What breaks most · 2018 to 2019 model years
Tesla Model 3 problems by year
Owners have filed 58 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Tesla Model 3 across model years 2018 to 2019. Two years stand out: 2018 for body and structure complaints and 2019.
- Years to check closely: 2018, 2019
- Complaints on file
- 582018 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 201855 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 171 fires · 8 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 3kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 41Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 16 | 19 | Body and structure (11) | |
| 3 | 1 | 22 | Unknown or other (3) |
What fails on the 2018 Tesla Model 3
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 20% |
11 | 4 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2018 Tesla Model 3 |
| Unknown or other | 20% |
11 | 4 | — |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 18% |
10 | 5 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 13% |
7 | 5 | Shop brakes parts for the 2018 Tesla Model 3 |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 11% |
6 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 2018 Tesla Model 3 |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 11% |
6 | 1 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 9% |
5 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 9% |
5 | 4 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
I turned into my driveway and was going to pull into my garage to park the car, when the car accelerated suddenly and violently and crashed into the front stone wall of our house. The stone wall is damaged and the front right side of the tesla has significant damages.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Tesla Model 3 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2018, 2019 carry the most filings on the Tesla Model 3. The 2018 alone has 55 complaints, led by body and structure.
What is the most common Tesla Model 3 problem?
On the 2018 model year, the most-reported component is body and structure with 11 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Tesla Model 3 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Tesla Model 3 complaints that include mileage is about 3,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.