2018 Tesla Model 3 seats & seat belts problems

Related recalls

• Recall 24V376000May 28, 2024125,233 vehicles
  SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WARNING LIGHT/DEVICES

  Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles. In the event of an unbelted driver, the seat belt warning light and audible chime may not activate as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

  Risk: A seat belt warning system that fails to alert occupants of an unbelted seat belt can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

  Remedy: Tesla will release an over-the-air (OTA) software update. Owner notification letters were mailed July 26, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-008.

• Recall 22V798000Oct 21, 202224,064 vehicles
  SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:ANCHORAGE

  Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2017-2022 Model 3 vehicles. The second-row left seat belt buckle and second-row center seat belt anchor may have been incorrectly reassembled during vehicle service.

  Risk: An incorrectly reassembled seat belt anchor can impair the performance of the seat belt during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

  Remedy: Tesla Service will inspect and reassemble the seat belt anchors as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 20, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-20-004.

• Recall 22V045000Feb 1, 2022817,143 vehicles
  ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE · SEAT BELTS:FRONT

  Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Model S and Model X, 2017-2022 Model 3, and 2020-2022 Model Y vehicles. The audible chime may not activate when the vehicle starts and the driver has not buckled their seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

  Risk: The driver may be unaware that their seat belt is not fastened, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

  Remedy: Tesla will perform an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 1, 2022. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-22-00-002.

• Recall 21V389000May 25, 20215,530 vehicles
  SEAT BELTS · SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS

  Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Model 3 and 2019-2021 Model Y vehicles. One or both fasteners that secure the front seat shoulder belt to the b-pillar may not be properly attached.

  Risk: An improperly attached fastener may prevent the seat belt system from performing as designed, increasing the risk of injury.

  Remedy: Tesla Service will inspect and repair both fasteners if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 23, 2021. Owners may contact Tesla customer service online by visiting www.tesla.com/support/contact or by calling 1-877-79-TESLA (or 1-877-798-3752). Tesla's number for this recall is SB-21-20-001.

What owners say

1. Filed Sep 30, 2026COAirbagsSeats & Seat Belts

   The passenger seat back Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor (Part #1920673-01-A) failed 3 times in under 22 months (Dec 2024, Dec 2025, Sep 2026), disabling the front passenger safety restraint system and airbag deployment logic

   NHTSA complaint #11768020 · source
2. Filed Sep 22, 2026CAAirbagsSeats & Seat Belts

   - When I start my car, I see the following error message appear: Front Left Safety Restraint System Fault. Also, the air bag disabled alert is displayed. Since the air bag is disabled, it puts me at grave risk if I were to get into an accident. - Many other Tesla owners have reported the same exact issue (RCM_a021 Front Left Safety Restraint System Fault). - Today, I took the car into the Tesla Service Center, they had to replace the entire harness. - No other symptoms were…

   NHTSA complaint #11766272 · source
3. Filed Sep 16, 2026AZAirbagsSeats & Seat Belts

   Vehicle Information: Year/Make/Model: 2018 Tesla Model 3 Mileage at Incident: 45,000 miles Description of Safety Defect: A sudden and persistent "Safety Restraint System Fault" / "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault" warning illuminated on the vehicle's primary touchscreen interface, indicating a complete compromise of the supplemental restraint and airbag system. Upon inspection by Tesla Service, the root cause was identified as physically broken/severed internal…

   NHTSA complaint #11764720 · source
4. Filed Sep 12, 2026CAAirbagsOther / UnknownSeats & Seat Belts

   Driving tghe 2018 Model 3 with around 75K miles, the warning "FRONT LEFT SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEM ISSUE" keeps popping up and staying on the center console. Tesla said car is out of warranty and have to pay upto $2000 to fix it.

   NHTSA complaint #11763805 · source
5. Filed Aug 21, 2026CAAirbagsSeats & Seat Belts

   My 2018 Tesla Model 3 displayed alert RCM_a056, “Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault.” The warning may affect correct detection of a passenger and operation of the passenger restraint/airbag system. Tesla quoted approximately $705 but has not identified the failed component or explained whether the condition is related to known front-seat wiring or occupant-classification failures. Tesla Repair Bulletin SB-21-17-005 recognizes that electrical harnesses in 2017–2019…

   NHTSA complaint #11758611 · source
6. Filed Aug 20, 2026CAAirbagsSeats & Seat Belts

   My Tesla Model 3 has a persistent RCM_a056 alert indicating a problem with the front passenger occupancy detection system. The unresolved fault affects the operation of the front passenger airbag system. I paid Tesla approximately $1,000 for a repair intended to resolve this problem. Tesla replaced multiple components associated with the passenger seat/occupancy detection system, including the sensor, wiring, and other safety-system components. The repair did not resolve the…

   NHTSA complaint #11758370 · source
7. Filed Jul 26, 2026CAAirbagsElectrical SystemSeats & Seat Belts

   Component/system: The front passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) in my 2018 Tesla Model 3. The vehicle is available for inspection on request. Description of the failure: The vehicle intermittently displays "Front passenger safety restraint system fault — service required]" on the center touchscreen. The alert first appeared on or about 4 years ago and has recurred approximately ~50 times since. The failure is strongly correlated with cabin temperature. It appears…

   NHTSA complaint #11752890 · source
8. Filed Jul 7, 2026102,000 miCASeats & Seat Belts

   The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds on multiple occasions, the message "Front Left Safety Restraint System Issue RCM_a021" was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

   NHTSA complaint #11748877 · source
9. Filed Jun 27, 2026CASeats & Seat Belts

   Tesla notification that front left safety restraint system has an issue. Service is required. Who isn't going to take their car in when there is an alert saying the safety restraint system has an issue. Then $232 in parts and $484. in labor. After taking in it was diagnosed that seat harness being pinched against the outboard shield causing the pretensioner to fault. Need to replace the seat harness and the pretensioner. Ended up being $232 in parts and $484 in labor. My…

   NHTSA complaint #11746908 · source
10. Filed Jun 2, 2026AZAirbagsSeats & Seat Belts

    The front passenger safety restraint system is triggering an on-screen warning error that says service is required. This puts my front passenger at risk of death in the event of an accident. I have sent the manufacturer (Tesla) a request for service and received a confirmation of the errors with a list of parts to be replaced for a sum of $1200.65. I understand there is a service bulletin for this issue (Bulletin SB-19-20-003), but Tesla still will not fix it for free even…

    NHTSA complaint #11741704 · source
11. Filed Apr 10, 202695,000 miCAElectrical SystemSeats & Seat Belts

    The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while opening the doors of the vehicle, the driver's side seat back unintendedly reclined and pressed down on the rear seat, causing the cushion to become deformed. The contact manually used the seat controls to return the seat to an upright position. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and only occurred while the doors were opened. A Tesla service center…

    NHTSA complaint #11730362 · source
12. Filed Mar 16, 2026CAAirbagsElectrical SystemSeats & Seat Belts

    Error code RCM_a021 front left safety restraint system fault. An issue that arises purely due to poor seat design. It is the fault of the seat pinching a wire from moving back and forth. This safety issue is an inevitability and not a one off chance. This issue is publicly noted on forms throughout all the years of this car’s production. This error results in airbags not being properly deployed in the event of an accident and the car not properly reading the passenger…

    NHTSA complaint #11724519 · source

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology