Recalls
Safety issues the manufacturer must repair for free. A recall means confirm the fix was done, not walk away.
No recalls on record for this model
No safety recalls were found in this dataset. It is still worth entering the exact VIN on NHTSA before purchase, since recalls can be added at any time.
Owner complaints by system
Unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA, grouped by the part of the car. Useful for spotting patterns. Open a group to read recent examples.
Engine & powertrain
29
Most reports here involve software faults. Of these, 14 mention a crash, 2 mention an injury.
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I was on the freeway in the fast lane approaching a tunnel and vehicle came with warning vehicle shutting down. Code DL_a063. Vehicle stopped in fast lane would not move to shoulder. No prior warning there was any issue. State police came and had vehicle towed. Lucky the car behind me was able to stop in time.
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11755831 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov
Electrical & infotainment
32
Most reports here involve software faults.
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After disengaging Full Self-Driving (FSD), a mandatory questionnaire pop-up now stays on screen until manually answered, instead of auto-dismissing after a few seconds as it previously did. This forces the driver to interact with the touchscreen immediately after taking back manual control — a moment when full attention should be on the road, not a pop-up. The prompt blocks part of the instrument/display screen until it is tapped, and in some cases requires a minimum 5-second voice response to dismiss (a previous workaround allowing a near-instant voice note to clear it was removed). The pop-up has also been observed persisting even after the vehicle is shifted into Park. This creates a distraction risk during an already safety-critical moment (immediately following a system disengagement, which by definition means FSD failed to handle the driving task). This behavior has persisted across at least 3 software updates. Multiple attempts to raise this with Tesla directly have not resulted in a fix or response. Other FSD users have reported the same complaint. No collision has occurred as a result of this specific issue, to my knowledge, but the design creates a foreseeable distraction hazard during takeover events, which are often already high-risk moments.
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11748459 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov
Brakes
15
Most reports here involve software faults. Of these, 3 mention a crash.
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While operating the vehicle at low speed (~35 MPH reducing to a stop) on August 1, 2026, at approximately 10:38 AM under normal road and weather conditions, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic and simultaneous loss of primary braking capability and steering responsiveness. > Detailed Description of Failure: > * Brake Failure: Upon pressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to decelerate or stop adequately despite continuous application, nearly causing a collision. > * Steering Loss / Disconnection: Concurrently, while the steering wheel could physically be turned, it offered no directional control—turning the wheel had no effect on the vehicle's path, feeling as if the steering linkage or assist was entirely disconnected or disengaged. > Vehicle Warnings / Diagnostic Codes: > The vehicle's onboard display immediately registered critical active safety and chassis failures, specifically displaying: > * "ABS (anti-lock braking system) disabled - Drive with caution" > * "Automatic Emergency Braking is unavailable - Feature may be restored on next drive" > Dashcam video and system screen captures documenting the exact speed, timestamp, and error messages have been saved and are available upon request. No crash occurred, but the sudden, simultaneous failure of core braking and electronic steering systems presents an extreme safety hazard. >
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11754149 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov
Steering, suspension & tires
28
Most reports here involve software faults. Of these, 7 mention a crash, 4 mention an injury.
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-Full Self-Driving (FSD) was engaged when my vehicle unexpectedly and abruptly deviated from its expected course and collided with a vehicle on the other side of the road. My vehicle was totaled so I cannot confirm availability for inspection, however I have te vehicle’s USB drive which contains data about the vehicle and collision. -The abrupt and unexpected maneuver created an immediate safety risk to me and the public; had there been pedestrians in the area, that risk would have been severe and potentially catastrophic. Based on the vehicle data available to me, approximately 0.85 seconds elapsed between the vehicle’s departure from its expected course and the collision, leaving insufficient time for any human to reasonably prevent a crash. Nevertheless, my quick response adjusted the trajectory and minimized the damage to the other vehicle. I sustained injuries from the airbag deployment and force of impact. The other driver was evaluated, but was not seriously injured. -The problem has not been reproduced to my knowledge. Tesla Insurance communicated their position is to hold the insured liable when a collision involving FSD occurs. I escalated to the Head of Claims in an attempt to get answers, but they ultimately refused to answer my questions or provide an explanation for the behavior of the vehicle. -The vehicle gave no warning whatsoever: no warning of diminished FSD capabilities, no warning to take over immediately, no FSD disengagement, nor any indication that anything abnormal was about to occur. No warnings of any kind were displayed in the days or weeks prior. -In summary, I believe the available evidence warrants investigation of a potential Tesla FSD safety defect. The data confirms FSD was actively engaged, and the swift unexpected behavior resulted in the loss of my vehicle and could have had catastrophic consequences. Tesla continues to make FSD more integrated and accesible while refusing to address issues, which makes me fear for the public.
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11764601 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov
Airbags & seat belts
1
Most reports here involve airbags not deploying. Of these, 1 mention a crash, 2 mention an injury.
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On June 7, 2025, I was a passenger in a 2025 Tesla 3. Driver of Tesla made an unsafe lane change coming off an Interstate and my side was struck almost T-bone style by an oncoming vehicle going between 45-55mph. Our seatbelts did not lock us in place causing the driver to hit his head on steering wheel and then on driver side window causing lacerations and possible concussion. My side tool the impact and no side curtain airbags deployed and neither did the dash airbags. I am concerned that the location and speed with which we were hit could have been much worse up to and including death as the airbags did not deploy nor seatbelts firmly lock us in place. The car was deemed a total loss and all 4 panels on passengers side were impacted in the collision. I have pictures, Tesla video, police report I can provide. I want this looked into for defect of the Tesla sensors. All public data indicates that at a minimum the side curtain airbags should have deployed as there isnt much of a wrinkle zone and the speed of impact should have deployed them. I was unable to get out passenger side door and had to crawl across driver seat to get to EMS assistance. I was then transported along w Tesla driver to local hospital.
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11681387 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov
Structure & body
5
Most reports here involve other issues. Of these, 1 mention an injury.
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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.
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11744449 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov
Other systems
5
Most reports here involve sudden stalling.
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Most recently, on or about 09/05/2026, driving on the freeway at about 65 mph with the sun directly in the windshield, the car suddenly issued an urgent take-over-immediately alert and Autosteer disengaged with no advance warning. My 2025 Tesla Model 3 uses a camera-only driver assistance system (Tesla Vision). Whenever I drive toward a low sun - at sunrise or sunset - the forward-facing cameras behind the windshield are washed out by glare. The vehicle displays a camera blocked/blinded warning, and Autosteer and Traffic-Aware Cruise Control disengage and become unavailable while the car is moving in traffic. The handback is abrupt: the system does not warn me that it is losing visibility until it has already quit. This is fully reproducible whenever my direction of travel puts the sun low and straight ahead. The windshield is clean, including the inner glass in front of the camera housing, and the factory glare shield is intact, so this is not dirt or an obstruction - it is a limitation of camera-only sensing. There is no action an owner can take to prevent it. Tesla removed radar from these vehicles in 2021, leaving cameras as the only forward sensor. I believe this is the same defect covered by NHTSA investigation EA26002 (upgraded from PE24-031), concerning the failure of Tesla's FSD/Autopilot to detect and respond to reduced roadway visibility caused by sun glare. I am filing so that my vehicle is on record in that investigation. No crash, fire or injury has occurred. The risk is an abrupt loss of driver assistance at highway speed, in exactly the conditions where the driver's own vision is also degraded.
Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11762901 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov