2023 Tesla Model 3 air bags problems
18 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the air bags on the 2023 Tesla Model 3 — 4% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“A fatal crash occurred involving a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The vehicle departed the roadway, impacted a guardrail, struck a utility pole on the driver’s side, rolled down an embankment, and came to rest upright. The crash resulted in catastrophic intrusion into the driver’s compartment and a fatal…”
filed Jun 23, 2026
“During a major car accident the airbags for my Tesla, Model 3, 2023 did not deploy airbags although other impacted cars had full airbags deployed. This posed a risk to my safety as a driver due to not having the proper equipment deployed during a major accident. This was noticed by the emergency…”
filed Nov 2, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Left and/or right side curtain air bag may have been improperly secured to the roof rail…Campaign 21V834000 · Oct 25, 2021
Air Bags problems in other Model 3 years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Model 3 | 2 | 2% |
| 2024 Model 3 | 8 | 4% |
| 2022 Model 3 | 12 | 2% |
| 2021 Model 3 | 8 | 1% |
| 2020 Model 3 | 29 | 7% |
| 2019 Model 3 | 78 | 13% |
| 2018 Model 3 | 135 | 14% |
| 2017 Model 3 | 7 | 27% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2023 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.