Tesla bulletin SB2016003R1
What it saysCertain Model 3 high voltage batteries may not have a sufficient quantity of bolts for the contactor DC link busbars, which may prevent the vehicle from charging or powering properly. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Tesla filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Dec 28, 2023, received Feb 20, 2024, about the suspension. It names 2 model years (2018–2019). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationCertain Model 3 high voltage batteries may not have a sufficient quantity of bolts for the contactor DC link busbars, which may prevent the vehicle from charging or powering properly.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SB2016003R1 | Service bulletin | Dec 28, 2023 | 10250496 | not found |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,658 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 276 of them name Suspension — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2018 Tesla Model 3, the 57 owners who gave an odometer reading for Suspension reported it at a median of 20,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
In depth: 2019 Tesla Model 3 suspension problems → · 2018 Tesla Model 3 suspension problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the suspension
Source: same model, same component group1 other manufacturer communication filed against the Tesla Model 3 under the same component group (suspension), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SB-25-31-004 | Service bulletin | Jun 24, 2025 | A firmware diagnosis feature is being introduced on Model 3 and Model Y vehicles that monitors wheel alignment over time. This feature detec… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Tesla, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Tesla SB2016003R1 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the SB2016003R1 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way.
Which vehicles does SB2016003R1 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2019 Tesla Model 3, 2018 Tesla Model 3. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.