What breaks most · 2017 to 2026 model years
Tesla Model 3 problems by year
Owners have filed 4,277 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Tesla Model 3 across model years 2017 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2018 for forward collision system complaints, 2022 for forward collision system complaints and 2021 for forward collision system complaints. The quietest years are 2017, 2024 and 2023.
- Years to check closely: 2018, 2022, 2021
- Fewest complaints: 2017, 2024, 2023
- Complaints on file
- 42772017 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 20181010 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 43922 fires · 244 injuries · 16 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 13kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 139Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | 16 | Forward collision system (8) | |
| 1010 | 101 | 19 | Forward collision system (202) | |
| 609 | 58 | 22 | Forward collision system (169) | |
| 447 | 53 | 21 | Forward collision system (156) | |
| 657 | 45 | 22 | Forward collision system (406) | |
| 763 | 53 | 18 | Forward collision system (532) | |
| 417 | 71 | 12 | Forward collision system (174) | |
| 216 | 25 | 5 | Unknown or other (70) | |
| 113 | 24 | 3 | Unknown or other (35) | |
| 19 | 8 | 1 | Unknown or other (7) |
What fails on the 2018 Tesla Model 3
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward collision systemRadar and camera sensors | 20% |
202 | 25 | Shop all forward collision system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 18% |
180 | 11 | Shop suspension parts for the 2018 Tesla Model 3 |
| Unknown or other | 17% |
172 | 21 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 17% |
167 | 14 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 14% |
139 | 15 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Seat belts | 10% |
102 | 1 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 9% |
89 | 30 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 9% |
88 | 19 | Shop brakes parts for the 2018 Tesla Model 3 |
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.
-
It showed message that emergency brakes not available. It was related to wire hardness inside the trunk lid. I had to get it replaced. Tesla did not cover it.
-
Tesla’s full self driving did not react to emergency vehicles approaching from behind.. vehicle was a police cruiser emergency lights, and sirens were active on freeway.
-
I was driving my car on full self driving. I press the brake to stop full self driving the car immediately accelerated and caused a crash.
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 6, 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, 2022, 2021 carry the most filings on the Tesla Model 3. The 2018 alone has 1010 complaints, led by forward collision system.
What is the most common Tesla Model 3 problem?
On the 2018 model year, the most-reported component is forward collision system with 202 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 13,000 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.