Built from NHTSA complaints and recalls collected for this model, generated September 21, 2026. Totals reflect what has been collected, not every complaint ever filed.

Recalls

0 total

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

424 total

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

Worth reading
72

Most reports here involve software faults. Of these, 26 mention a crash, 15 mention an injury.

software faults 35unintended acceleration 26sudden stalling 7
A recent report: Im using full self driving (fsd) and it scans the lot and chose to pull into an empty spot half way in and reverse almost smacking a car in the rear. It didnt appear it was gonna stop even though the…
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Im using full self driving (fsd) and it scans the lot and chose to pull into an empty spot half way in and reverse almost smacking a car in the rear. It didnt appear it was gonna stop even though the car was showing on the screen. I do have the dash cam from where i had to step on the break for it to disengage.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11764243 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Electrical & infotainment

Worth reading
41

Most reports here involve software faults. Of these, 1 mention an injury.

software faults 21sudden stalling 10
A recent report: The rear doors intermittently will not unlock. Even after hitting the unlock button from menu or short or long press of the driver unlock button or from the app unlock button. The driver only unlock…
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The rear doors intermittently will not unlock. Even after hitting the unlock button from menu or short or long press of the driver unlock button or from the app unlock button. The driver only unlock feature is disabled. I have video that would not upload. Snapshots of video included.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11722702 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Brakes

Worth reading
129

Most reports here involve software faults. Of these, 20 mention a crash, 10 mention an injury.

software faults 97loss of braking 13unintended acceleration 8
A recent report: I have a group of individuals that are hacking all of my accounts and trying to steal my car. They first hacked my emails then my Tesla account and now they are actually on the Teslas computer system…
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I have a group of individuals that are hacking all of my accounts and trying to steal my car. They first hacked my emails then my Tesla account and now they are actually on the Teslas computer system and have been in the vehicle accessing the screen. After they hacked the system and stopped updates the car started having a bunch of safety concerns and alerts.The breaks were not working and the vehicle would freely roll when full pressure was applied. The collision system in the car was not working properly. Thinking it was possibly going to be hit by another car it would avoid nothing and jerk me out of the lane and nothing was around at all potentially causing an accident. Then the collision system stopped working all together. The steering system would not communicate properly with the system and kept requesting to be reconfigured with the system. The power train system kept throwing alerts. The tire pressure sensors stopped working and will not retrain now. They keep stopping the software updates now and have an IT admin portal device management program on the system and have complete control of the car’s system. Recently they were checking into enrolling in to fleet developer API to interact with the vehicle at code level. I have tried everything to get them off the account and they live at my apartment building. They are using illegal hacking tools and devices to gain access spyware and malware on all my devices.Tesla has done little to nothing to fix this problem and reports have been made. This is a major safety concern.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11764076 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Steering, suspension & tires

Worth reading
109

Most reports here involve loss of steering. Of these, 17 mention a crash, 12 mention an injury.

loss of steering 76software faults 8
A recent report: Bought a 2023 Tesla model 3 from Carvawna on aug 30th drove car steering wheel was shaking at 70 mph or more; took to tire shop 3 tire were bad and unsafe,tires were worn below 3/32nds in the center…
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Bought a 2023 Tesla model 3 from Carvawna on aug 30th drove car steering wheel was shaking at 70 mph or more; took to tire shop 3 tire were bad and unsafe,tires were worn below 3/32nds in the center, 2 tires foam was detached and broke tire sensor 4th tire was barley legal cannot believe vehical passed 150 inspection; silver rock only paid 1300,00 bill was 1714.00 left me with 396.00 out of pocket tires were very bad should never be sold Carvawna refuses to reimburse me for out of pocket completely unaccepticl from a car sales company pls help will try to send copy of repair order they would only pay for what they can buy for and were not ev rated

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11764595 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Airbags & seat belts

Worth reading
18

Most reports here involve software faults. Of these, 5 mention a crash, 4 mention an injury.

software faults 6airbags not deploying 6
A recent report: During a major car accident the airbags for my Tesla, Model 3, 2023 did not deploy airbags although other impacted cars had full airbags deployed. This posed a risk to my safety as a driver due to…
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During a major car accident the airbags for my Tesla, Model 3, 2023 did not deploy airbags although other impacted cars had full airbags deployed. This posed a risk to my safety as a driver due to not having the proper equipment deployed during a major accident. This was noticed by the emergency personnel on the scene who stated that based on my impact the airbags should have been activated from my collision. According to the safety records associated with my car to date there are no safety reports regarding the airbags for my car. There was no warning of my airbags not being able to be fully functioning at the time of impact. This incident happened on November 1st and is in the process of being investigated by the Harris County sheriff's department.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11697029 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Structure & body

Read closely
40

Most reports here involve software faults. Of these, 3 mention a crash, 5 mention an injury.

software faults 10
A recent report: Vehicle: Tesla Model 3 Issue: Power trunk failed to detect obstruction Date of incident: July 5, 2026 Location: Surprise, AZ During normal use of the vehicle, my child pressed the “close trunk”…
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Vehicle: Tesla Model 3 Issue: Power trunk failed to detect obstruction Date of incident: July 5, 2026 Location: Surprise, AZ During normal use of the vehicle, my child pressed the “close trunk” button while I was leaning into the trunk area. The powered trunk began closing and did not stop when it made contact with my head. Instead of reversing direction, the trunk continued applying downward force until I moved out of the way. This indicates a failure of the trunk’s obstruction detection system, which is supposed to prevent injury by stopping or reversing when an object or person is detected. This malfunction poses a significant safety risk, especially to children who may accidentally activate the trunk or to adults loading items. A powered trunk should not be able to continue closing on a person’s head. I request that NHTSA investigate whether this is a defect in the Tesla Model 3 trunk sensor system and whether similar incidents have been reported.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11748682 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Other systems

Worth reading
15

Most reports here involve software faults. Of these, 1 mention a crash, 2 mention an injury.

software faults 7sudden stalling 1
A recent report: My pant leg got caught on the plastic seat trim under the seat. Kept my leg trapped so I fell out of the car on the ground in the parking lot. Happened again the same day, but I caught myself before…
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My pant leg got caught on the plastic seat trim under the seat. Kept my leg trapped so I fell out of the car on the ground in the parking lot. Happened again the same day, but I caught myself before I fell. The incident caused a hole and rip in my clothing, but the rest of my body went to the ground leaving my knee and other leg caught until the end. Had a different outfit on today and it caught again! I did not fall this time either. The time I did fall I hyperextended my wrist and landed on my hip and leg, creating bruising and a sore pelvis, knee and back. Went to massage therapist soon after. Currently, following up with doctor

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11662611 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Is 424 complaints a lot? They were filed between 2022 and 2026, roughly 110 a year, which is more than the typical model in this dataset. We do not have sales figures for this model, so treat this as a rough volume, not a rate per car on the road. Popular, high-volume models naturally collect more complaints over time.