Complaint volume
982 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Tesla Model 3 Complaints
982 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Tesla Model 3, grouped by component category.
982 Total complaints
100 Crash reports
4 Fire reports
34 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are suspension, unknown or other, forward collision avoidance. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 100 crash reports, 4 fire reports, 34 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 219 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 25,782 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to suspension, unknown or other, forward collision avoidance?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Tesla Model 3?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Tesla Model 3
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Tesla Model 3 complaints?
100 Crash
4 Fire
34 Injury
0 Fatality
63 Towed
19 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Tesla Model 3 complaint categories?
SUSPENSION 115
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 82
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 73
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 49
AIR BAGS 42
SEAT BELTS 39
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 34
STRUCTURE 27
STEERING 26
AIR BAGS,SEATS 20
982 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2024 | AIR BAGS,SEATS | Received an alert about front seat safety restraint system fault. Decided to see what was needed for the fix and address my other trunk harness recall. Received invoice stating the airbag needed to be replaced along with $1900 quote. Knowing this info, if this doesn’t get fix the safety of my passengers are at risk so now I definitely can’t have any passengers. Not sure how I should be responsible for a safety seat airbag sensor defect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle independently accelerated with an unknown message displayed on the Phone APP but not on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that a screw had detached from the undercarriage which resulted in an abnormal, squeaking noise coming from the vehicle while driving at various speeds. Additionally, the contact also stated that the automatic walk-away lock feature intermittently failed to operate as needed; as a result, the vehicle remained unlocked while away from the vehicle. The vehicle had been taken to a Service Center for repair; however, the failures persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Autopilot FSD 12.3.6 in Ohio is interpreting state route signs as speed limit signs. In Milford Ohio, the speed limit is 25mph. While traveling on [XXX] each state route sign had the max speed jump to 50mph. Then back to 25 at the next actual speed limit sign. An [XXX] sign was interpreted as 20mph. Errors is speed are dangerous in either the car going too fast or risking a rear end collision by incorrectly slowing down. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | Drivers door opens at. random | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,SEATS | My 2018 Model 3 started giving me the error "RCM_a056_passengerFrontOCS" today. This is caused by a faulty passenger occupancy weight sensor. This has been an ongoing issue in these models evidenced by SB-23-20-002 being revised 6 times. Tesla has resisted fixing this safety issue because the air bag also needs to be replaced to maintain compatibility with the redesigned Occupant Classification System (OCS) weight sensor evidenced in Tesla SB-23-20-001. Tesla has redesigned the known bad sensor part no. part 1121234-70-B with an updated part no. 099592-00-F which is only compatible with an updated airbag. The OCS weight sensor was defective from the point of manufacture. The RCM_a056 error only appeared after applying the latest firmware update that addresses NHTSA recall 24V-376. The firmware update made the firmware more sensitive to analog sensor readings which revealed the originally defective OCS weight sensor triggering the error message. Nearly half of the recent NHTSA complaints for this model involve this exact issue. This OCS hardware sensor was always defective and poses an ongoing safety concern. The defective system never should have been approved as it did not function as intended originally. The NHTSA must issue a new recall that covers the defective hardware instead of just the software as in NHTSA recall 24V-376. Without corrected hardware the OCS system will not work as intended which is allowing the airbags to prevent injury and death in the event of collision. [XXX] TeslaSB-23-20-002Replace Occupant Classification System (OCS) of Front Passenger Seat while Servicing Subcomponents TeslaSB-23-20-002 R1 TeslaSB-23-20-002 R2 TeslaSB-23-20-002 R4 TeslaSB-23-20-002 R5 TeslaSB-23-20-002 R6 TeslaSB-23-20-001Update Front Passenger Airbag to Maintain Compatibility While Servicing Front SB Passenger Seat [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | AIR BAGS,SEATS | The car issued me a "front left safety restraint system fault" saying service is required. The code it flashed was RCM_a021. I am able to get the code to go away by adjusting the seat, however, if i shift my weight or i hit a bump in the road, the warning will appear once again. This leads me to believe that there is a component in the seat that is defective. I took vehicle to the Tesla service center where they found a "broken wire in the pretensioner connector" and they replaced the wiring harness. Upon doing investigation it appears that there are multiple components that are used to determine the firing intensity of the airbags should they go off. If either are damaged the airbags will not fire correctly. Some of these components can be easily damaged due to the seats constant back/forth motion if the easy entry mode is enabled on the car. As the car was outside the warranty period, Tesla refused to cover the costs for repair even though there was a TSB (technical service bulletin) already out on this same issue (reference SB-21-17-005). Total cost for repair including parts, labor and tax was $631.10. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault. From Invoice: Tesla to Replace Front Passenger Airbag And Update Vehicle Configuration Passenger Airbag error malfunction!!! Passenger Airbag Harness Malfunction!!! Correction: Retrofit SBR in OCS Equipped Front Passenger Seat - Remove and Replace Seatbelt issue!!! FIRST ROW SEAT HARNESS ASSEMBLY - RIGHT HAND FIRST ROW - SEAT BELT REMINDER SENSOR BOX CLIP FIRST ROW OCCUPANCY SENSOR Giving an error and now they are charging me to fix this defect in my Tesla Model 3 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | My car started giving me an alert for a "Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault". There has been no accident to cause an issue. I'm being told by the service center that it is a known occurrence and certain models/years, require a new safety vent type front passenger airbag to maintain compatibility between the front passenger seat and the front passenger airbag. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | STEERING | Without warning, it became extremely difficult to turn the wheel while I was driving. An alert simultaneously appeared stating that steering assist was reduced. I was able to park the car, with difficulty, and then updated the software. The warning disappeared and the steering seemed to work again. Tesla recommended a remote visit only since the car didn’t appear to have any current warnings, however I requested an in-person evaluation. It was determined that the car had a faulty steering rack. They stated that this did not appear to be from damage, and instead an internal fault. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | SUSPENSION | The first time was rattling and squeaking from front driver's side wheel. It got progressively worse so I took it in and they replaced the control arms. About 10 months later the rattling is back. This time Tesla says it's a different problem. I need to replace the lateral links, the compliance links and get a wheel alignment. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1. There is an open recall since Dec 2021 (21V-00D) which Tesla has still not fixed! 2. The automatic wiper system on the car is unsafe as it takes a long time to activate when its raining, and sometimes it activates without any rain! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I may have figured out the common link between Tesla Autopilot crashes. Distracted operators have the accelerator pressed while the TACC is engaged, thinking (for many reasons) that the vehicle will stop if there are any obstacles in front of them. However, when the accelerator is being pressed, the vehicle will not stop. It will happily run into a wall. One second before impact, the forward collision warning turns on, followed by the ABS and the slamming of the brakes, but by then it's too late for a distracted driver. The raw Tesla "Vehicle Data" on Column D, shows "Accelerator Pedal Position (%)." I strongly encourage you to take a look at the data for the autopilot crashes and review this column to see how many had the accelerator pressed until 1 second before the accident, even if the autopilot was engaged. The 4/25/24 update to Investigation EA22002 states that in 82% of the crashes, the operator did not apply the brake until <1 second prior to impact. Tesla's Director of Autopilot Software Ashok Elluswamy also made a claim that the vehicle can switch pedals if the accelerator is pressed instead of the brake, and that technology saves 40,000 crashes per year: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that the chrome trim became loose on all four doors, which caused injuries to the contact and daughter while opening the doors. The vehicle was diagnosed by an onboard App, that determined that all four door handles needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that it was a known issue since the manufacturer had changed the chrome trim for the newer model vehicles. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and informed the contact that he had to pay out of pocket for the repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 30,000 |
| May 2024 | SEAT BELTS,SEATS | Keep getting a safety restraint system fault error displayed and the estimate is more than $2000.This error just came out of the blue and I am not sure if the vehicle is safe to operate. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | AIR BAGS | I'm receiving an error "Front Passenger Restraint System Fault". According to online forums, this issue is PREVALENT amongst many Tesla vehicles. This seems like a serious defect that Tesla should be responsible for fixing. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The buttons in the interior seem to be degrading much quicker than it should be. The window levers become lose and can break off. This is a safety hazard as in not able to raise the window if it allows to lower it. One has to park in order to raise windows in the mobile application. The plastics are breaking too quickly. There is also an issue with levers for the seat adjusting. Also, when canceling service requests in their application, Tesla deletes or hides them without an ability to see what was written to show proof later of their faults. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | AIR BAGS | Safety Restraint System fault warning, passenger airbag off on display. 1) 4/10/24 Dealer replaced Occupant Classification System components for front passenger seat for $184.26. Dealer assured issue being resolved. 2) 5/5/24 Same fault warning, passenger airbag off on display reappeared for 2nd time and dealer replaced front passenger airbag for $1089.18. Dealer assured issue being resolved. 3) 5/10/24 Same fault warning, passenger airbag off on display again reappeared for 3rd time and dealer is now proposing to replaced front passenger seat back and seat cushions for $1248.07. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | AIR BAGS | The vehicle showed an alert "Front passenger safety restraint system fault/Service is required". The vehicle never had an accident, nor abnormal usage, which may have caused this system fault. The manufacturer's service department gave a repair plan including an air-bag replacement at the owner's cost. It is not fair to force vehicle owners to be responsible for the cost to repair the manufacturer's safety system problem. The repair should be done under a safety recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The rear-passenger door handle decorative chrome came detached in a strip from the middle of the underlying stronger material. It was *SHARP* and cut my wife's hand. Web searches showed others with the same issue, even one reporting being cut by it. Tesla said it was not a warranty item and cars break but did say it was odd to see it break in the way it did. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STEERING,SUSPENSION | My car began making a loud creaking noise that was palpable in the gas pedal on turns, especially when turning into an incline. I requested service from tesla who gave me an appointment approximately a month after my request. The noise grew louder and more frequent so I messaged service again to make sure the car was safe to drive and see if an earlier time was available. They replied that yes it was safe and no there was no earlier time. Soon thereafter I pulled into a parking spot and heard a very loud noise from the front left and got out to find the left front wheel bent inward and support components hanging from the bottom of the car in contact with the pavement. Per Tesla service's report, "front suspension damage and driver side front finder damage...left front strut damage, front sub-frame assembly damage, lower lateral links damage, aero shield is damaged, and both front lateral and compliance link brushings torn." Recommend to replace front suspension lower lateral and compliance links, both front upper control arms, left front strut, front sub-frame assembly and perform four wheel alignment. Steering rack feels harder than normal while turning on the lift. Recommend to replace steering rack assembly" The technician stated that this appeared to be due to "collision damage". The car was hit while parked a year ago, but a Tesla-authorized collision repair facility did not identify damage to any of these components at the time of repair. The quote for repair currently is $7374.47. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEATS | While driving normally, an error warning was received that stated "Front Left Safety Restraint System Error" and the icon for an airbag fault would come in simultaneously. This error would disappear and reappear, sometimes up to 10 times per minute, creating a driver distraction due to the loud error chime. The error code identified for the fault when checked on the Tesla service screen corresponded to pretensioner wire harness. The pretensioner harness connects the seat sensors for driver weight and positioning to the car's airbag control system, which then classifies passengers and ensures that the airbags fire correctly in the event of a collision. For example, if a smaller female driver was operating the car but was incorrectly classified as male, the airbag could fire with excessive force and cause injury. The set of symptoms occurs commonly in Tesla Model 3s and are caused by the wear over time of a poorly designed wiring harness, which chafes as the seat is moved forward and backward until it breaks. This is a known problem by Tesla and they have a specific service bulletin designed to address it, which I have attached below. When taken in to address the issue, Tesla performed the procedure in the attached bulletin and identified a damaged harness, which was subsequently replaced. I retained the damaged harness for inspection. The invoice for this service is attached. No other defects were identified that could have caused the issue. This is a safety related issue occurring due to a manufacturing related defect and should be a mandatory recall with complimentary repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal grinding sound emanating from the front driver's side of the vehicle, after which he became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring that the steering wheel be manually returned to center. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 43,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 43,000 |
| May 2024 | STEERING | Power Steering stopped working suddenly while driving. This was a OEM part replaced on 2021 Aug 30. The car was unable to be controlled and luckily I was driving at slow speed when I realized this issue. This issue happened without any warning and there should be monitoring if this fails and warn the customer to take necessary precautions. Also wondering if the warranty of 1 year for a part like this is sufficient and customer to bear 2750$ cost to replace is a big burden to an average consumer especially if not his fault. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I engaged the vehicle's automatic parking function when prompted by the car. The process initiated as expected, and the car began to back into an open spot. In the process of parking, the automated system steered into a curb, damaging the left front wheel in the process. As an aside, the list of "Problem Parts" above should include "autonomous driving system". | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | AIR BAGS,SEATS | Passenger Airbag and seat are faulty. Received error message on my car “front passenger safety restraint system faulty”. Tesla is wanting to replace the airbag and passenger seat and seat belt and it will cost few thousands dollars. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |