Tesla Model 3 Complaints

2,178 consumer complaints on file.

#11655429April 18, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2021 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while his wife was driving at approximately 29 MPH, the vehicle independently accelerated and the front of the vehicle crashed into a tree, where it came to a stop. No warning lights were illuminated. The front driver's side air bag was deployed. A police report was filed. Medical attention was sought as a precaution; however, there were no injuries sustained. The vehicle remained at the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,340.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11654205April 11, 2025
WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
We had our winter tires swapped for summer tires at the Discount Tire on 361 S Grady Way, Renton, WA. After driving on them for over a week—including high-speed highway driving—our car suddenly started feeling like it had a flat tire. However, the tire pressure was completely normal. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the rear passenger-side tire was sitting at an angle. When I removed the hubcap, I discovered that one lug nut had completely fallen off, and the remaining ones were all loose. It appears that the Discount Tire technician only hand-tightened the lug nuts during installation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653607April 9, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle Info: Make: Tesla Model: Model 3 Year: 2021 Incident Date: April 7, 2025 Mileage: 49,000 miles Component: Electrical System / Software / Powertrain While driving on a public road, my Tesla Model 3 experienced a total system lag and shut down unexpectedly. The screen and vehicle controls froze, and the vehicle became unresponsive, leaving me stranded in the middle of the road. Tesla service later stated that the car computer had “slow FPS” (frames per second), which they claim caused the issue. They cleared memory, updated firmware, and said no further diagnosis was needed. However, no root cause was provided, and I am concerned that this issue could reoccur. This kind of unexpected shutdown while driving is a serious safety concern. I was lucky to avoid a collision, but if this had happened on a freeway or near traffic, the outcome could have been worse. I am filing this report in hopes that NHTSA will investigate whether this is an isolated issue or part of a broader safety defect related to Tesla's onboard software or power management systems.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653495April 8, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
The contact owns a 2024 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that whenever it rained, the horn was filling with water that was entering through the grill, and the horn would not function when needed. The contact stated that when the horn had dried out, the horn worked normally. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that water was leaking through the grill and causing the horn to malfunction. The dealer determined that the horn system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,500.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653348April 8, 2025
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Lost all cameras including rear view camera. Tesla diagnosed that I need to replace AP4 computer. This seems exactly like the case of 25V002000 with circuit board failure. But my VIN was not included in this recall, which seems to indicate that Tesla does not have complete understanding of the scope of this failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653272April 7, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL:SWITCH
The contact owns a 2025 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the turn signal button on the steering wheel was activated but was unresponsive. The contact stated that the button was stuck but then loosened up. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652928April 5, 2025
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
Rear window defroster is permanently broken. Tesla made 10 attempts to repair it over the past year+ and it is still not fixed. Under certain weather conditions, there is zero visibility through the rear window.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11652701April 4, 2025
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Steering assist reduced, traction control disabled, stability control disabled. When trying to drive steering heavy and car coasts unless holding brake pedal, which is unusual for a Tesla at it normally auto holds. Traction control and stability control also disabled, unsafe to drive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11651170March 27, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Forward collision warning was falsely triggered causing the car to inappropriately apply the brakes twice in one drive. This causes the car to brake harshly and causes cars behind me to either swerve or slam their brakes. This causes a chain reaction of extremely dangerous behavior. The forward collision warning system is far too sensitive when there’s literally no obstacles to cause a collision or avoid.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11651166March 27, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY:TRUNK LID, STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:SUPPORT DEVICE/STRUT
Trunk struts snap/come off. Causing trunk to slam shut. Damaging body. Tesla states vehicle is safe to operate, however vehicle trunk does not latch down anymore and opens every time I hit a bump. The trunk allignment is also well off. The vibration of the trunk causes several electrical issues including Automatic Emergency Braking. Original problem occured september 15th 2023. Issue was fixed and persists. Current issue has been going on since february 18th 2025. Issue is not yet resolved or fixed. Tesla is not taking any action to repair issue at all. Vehicle is unsafe to operate.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650902March 26, 2025
STEERING
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Steering Wheel. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Single vehicle accident. Driver suffered injury. No other person or vehicle was involved. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Don't Know. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? In progress. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No indications were visible.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11650898March 26, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Multiple instances of phantom braking, car will suddenly slam on brakes without any indication of danger or anything to avoid. This has happened at least a dozen times and we are fearful that it will cause an accident. Vehicle will also alert lane departure and attempt to automatically adjust, turn to another lane while in the appropriate lane. Multiple incidents, at least 30 in 6 months of ownership. No collisions as of yet, concerned there could be.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650616March 25, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
The cars forward collision warning system is far too sensitive and braked extremely hard when there was nothing to collide with. This caused the car behind me to slam their brakes and they got rear ended. This needs to be forced on Tesla to be addressed
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650420March 25, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
TURN SIGNAL BUTTONS JAMS OCCASIONALLY. VERY DIFFICULT TO REPRODUCE DUE TO THE INFREQUENT NATURE OF THIS ISSUE, BUT IT HAPPENS ABOUT TWICE A WEEK IN DAILY DRIVING. SEVERAL OWNERS OF THIS MODEL VEHICLE HAVE REPORTED THE SAME ISSUE ON THE FORUMS. DEALER/MANUFACTURER REFUSES TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE OTHER THAN TO SAY THEY KNOW THIS IS A KNOW ISSUE. IN SEVERAL INSTANCES, THE TURN SIGNAL BUTTON JAMS AT VERY CRITICAL TURNS ON THE HIGHWAY WHICH CREATED A SAFETY HAZZARD. I HAVE SEVERAL VIDEO CLIPS OF THIS OCCURRENCE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649899March 22, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While driving from Costco in Fountain Valley to Best Buy in Costa Mesa, I was using FSD for the entire route. Everything was running smoothly until we approached [XXX] near [XXX] (Costa Mesa, CA). At that point, the FSD system incorrectly directed the vehicle to enter a freeway off-ramp, effectively driving into an [XXX] exit ramp in the wrong direction. This created a highly dangerous situation, as the ramp was intended for vehicles exiting the freeway, not entering. Fortunately, I was able to take over control of the vehicle and prevent a potential accident, but this was a very close call. Incident Details •Date: [XXX] •Time: Between [XXX] •Location: [XXX] (Costa Mesa, CA) •Route: Costco Fountain Valley → Best Buy Costa Mesa •Navigation Mode: Full Self-Driving (Beta) enabled throughout •Conditions: Daylight, dry roads, moderate traffic What Happened •FSD turned the car onto a road segment that functions as a freeway exit. •The vehicle entered the lane facing oncoming traffic exiting from [XXX]. •I immediately disengaged FSD and took manual control to correct the situation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649834March 21, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Two false collision warnings were triggered when in fact, there was nothing to collide with. This caused the car to brake extremely forcefully nearly causing another can to rear end me in midday traffic. If they would have hit me, it easily would have caused a 10+ car accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649448March 20, 2025
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
As I was pulling into a parking spot with my new 2025 Model 3 Tesla, I removed my foot from the gas to slow the car - the appropriate way to do so which is called Tesla's One Pedal Driving. The car did slow but then suddenly surged forward at an alarming rate. I have 100% certainty that my foot was not on the gas at this moment. The car was stopped by a large concrete planter just in front of me, however, if that planter was not there, my car would have been through the glass of an office building or in a head on collision with another car in the lot. If there was a person walking into the building, they would have been dead. A witness approached me and mentioned that the car seemed to act erratically. I have been in touch with Tesla about the issue and am awaiting response.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11648420March 14, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
The forward collision warning system is too sensitive. When cars are in a completely different lane, the car will sometimes think they are in your lane when they’re aren’t. This forces the FWC warning to alert and the brakes to slam. When this happens cars behind you sometimes swerve or nearly rear end me. This happened twice today march 14th.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11648326March 14, 2025
STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES
My dad was driving to work in the morning in the Tesla in the left lane of the freeway. Then the car started swerving on its own. He tried to regain control with the steering wheel but he couldn’t control it. The car wouldn’t turn when using the steering wheel and he was not using autopilot or lane assistance. He said it felt like the steering wheel and the car were not talking to each other. And the brakes weren’t stopping the car at all and because he couldn’t control the car it turned left into the divider and hit the divider and the car turn again to the right and automatically stopped in the middle of the second lane. The airbags deployed for the driver side. Thankfully there weren’t any other cars on the road at the time so there aren’t any injuries. But this crash could’ve caused serious injuries to him or other people. There were no warning signs, alerts, or noises before this happened. He has filed a claim with the insurance company. And a crash report was filed by the police.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11648233March 13, 2025
SEAT BELTS
Seatbelt of drivers side won’t latch into compartment, putting myself and others at risk
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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