Complaint volume
434 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
2020 Tesla Model 3 Complaints
434 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Tesla Model 3, grouped by component category.
434 Total complaints
51 Crash reports
2 Fire reports
26 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, unknown or other, vehicle speed control,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 51 crash reports, 2 fire reports, 26 injury reports, and 2 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 74 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 13,034 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to forward collision avoidance, unknown or other, vehicle speed control,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 2020 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.
2020 Tesla Model 3
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Tesla Model 3 complaints?
51 Crash
2 Fire
26 Injury
2 Fatality
35 Towed
25 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Tesla Model 3 complaint categories?
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 72
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 34
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 24
SUSPENSION 20
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 18
AIR BAGS 14
STEERING 14
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 14
STRUCTURE 13
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10
434 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2020 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | WHEN ON CRUISE CONTROL OR AUTOPILOT, CAR STOPS ABRUPTLY GOING FROM 65 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY TO 38 MPH BEFORE I CAN OVERRIDE AND TAKE CONTROL. THERE IS NO APPARENT REASON. THIS HAPPENS ON A CLEAR OPEN HIGHWAY. | Crash: No Fire: No | 450 |
| Jan 2020 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES | SO REGARDING THE CAR BRAKES THEY ARE VERY HARD TO FULLY DEPRESS AND I BELIEVE ITS BECAUSE OF THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING. FOR EXAMPLE WHEN GOING EAT HIGHWAY SPEED AND YOU NEED TO PRESS THE BREAK PEDAL HARD IT LITERALLY FEELS LIKE THE CAR IS REFUSING TO LET YOU USE THE FULL CAPACITY OF THE BREAKS. ITS VERY SCARY IT HAPPENED TO ME AND I COULD NOT PRESS THE BREAK PEDAL COMPLETELY DOWN. AND REGARDING THE LIGHTS MY CAR HAS FOG LIGHTS INSTALLED BUT I'M UNABLE TO TURN THEM ON BECAUSE ACCORDING TO TESLA SUPPOSEDLY I DID NOT PAY FOR THEM BUT THEY ARE INSTALLED ON THE CAR AND THEY DON'T WANT TO ALLOW ME TO TURN THEM ON BECAUSE ITS CONTROLLED VIA SOFTWARE. THIS IS AN UNNECESSARY THING BECAUSE IF THEY ARE INSTALLED ON THE CAR I SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO THEM BECAUSE I BOUGHT THE CAR. THIS COULD PUT US THE DRIVERS IN A HAZARDOUS CONDITION IN FOG OR OTHER LOW VISIBLY CONDITIONS UNNECESSARILY. | Crash: No Fire: No | 5 |
| Jan 2020 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | ON 1/17/2010, AT 12:12PM, I DEPARTED MY HOUSE IN NORWELL. AFTER 1.65 MILES, BETWEEN 99 FOREST AVE AND RIVER STREET (APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET FROM RIVER STREET), I RELEASED MY FOOT FROM THE FRICTION BRAKE, AND THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN TOWARD RIVER STREET. I PUT MY FOOT BACK ONTO THE FRICTION BRAKE, AND IT STOPPED. THE CAR WAS NOT IN AUTO-PILOT MODE. I AM NOT AWARE OF CRUISE CONTROL BEING ON. IN ANY CASE, IF IT WAS ON, I DID NOT PUT IT ON ON PURPOSE, AND FURTHER, IT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ON SINCE I HAD MY FOOT ON THE FRICTION BRAKE PEDAL JUST BEFORE THE EVENT. ENCLOSED IS AN IMAGE OF MY TRIP LOG SHOWING THAT MY DRIVE STARTED AT 12:12PM. ALSO ENCLOSED IS A MAP SHOWING THAT IT WAS 1.65 MILES FROM THE START OF MY DRIVE. I DO NOT HAVE DASH-CAM FOOTAGE OF THIS SINCE MORE THAN ONE HOUR HAS PASSED AND I DID NOT MANUALLY TAG IT WHEN IT OCCURRED BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW OF AN INVESTIGATION AT THAT TIME. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,080 |
| Jan 2020 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 TESLA MODEL 3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK IN A PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE UNINTENDEDLY ACCELERATED CRASHING INTO A PARKED TRUCK AND PUSHING IT SOME DISTANCE. THE CONTACT CONFIRMED THAT NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES SUCH AS BRUISING TO THE BACK AND NECK THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. NO POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO REVERSE OUT OF THE PARKING LOT AND DRIVE TO THE HER RESIDENCE. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT NO RECALL WAS UNDER THE VIN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATE 407. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 | 407 |
| Jan 2020 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | WHILE NAVIGATING ON AUTOPILOT ON THE FREEWAY THE CAR TOOK THE INTENDED EXIT RAMP, HOWEVER NEVER SLOWED DOWN UNTIL I HAD TO INTERVENE. REMINISCENT OF THE CHARACTERISTICS WHICH LED TO THE RECENT FATAL CRASH REPORTED OVER THE LAST WEEK. | Crash: No Fire: No | 300 |
| Jan 2020 | STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | THE AUTO STEER IN MY TESLA MODEL 3 FAILED TODAY WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNING ON A CURVY DOWNHILL ROAD. I BELIEVE IT'S BECAUSE THE LANE MARKINGS ON THE RIGHT SIDE ENDED JUST BEFORE THE CURBING STARTED. THE CAR SUDDENLY TURNED RIGHT AND HIT THE CURB BRUSHING THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL ACCIDENT IF I HADN'T TAKEN OVER. AUTO STEER TECHNOLOGY IS NOT YET READY FOR USE ON ALL THE ROADS AND IT SHOULD NOT BE INCLUDED BY DEFAULT IN ALL THE TESLA MODELS. MY CAR DID NOT BRAKE BECAUSE THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS STILL ON. I AM STILL IN SHOCK AND AFRAID TO USE THE AUTO STEER AGAIN. | Crash: No Fire: No | 750 |
| Dec 2019 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | DRIVING IN FREEWAY FAST LANE IN LIGHT TRAFFIC AT 10:30 AM ON OVERCAST MORNING WITH TESLA ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL SET FOR 70 MPH AND 4-CAR FOLLOWING DISTANCE. THE CAR IN FRONT MOVED 1 LANE TO THE RIGHT LEAVING NO CARS AHEAD. MY CAR ACCELERATED GENTLY TO 70 AND THEN AS I APPROACHED AN OVERPASS THE CAR SUDDENLY BRAKED (OR WENT TO REGENERATION) AND SLOWED INSTANTLY TO ABOUT 40 MPH WHEN I WAS ABLE TO APPLY THE ACCELERATOR AND RETURN TO SURROUNDING TRAFFIC SPEED AND MOVE RIGHT TO THE NEXT LANE AND RECOVERED FROM THE SHOCK AND SURPRISE OF WHAT OTHER TESLA OWNERS REFER TO AS "PHANTON BRAKING". I WAS FORTUNATE THAT NO OTHER CARS WEREN'T FOLLOWING ME OR THEY LIKELY WOULD HAVE CRASHED IN THE BACK OF MY CAR. I SPOKE WITH OTHER TESLA OWNERS WHO REPORT THE SAME RANDOM, SURPRISE, POWERFUL BRAKING WHEN APPROACHING OVERPASSES. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50 |
| Dec 2019 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | THIS CAR FORCES THE DRIVER TO LOOK AWAY FROM THE ROAD FOR A FEW SECONDS(AT LEAST 10 SECONDS OR MORE) TO ADJUST COMMON THINGS LIKE ADJUSTING MIRRORS, CHANGING AC FUNCTIONS,SETTING WIPER SPEED. AS WEATHER CONDITIONS CHANGE FROM LOCATION TO LOCATION ON A LONG DRIVE, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE , CONVENIENT OR SAFE FOR THE DRIVER TO PULL ASIDE THE VEHICLE TO ADJUST HEAT SETTINGS OR WIPER SPEED OR MIRRORS.THIS IS DANGEROUS THAN TEXTING AND DRIVING. I REQUEST NHTSA TO RECALL ALL THE TESLA MODEL 3 AND HAVE THE ISSUE FIXED BY PROVIDING A PHYSICAL WAY TO ADJUST MANY THINGS IN THE CAR. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS IRRESPECTIVE OF THE VEHICLE MOTION STATUS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50 |
| Dec 2019 | SUSPENSION | HERE IS A 2020 MODEL 3 TESLA IN THE SALVAGE YARD. HTTPS://WWW.IAAI.COM/VEHICLEDETAILS?ITEMID=34632816&ROWNUMBER=4&SIMILARVEHICLEITEMID=&ISNEXT=&LOADRECENT=TRUE THE FRONT WHEEL HAS GONE TOTALLY WHOMPY BECAUSE MOST OF THE SUSPENSION COMPONENTS HAVE SNAPPED. THERE IS HARDLY ANY DAMAGE TO THE CAR EXCEPT FOR THE SUSPENSION HAVING SNAPPED OFF. THERE IS NO SIGN OF AN IMPACT SEVERE ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY THIS SUSPENSION FAILURE. THE CAR HAS DONE JUST 94 MILES SINCE LEAVING THE FACTORY. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THESE SYSTEMIC FAILURES WITH TESLA SUSPENSIONS. THANK YOU KEEF *JB | Crash: No Fire: No | 94 |