2023 Tesla Model 3

427 complaints on file, page 1 of 22.

1. Filed Sep 29, 2026Failure Sep 29, 2026Anderson, SCVehicle speed control

   Tesla has done away with a set maximum speed control when on FSD and uses speed profiles. These profiles can have the car speed at huge differences from the actual speed limit. Tesla previously gave the driver the option to control the maximum speed but eliminated it with version 14 FSD software.

   NHTSA complaint 11767747
2. Filed Sep 25, 2026Failure Sep 23, 2026Sacramento, CAAdaptive cruise control, Unknown or other

   On September 23 2026 at night I was driving my car under FSD and am in full control of vehicle my car is on speed of 54-55mph and in the middle of the road without any obstacle present on the road the car did the super ghost breaking and my car stopped 100% with the screen turning red with a warning of collision w am thankful to god that no one is coming from behind otherwise it might be loss of lid or serious medical emergency . We are aware and keeping on checking the surroundings but it’s very hard or nearly impossible to go to 50 mph from 0 mph in 0 seconds.

   NHTSA complaint 11766979
3. Filed Sep 24, 2026Failure Sep 20, 2026Collegeville, PA 19426, PAAdaptive cruise control, Automatic emergency braking, Unknown or other1 injured

   On September 20, 2026, at approximately 10:26 AM EDT, I was driving my Tesla on ON I-76 E MM 332.4 with Full Self-Driving (Supervised) engaged. It was raining, the pavement was wet, and there was heavy road spray. The vehicle's front dashcam recording, time-stamped "Sep 20, 2026, 10:26:02 AM," shows the car traveling in the right lane at about 55-56 mph with the on-screen indicator reading "Self Driving." The vehicle then steered to the right, out of its lane, toward the concrete barrier and roadside embankment. The "Self Driving" indicator disappears about half a second before the vehicle leaves the lane, at about 54 mph. I did not steer or brake before the vehicle left the lane. The vehicle then lost stability, spun across the roadway, and slowed from about 53 mph to nearly a stop, facing against the direction of traffic. While facing oncoming traffic, it was struck by an oncoming white sedan, which sustained front-end damage my car had been declared a total loss. I believe the Full Self-Driving system failed to keep the vehicle in its lane in rain and gave too little or no warning before handing control back to me, leaving no reasonable time to recover. I have kept the original dashcam footage and have sent Tesla a written request to preserve and release all vehicle data for this event, including FSD engagement and disengagement logs, driver-input data, and stability control data. I can provide the footage and any records Tesla releases to NHTSA on request.

   NHTSA complaint 11766760
4. Filed Sep 16, 2026Failure Aug 30, 2026Creswell, ORWheels

   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

   NHTSA complaint 11764595
5. Filed Sep 15, 2026Failure Sep 15, 2026Borrego, CASteering

   Steering becomes very stiff or notchy where you have to pull it out of position or correct it constantly. Doesn't want to return to center! When you stop it returns to normal feeling then as soon as you get up to speed it becomes stiff again.

   NHTSA complaint 11764562
6. Filed Sep 14, 2026Failure Sep 14, 2026Louisville, KYWarnings, Adaptive cruise control

   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.

   NHTSA complaint 11764243
7. Filed Sep 14, 2026Failure Mar 5, 2026Colorado Springs, COWarnings, Power train, Service brakesCrash

   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.

   NHTSA complaint 11764076
8. Filed Sep 10, 2026Failure Sep 9, 2026San Jose, CASuspension

   I am filing an official safety complaint regarding a severe, premature failure of the front lower suspension system on my 2023 Tesla Model 3. While operating the vehicle, the front lower compliance links (Part numbers: 2188359-10-B, 2188354-10-B) and the lower lateral links (Part number: 1044341-00-G) suffered critical mechanical bushing degradation and structural wear, rendering the front suspension unsafe and compromised.This mechanical breakdown occurred at only 63,584 miles on a three-year-old vehicle under completely normal, standard highway and suburban driving conditions. There has been absolutely no external impact, wheel strike, curb strike, or collision to explain a simultaneous, symmetrical breakdown of multiple heavy suspension components on both the left and right sides of the vehicle. My tires show zero sidewall damage and the wheels have no structural bends, proving the issue is an inherent component lifecycle defect rather than a road hazard.This issue directly correlates with NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE26006, which investigates nearly 1.2 million Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles for front lower lateral and compliance link failures. When seeking service, Tesla Service Center personnel attempted to classify this wear due to structural degradation but deny warranty or goodwill coverage. This component vulnerability represents an acute safety risk, as a total failure or detachment of these specific lower links while traveling at high speeds could cause a catastrophic, immediate loss of steering control. I request that the NHTSA include this vehicle in its ongoing investigation to push for a mandatory safety recall.

   NHTSA complaint 11763517
9. Filed Sep 9, 2026Failure Sep 9, 2026Oklahoma City, OKSteering

   OKC Tesla Service Center replaced the steering wheel due to delamination over the weekend. The car was dropped off on Friday the 4th of September 2026. I picked the car up on Monday the 7th. On Wednesday the 9th after getting on the highway and getting up to speed the steering wheel came out of the steering column and was physically disconnected from the car. I was able to temporarily get it back into place enough to get the car to a save location to be towed.

   NHTSA complaint 11763241
10. Filed Sep 9, 2026Failure Sep 9, 2026Atlanta, GAAutomatic emergency braking, Service brakes

    I was driving with plenty of distance between me and the car in front of me. The car in front of me had stopped and the Automatic Emergency Braking System on my car went on. Thankfully, there was no car behind me, otherwise, I would have been hit. The sudden stopping has caused me significant lower back pain.

    NHTSA complaint 11762969
11. Filed Aug 27, 2026Failure Aug 22, 2026Statesboro, GAAdaptive cruise control, Service brakes, Vehicle speed control

    On XXX at around 3:30 PM EST, I was driving my 2023 Tesla Model 3 on [XXX] about 10 miles outside of [XXX]. I had the adaptive cruise control set at 75 mph. I was driving in the right lane of the two available lanes of travel in that direction. I noticed an unattended car on the right shoulder about a 1/4 mile up the road and continued my drive as normal. The car was at least 5' to 6' off the highway. As i got about 30 yards from the car, my car suddenly slammed on the brakes automatically, which forced me to react in a corrective manner. Thankfully there was nobody behind me or the severity of the braking would have likely caused a rear end collision. To my understanding, this phantom braking is a known issue with Teslas, so I wanted to document my experience to add to the record. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

    NHTSA complaint 11759922
12. Filed Aug 24, 2026Failure Aug 24, 2026Valley Village, CAAdaptive cruise controlCrash

    On 8/24/2026 at approximately 12:02pm, my 2023 Model 3 was parked in my assigned space in a covered apartment carport, with a concrete support pillar approximately one to two feet from the passenger side. I entered a destination and activated FSD (Supervised) from Park, a Tesla-designed feature. Vehicle telemetry recorded in the dashcam clips shows FSD shifted into Drive, activated the right turn signal, turned the steering wheel to near full right lock, and accelerated to 3 mph, contacting the pillar with the passenger mirror and front door approximately 1.5 seconds after first movement. No accelerator or brake input was recorded from me before the collision. I applied the brake within one second of the impact beginning, and FSD disengaged. The pillar was within view of the vehicle's side cameras throughout. No warning was given. Damage to the passenger door; no injuries. Dashcam video with telemetry overlay and photos available.

    NHTSA complaint 11759274
13. Filed Aug 11, 2026Failure Aug 9, 2026Pikesville, MDUnknown or other

    I am writing to report several safety incidents that occurred while using Full Self-Driving (FSD) mode on my 2023 Model 3. Below are the details of the specific behaviors observed: - Right turn on red almost crashed into an oncoming car from the left - Hard emergency brake due to a bird that was in the opposite lane - Additional emergency brake around 10 seconds later for no reason - Running a red light by more than a second

    NHTSA complaint 11756205
14. Filed Aug 9, 2026Failure Jul 10, 2026Washington, UTAdaptive cruise control

    Two separate incidents occurred on July 10th and July 12th 2026 involving adaptive cruise control. While adaptive cruise control was engaged my car slammed on the brakes for no reason. There was nothing in the roadway to cause abrupt braking. The second time it occurred my car was close to being rear ended by a vehicle driving behind me. I took the car which is still under warranty to Tesla who confirmed there is a known firmware issue. No time frame was provided as to when the issue will be fixed.

    NHTSA complaint 11755758
15. Filed Aug 4, 2026Failure Aug 4, 2026Roscoe, ILAdaptive cruise control, Vehicle speed control

    Whilst driving on highways which feature multiple speed limits - eg. 70 cars, 65 Trucks, 60 Buses. If full self driving more or when in adaptive cruise control - the car systems fail to recognize the restriction linked to the lower speed limits. As a result, you can be driving on Full Self Drive at 75mpm, the car sees a 65 followed by a 60 speed limit (neither applicable to cars), but the car brakes hard dropping the speed from 75 to 62 almost instantly and, on more than one occasion, a closely following car has almost collided with me. Until such time as the Tesla system can recognize the 'sub text' on a speed limit - the FSD and Adaptive cruise should not be certified. I also drive a BMW i4 and this reads all signs correctly, only applying those applicable to a car to the vehicle.

    NHTSA complaint 11754804
16. Filed Jul 16, 2026Failure Nov 18, 2024Williams, INSteering

    The steering rack in my 2023 Tesla Model 3 is defective and I can show it for inspection. 1.5 years ago it failed and the torque sensor in the rack is showing that there is a constant demand (even when parked and my hands off the wheel) to turn the wheel to the right that you can see in the cars diagnostics menu. I took it in and showed the service advisor the raw data and took a drive with the tech who both acknowledged the data and the car wanting to drive off the road. They did an alignment on the car but the issue still persists even after I told them the night I drove it home in their survey. I live on very narrow country roads with little run off room and often times less than foot between cars as they pass. Several times I would get the 'corrective steering applied' warning as the car falsely thinking I was turning to drive off the road on the right and applied steering to pull the car left. A few of these times it was right as a oncoming car was approaching almost causing me to run into other cars multiple times because you have to get close to the edge of the road to make room for other cars to pass. I took it to a independent service center who confirmed that the steering rack torque sensor is at fault. I took it back again this week, showing them that the car is turning to the right 30-45% easier than to the left and they did another alignment with the same exact outcome. The car wants to drive right off the road.

    NHTSA complaint 11750955
17. Filed Jul 9, 2026Failure Jul 8, 2026San Jose, CAUnknown or other

    i was using FSD and my vehicle braked suddenly, with nothing in front of me, on the highway going over 50mph with a car close behind. the car to my right was swerving into my lane, so it was trying to help, but my vehicle should have veered left - not brake hard in the fast lane.

    NHTSA complaint 11749288
18. Filed Jul 7, 2026Failure Jul 5, 2026Surprise, AZBody1 injured

    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.

    NHTSA complaint 11748682
19. Filed Jun 28, 2026Failure May 7, 2026Fair oaks, CAAdaptive cruise control

    My 2023 Tesla Model 3 (VIN [XXX]) has a recurring safety defect in its driver-assistance system involving two unsafe behaviors. First, “phantom braking”: while driving with Autopilot/FSD engaged, the vehicle decelerates suddenly and without warning when there is no obstacle or threat in its path, creating a rear-end collision risk. This was first reported within the vehicle’s warranty period and has recurred. Second, on the most recent occurrence, with a Tesla service technician riding along to witness the issue, Full Self Driving (Supervised) failed to proceed safely through the intersection of [XXX] and [XXX]. The vehicle stopped mid-turn while another vehicle approached from the opposite direction. I had to take manual control to complete the turn and avoid a hazard. The Tesla technician witnessed this directly, and the service summary states FSD “did not proceed through the intersection properly.” The vehicle has been to a Tesla service center twice for this defect. It has not been resolved. The behavior occurs without warning and is unpredictable. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

    NHTSA complaint 11747048
20. Filed Jun 26, 2026Failure Jun 26, 2026Menlo Park, CAWarnings, Unknown or other

    I was driving today in California, to TopGolf. I had to cross a railway crossing around [XXX] I think, or [XXX] - one of those 2, between [XXX] and [XXX] pm.. I was using Tesla's FSD driving to go on a local road. I was not distracted or occupied - the vehicle was going at a fairly high speed like maybe 35 or so, and in a couple of seconds, it broke the red and white safety gate at a railway crossing, inspite of it being down and the train being on the tracks - I WAS IN SHOCK. The car completely missed the red and white gate, and just blew past it, damaging my windshield completely to smithereens and throwing glass all over the car. I was in such SHOCK and TRAUMA that I literaly wanted to exit the car and sit down somewhere, but i gathered my composure and drove quickly to the nearest safest place I could stop, and got into some office parking garage. I then called the cops and reported it. This was such a shock, and thank the Almighty God that I wasnt hurt and that the train didn't just hit me. This HAS to be recalled, and there is no way this should be allowed on the roads. I used FSD a Lot and i will never use it again. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

    NHTSA complaint 11746850