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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I received a software update from Tesla which caused my car to display wanting signals that would beep repeatedly while my car was parked and while driving. The on screen messages stated “Gear Box Fluid Recommended” and “Adaptive Air Suspension Needs Service”. When I reached out to Tesla they told me to not worry about those alerts because a bug in their software update caused the issue and I did not actually require those services. They admitted that they were aware of this bug and that I was not the only customer experiencing this issue. They gave me two options. Either schedule a service appointment or wait until the next software update. I scheduled an appointment because I could not drive my vehicle safely with alerts beeping every second that I was driving. A software update appeared on my screen before my appointment and it seemed to fix the problem for about 24 hours. The next day I woke up to my screen being black and the car not being responsive or displaying any information. This caused a major concern because I could not even tell how fast I was driving. The car is still driveable. I just have no information or access to any functions of the vehicle. So I scheduled another appointment with Tesla. Who determined the entire computer system needed to be replaced. Since my car is out of warranty they want me to pay out of pocket. I do not believe this is a responsibility of mine since the software update is what destroyed my computer. Tesla is responsible for making sure their vehicles are safe to drive and providing us with software updates that make the cars extremely unsafe to drive and then not wanting to be responsible for the repairs is insane. I am not the only customer that this has happened too. This has happened to many people and I think it’s extremely unfair and needs to be looked into. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,SEATS | In March 2023, my vehicle was in a major front end collision on the passenger side and the airbag did not deploy. In January 2024, a warning light appeared on my car’s screen that reads “Safety Restraint System Fault” I then took the vehicle to a Tesla service center who determined that the front passenger airbag and OCS needed to be replaced to maintain compatibility…. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE | My Model 3 intermittently has the steering wheel locked in position, which sometimes resolves temporarily after rebooting the car. I always get a steering assist reduced error on the car, regardless of rebooting. It also no longer has lane keep capabilities or Autopilot, which involve the car automatically moving the steering. I have not gotten this inspected by a dealer or service center. The issue first appeared yesterday, after I tried to pull out of a parking lot, but I had trouble since my wheel would not turn. I will be going to a service center next week. After the errors began, I have not meaningfully driven the car, since locking of the wheel while driving is very dangerous. A handful of errors showed up on the screen (Cruise Control disabled, Traction Control Disabled, Stability control disabled, Steering assist reduced), and I did not have any regenerative braking applying. I returned safely to my parking spot. After multiple reboots of the car (pressing both wheel buttons), I found that sometimes after putting my car into Drive, my steering wheel was locked. Other times, I could turn my steering wheel without issue, but I would always receive the Steering assist reduced error. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The ac and window defroster stopped working. I got it fixed and it was because of a loose connector. I added supporting document below. They said it might be because of vibration. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Issue with heater and cooler where it suddenly stops working. Not even fan turns on. It makes the car unsafe to drive and transport a baby. This is a kwon issue | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Since the recall for Autopilot / Full Self Driving which required driver alerts (often called steering wheel nag), the alerts are now so frequent and reoccuring that it forces you to stare at the screen and not the road. If you look at the road, both hands on the steering wheel, every few seconds, as little as 10 seconds since the previous, the screen begins to flash (only at the top) indicating that you must now slightly shift your hands. These are often hard to see unless you stare at the screen and give no other noticable indicator. Recently I was just awarded a strike for not adjusting to it, about 30 seconds after the previous indication and it had no audible sound or indication the only warning apparently was a visual one. The screen is not in front of the driver like a heads up display, its off to the side. Other vehicles warn you not to use the on screen displays while driving, even tesla, so why does this feature force you to stare at the screen your entire drive. It seems unsafe to force -constant- checks of the screen from the driver to determine if you're in autopilot compliance. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | STRUCTURE | The back trunk seal fails at the rear of the vehicle allowing water to spill into the trunk and deep trunk and cause flooding. I have had it repaired multiple times and the technician says that is a known issue but all they do is add more seal. This is known on model 3s before the most recent refresh. Also known as the Highland. This is cause deep trunk flooding and mold to grow on the Fabrics. This is just with casual rain living in Washington State. This is my second time dealing with the first happened within the warranty and the second is now without warranty however if this issue has been persistent since I have gotten the vehicle as originally they told me the tail light was missing seal but it was still leaking and different times that I inquiried they said to try to park in a dry spot to let the vehicle dry out to ensure that it's not water caused from opening the trunk. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Received safety recall letter from tesla 23v-838. Asked tesla to implement the software update; they told me to do it via WiFi. I do not have WiFi and asked them to do an over the air update. I have not heard back from them. Please compel them to update me to the most recent version of the software to fix the safety recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | FSD Beta 11.4.9 - A concern documented in NHTSA Complaint ID 11555478 and subsequently remedied with later releases has returned in the current FSD Beta build 2023.44.30.14. When engaging FSD ,the display screen enters an AUTO brightness mode and requires driver intervention to adjust brightness back to the driver's desired setting, as described by the following. When FSD is engaged, display AUTO brightness is activated and the screen adjusts up in brightness from the previous setting, which is often too high. The driver's attention is then taken away from road and traffic ahead while the screen is reset to the driver's preferred setting. In the current build the following anomalies also occur. When FSD is engaged and the display is set to AUTO brightness, if the driver opens the Display menu and adjusts brightness down, that driver setting is held even though the Display brightness is still shown to be in AUTO mode. However, if after activating FSD and the AUTO brightness is engaged, and the brightness is then adjusted down using the left scroll wheel, the display remains in AUTO mode and the screen is automatically adjusted back up to the AUTO set point. This is true when the driver's preferred setting is lower than the AUTO set point, but not true if the driver's preferred setting is higher than the AUTO set point. When the initial driver setting is higher than the AUTO set point, the screen remains at the driver's preferred setting. While these anomalies are not safety concerns, per se, they do require that the driver's attention is diverted to resetting the desired display brightness. If, as if often the case, FSD is disengaged and then reengaged, the process described above is repeated. In the course of a 30 minute drive this can require that the driver adjust screen brightness multiple times, sometimes repeating the adjustment process within minutes after prior adjustment. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE | Car did not react to uncoming car and accident happened. Car was totaled. RECALL NO. 23V-838 involved as the car didn’t have the right safety controls and caused collision | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Medical attention | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | STRUCTURE,SEATS | Sold car with defective parts. Scratched rocker panels that Tesla refuses to take responsibility for. Broken and rattled center console dash. Crooked front hood that the service center has not fixed. Broken driver seat that has foam missing on one side that tilts the seat and makes driving uncomfortable. The service center has not fixed these issues and the car was sold defective. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | The Rear Drive Unit of our Tesla failed on our Tesla Model 3 2020 (2 years at the time of incident). It is no longer available for inspection as it was replaced by Tesla. We had our drive unit fail for our 2020 M3 driving in the middle of what is considered one of the most dangerous freeways in [XXX] . After all the warnings came online, we had 30 seconds before the entire car stopped. Of the warnings (Power Reduced, Acceleration and Top Speed Reduced, Automatic Emergency Breaking is Disabled) there was no indication that the car would shut down. We made it to the exit ramp, but couldn’t make it to the shoulder so we blocked the entire exit. [XXX] was able to come in and help tow our car to a safer location. We took it to Tesla to be serviced and when asking the service rep if there’s any way we could have seen this coming, she just brushed it off as “it happens” and that there was no way to tell. It took us a while to feel comfortable with that. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | When driving in "Autopilot" mode which uses adaptive speed control, the car suddenly slows down without any warnings. This happens even when there is no vehicle in front of the car and therefore slowing down is not expected. This has happened several times while driving on freeways. If it weren't for my immediate reaction, serious multiple-car accidents would have happened. My reaction has been to quickly disengage the "Autopilot" system and manually accelerating to avoid rear collisions. The other issue is the car suddenly steer the wheel and drag the car to the side even when there is no reason to do so. In such cases, I have to forcefully steer the wheel to the opposite direction to avoid collision with other cars moving on either side, or parked cars on the streets. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | STEERING | i believe the steering over steered and the tire strut got broekn due to a pot hole. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | FSD Beta 11.4.9 and past versions. A possible explanation for some degree of phantom braking on controlled access roadways. FSD Beta reacts to a stop light at the end of an offramp when the direction of travel is inline with the ramp. This reaction does not occur in daylight, only in darkness. It occurs across multiple versions of FSD Beta and is consistent and repeatable at night under similar conditions. The point at which normal speed is resumed appears to coincide with the beginning of the offramp, but that may be coincidental. Since it doesn't occur in daylight it is less likely that the reaction is triggered by lane topography or some other factor relating to the converging right hand lane that occurs after the ramp is passed. In one test pass that was not recorded, the stoplight at the top of the ramp turned green while the braking was happening and the car seemed to react to the green light and resume speed, but that may have been coincident to the turn in the roadway or being adjacent to the beginning of the offramp. Another example where the light turned green has not happened again during tests. This test was at 3:08 am on a weekday with almost zero traffic in this direction and there were no vehicles within 0.25 mile behind the test vehicle at the time this was recorded. LINK TO VIDEO: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | SUSPENSION | Car has 39,445 miles on it. Groaning noise started in front tires. Took it in for inspection and Tesla replaced the upper control arm and lower lateral link for both the front left and front right tires. I see that there was a recall for these parts in many Tesla 3, including my model year but my VIN didn’t qualify. Seems coincidental that I would have an issue with the same part that was recalled at only 40k miles but not under the recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | SUSPENSION | Driving the vehicle will start doing several noises in the front and back suspension. It’s very stressful to hear that kind of noise besides that people isn’t really sure it suspension going to fail at some point which potentially could be really dangerous. Tesla has recall this kind of issues outside the us but refuses to do a recall in the us where the have most of their cars risking the roads. added to that they should’ve included a spare tire kit on their cars. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2020 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH at night with self-driving assist mode, the auto high beams lights engaged three times within 20 seconds. The contact stated that the driver ahead of him then decelerated and veered to the side of the road because it appeared that the contact was sending him an alert through the activation of the high beams. Additionally, the contact was pulled over by a Police Officer. The contact stated that the auto high beam feature was distracting to other drivers. The contact stated that he was unable to disengage the feature. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the driver did not have control over the feature. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 70,000 |
| Jan 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | I am writing to provide feedback on the recent mandated Tesla Full Self Driving software update (recall). When I keep both hands on the steering wheel, I now get constant warnings. Specifically, even when I drive with both hands firmly on the wheel at 9 and 3 o'clock and maintaining what I feel is adequate control, the system nags me with disruptive alerts. It tells me to apply pressure and flashes visuals that my hands are not properly positioned, despite both remaining clearly in contact with the wheel the whole time. I typically drive responsibly with proper grip, yet these frequent notifications are frustrating and stress-inducing. The sensors seem to be calibrated too sensitively if they are detecting grip issues when both my hands are correctly and securely holding the wheel. Prior to the mandated update, I didn't receive nearly as many warnings. The update was not helpful and makes driving more stressful and less safe if anything. I understand the goal is to enforce safe driving, but the current warnings are excessive even when drivers are maintaining proper hand positioning. Perhaps the regulations could be relaxed so alerts only activate when grip is legitimately inadequate, rather than routinely throughout normal driving. Please let me know if any further details on my experience with both hands on the wheel would be helpful. I would be happy to provide additional information to aid review of this system. Thank you for your consideration. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | AIR BAGS | The vehicle was in a frontal crash and the knee airbags exploded the glovebox and broke my leg in 3 different places. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield wipers do not have proper functional control. There is no adequate manual control over the windshield wipers without being distracting, further more the windshield wipers constantly put themselves in "auto" mode when you turn them off. This causes unnecessary distraction while driving and because the only feedback you have is either on the main touch screen or the bottom left touch screen this is a severe safety issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | This morning, I was waiting in the left turn lane on [XXX] turning east onto [XXX] in Moorpark, CA. Waiting at the light, I tapped to turn on autopilot and expected it to turn left… it tried to make a right turn from the left turn lane. This is not the first time autopilot has tried to make an unsafe and illegal turn from the wrong lane. I once had it attempt a U turn from the right lane on [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE | Dear NHTSA, I am contacting you regarding campaign #23V-838 and the recent Tesla software update, which I believe has compromised the safety features of my Tesla Model 3. For over two years, I’ve trusted my Tesla’s capabilities, notably its autopilot feature. However, the latest update has introduced a wheel detection system that’s overly sensitive and disruptive. Previously, my driving experience was smooth, responsible and safe, with hands on the wheel and autopilot assist for when I needed to make blind lane changes, allowing me to look over my shoulder briefly at the blind spot while the wheel kept straight without rear ending anyone. Now, with this mandated update, I’m forced to make frequent, forceful adjustments to the steering wheel. I can’t look away from the front of the car even briefly to check my surroundings. This constant intervention and forbidding drivers from looking around to check for safety is distracting and dangerous, leading to abrupt autopilot disengagements and brief rapid ways in which the car behaves as the car disengages and throws you into manual when you weren’t expecting it. This isn’t just about inconvenience; it’s a safety hazard. I’m now more focused on maintaining autopilot than on the road and surrounding conditions. This undermines the very purpose of the feature. As someone who’s always vigilant about my surroundings, especially at intersections, I find this update counterproductive. It forces me to turn off the feature, leaving me without the assistance that I’ve come to rely on for safer driving. I urge you to review this matter with utmost priority. The balance between driver engagement and the autopilot system’s safety has been significantly disturbed by this update. Necessary adjustments are needed to prevent potential accidents and ensure that this technology continues to enhance driving safety and efficiency. Thank you for addressing this critical issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Tesla vehicles have an automatic wiper mode that is supposed to clear the windshield, without driver intervention, when it becomes obscured due to rain, snow, or water buildup. While driving on December 19, 2023, our Model 3 was passed by a large truck, throwing a large amount of water across the windshield. When this happened, the forward visibility was completely obscured momentarily. The automatic wipers did not clear the windshield as expected. The vision was obscured until the driver was able to manually enable the wipers. Obviously, driving at highway speeds on the freeway, without being able to see forwards, even momentarily, is a safety concern. Thinking the car had a failure, we tried to arrange for a repair from Tesla service. Their response was: "This issue has been identified as a known firmware issue, to be resolved on a future firmware release. For now, we recommend using the manual wipers as needed when auto wipers are not detecting rain. When a fix is available it will be sent to your vehicle automatically over the air. Unless you had any other questions, I will go ahead and close out this service request. Thanks!" Looking through Tesla owner forums, this appears to be a much discussed issue for the last 4-5 years. Many owners are having issues with functionality of the automatic wipers. We don't have any photos of the incident, but I recreated a similar situation in a local touchless car wash. With the car being completely deluged in water and soap, the automatic wipers never came on. The included pictures show the touchscreen with the Auto wiper mode and the windshield completely obscured, but no wiper activation. The last photo is a screenshot of part of the conversation with Tesla support about the repair request. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My FSD Beta-equipped Tesla sometimes makes inappropriate lane choices while following the navigation route. After watching a video made by a Beta volunteer driver while testing a similar lane selection issue they had experienced across several FSD Beta firmware releases, I checked a Google Map navigation route that took the same turn onto the same street shown in the video. The path in the Google Map route correlated closely with the erroneous route driven during the test video. The vehicle initially turned into the correct targeted lane. The car was then moved left into the "suicide lane" with a median island in the path directly ahead. Tesla's Level 2 ADAS correctly "changes lane to follow route" and moves the car out of the incorrect center turning lane. I've experienced similar errors at times. This complaint concerns the route that brought the car into the center turn lane after making the left turn correctly. I documented these findings in a video. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |