NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Tesla Model 3. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The contact rented a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while testing the collision avoidance system the vehicle was moving at 2 mph and the brake pedal was not depressed the collision avoidance system did not activate. The vehicle collided with another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30. The VIN was not available.
The car phantom brakes 50% of the time when I use Enhanced Autopilot Feature on the highway
Automatic emergency braking. Phantom braking without any real incident
the car suddenly braked while using autopilot drivers assist while at highway speeds. There were no cars in front of me when it occurred. I had to take control of the car and accelerate to avoid causing a crash.
At random times the vehicle will slam on the brakes although there is nothing in front of it. It has happened with vehicles behind me and I have averted multiple crashes by luck I suppose.
I am writing to report several safety issues that I have experienced with my Tesla Model 3. These issues pose a significant risk to my safety and the safety of other road users. I kindly request that you investigate these matters thoroughly and take appropriate action to address them. 1. Steering Wheel Failure: On three separate occasions, the steering wheel of my Tesla Model 3 suddenly stopped working. Two of these incidents occurred while driving on the highway, which made it extremely difficult for me to maintain control of the vehicle. This sudden loss of steering functionality is a serious safety concern and could potentially lead to accidents and injuries. 2. False Forward Collision Warnings: The car's forward collision warning system has been providing false warnings, which has had a negative impact on my insurance premiums. Despite the fact that my insurance company is aware of the issue and acknowledges that it is a system failure, they have been automatically increasing my insurance rates on the leased vehicle. This has resulted in a significant financial burden, with my insurance premium increasing from $120 to almost $400 per month. Furthermore, I have been informed that next month, my premium will be raised to $600. I would like to emphasize that I have a clean driving record with no previous accidents or traffic violations. 3. Slow Charging Speed: Another issue I have encountered is the extremely slow charging speed of the vehicle. Despite the fact that the Tesla Model 3 is rated at 160 kW/h, it consistently charges at a maximum rate of 50 kW/h, regardless of the charging location or time. This significantly limits the usability. Took the vehicle to the Tesla service center twice. However, they said that they have been unable to replicate the steering wheel failure which would be crazy if they could replicate it every time the car is driven. and they have dismissed the slow charging speed as a normal variation and it's not. Disregarding safety!
I picked up my Tesla Model 3 Performance less than a month ago and from day 1 it has been having vibrations from 40mph all the way up to 80-85 mph. I haven't driven it faster than that due to safety concern. I took it to Tesla and they said they needed to balance the wheels (why wasn't that done on a brand new car already?) Anyways, I take the car back and I was still having the same issue. Tesla has now booked another service and said that my Wheels might have been bent by me! The audacity! I gave them a piece of my mind so they will not charge me for service and will inspect my vehicle soon. Meanwhile I have driven the car 2500 miles and the vibrations have not gone away. I know this problem exists in Model S Plaids as well as with some other Model 3 Performance owners as I reached out on the forums. Tesla has given up and accepted that they cannot repair these issues. Lets see what happens with my car. I plan on taking them to the court for lemon law
Car started pulling to the right after leaving the parking lot and vehicle warning stating Steering assist reduced. I pulled over to see the left wheel was turned in while the right wheel was straight ahead. Towed to nearest Tesla service center where they stated the steering rack failed and would require a complete replacement. I was told this was not a warranty issue and I must have hit something. I protested stating there was nothing abnormal about the drive. Took to the nearest certified bodyshop where the steering rack and front control arm were replaced.
I was driving on the HOV lane (going between 65-70 miles mph) with the adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist on when the car suddenly slammed on it’s brakes to stop. There was a slight hump in the highway, but no car or object in front of me in the lane. Thank goodness there were no cars behind me or they could have easily rear ended me. It was extremely scary and now I’m too scared to use these driver assist features moving forward.
- The adaptive cruise control malfunctioned, It sharply braked while no cars in front or arround me was braking.Conditions were clear, no rain/no snow, in the daytime. The windshield was clean, the road was clean as well (on the asphalt with road markers clearly visible). - My safety and the safety of others was put at risk, the braking was realy sharp nothing could have helped me or other users of the road predict that it was going to happen. Someone behind had to slam the brakes to avoid a collision with me. - Nothing was inspected - No warning or symptoms were visible then nor now.
I bought a new Tesla Model 3 in December of 2022. In mid March 2023 we had our first road trip in this vehicle. I had at least 4 major phantom braking incidences while traveling an average of 75 mph on I-80 with the cruise control on. Two were experienced while traveling eastbound in Nebraska and two were while traveling westbound a week later in Wyoming. Each experiece was separated in time by at least two hours. The last one scared me and my wife so much that she won't ride in the Tesla on the freeway until it is fixed. We also had several minor phantom braking experiences which did not alarm us. What happened is that the car slammed on the brakes while going 75 and reduced the speed to about 55 in seconds. It was over before I could react. The tires did not skid and fortunately no one was following us. I fear that if someone was tailgating me that they would have rear ended our car. I had experienced a couple of phantom braking events in Utah in previous months but they weren't severe enough for me to report it.
While traveling with cruise control enabled and not using autopilot, about every 50 miles or so I will encounter a situation where there is no one in front of me and the car with begin rapidly decelerating. I have had several drivers behind me hit their horns in a panic while trying not to hit my car. I am very worried that this issue will cause me to be rear-ended by another driver. This issue is occuring at both highway speeds exceeding 65mph as well as speeds speeds as low as 50 mph. It has happened on multi-lane highways with no other cars around as well as on single lane local roads.
I was on Interstate I5 on March 16th with car cruising on Tesla Auto Pilot Assist. The road was completely clear with nothing ahead of behind me for atleast half a mile. All of a sudden I experienced Sudden Breaking (Phantom Breaking) and broke hard to about 30 MPH before resuming. I was fortunate that there was nothing behind me otherwise I would have been rear ended. The only thing I could see was there as a dip in the roadway and some shadows were falling across the highway. Tesla has no radars and I suspect the camera was fooled by the lighting.
Brand new Tesla Model 3 delivered a week ago. Passenger seat, front inside mounting bolt is not tight. Corner of the seat rail can move up/down 1/8-1/4". Can't tell how well attached it is. Potential safety concern. Passenger side back seat cushion also exhibits up/down movement 1/8-1/4" but likely not a safety issue.
A large portion of the plastic accelerator pedal broke
Driving on interstate using Tesla model 3 autopilot about 75 mph. Road narrowing from 3 to 2 lanes and I was in the merging lane approaching entry to 2 lane road. Cars were to my right, visible, but safely distant. Suddenly, unexpectedly the car started breaking, creating alarm for me, but was able to re-engage the accelerator and safely merged into 2 lane highway. If a car was closely following me, which was not the case, could have resulted in rear end crash. Had used autopilot frequently before this episode and never had this problem, and subsequently autopilot seems to be working properly. Occurred 3/11/2023.
On 3/11/23, around noon time, I drove on I-280 N bound, just past Edgewood Road. It was nice weather, no wind, nothing extra loaded in the car, smooth clean road surface. All of a sudden I saw black pieces flying at my left side of the car through the window, I heard some noise and the car started unbalanced. I pulled the car slowly to the shoulder ... It was a left rear tire blowout! This car was only for 4 months, and drove ~2700 miles. NO warning sign beforehand and no damage on the tire, the rim and the tire cover after carefully examining the Tesla Test Center at 680 El. Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA. Attached are four photos taken on 3/11/23. New tire was replaced on 3/14/23 at SC site, CA. It was charged $441.67 (receipt is not included here)
The undercarriage shield of my car disconnected and started dragging while I was driving in the rain. I did not collide into anything or hit a bump. I inspected my wheel well to discover a set of screws that were bunched up and not installed during manufacturing. I had to pull the shield from under my car so that I can continue to drive the vehicle. the shield is connected to the forward warning and pedestrian warning collision system which became inoperative. The faulty manufacturing that caused the shield to disconnect caused a dangerous condition while operating. After I removed it, a second dangerous condition was created since all of the safety senors were disconnected.
We were driving down the road, emergency braking enabled came on and car came to a complete abrupt start 10ft from railroad tracks and would not do anything. Could not reset it. Nothing.
I experienced unnecessary emergency braking while driving from Chicago to Madison on I-90. I was driving at 75 mph on adaptive cruise control with auto steer on. I suddendly I experience hard braking for no reason. I observed my set speed limit changed to 45 mph. However, I instantaneously took over and pressed accelarator. I experienced the same 2 more times during the same trip. It's created a very dangerous situation.
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3 equipped with Pirelli Tires, Tire line: P Zero, Tire Size: 235/35/R20, DOT Number: (Not available). The contact stated while driving 65 MPH an hour after purchasing the vehicle brand new, the rear passenger's side tire experienced a blowout, and the rim was severely damaged. The vehicle was towed to a Tesla Service Center, where the rear passenger's side wheel and tire were replaced; however, the rear driver's side tire experienced a blowout a week later. The vehicle was towed to the Tesla Service Center. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he would be charged for the repair. The tire was not replaced. The tire and vehicle failure mileage was approximately 80.
Multiple times on the highway the car would slam the brakes for no reason in autopilot mode reducing the speed significantly. In all cases it reduced the speed from around 70 mph to 40 mph. The road was clear with no vehicles in front.
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while at a red light with the autonomous self-driving feature activated, the vehicle in front made a right turn while the light was still red, and the vehicle inadvertently accelerated. The contact depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The failure occurred without warning. Neither the Service Center nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 3,400.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Wiper blades activate for no reason while driving the vehicle in auto pilot. There is no ryme or reason as to when this happens, it just happens randomly at random times for unknown reasons. The most recent incident happened today, but this has been going on since I took ownership of this brand new car in December of 2022. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? When there is salt on the road and there is no moisture hitting the windshield, all this does with the salt is smears your windshield making it very difficult to see out of the windshield. The only way to clear the windshield is to activate the windshield washer fluid. This wouldn't be necessary had the wipers just stayed off in the first place. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The dealer tells me the wipers are working as designed, but can't explain to me why they turn on when there is no moisture hitting the windshield. They can't explain to me why it is happening to my car and not other similar vehicles of the same make/model. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The dealer has looked into this and says it's working as designed. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning lights are or were present during any of these incidents.
WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL TO RIGHT OR LEFT AT LOW SPEEDS, I EXPERIENCED SUDDEN LOSS OF CONTROL, GRINDING, CLUNKY SOUND SUDDEN JERK IN DIRECTION OF THE TURN.
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH another vehicle suddenly entered the lane that the contact was driving on, causing the contact to strike the other vehicle. No air bags deploy, and the brake assist feature failed to activate. There were no reported injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and filed a case. The failure mileage was 8,728.
After backing out of a parking place I could not switch into "drive". The car froze and had to be put into "tow mode" to be pushed aside and later taken to a dealer. Before being collected the car was partially blocking a car park, but there was no other safety risk. Warnings appeared when the event occurred, but not prior to. The rear drive unit was replaced under warranty.
I was driving in rainy weather and my windshield wipers were set to 'Auto' mode. The wipers were functioning correctly until I clicked on a menu item in the car operating system. The operating system became unresponsive to any touches and wipers stopped working at this moment which dropped my visibility to almost 0. I was fortunately not driving on highway when the incident occurred. The operating system rebooted after roughly 20 seconds and the wipers started working again after the reboot completed.
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking and the vehicle stopped abruptly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to accelerate to avoid getting rear ended. The dealer was contacted and admitted knowledge of the failure; however, there was no remedy for the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 2,000.
While exiting a hospital parking deck, after driving for approximately 15 to 20 seconds, the car began to accelerate to an uncontrollable rate of speed on its own. The Tesla crashed into a parked car which was then pushed into two other parked cars. The Tesla and at least the first car hit are totaled. There was no sign of the emergency braking system engaging. Injuries from the airbag deploying were sustained. The driver has a fear to drive again as the car seemed to have a mind of it's own. The Tesla is being held at the insurance company's tow yard. There has been no feedback from the dealer. No inspections have been conducted on the car. There were no indications there was a problem with the vehicle previous to the crash. It is unknown if any warning alert systems activated during the incident.
I was pulling the car in to a parking lot in a mall. I was driving very slow to bring the car to a halt. All of a sudden the car just accelerated and went and hit a pillar right in front of the parking lot. I don't know what caused the vehicle to suddenly accelerate. I am pretty sure I did not step of the gas pedal. I checked the dashcam for recordings but couldn't find any. We have experienced this sudden unintended acceleration before on the road as well. I think I must have engaged auto-pilot or auto-steer by mistake which caused this.
This model has misleading user manual about park assist chime button, park assist front camera on button. Apparently they have removed the ultrasonic sensor and did not enable any user interface to do with Park assist in the control menu. This is misleading safety feature and total lie to the customer. Please flag this as a safety flag so the user will be aware of it. There is no option for the user to enable the front camera for whatever the little useful it can offer. They need to immediately send us the software update to view any camera at will.
Driving west on 1-10 west of TLH vehicle suddenly decelerate if if there was slowed or stopped traffic ahead. I was alone on road.
sudden, abrupt braking on multiple occasions when passing a specific location along NJ Garden State Parkway (near exit 89) while driving on auto pilot.
Back in February my Tesla Model 3 started acting up Emergency Brake was disabled, automatic vehicle hold was disabled, and traction control was disabled all issues I reported to the company app with photo. This problem stated when a software update happened after the Tesla app requested it.
My Tesla Model 3 was delivered on 14 December 2022. I first drove it on 16 December 2022 and that day I had an accident. I was about to park my car and I was already on the designated parking slot when the car made a sudden Un- commanded acceleration. I first hit the handicap sign, but the car did not stop and apparently the collision avoidance safety feature did not work. The continue to accelerate and I hit a restaurant establishment. The police came and I reported the incident to my insurance (Geico). The police (Mr. McClure) gave me the case number 2238293. Geico is taking care of the repair which would cost over $10K and the property damage, which added up to 10K. I went to the Tesla service center in Carlsbad and Mr. Hyuma said that I can request for the log. I guess it is the EDR. They gave me a link to request for the EDR but the start date is 23 January 2023 way after the accident date of 16 December 2022. I have not received any log or EDR from Tesla to date. I am uploading the pictures of the car before the repair. Please help me find out what exactly happened and why the car suddenly accelerated without pressing the gas pedal. I am a retired US Navy (20 years) and I bought a Tesla to save money because i have solar in my house. I have a fixed income and cannot afford to spend money on the EDR. I believe that here is a defect on the Tesla Model 3 that I bought and I will appreciate all the help you can provide.
I took deliver of the Model 3 Performance in late October 2022 and have experienced phantom braking at least a dozen times over the last few months on the highway/interstate when using cruise control and Tesla’s standard autopilot, which keeps the vehicle centered in the lane. The phantom braking has occurred both in times with just the cruise control enabled and also when both cruise and autopilot have been enabled. The vehicle has slowed from 70 to 60 and even 50 miles per hour very quickly when there was no object nearby that would cause a collision. This is both frightening and upsetting, as such sudden braking could cause an accident, especially with any car following me from behind. I am fearful to use the cruise or autopilot as a result of this defect.
The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds with the Adaptive Cruise Control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking on two separate occasions upon approach of an overpass. The contact also stated that an audible alert tone was coming from the vehicle during the failures. Neither the Service Center nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 865.
Car accelerated by itself. Approximately 4:30pm december 3. I just exited freeway and pulled my foot off the pedal and it started to decelerate then there was a chime sound and the car suddenly shot forward. I slammed the brakes as quick as i could. Luckily no one was around. The driving conditions were terrible, it was raining hard and cold. I also just cancelled autopilot by signalling right before exiting. This happened just after updating to a new update 2022.40.4.2
I was pulling into a park spot , coming to a stop and the car within seconds accelerated into a building. There was no warning at all. Also, after the collision a warning popped on the screen saying that the emergency break was disabled. This was the first time seeing this alert, and I did not disable anything. I picked up the car on 11/28.
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.
I was driving a turn on a major intersection Stirling and I-95 Holly wood Florida to the on ramp to enter I-95 southbound when my car began shaking violently during the turn and completely shut down. The car was dead and I could not go forward or reverse. The center information panel was still lit up but the car would not move in any direction. I was blocking two lanes of the major intersection for about an hour till 2 Road Rangers arrived and dragged my car off the road. If I had made it around the turn and this catastrophic shut down occurred when I was on I-95 I could have experience severe injury or loss of life if I was struck by traffic on the highway. The car was brand new with 108 miles on it at the time. I purchased the car on 11/20/22 and the shutdown occurred on 11/23/22 after only 3 days of driving it. This Tesla Model 3 was very unsafe and the cause of what happened to me should be investigated so other people do not get injured or lose their life.
My Tesla Model 3 was delivered with the rear attachment bolts missing for both front seat rails. The rear seat rail end will lift up at least an inch when the seat is pushed gently from behind.
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.
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.
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.
This model doesn't have parking assist, so every time I park there is a danger of collision. All modern cars have parking assist. Tesla promised in Nov 2022 that software update enabling parking assist will be available within "next couple of weeks". 3 months passd since then and there is still no parking asist.
2023 TESLA MODEL 3 -The attached letters are for a Defect Petition. January 8, 2021, NHTSA denied a defect petition alleging 232 complaints of sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) in Tesla vehicles. Petitioner has sent updates which include a detail abstract with design details, along with 3 Defect Petition to Recall docs.