Complaint volume
592 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
2019 Tesla Model 3 Complaints
592 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2019 Tesla Model 3, grouped by component category.
592 Total complaints
58 Crash reports
5 Fire reports
19 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 forward collision avoidance, suspension, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 58 crash reports, 5 fire reports, 19 injury reports, and 3 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 134 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 21,753 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to forward collision avoidance, suspension, unknown or other?
- 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 2019 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.
2019 Tesla Model 3
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2019 Tesla Model 3 complaints?
58 Crash
5 Fire
19 Injury
3 Fatality
47 Towed
15 Medical attention
What are the most common 2019 Tesla Model 3 complaint categories?
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 64
SUSPENSION 53
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 35
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE 26
LANE DEPARTURE 26
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24
AIR BAGS 20
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 18
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,SEATS 17
STEERING 17
592 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | TIRES | Continental 235/40/r19 This is what I sent to Consumer Affair website: My personal experience reflects exactly the same as the poor rating of this brand. Tire has separation at 32k miles on the Tesla 3. I first noticed a thumb thumb sound. I ignored but it got worse then the vibration inside cabin started to occur. I pulled the tire off and inspected. My God i have a tire separation with steel wire sticking out and a big hump. I got mad after i found out that Tesla wants nothing to do with it (heck they don't even a have no. to call for an expensive car, shame on you Tesla) and Continental does not have a warranty. Spending time searching for another tire to buy i find out it is expensive for EV tire. I was frustrated and angry that i have to deal with a defective tire with no warranty from Tesla and Continental for low miles (plenty of thread left on tire). I decided to call Continental. The experience was horrible with them hung up on me and a run around. They told me to take to Discount tire to have it inspect. Dt agreed tire is defective and expect me to pay $250 with pro rate covered by Continental. I already found the same tire for $225 so i tell D.t take a hike. I called Continental back and [XXX] broke loose. I got a lot of run around, hung up with the rep. then manager and they won't do the tire pro rate more than 30%. I got fed up with lot of cussing I went back to D.Tire and settled with another Continental tire that is cheaper. I was pushing my luck driving with the tire that will blow anytime. The [XXX] Tesla does not have a spare tire on an expensive car (shame on you Tesla). I had no choice to replace a tire out of my pocket of $150 for the same brand as that is the only one with similar thread pattern very reluctantly as I had NO other choice or take a risk driving and NO spare tire. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at 55 MPH, the steering wheel seized and made it difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 93,000 |
| May 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY,BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V00D000 (Electrical System, Visibility, Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The following recalls have been pending on my vehicle: 23V-838; TC2023-657, 24V-051 Tesla is unable to push over-the-air (OTA) updates to my vehicle to remedy these recalls due to an issue with the onboard computer being unable to receive updates. This issue arose when Tesla pushed a software/firmware update to my vehicle which effectively "bricked" the Advanced Drive System portion of the computer. In other words, I am unable to safely receive an update to resolve the issues (solved by the recall) because Tesla's failed software update damaged the onboard computer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | STEERING | February 2024 my car gives me a pop up warning on screen that “ steering ability may be reduced”. A few minutes later I could barely steer the car as if steering was partially locked up to maybe 90%. Tesla service dept. said the car “ reset” and it was ok to drive. Today April 16 2024 the same thing happened while driving. This is very dangerous. This is a software issue Tesla needs to resolve. The contact stated the vehicle is in the repair shop again regarding the same issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | AIR BAGS | Front Passenger Safety Restraint System Fault requiring replacement of airbag and passenger seat sonsor retrofit. If not replaced a danger of airbag failure to deploy. Problem confirmed with dealer and inspected by manufacturer. Warning light appeared to bring car in for repair | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | STEERING | I started to notice a noise that kind of sounded like rusty hinge on door every time I turned the steering wheel. It did not matter whether it was left or right. I took the car into the dealer because I was concern it could be something serious. The Tesla service center said my upper and lower control arms were "torn" and needed to be replaced. I find this hard to believe that control arms are failing only after 35, 000 miles on the car. The car is not even 5 years old yet. I am not abusive with this car and even so this should not be happening. I have many other vehicles over the years with hundreds of thousands of miles on them and never had issues with control arms. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | SEAT BELTS | After owning my new car for less than 5 years I started intermittently receiving a "Safety restraint system fault" error. It seemed to most frequently occur when the driver's seat was raised. When lowering the seat the error would often go away. Checking the service menu's notifications there was RCM_a021 code. I researched online and found the following thread which exactly described my problem: [XXX] I opened up the connector and one wire was cut. I restripped and soldered it and the error went away. I consider this a safety issue since through normal use of different seat positions (including the easy entry option) the wire bends and gets cut, which causes the seat belt safety features to stop working. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V838000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local Tesla Service Center was contacted and informed the contact that the recall repair could not be performed on the vehicle due to the hardware of the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact that the recall repair required hardware 3.0; however, the vehicle hardware was 2.5. The dealer charged a fee to update the hardware. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and made the same assessment. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool shows no open recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Since Summer/Fall 2023, 2019 Tesla Model 3 software appears to have been compromised. The vehicle shows entirely incorrect directions, at times having taken me 24 miles out of the way; shows a Subdivision in Baltimore, MD named "[XXX] Heights" and a business in Woodbridge, VA named "David's [XXX] Pole Waxing"; has removed all charging stops at certain times and then showed all charging locations in a Metropolitan area as "busy", has rolled down windows at random in 17⁰ weather to the point of having to hold the window toggle up with one hand while driving, is operating windows in reverse; shows an overlay on the screen where the white speed limit sign sometimes changes the size of the square; shows an overlay on the app, and has at times locked me out of the car entirely (seemingly remotely). The heated seats had overheated at other times and had left burns on my back. Tesla denies that the software and/or app have been compromised and claims that the currently-installed software is the original factory software without having inspected the car. Tesla twice now has declined to inspect it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | With the latest update of V12.3 FSD, the full self driving cannot predict the obstacles clearly, resulting in am incorrect left turn manuever, running over a central divider curb, and damaging tires. Not sure, what could have happened, if a human was standing there instead! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | The rear view camera has not functioned properly for several months. We did have the rear harness recall work completed, but the camera was working fine at that time and stopped working in Nov sometime after a software update. This is VERY similar to 24V-035, except that is on 2023 year models only. Why is that campaign limited to 2023 only? There are a lot of complaints on the internet about this issue, and in some cases Tesla charging $3500 to replace a computer in the car. We also have the full automatic driving, same as in the 2023 models recalled. This issue seems to be related to this update, or one about that time period: [XXX]. [XXX] [XXX] I have tried all the wizardry and voodoo mentioned across the web and no results. The rear camera DOES work in live vire mode and in the service mode camera preview - so I know it works. It just does not work while driving/in reverse. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Vehicles cabin heater High Current Failure after software update. Software Version: 2023.44.30.14 Vehicles cabin heater was functioning properly the morning of the software update. Over-the-air update was made and an electrical smell filled the cabin after update and heater no longer functioned. Alert codes indicate Resistive Heater Fault. I reported issue to Tesla and the repair cost is $1,055.80 and not covered. I have checked Tesla message boards and this update has caused other similar malfunctions. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Power steering and regenerative braking was intermittently work. Steering fully locked up while driving 70 m/hr on a freeway when I was on my way to service appointment. Very scary!! Service detected full steering rack replacement. When they took off the cable connectors water came pouring out. Water ingress caused corrosion to the body harness connector where it connects to the steering rack module. This seems to be an issue on online forums. Clearly this is a design flaw. How is water getting in and destroying all the electrical? Very unsafe and how is this issue going to be fixed so water doesn’t continue to get in | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | SEAT BELTS | UNKNOWN The seatbelt just wouldn't latch any more. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | STEERING | Power steering reduces, steering rack required replacement | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The back window cracked with no impact. Even though this is a known issue with Tesla Model 3s, Tesla charged me $1400 for the replacement window because it was four months after warranty expiration. Six weeks after the new window installation, the glass cracked again. Both times the back window cracked at the car body joint which suggests a structural issue. This time Tesla claimed it was impact damage and again refused to pay for repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | SUSPENSION | Heard rattling in the front of the car over a period of weeks. Finally checked and saw a bolt that secures the front wheel hinge to the body frame was very loose. Then I tried turning the wheel (while stationary) to test the front steering. After a few times, the bolt came completely loose and hanging, as in one of the pictures included. After the bolt came completely loose and hanging, the affected wheel is completely unaligned. Since the bolt is hanging, I simply removed it, as shown in one of the attached pictures. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,SEATS | The car's main screen displayed an error message, "front passenger safety restraint fault. service required." According to on line user groups this same safety system fault has occurred in many Tesla Model 3 cars. In my case, Tesla replaced the occupancy sensor harness in the seat and replaced the passenger side air bag, for a total price of $1800. Replacing the air bag was by far the most expensive part of the repair, but it wasn't defective, it was merely incompatible with the new sensor. With a repair this expensive, many car owners will be tempted to forego the entire repair, since the warning doesn't prevent the car's operation. Tesla should recall all Model 3s and repair the problem, otherwise many drivers will be tempted to drive with a defective sensor system. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Thursday, 2/29/23 I was driving through a busy intersection. The car in front of me was slowing and I too slowed by gently easing the brake. This slow down was not unusual for steadily moving traffic. As my foot was resting on the brake, I felt the car pull the brake down below my foot hard, forcing my vehicle to abruptly stop and due to the force, my body was pushed into the steering wheel. No injury or accidents resulted however, if a car had been driving behind me, I would have been rear-ended. If my toddler had been with me, his car seat would have protected him but this would have been the greatest force ever placed on him. The car did not provide warning that the emergency brake would be activated. I am not aware of a publicly-notified defect at this time. I have scheduled the most soon appointment available with a Tesla service center in order to audit my software system with hope this glitch will be resolved. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was driving on the road at night a few days ago and there was a car that was pulled over on the side of the road with hazard lights flashing. The Tesla slowed down and applied the brakes very hard. The Tesla also applied the brakes for no reason. It was on adaptive cruise control, and all of a sudden it would hit the brakes really hard and I would have to take it off the adaptive cruise control because I did not want to get into an accident. The system automatically applied the brakes in both cases which I would call it, “The “phantom braking”. The car had done this before but not to this extent on adaptive cruise control. This only happened when it was on cruise control. I have been very hesitant on putting it on adaptive cruise control because it acts up at times. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | SUSPENSION | Both the front left and right lateral linkages have failed after 4 years of normal use. This is similar to an issue experienced in other Model 3 vehicles that were recalled. This vehicle is not covered by that recall but appears to have the same build quality issues. These links should not fail at such an early vehicle age. Replaced Left Front Lower Lateral Link. Replaced Right Front Lower Lateral Link. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | FORCED DISCONNET: Autopilot and Full Self Driving suddenly decelerated to 15 mph with no sign or road work signs. The curve onto Old Madison Pike means following traffic can not see the car suddenly creeping in the turn lane. The problem is reproducible. The problem has been reported to Tesla using their voice reporting system. There were no warnings. It has been going on since August 2022. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | STEERING | After driving the car for about 2 minutes a warning message popped up on the screen panel. It was a warning of reduced steering. When I started to turn left onto another street I could barely move the steering wheel. It felt almost completely locked up. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | SUSPENSION | The upper control arms on this vehicle are a known chronic issue where the ball joints fail anywhere from 15,000 miles and up. Tesla is charging for this replacement if vehicle has more than 50,000 miles | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |