2025 TESLA MODEL 3 — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 112 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE (21 complaints · 18.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 24
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 7
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2024 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE appears in 21 of 112 owner complaints (18.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: 21 complaints, 18.8% of reports FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 21 · 18.8% · 5 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 12 complaints, 10.7% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12 · 10.7% · 5 crash reports STEERING: 12 complaints, 10.7% of reports STEERING 12 · 10.7% · 2 crash reports LANE DEPARTURE: 11 complaints, 9.8% of reports LANE DEPARTURE 11 · 9.8% · 3 crash reports BACK OVER PREVENTION: 5 complaints, 4.5% of reports BACK OVER PREVENTION 5 · 4.5% · 3 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 5 complaints, 4.5% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5 · 4.5% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 4 complaints, 3.6% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 · 3.6% · 1 crash reports STRUCTURE: 3 complaints, 2.7% of reports STRUCTURE 3 · 2.7% · 1 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 2 complaints, 1.8% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 2 · 1.8% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 76 complaints, 67.9% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 76 · 67.9% · 15 crash reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 21 18.8% 5 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12 10.7% 5 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 12 10.7% 2 crashes · 0 fires
LANE DEPARTURE 11 9.8% 3 crashes · 0 fires
BACK OVER PREVENTION 5 4.5% 3 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5 4.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 3.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 3 2.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 2 1.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 76 67.9% 15 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2024; the first recall shown was reported in Dec 2024. 2024-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2025-Q2: 18 owner reports 18 2025-Q3: 23 owner reports 23 2025-Q4: 27 owner reports 27 2026-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2026-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2026-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 Owner reports Oct 2024 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 24V935000 ◆ Recall campaign 24V935000 Recall campaign 25V002000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V002000 Recall campaign 25V690000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V690000 Investigation PE24033 ● Investigation PE24033 Investigation AQ25002 ● Investigation AQ25002 Investigation PE25012 ● Investigation PE25012 Investigation EA26002 ● Investigation EA26002
  • Campaign 25V690000 was reported 297 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2024-Q4 Owner reports 3
2025-Q1 Owner reports 12
2025-Q2 Owner reports 18
2025-Q3 Owner reports 23
2025-Q4 Owner reports 27
2026-Q1 Owner reports 10
2026-Q2 Owner reports 11
2026-Q3 Owner reports 8
Recall campaign 1 24V935000
Recall campaign 1 25V002000
Recall campaign 1 25V690000
Defect investigation 1 PE24033
Defect investigation 1 AQ25002
Defect investigation 1 PE25012
Defect investigation 1 EA26002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 24V935000

    Report date
    Component:
    TIRES
    Consequence:
    Driving with improperly inflated tires increases the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 15, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-018.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V002000

    Report date
    Component:
    BACK OVER PREVENTION
    Consequence:
    A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Tesla will also identify any vehicles that experienced a circuit board failure, or stress that may lead to a circuit board failure, and replace the affected computers, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 7, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-00-001.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V690000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Tesla Service will replace the battery pack contactors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-16-005.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-22
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 112 complaints · page 1 of 5

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-22.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources