A 2025 Model 3 or 2026 Model Y can feel perfectly normal until the high-voltage path that sends power to the drive units simply opens. Federal safety regulators say a defective battery pack contactor on a slice of those cars can cut propulsion without warning, which turns a routine merge or left turn into a moment where you are rolling but cannot accelerate out of harm’s way. Tesla filed recall campaign 25V690 (service bulletin SB-25-16-005) with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in October 2025, and the fix is a dealer replacement of the contactor at no charge to the owner.
What failed and why it matters on U.S. roads
The contactor is essentially a heavy-duty switch between the traction battery and the rest of the propulsion system. On the affected vehicles, NHTSA’s defect description states that contactors built with an InTiCa solenoid may open because of a poor coil termination connection, which stops drive power even though the cabin screens may still look alive. That is different from a gradual state-of-charge drop: you can lose the ability to command torque while steering and brakes still work, which is why the agency lists increased crash risk rather than a fire or park-outside order. Tesla told NHTSA it had tied the issue to 36 warranty claims and 26 field reports through early October 2025 and was not aware of related deaths; the population is about 12,963 vehicles nationwide, small compared with Tesla’s overall fleet but large enough that two neighbors on the same street could both be in scope.
Which Model 3 and Model Y VINs are in the recall population
Campaign 25V690 is limited by build window and component, not by trim or wheel size. According to Tesla’s report to NHTSA, it covers certain 2025 Model 3 vehicles built from March 8, 2025 through August 12, 2025, and certain 2026 Model Y vehicles built from March 15, 2025 through August 15, 2025, that received the InTiCa contactor. Model year on the door jamb label can differ from calendar-year marketing, so treat the manufacture range and your 17-character VIN as the source of truth rather than the model year alone. Owner notification letters were scheduled to mail around December 9, 2025, but mail lag is common; if you bought used after that date, do not assume the prior owner already completed the repair.
What you may notice before or during a failure
Tesla’s investigation started after service records showed vehicles that would not shift from Park into Drive, sometimes with high coil resistance measured on the pack contactor. On the road, drivers may instead feel a sudden inability to accelerate, a “cannot enter drive” message after stopping, or an alert that propulsion is limited while the vehicle still rolls. Because power steering and braking remain, the car may coast in traffic rather than stall like a gas engine with a dead fuel pump. Treat any unexplained loss of drive power as a safety event: signal early, work toward the shoulder or a parking lot, and avoid stopping in a travel lane if you still have momentum.
Field steps if propulsion drops out
Stay predictable. Turn on hazard flashers, keep the wheel straight, and let the car slow with traffic rather than jamming the brake unless you must avoid a rear-end strike. Other drivers read your taillights and lane position long before they understand an EV has gone limp.
Do not keep cycling Drive. Repeatedly selecting Drive or Reverse can add confusion on a busy ramp; one calm attempt after a full Park stop is enough to learn whether the fault is persistent.
Call for a flatbed if the car will not enter Drive. NHTSA’s consumer advisory for this campaign is not “do not drive,” but a vehicle that cannot propulsion itself off a freeway should be moved on a rollback, not towed with drive wheels spinning.
Document the time, location, and messages. Service centers need the symptom pattern to match warranty records; a photo of the center screen alert helps, but skip filming while the vehicle is still in a live lane.
Confirm the open recall before you wait on mail
NHTSA hosts the authoritative campaign list at nhtsa.gov/recalls, where VIN searches show whether 25V690 remains open and whether a remedy has been recorded. Running your VIN through the CarDiary VIN check is a handy way to capture recall status alongside the rest of your vehicle paperwork when you are juggling registration renewals and service appointments. If you are shopping for a used 2025 Model 3, ask the seller for a screenshot of a fresh NHTSA lookup and a repair invoice referencing SB-25-16-005 before you hand over a deposit.
Scheduling the free contactor replacement
Tesla’s published remedy is replacement of the battery pack contactor in service, free of charge. Contact Tesla at 1-877-798-3752 with your VIN and reference recall number SB-25-16-005; mobile service may triage the car, but pack-level work often ends up at a service center with high-voltage tooling. Ask whether loaner or rental support applies in your state if the repair spans more than one day, and keep the repair order showing campaign 25V690 closed—buyers and insurers sometimes ask for proof long after the fact.
How this recall fits next to other Tesla safety actions
2025 and 2026 have seen separate NHTSA scrutiny of driver-assistance behavior, robotaxi operations, and other hardware campaigns such as lighting and door-handle probes. Recall 25V690 is a propulsion-hardware defect with a defined physical repair, not an over-the-air settings debate. If your Tesla also participates in a software-related investigation, keep the issues separate in your notes so service advisors do not conflate a contactor replacement with unrelated firmware updates.
After the repair: what “normal” should feel like
Once the new contactor is installed and the campaign is marked complete in NHTSA’s database, Drive should engage promptly from Park and acceleration should return across the usual state-of-charge range. If hesitation returns, reopen a service ticket with the prior repair order number rather than waiting for another letter. Propulsion faults are worth treating as repeat-visit items until the shop can show clean high-voltage diagnostics.
