2018 Tesla Model 3 · symptom sheet

Airbag warning light or recall

142owner reports
47,000median miles
$1,322median quote
15involved a crash

Newest report Sep 22, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026

142 of the 1,026 complaints on this car describe airbag.

Narrower sheets: Passenger airbag sensor problems (41 reports) · Takata airbag inflator recall (38 reports)

No recall on this systemas of Oct 2, 2026

15 crashesin 142 reports

9 people hurtin these reports

Tick what matches of 142 reports

the airbag light stays on

passenger seat sensor

the airbag did not deploy in a crash

airbag deployed with no crash

the recall part is not available

Airbag on other Model 3 years

2018142 reports 201985 reports 202030 reports

Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.

What this problem usually is

Airbag complaints split into a few kinds. The most common is an airbag warning light that won't go out. Others involve the passenger seat sensor switching the passenger bag off with an adult sitting there, an airbag that didn't deploy in a crash, or one that went off without a crash at all. A large share also come from owners waiting on a recall part.

Read the full explainer · Which cars report it most

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the occupant sensor (66 reports) and the module (12 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the airbags covers the 2018 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.

What owners paid

63 of the 142 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $1,000 to $1,955.

$1,000$1,322$1,955

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 19,000 and 60,000 miles, from the 34 reports that gave a mileage.

What owners wrote

“I have an active alert on the drive side safety restraint system. Alert code RCM_a021. I have noticed this appears to be a common problem. A recall should be issues as this a a safety issues and lives could be at stake.”
Filed Nov 26, 2025

“The "Front passenger safety restraint system" is prone to errors because the wiring for it beneath the seat is prone to getting knocked loose and electrical interference”
Filed Oct 19, 2025

“Airbag failed at 60k miles requiring a replacement. This is a known- safety issue, Tesla has corrected this problem in later cars, and Tesla should issue a recall to correct. I have error codes RCM_a015 and RCM_a014”
Filed Jan 5, 2024 · 60,000 miles

“Got an error code "RCM_a056" that indicates that there is a fault with the Front passenger safety restraint system. Looking at this problem online it seems that is not very unique and many owners of 2018 Model 3 have suffered the same issue. I was quoted for a service that changes the OCS sensor, but then they also have to replace the airbag due to "compatibility" reasons.”
Filed Jun 24, 2023

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 15 of 142 reports involved a crash and 9 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.

Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found