Skip to content
Seat beltsPart report

2018 Tesla Model 3 Seat belts Problems

Complaints
105about this part
Share
10%of 1,034 total for the year
Median mileage
60,000miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 105 complaints about the seat belts of the 2018 Tesla Model 3, 10% of the 1,034 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 60,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 4 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I was at a stop at a red light and was rear-ended christmas eve night, causing my car to be pushed into the vehicle in front of me at the red light. I remember my abdomen hitting the steering wheel and complaining of stomach discomfort immediately following the accident (I've since gotten x-rays and will need 12+ months of chiropractor therapy). I noticed a burning smell inside the cabin, similar to the smell after firing a pistol. I figured it was the airbag, however, there was no deployment of an airbag. …”

NHTSA complaint #11164977, filed 2019-01, 300 miles

“Right before the car hit the 50,000 miles full warranty, I called Tesla and reported 2 safety issues. The first was the horn not working and the second was a seat belt safety warning. Tesla moved the appointment and when I got their, I have exceeded the 50,000 miles. The technician at Tesla's facility understood that I called before the 50,000 and that it is Tesla's fault I did not get the service on time. They were able to fix the low pitch part of the horn but did not have parts for the seat belt and the high pitch part of the horn. They promised to send a technician home. …”

NHTSA complaint #11267885, filed 2019-10, 50,000 miles

“Driving on rural dirt road. Dust coming in from rear seat bottom, trunk, seat belt holes. So much dust it is unbearable, can't breathe and hard to keep eyes open while driving.”

NHTSA complaint #11365913, filed 2020-10, 48,000 miles

“We intermittantly received alerts on the screen showing Front safety restraint system fault (service is required). After many hours of research, we found that other owners also have the same issue and they found that a wire from a electrical connector that connected to the seatbelt pretentension was broken from the seat being moved up and down.”

NHTSA complaint #11565648, filed 2024-01

“2018 Tesla Model 3 shows “Front left safety restraint system fault”. My car was not identify as having the recall applied but have the same issue the recall or warranty would resolve. My care is out of warranty and Tesla want to charge estimated $1,500 to resolve this issue. Tesla has this issues with all makes and models and is a safety issue.”

NHTSA complaint #11537950, filed 2023-08

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Seat belts: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202613%
202522%
202431%
2023102%
2022122%
2021152%
2020194%
2019579%
201810510%
2017622%

Other parts of the 2018 Tesla Model 3

Forward collision avoidance
203 complaints
Suspension
191 complaints
Other or unknown
175 complaints
Electrical system
168 complaints
Air bags
143 complaints
Vehicle speed control
91 complaints
Brakes
89 complaints
Steering
82 complaints
Seats
74 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
61 complaints
Body and structure
60 complaints
Lane departure
51 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2018 Tesla Model 3

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology