Car Defect Radar

Tesla Model 3 years to avoid (and the best years)

4,311 NHTSA owner complaints and 36 recalls across 10 model years, 2017 to 2026. Built from NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, generated October 26, 2026.

Which Tesla Model 3 years should you avoid?

By NHTSA owner complaints, the Tesla Model 3 years to avoid are 2018 and 2021. The typical Tesla Model 3 year has 438 complaints on file.

What are the best Tesla Model 3 years?

The Tesla Model 3 year with the fewest complaints on file is the 2017 (26). Model years after 2023 are left out: they have not been on the road long enough to compare.

NHTSA does not publish sales figures, so these are complaint counts, not a rate per car on the road. A year that sold more cars collects more complaints, and older years have had longer to collect them.

Every model year

YearComplaintsvs typical year RecallsCrashes InjuriesOur readMost reported
2026210.0×183Few red flagsForward collision avoidance system
20251150.3×3259Some concerns to checkForward collision avoidance system
20242160.5×52519Some concerns to checkForward collision avoidance system
20234241.0×127249Some concerns to checkForward collision avoidance system
20227641.7×185345Some concerns to checkForward collision avoidance system
20216621.5×224519Approach with cautionForward collision avoidance system
20204511.0×215433Some concerns to checkForward collision avoidance system
20196111.4×225827Some concerns to checkForward collision avoidance system
20181,0212.3×1910244Approach with cautionForward collision avoidance system
2017260.1×1611Few red flagsForward collision avoidance system

Most reported problem areas

Share of the 3,265 complaints sorted by system, all years together.

Recalls (36)