Tesla Model 3 Complaints

2,178 consumer complaints on file.

#11745492June 21, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The outside part of the glove box is coming off. It could prevent air bags from working properly. It seems like the O ring glue holding it together has failed. It is available for inspection upon request. The issue is well known and is documented online. The issue has in the past been inspected by the manufacturer and requests an approximate $400 from the customer to fix the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11745391June 20, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
While the vehicle was parked outdoors and the powered rear trunk lid was fully open, I leaned/bent forward into the trunk to retrieve an item. The edge of the trunk lid near the taillight assembly made contact with my scalp, causing a laceration. The wound bled significantly。The trunk lid’s fully-open position, combined with the geometry/edge of the liftgate near the taillight, creates a head-strike hazard for an average-height adult bending into the cargo area. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether the powered trunk lid’s open-position geometry presents an unreasonable risk of head injury to vehicle occupants/owners during normal use.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11745364June 20, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The vehicle was purchased pre-owned directly from Tesla. On the day of pickup and five days later, while operating on Full Self-Driving (FSD), the vehicle phantom-braked abruptly and then dangerously accelerated through a solid red light into cross-traffic intersections. The driver had to forcefully override the vehicle to prevent a crash. Tesla Service Center was notified but dismissed the issue, performing only a camera recalibration and charging a fee. Following the service appointment, the red-light running behavior stopped, but the vehicle continues to suffer from aggressive, sudden phantom braking multiple times on every single trip, creating a severe and continuous risk of a rear-end collision on public highways.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11745246June 19, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was driving my Tesla 3 back from LA yesterday. The car has "AI3" hardware not "AI4". The software is fully up to date. I do *not* subscribe to "Tesla FSD (Supervised)" but the car is equipped with "Autopilot". I was driving in "Autopilot" mode driving southeast on [XXX] between Eloy, Arizona and Marana, Arizona, on a clear freeway in bright daylight, at about [XXX] PT on [XXX]. The car suddenly slammed on the brakes for an emergency stop for no good reason. There was nothing in front of us. Fortunately it was clear behind me so no one slammed into us. We came to almost a complete stop. The "Autopilot" disengaged. I'm not sure why. I might have pressed the accelerator out of instinct to keep moving. During the incident a message in bright red briefly came up on the screen. I didn't get a chance to read it but I did catch the word "error" like some error in software was triggered. Once we got moving again and all was fine although my wife was in shock. I did not engage "Autopilot" again for the rest of the trip and I'm reticent to do so ever again. 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
#11745062June 18, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am reporting a recurring safety defect regarding the exterior door handle assembly on my 2024 Tesla Model 3. On 6/15/26, the exterior door handle of caused a finger entrapment incident, resulting in an avulsion of a gel nail and significant trauma to the nail bed. The artificial nail remains trapped within the door assembly. Despite seeking service at the local Tesla Service Center, technicians failed to retrieve the object or address the entrapment hazard. This design creates a severe pinch-point hazard that poses an ongoing risk of injury to all users Despite bringing the vehicle in for service on 6/18/26 to have the hazardous object removed, the service center performed only a cursory visual inspection and refused to disassemble the handle, leaving the entrapment hazard in place. The design of the door handle creates a clear pinch-point/entrapment zone that poses a safety risk to all occupants. I am reporting this to document both the design defect and the failure of the manufacturer to address the resulting safety hazard upon request.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11744965June 18, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Tesla Model 3 Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature I was using Self-Driving mode in my Tesla Model 3 while traveling on [XXX]. The vehicle suddenly turned right without warning, struck a mailbox, broke the right-side mirror, and came to a complete stop. There were no vehicles in front of or behind my car at the time of the incident. 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
#11744449June 16, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The passenger side front fold down visor/mirror failed. It is available for inspection upon request. The safety of myself, the driver, and the front passenger, were put at risk, because the design of the car allows the front passenger headset to be moved forward via the power seat adjustment to a point where it presses against the visor/mirror, and causes the glass in the mirror to shatter. If you never open the visor, you don't know that the glass is shattered. So when we are on the highway, and my passenger folds down the mirror to check her make up, small glass shards fly everywhere, requiring both the driver and passengers full attention on a busy highway. The dealer advised before even looking at the car that the problem would not be covered under warranty, and want to charge $200 for repair. I cancelled the appointment. Independent research shows this is a known issue caused by a design flaw with the passenger front seat being allowed to move into the zone of the visor/mirror. The vehicle has not been inspected due to their refusal to do so at their own cost. There was zero warning from delivery until now via any method whether it be a warning label, screen, or in the manual.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11743815June 12, 2026
WHEELS
On May 16th, I felt the car vibration very much on the free way. I scheduled service on May 21st. Tesla technician found it was the interior foam detached problem. He said this happened on many cars. I asked for free replacement for two defect tires since the car was only drove one and half year about 17k miles. But he refused it because Tesla only replace it for free if the wear of tire is higher than 4 thread. He said mine is 3 thread and suggested me to buy new tires and replace them. He said Tesla normally would not remove the detached foam for customer any more. I did not agree. Finally, Tesla remove the detached foam and I paid for the service. Because this detached foam issue happens a lot, it is quality issue. Tesla or Michelin should repair and replace it for free.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11743634June 12, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The forward-facing camera and Autopilot computer system on my 2021 Tesla Model 3 has failed. The dashboard first showed intermittent warnings that "Automatic Emergency Braking is currently unavailable" and "Adaptive headlight features are unavailable." Over several weeks the problem worsened from intermittent to constant, and the vehicle progressively lost its forward road visualization and all active safety features. Using the vehicle's Service Mode diagnostics, the Autopilot computer's Primary (A) processing node reports a "CRITICAL" status. The fault log records repeated alerts including dasMIA (driver-assistance system not responding), aebFault (automatic emergency braking fault), and fisheyeCamInitFault and fisheyeCameraStreamExit (forward camera initialization and stream failures). The cameras themselves are physically clean and unobstructed. Safety risk: the failure disables Automatic Emergency Braking and forward collision avoidance, lane-keeping/driver assistance, and the adaptive auto high-beam headlights. AEB is a critical crash-avoidance system; losing it leaves the vehicle unable to brake automatically for an imminent collision, and the loss of adaptive headlights reduces nighttime visibility. A Tesla service center inspected the vehicle, confirmed the diagnosis, and determined the Autopilot computer — a sealed, solid-state control unit — had failed and required full replacement at approximately $3,400. The vehicle is well under 50,000 miles. This failure appears consistent with the same car-computer power-component shorting failure for which Tesla issued a recall on its newer model-year vehicles. The vehicle and the failed component are available for inspection on request. The vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11743287June 10, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SEATS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Since leasing this car in April of 2025, it has been services 8 times totaling over 30 days of down time. The issues occured in order from oldest to newest/current: May of 2025 - Headliner trim falling down, unsuccessfully repaired by mobile technician June of 2025 - Windows stopped working. Center console door stopped shutting. Headliner still falling down. July of 2025 - Front wiring harness melted and took out the AC - the car didn't provide a single warning. The AC just stopped working. Passenger seat replaced for cosmetic defect August of 2025 - Continued issues with AC and turn signal buttons December of 2025 - Steering Wheel Rattle and Clunking, Suspension noises June of 2025 - Suspension still rough and making grinding noises, turn signal buttons still not functioning consistently, front passenger fold down mirror shattered because the passenger seat calibration allows it to slide into the mirror. Tesla has shown zero empathy towards any of these issues. A buyback was requested, but the offer would have left us without a car and with a huge pay off. We asked for help moving into another car, and we are ghosted.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742926June 9, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I am reporting a safety concern involving a Tesla operating with Full Self-Driving Supervised active. On June 5, 2026, at approximately 7:50–7:55 AM Pacific Time, the vehicle was being driven with FSD Supervised engaged. The vehicle was in a turning maneuver when the driver mistakenly applied the accelerator. Vehicle data provided by Tesla appears to show ACTIVE_FSD shortly before the incident, a turning/steering angle, accelerator-pedal input/override, FSD becoming unavailable, and then crash-related/braking/tire-pressure signals shortly afterward. I am not claiming the vehicle accelerated on its own. The data appears to show driver accelerator input. My concern is that while FSD Supervised was active and the vehicle was already turning, the system allowed a strong accelerator override that rapidly worsened the situation. In this case, the vehicle went over a curb/sidewalk area and sustained significant damage. The safety concern I am reporting is whether FSD Supervised should better limit, warn, or manage strong accelerator override during low-speed turning maneuvers, especially where the vehicle may leave the roadway, cross a curb, or enter a sidewalk area. I believe this involved driver error as a mistake pedal acceleration, but the system design may have allowed that error to create a more dangerous outcome.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742836June 8, 2026
STEERING
While making a right turn from a near-stopped position, the steering wheel became stuck or extremely difficult to turn. The vehicle initially turned right normally, but when I attempted to steer back left/counterclockwise to complete the turn and straighten the vehicle, the steering wheel did not respond as expected. This caused the vehicle to continue in the wrong direction and resulted in a collision. I believe the electronic power steering assist system malfunctioned or failed. My concern is that the power steering assist experienced an overstress condition, causing a loss of power steering assist after the vehicle almost reached a stop and then accelerated again. This put my safety and the safety of others at risk because I was unable to steer the vehicle as intended during a low-speed turning maneuver.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11742761June 8, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
-I was driving down into an indoor basement level garage very slowly as there is a steep incline. It descends from street level to basement level within a distance of approximately 30 to 35 ft. At the end of the incline is a sharp curve to the right, followed by a sharp left turn to proceed straight. -While on the incline, the car was slowing to a stop. I gently tapped the accelerator to keep it moving. -The car suddenly lunged forward, rapidly accelerating. The acceleration was not consistent with the amount of accelerator input I applied. -I quickly steered right to avoid hitting the wall, then immediately steered left to avoid hitting parked cars and garage columns. -I braked as hard as possible, pumping it. The brake pedal was stiff. The car kept moving forward despite my efforts and did not stop until I crashed into a parked car at the end of the garage. -My son was in the front passenger seat. We both had seatbelts on. Other than whiplash, there were no major injuries. -There were no warnings, messages or any indications that a problem was present prior to the incident. -There was no one in the parked vehicle that was struck and no other people in the garage. -My cell phone automatically alerted emergency services. The police responded, and I reported the incident.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11742451June 6, 2026
WHEELS
I am reporting a severe structural defect in the 2022 Model 3 front suspension and wheel hub assembly that poses an imminent threat of catastrophic failure. My vehicle is nearly new, with less than 30k miles. As the original, single owner who maintains this car, a critical failure of this nature is highly premature and indicative of a manufacturing defect rather than normal wear-and-tear. The issue manifests as a progressive clicking and popping noise from the front wheel area during operation. After noticing this sound, I took my vehicle to the dealership. The technician's inspection revealed that critical structural components were loose and failing. The technician explicitly warned me that this specific failure carries a direct risk of sudden wheel separation while the vehicle is in motion. This forced me to take immediate, emergency action right there at the dealership; leaving the shop without fixing it was simply not an option, as driving my car in that condition would have caused immediate and dangerous consequences on the road. A wheel separating or a suspension collapsing at highway speeds is an inherently fatal scenario that endangers my life, my passengers, and the public. This mechanical failure is highly similar to the defect described in NHTSA Number: 21V835000, which covered front suspension lateral links separating from the subframe and carries the same dangerous consequences. However, because my vehicle is a '22 model, Tesla refused to acknowledge the connection to that safety campaign and denied coverage under the drivetrain warranty. I was forced to pay over 800 out of pocket to resolve this hazard. While I could afford this, many drivers cannot. Tesla’s failure to expand their recall to the '22 model year means thousands of drivers are unwittingly operating a ticking time bomb. NHTSA must investigate this issue and force Tesla to expand the recall to include '22 vehicles before this known, fatal defect causes an an entirely preventable tragedy.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742280June 5, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
Speed profiles do not allow safe operation of the vehicle. Changes in speed profiles result in unsafe behavior. Standard speed profile regularly results in speed up to 73+ in a 55mph zone being selected by the vehicle. Chill mode results in speeds of 58 when traffic is traveling at 65mph. Switching profiles from standard to chill results in a rapid deceleration within the lane leading to problems with traffic behind the vehicle. In active school zones, system regularly does not acknowledge school zone speed limit and proceeds at 25-30mph in a 15 mph school zone even on Sloth profile. European FSD has a max speed setting that allows these problems to be prevented, but it is missing as a critical safety feature in the US version of FSD 14.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742199June 4, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Rear passenger door electronic release did not work. Technician indicated rear door harness corroded making the door inoperable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741100May 31, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
- Tesla FSD - My son was driving on FSD on state highway, while on FSD, the car suddenly turned left and hit the concrete barrier and spun out of control. All the air-bags were deployed and car front crashed completely. The car is near totaled, My son was able to get out the car with a bruise on right hand. -No -No -No warning was on, the car was on full FSD and suddenly turned left and drove into the concrete barrier and crashed and spun , I had no time to react/take over.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741063May 30, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
BMS_a079 error. Battery is no longer able to charge. High voltage battery will need to be replaced. Basically rendering the vehicle useless unless the battery is replaced.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741020May 30, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
We bought the new 2026 Tesla Model 3 and picked it up on 5/3/2026. The next date 5/4/2026, I was trying to drive it to work. I got in the car and used the Tesla’s Full Self-Driving function and let it drive the car by itself. It started moving forward and tried to make a U turn. Since there was not enough space for it to make a U turn because there was a car parked on the sidewalk, so it stopped for a moment. But unfortunately, it continued to move forward and hit the car parked on the sidewalk. It supposedly backed up a little after the stop, but it didn’t detect the car parked on the sidewalk and still moved forward and hit the parked car. The Tesla's FSD is malfunctioning and caused my accident because there was such a big car in front and it didn't detect it and still hit it.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740079May 26, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This model lacks a well-tested turn signal lever, replacing it with arrows on the steering wheel. This method of activating turns signals is fundamentally unreliable and consequently dangerous. As an owner of the subject Tesla for just over one year, I find that I regularly fail to achieve correct activation, even with repeated attempts to do so. The steering wheel control may: Not activate at all, even with multiple attempts to activate the signal. I find no consistent patter as to why pressing the arrow or vicinity of the arrow fails to achieve activation. Worse, may activate in the opposite direction to the pending movement. This is the most dangerous situation, misleading other drivers with regard to the intended movement. It’s also not apparent to me that the opposite direction has been activated. The problem is made worse by: Lack of tactile feedback from the controls. The switches do not move perceptibly, nor is there any other feedback, such as a click. The ridge between left and right arrows doesn’t provide sufficient indication of correct or incorrect placement of the thumb on the controls. Pressing on the controls within the vicinity of the arrows may or may not result in activation at all or activate the opposite one. The position of the control varies depending on the steering wheel angle. The control may be very difficult to access, particularly where a sequence of turns in opposite directions must be executed. Specifically, it is essentially impossible to activate for the second movement while making the preceding turn. I understand that Tesla recognizes the problem and owner dissatisfaction in that it offers a retrofit with a conventional and well-tested turn signal lever for $600. Tesla must be compelled to recall these vehicles and retrofit them with a conventional turn signal lever or other effective control at no charge to owners.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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