Verified government source

NHTSA complaint #11525432

This page summarizes an official U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration owner complaint. Use the verification links below to confirm the record directly with NHTSA.

Vehicle

2020 TESLA MODEL 3

Manufacturer

Tesla, Inc.

Components

AIR BAGS,SEATS

Dates

Incident: 04/08/2023
Filed: 06/05/2023

Owner complaint summary

I have an alert that says "Front passenger safety restraint system fault". I took the car in to Tesla Service in late April. Was told it would be about $270 to replace the sensor in the seat that detects it someone is sitting in it. They told me that when the parts people went in, that wasn't the issue and that to fix the sensor they thought it was they would have to tear the whole seat apart and that takes too long so instead I need to buy a whole new seat at the cost of $3000. I didn't have time to deal with it further at that point and the seat was back ordered anyway. I asked if the issue would affect the operation of the airbags or seat belts thus causing a safety concern and was told that it would not. That the car was still safe. I took the car back without repair. I have since noticed that when a passenger is in the seat, the symbol that states that the airbag is not engaged is still on. So it would appear that the airbag is not working properly. I called Tesla today to inquire and ask for clarification if this is a safety concern and if the airbag is not working. They told me a manager would call me back. They said there is not a Tesla wide recall- even though it would appear that this issue is causing the airbag not to work. From research online it seems like other customers have experienced the same or similar issues.

This is an owner complaint filed with NHTSA (ODI #11525432). It is not automatically an official recall, investigation outcome, or manufacturer admission unless the complaint text itself describes one.

Official record ID (ODI): 11525432. This page is the human-readable source link used across afterwarranty. The raw JSON link proxies NHTSA's public API for machine verification; prefer this page when reading the complaint.