2018 Tesla Model 3 air bags problems
141 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the air bags on the 2018 Tesla Model 3 — 14% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“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…”
filed Sep 16, 2026
“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.”
filed Sep 12, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Air Bags problems in other Model 3 years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Model 3 | 1 | 5% |
| 2025 Model 3 | 2 | 2% |
| 2024 Model 3 | 8 | 4% |
| 2023 Model 3 | 18 | 4% |
| 2022 Model 3 | 12 | 2% |
| 2021 Model 3 | 8 | 1% |
| 2020 Model 3 | 30 | 7% |
| 2019 Model 3 | 83 | 14% |
| 2017 Model 3 | 7 | 27% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2018 Tesla Model 3
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.