and the warning didn’t go off. They said is a sensor gone bad and it’s $1000 to repair. What are the chances that all my 3 cars have that issue and all not actually having low coolant
Recommended Software update is not available. Tesla App has stopped working for the past 2 months.
Power conversion system failure. Only charges 32/48 amps at destination chargers. Unsure how long this has been a problem because I just upgraded my power panel to be able to charge at 48 amps. Being told $1800 to get car to charge at expected amp limit. 90k miles on car.
The power conversion system is failing in the car and Tesla is not covering it under the Battery Limited Warranty. The car only has about 30,000 miles on it.
The center display that houses all of the cars instrumentation including gauges randomly goes out while driving. It will go out for 10 to 15 minutes until it recovers. This leaves me with no gauges at all including loss of backup camera, turn signals, speed and various other functions. I purchased the car two weeks ago and this has happened 5 times already.
The PASSEMBLY POWER CONVERSION SYSTEM- 48AMP 1PHASE(1135558-04-A part is part of the powertrain attached to the battery pack.. Without it, the car is unable to charge. This failed at approximately 32,000 miles on 8/29/23 on my 2018 Tesla Model 3. The repair was not covered under the powertrain warrenty despite being a critical component.
My car and every other 2018 or older Tesla doesn't have an audible sound safety system when reversing or driving in low speeds. I work with a blind girl who can't hear me coming. This is dangerous.
On April 21st 2023, by pure chance I happened to notice that, after plugging in my Model 3 to recharge at a local charger, the charging rate was lower than normal: instead of its full 32A charge, the rate was only 16A. I kept getting a notification of an issue with charging, Error: PCS_a019 "Charging slowed - Poor Grid power quality possible, unplug and retry / try different charging location" I've attempted several charging stations and all the same outcome. I've done research on this issue online and others are having the same issue. Tesla did cover a few from what I read as "battery warranty" that I've reach but most are denied as it wouldn't be part of the "battery warranty". I've reached out to Tesla and was informed my warranty was expired almost 28 days on March 23rd 2023 as it was April 21st when I made the service appointment. The cost to repair was $1,987.58 and NOT covered by the battery warranty. I've asked if Tesla would waive the fee as my car was just out of warranty and has a mileage of 30,193. It was declined as she "informed" management at the Burbank, CA repair location. I'm very sadden by this issue as Tesla advertises the electric car is "low maintenance" compared to the average gas vehicle, this is false advertisement. Other manufacture do cover this part under their battery warranty. The vehicle isn't operable if not repair to charge at a normal faster speed. I'm now considering to sell my vehicle once repaired and give people my honest opinion about my experience with Tesla. I hope there's a recall for this issue so other don't have to go through this issue.
the Power Conversion System (PCS), 1 of the 3 module fails, therefore, it limits the AC charge current to 32A out of the max of 48A the car was never pullged into a 48A AC charging connector, therefore, the PCS module likely to be defective
The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the display screen intermittently went blank and failed to display the speedometer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,740.
The power conversion system is failing on my vehicle. It is causing faults that trip the breakers at my charger and could potentially cause a major problem at my charging station. It could also cause my vehicle to be stranded or possibly lose power while driving.
I experienced premature failure of all 3 modules is the vehicles PCS (Power Conversion System) part of the HV Battery System. Although a TSB was issued to replace the same part in other cars with "affected" VINs Tesla has ignored this faulty part and has declined to replace it under the vehicles HV Battery warranty even though the unit is replaced as a single unit when the HV Battery requires replacement. This is a well known issue that is being intentionally ignored by Tesla. It could leave a driver stranded in an unsafe condition or situation. I would like to see the part recalled. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10148850-9999.pdf
The window switches on the driver window panel have deteriorated and broken not allowing the driver to pull up the windows. For a car that’s only 3 years old this should not happen and is a major safety issue as the driver has no way of controlling the windows. I have searched online regarding this issue and have found that many other owners have experienced the same exact defect that I have, most a VIN number around 30000
Tesla Vehicle safety concern. Safety May 1, 2023 on Rt 95 south from Washington DC to Richmond VA (near Richmond VA) at about 10:45 pm. (Please note the clock time on the vehicle is incorrect—it is about 5 minutes slower and sets to a time I hr. earlier than the current eastern time). Vehicle: 2018 Model 3 VIN [XXX] The computer system failed in the middle of highway. The computer screen where all system functionality is monitored went bank except for a Tesla icon. Losing control of vehicle including turn signals in the middle of the highway was dangerous and a safety concern. For fear of being stranded on the road I carefully drove the vehicle to home in Yorktown Va. It was scary! Much of the settings on computer and navigation info was lost. This is a vehicle defect I need to report. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
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Quick Summary
The 2018 Tesla Model 3 has 48 Electrical System complaints on file. 3 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.