Tesla Model 3 Complaints
2,178 consumer complaints on file.
- #11495036November 27, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Recall is not being corrected in a timely manner. Window has pinched my finger before retracting
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11495016November 27, 2022FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
We have experienced many instances of ‘phantom braking’. On a recent trip from St George, UT to Salt Lake City, UT (about 250 miles) we had eight instances going 65-80 mph. We finally discontinued using cruise control or auto pilot. We began keeping a log stamps, which I will now include. Tesla Log - 2022 Sudden breaking (on its own) 1. 8/20 at 1504 hours - on I-15 2. 8/21 at 1050 hours - 3. 8/21 at 2005 hours - 4. 8/30 at 1148 hours in cruse control brakes were applied for no apparent reason 5. 8/30 at 1734 hrs. In cruse control brakes were applied 6. 8/31 at 1029 hrs. In cruse control. 7. 9/11 at 6:30 pm In auto pilot 8. 10/25/22 - 1803 hrs - abrupt braking - no apparent reason. 9. 10/25/22 - 1835 hrs - abrupt braking - no apparent reason - 10. 11/10 @ 2:21 pm in auto steering - severe braking 11. Three times - 11/11 @ 2:20 pm, 2:21 pm, and again at 2:22 pm in auto steering and the in cruise control, the car abruptly and very seriously applied brakes (on I-15 traveling at 80 mph!!) 12. 11/11 @ 3:56 pm in auto pilot - brakes were applied strongly. 13. 11/11 @ 4:23 pm on cruse control 3 dramatic braking instances in a row. 14. 11/11 @ 4:42 pm on cruise control brakes applied abruptly. 15. 11/21 @ 2:10 pm on auto pilot brakes were applied. 16. 11/21 2:32 pm on autopilot brakes were applied. 17. 11/22 8:35 am on cruise control brakes were applied. 18. 11/22 11:47 auto pilot brakes were applied 19. 11/22/22 @ 1655 hrs Severe braking for no apparent reason We have had one service visit with Tesla and we thought the issue had been addressed - the Phantom Braking continues. We have another appointment on 12/5/22. We hope Tesla has a solution now.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11495012November 27, 2022FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I did not have cruise control on but do have the full self driving car simulation on. I believe that had I cruise control on that a rapid speed change could have occurred. While driving in Indiana, the car recognized state highway signs as speed limit signs. For example, on a couple of occasions, it changed when seeing a highway 25 sign but changed a few seconds later when it recognized the 55 mph sign. While in Illinois, it changed its notion of the speed limit for speed limit signs that were only valid when flashing. The firmware number of the car is 2022.36.20
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11494987November 26, 2022UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was driving on US interstate I-44 in Missouri at 74 miles per hour. I was using adaptive cruise control and not autopilot, when for no reason at all the car slammed on its brake and started slowing down at a fast rate. I had to push the accelerator to the floor to make it stop slowing down. If there would have been someone behind us we more than likely would have been in a serious accident.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11494932November 26, 2022SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
While using cruise control on a cross country drive, there have been numerous instances of phantom braking in my Tesla Model 3 SR+ (2021). This has been occurring during both day and night driving on the highway, at speeds of 65-75mph. It appears to happen most frequently when there’s a slight up-hill on the highway followed by a slight downhill and then phantom brake, but there have been instances on flat highway road at night with phantom braking taking place.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11494868November 25, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
It has been weeks and Tesla has still not provided a fix for this issue. It was supposed to be resolved over the air but we have called Tesla for weeks and they have no idea when the fix will be available. Do they have a time limit to resolve? Sep 19,2022 Manufacturer Recall NumberTBD NHTSA Recall Number22V702 Recall StatusRecall Incomplete
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11494781November 24, 2022FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
While moving car to DRIVE mode, Cruise Control was activated accidentally, which resulted in car moving on its own from a stopped position in garage. By the time it was learnt what has happened, the car rear ended another parked car. Luckily no human was in front of the car and thus grave body injury was avoided. The car speed might have been less than 20mph. The front collision avoidance warning was not there and neither did Emergency brakes got deployed.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11494653November 23, 2022UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Recall 22V702 was issued for my 2022 Model 3 Tesla. It was said that the recall would be delivered OTA starting in October. This software update has not been made available and when I called Tesla, they said that they do not know when it will be available. It is worth mentioning that I have sense received two software updates but neither have remedied this recall. As a mom of two young children, this is deeply concerning
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11494438November 21, 2022FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, SERVICE BRAKES
After purchasing my Model 3, I have experienced numerous times of what they call "Phantom Braking" and have tried to have it repaired and have been told that there is not anything Tesla can do at this time, but inform the driver to be aware! I was never told/informed/warned about this issue when I ordered and picked up my car. I have almost been in accidents at least 3 times while using my cruise control on the interstates.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11494353November 21, 2022SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Phantom braking. Driving down 395 going the speed limit, no other cars or any obstacles in the road whatsoever, the car would slam on the brakes hard to the point I almost lost control of the vehicle. This happened 3 times in a row before I turned off adaptive cruise control. This is the most glaring obvious example of a vehicle safety hazard that should be recalled that I’ve ever seen on a new car. If someone was driving behind my car I have no doubt this would have caused a rear and accident.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11494296November 20, 2022SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
While driving with Adaptive Cruise control on a two lane highway, as I was entering a curve in the highway and there was another car in the opposite lane, my Tesla rapidly decelerated to the point that it almost caused an accident. The car following me had to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting me. I just learned that there is ongoing deceleration problem with Tesla's and don't feel it is safe to drive with this technology on.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11494261November 19, 2022SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I have had the car for about 1.5 years. In the last week it has started to have phantom braking where on a clear, flat road with no traffic, it suddenly has hard braking and slows from about 65 mph down to 40-50 mph. This has occurred when operating on Autopilot with the cruise control and autosteer on. There is a risk of a rear collision with this sudden braking. There was no warning. I do not have Full Self Driving.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11494121November 18, 2022FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model-3. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH with the Adaptive Cruise Control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking and abruptly stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there were no vehicles or objects around the vehicle at the time of the failure. The contact stated that she depressed the accelerator pedal and was able to continue driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the forward Collison Avoidance camera might need to be recalibrated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 500.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11493648November 15, 2022UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am not sure if this is the correct avenue to address this concern; however, I feel it is a valid concern. I purchased my Model 3 Tesla in March of 2022. After having it about a week I conducted a supercharge for the first time after charging it at home. While I was supercharging I noticed an immediate head rush and the sensation of my skin feeling prickly. I then began to experience vertigo. I assumed it was a result of the high levels of electricity being pumped into the car. I didn't think much of it and subsequent supercharging yielded a similar yet less intense full-body-brain sensation. A few days after my initial supercharge I began experiencing major headaches; debilitating headaches. To the point to where I scheduled a CT scan. The result was a diagnoses of "Cluster Headaches." Though I find it odd that these intense headaches did not start until I began driving a Tesla. My concern is that the Tesla emits high levels of EMF's/RF's and that, because this is a field that is relatively unstudied, has not been truly vetted by Tesla or the NHTSA. There is little evidence to support that EMF's are harmful to the brain simply because the technology itself is in its infancy. However, a large and powerful battery in a Tesla could be cause for concern in relation to the levels of radiation it emits to passengers. I would hope there have been sufficient testing put in place to assuage any negative effects of this type of radiation on Tesla owners/passengers. My hope in writing this is to raise the alarm that there could be a potential oversight of the damage these batteries can have on the population operating them; lest we become too fixated on the excitement of an electric vehicle and overlook the very real detriment it has to its consumes.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11493392November 13, 2022ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES
Picked up car from the dealership same day and had only 40 miles total on odometer. The car was running smooth. I was driving with my daughter in the passenger seat (12 yrs old) and got 2 error codes and my car went limp in the carpool lane. Basically went into neutral. Deceleration from 75mph .I had to avoid cars next to me to get to the shoulder and was driving at most 30-40 mph hoping a car would not slam into my rear. By the grace of God I made it to the shoulder safely. “Acceleration and Top Speed Reduced” and “Automatic Emergency Braking is Disabled” were the two errors. I’d never been so stressed. That was highly dangerous and I’ve been reading online of several other Tesla owners suffering the same fate. Please don’t wait until someone gets injured or killed before making Tesla recall their cars. I’ve been hearing its the Rear Drive Inverter (Motor) that is faulty according to others online. The service center has not diagnosed the problem with my car yet but I think that is the same issue. I feel that Tesla is negligent and should be penalized for allowing these cars to be driven off the lot by unsuspecting customers.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11493312November 12, 2022SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
While traveling on the interstate at 75+ mph, which the cruise control engaged, the vehicle emergency braked 2 times during on one trip. The first felt like a fluke, speed was reduced by 10ish miles per hour. The second time was terrifying. I was traveling approximately 77 mph on the interstate and out of no where my vehicle slowed down significantly. I was too scared of getting hit from behind to look at the speedometer to know how much it actually breaked but it felt like it dropped down to 30 mph out of nowhere. Luckily I was not on a busy stretch of interstate, the car behind me had enough time to slow down and there was no one else around. My husband and I were scared out of our minds, wondering why and how this happened. He immediately google and that is when we learned of 'phantom breaking" I have owned this car for less than a week and now I am scared to use cruise control. I don't even have the self driving or advanced auto pilot. Thank god no one was hurt. This is more than a safety issue, this could be life and death. I read that this particular issue has been reported more often lately. I reported the problem to Tesla but urge you to conduct an investigation that gets this matter resolved, not just for Tesla drivers but for the safety of everyone on the road.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11493303November 12, 2022FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
Model 3 sudden Max speed reduction (60/55 to 25/30) when using Autopilot. This happens every time and in multiple areas when driving on I-4 through Orlando, FL.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11493216November 11, 2022SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Driving in empty highway, no cars in front of me for great distances, on cruise control, the car would all of sudden perform hard braking. It happened many times in the course of two 6 hour drives over a weekend and I couldn't figure out what scenarios were predisposing to this. I also tried out autosteer (not autopilot) and it did it in autosteer too. It was very hard braking, not just disengaging, and so I just drove without cruise control because it is too dangerous and risks getting rear-ended because I am braking without warning and for no reason.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11492989November 9, 2022EXTERIOR LIGHTING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The Tesla uses “auto high beam” when in autopilot. The pros of this can allow drivers to utilize the light so the cameras can detect anything to avoid any possible wrecks, but it does not have an option to be turned off. Along with other people online, my brights have flashed at people on the interstate and highways or haven’t turned off at all. This is irritating and limits the way I am comfortable with using autopilot. Please inform Tesla to make the auto high beam feature OPTIONAL.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11492919November 9, 2022AIR BAGS
The SRS indicator will come on and stay on. From my research there has been many other Teslas with same issue resulting in the chair having to be replaced at owner cost when out of warranty. This is a safety system that is known to be faulty so Tesla is obligated to fix it for whoever has this issue. Just adding a report so a recall happens. Mine is still under warranty so I’m fine.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0