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, suspension. 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, suspension?
- 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 58
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 46
SUSPENSION 29
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 26
STEERING 22
AIR BAGS 20
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 18
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING 16
SERVICE BRAKES 16
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 15
434 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES | My car did a Phantom break while I was driving on President George bush Turnpike E at the Dallas North tollway exit . I was taking the exit with in the speed limit of 40 miles per hour and was keeping the distance from the car in front. Suddenly the car did an automatic break and car slow down significantly. I got hit from behind and had damage to the bumper and trunk. Emergency break feature went out and an alert came. It is very concerning that the car stops in the middle of road by itself and being hit from behind. I would like an answer from Tesla. I have the dash cam footage of the accident | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Tesla's latest update pings you when you're sitting at a light and it turns green. It also shows you the green light on its screen rendering of your surroundings. The other day, Tesla incorrectly pinged me that a light was green when it was still red. It also displayed it as green on the screen. This is dangerous not only because it suggests the self-driving mode would have incorrectly registered the light and started forward (I was not in self-driving fortunately), but even without self-driving, drivers become primed to go when the ping happens, so this could lead a driver to run the light. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | I am filing a complaint regarding a serious safety issue with my 2020 Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus. While driving on the freeway, the car displayed a “Power Limited - OK to Drive” message, followed by “Power Reduced,” and then automatically limited my speed to 60 mph. This happened unexpectedly on a busy freeway, nearly causing an accident with a car behind me. The message advised that “exiting and re-entering the vehicle may restore operations.” I took the freeway exit and exited the car, re-entered, and resumed driving, but the error returned, reducing my speed further to 58 mph, and at one point, down to 7 mph. This behavior makes the car unsafe for freeway driving, as the speed can drop suddenly, putting me at risk of a collision. This issue persists on city roads as well, with speed reductions happening within a mile of driving, restricting the speed anywhere between 7-60 mph. I scheduled a service appointment with Tesla on 10/12/2024, but the earliest available date is 11/1/2024. I contacted Tesla’s customer service to prioritize my appointment or perform a remote diagnosis, but they refused to accommodate my request. During my own online research, I found that the car log indicates a “RearDrive Inverter Sensor” detecting high temperatures, likely causing the speed restrictions, along with a non-functional powertrain pump. Although my car is under an 8-year warranty for the battery and drive unit, Tesla has sent me a pre-approval bill for the upcoming service, making me concerned they may try to classify these issues as non-warranty and charge me hefty amounts for repairs. Currently, I cannot safely use my vehicle, especially on freeways, and I have no other repair options outside of Tesla. This ongoing issue is urgent and impacts my safety and ability to drive the car reliably. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | I am writing this claim to report a headlight assembly passenger side has failed at 22,000 miles in a Tesla model three 2020 year | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | My Motor Control Unit failed. No reason given by Tesla Service Center. It simply just died. They cannot find a reason, and they also said I didn't do anything to cause the MCU to fail. Service Center agrees this is a rare event. Likely got a really faulty MCU to start with. I bought my car in 2020, so just over 4 years later my MCU died. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL | There have been recent reports of Tesla FSD accidents that are now under investigation by NHTSA relating to crashes that occurred under difficult visibility conditions. A video I recorded several years ago while driving into a fog bank in NW Washington, about an hour North of Seattle, is linked below. Seeing the fog bank ahead and with no traffic in front or close behind me, I let the car proceed into the fog until the system triggered a takeover alarm. Usually, at this point several years ago, when the driver wanted to disengage FSD, the driver did so by raising the gear selection stalk. Raising the gear stalk disengaged TACC ONLY in this incident, and Autosteering remained active. (see: [XXX] ) After disengaging TACC, the car was slowed by regenerative braking but still under Autosteering control. Turning the steering wheel finally disengaged Autosteering, but that occurred second and was delayed by the driver's confusion over why raising the gear stalk wasn't enough to stop the alarm. Applying the brakes would have disengaged FSD completely - but that wasn't wise with low visibility. I tried re-engaging FSD briefly while still in fog (not shown in this video), and the system refused. This brings to mind a previous documentation video where, with FSD engaged, turning the wheel disengaged *Autosteering, but *TACC remained active. Again, the driver was not initially cognizant that TACC was still active (see: [XXX] ). I believe a subsequent recall remedied this 2nd example, but perhaps the fog bank-type takeover alarm was not affected by that recall remedy. Finally, I have one more video documenting the ability of FSD to see under challenging conditions, in this case, light rain, heavy rain, and eventually hail. No alarms were triggered (see: [XXX] ). Note: I no longer own the vehicle associated with this VIN. See the firmware version shown in the video for approximate dates of these occurrences. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | STEERING | The 2020 and older models of the tesla has bad control arms an should be a recall they are charging us over $1,500 for an issue that happens to so many teslas | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | We were driving back from suffolk virginia along [XXX] - which has two lanes in both directions. It was a sunny day with clear skies. I had cruise control enabled. There were no other cars visible on the road in either direction in front or behind us. Suddenly and without warning the car slammed on the breaks - "phantom breaking". If somebody was behind us it could have easily been a crash. We continued our journey somewhat shaken, and 10 - 15 mins later it did the same thing in similar circumstances. We contacted Tesla who said we should press a button to record an event when it happened again. On a later day it did and we sent them the information. They contacted us back and said that nothing was wrong with car. Since then I feel the cruse control is basically dangerous, so I refuse to use it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Hi there, it seems like a lot of model 3 Tesla owners year 2020 have been hit with a thousand plus dollars repair for the super bottle that controls the HVAC. Some at 37,000 miles. It looks like Tesla knows this is a faulty part they will cause issues. Thus they limit the warranty to 4 years only or 50,000 miles whichever comes first. Most cases was the four year warranty that runs out and the very next month we have issues with the super bottle replacement. It looks like they have now it started making a more sturdy part. So for us with older models we are hit with expensive repairs. If you do not change the super bottle the car drives on very limited speed limits which can be dangerous if you need to make a quick fast maneuver. Basically you're not able to drive the car anywhere but only to your neighborhood grocery store!! Not only that if you do not fix the car quickly it will start damaging surrounding parts costing you even more. I'd like to know if there is a possible recall that Tesla would cover the cost. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | AIR BAGS | When the seat moves forward I get a warning about the restraint error and turn the airbag off. When I slide the seat back the error goes away. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I am reporting a critical safety incident involving my vehicle, which occurred during rush hour on a busy highway with no traffic lights or stop signs. While waiting in the left turn lane at a center divide, my emergency autopilot braking system activated unexpectedly, causing my car's left front side to encroach into oncoming traffic. Despite my attempts to move the car, it became immobile. I attempted to reset the car by turning it off and on, but the vehicle’s computer system malfunctioned entirely. With oncoming traffic traveling at speeds of 70 mph, I had no choice but to exit the vehicle for safety. I left the car in the center divide. This incident was extremely frightening, and I am deeply concerned about the potential dangers posed by the malfunctioning autobraking system. Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Concern: message appeared on the tesla screen "DIR_a126 Power reduced" Repair solution: Internal seal in battery coolant bottle was faulty and not letting coolant flow properly to rear drive unit. Tesla warranty: states that battery coolant does not need to be replaced for the life of the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | AIR BAGS | Passenger seat occupancy sensor malfunction which sometimes turns off passenger airbag even though adult passenger is sitting in the seat. Possible no airbag deployment upon crash. Car was brought into service center and sensor was replaced but same issue popped up again 2 yrs later. Car is out of warranty and service center refused to look at the car without first charging $1k. Intermittent airbag light, intermittent passenger airbag off indicator even with adult in seat and seatbelt on. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | STEERING | While driving I attempted a turn and heard many horribly loud clunking noises and was unable to steer car. I looked under the front of the car and saw the left front tire turned to the left (the right front tire was straight) and there was a piece on the ground which was determined to be the lower control arm. The two bolts were missing so it became disconnected. Thankfully I was in a parking lot at a slow speed so no injuries. The car was towed to a repair shop who analyzed the problem. There was no warning given on the car’s computer system, just sudden loud clunking sounds when the car became inoperable. One day later I located one of the two bolts in the driveway. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | A few months ago after an update, my turn signal functionality was completely replaced by AI. This results in me driving either with the blinker engaged when I don’t want it to be, or not engaged when I want it to be. To correct the usually incorrect AI is distracting, and often causes even more incorrect blinker usage. I find this to be dangerous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | SUSPENSION | Received several "Steering Assist Reduced" alerts when stopped in traffic last week, followed immediately by the failure of the power steering after each alert. Power steering resumed after a soft restart. Tried to make appointment at Tesla Service Center last Friday to get this addressed, but they said they had no appointments available and would not be able to diagnose my vehicle until today, August 12, 2024.. In the interim, the power steering went out again while on the freeway, forcing me to exit and restart the vehicle again. This is a clear danger to myself and my passengers. After receiving the results of the diagnosis today, they informed me that both the steering rack and harness would need to be replaced at the cost of nearly $5,000. The technician showed me some corrosion in one of the electrical connections where there had been water intrusion. I told him this was surprising since the car is relatively new and it would seem that Tesla would have sealed this connections to resist the relatively dry rainy seasons we experience here in Southern California. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL | The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving with the cruise control feature activated at various speeds, the brakes applied inadvertently. The contact also stated that the cruise control feature failed to operate as intended after dark, after deactivating inadvertently. Additionally, the contact stated that the front and rear cameras displayed phantom images and failed to work as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | SEAT BELTS | Safety restraints are malfunctioning | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING | I have taken my vehicle into Tesla to have the issue fixed twice. They don't know what's happening or how to fix it. My car is randomly taking the wheel and steering me into other cars / off the road. It happens once a month or so, I have a newborn baby I drive in the car and I don't feel safe driving. I've recorded the incident and Tesla Service said "that should not be happening unless I'm using auto pilot" which I never do. I've looked into lemon law but I did not purchase the car from tesla directly, I bought it from a used car dealership. I'm not sure what to do, I can't sell the car because I would still owe $10,000 after the sale. Please help anyway you can, I'm desperate for anything. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Found the front body controller to be internally faulted | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving on cruise control at highway speeds (75-80mph) on I-80 the car braked VERY hard and unexpectedly MANY times. There were no other cars around me, weather clear, road straight. No obstacles noticed to cause this reaction. If a car had been behind me I would have caused him to rear-end me because there was no apparent reason for the severe braking. I reported four incidents of this type to the Tesla during the drive which I believe were date/time stamped so they could diagnose (using the "report" function). I matched these with my own observations which I also provided to the service department. I have had the car diagnosed by Tesla and they claim they could not duplicate the problem and/or fix the problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | SEAT BELTS | Got a front passenger safety restraint system fault issue that Tesla wants me to pay for repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL | Driving at highway speed (75 mph) using Autopilot & car rapidly applied hard braking. There were no obstacles, shadows or anything visible that should have caused this. It occurred twice over two days in different locations. If anyone had been behind me too close they would have collided with me. No other vehicle I’ve owned have done this with their implementation of adaptive cruise & lane assist. My car used to use radar and I never had this issue until vision based detection was implemented. It’s occurred numerous times over the years, but no this rapid of braking. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The Tesla is reflecting an error “DIR_a126” that is reducing the speed below the speed limit and with no rhyme or reason. Tesla services are not available and the problem is intermittent. Additionally, based on research it is found to not have consistent resolutions and reasonings | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was traveling on autopilot in left lane with autopilot engaged on 06/13/2024 on HW 101 at around 9:40am my car all of the sudden slammed on brakes and dropped speed from around 65mph to 30mph before I was able to react and recover speed. Reached out to Tesla on their app about this and they are sending me estimate of $275 to check it out | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |