Complaint volume
640 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
2021 Tesla Model 3 Complaints
640 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Tesla Model 3, grouped by component category.
640 Total complaints
43 Crash reports
5 Fire reports
16 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, service brakes,forward collision avoidance, 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 43 crash reports, 5 fire reports, 16 injury reports, and 3 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 42 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 18,076 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to forward collision avoidance, service brakes,forward collision avoidance, 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 2021 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.
2021 Tesla Model 3
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Tesla Model 3 complaints?
43 Crash
5 Fire
16 Injury
3 Fatality
37 Towed
18 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Tesla Model 3 complaint categories?
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 198
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 57
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 53
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 40
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 32
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 18
VISIBILITY/WIPER 12
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11
SERVICE BRAKES 10
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 10
640 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | BMS_a079 error. Battery is no longer able to charge. High voltage battery will need to be replaced. Basically rendering the vehicle useless unless the battery is replaced. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | SEAT BELTS | The driver-side seat belt buckle/receptacle failed during normal use. There was no collision, impact, or misuse involved. While using the seat belt as intended, the buckle assembly separated/broke unexpectedly, causing the seat belt to no longer function properly. This appears to be a failure of a critical safety component rather than normal wear and tear. The vehicle should not be considered safe to operate until the restraint system is properly inspected and repaired. The failure occurred without warning and under ordinary driving conditions. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Component/System Failure: Total failure of the Autopilot ECU (DAS Computer) and the Front-End Module (FEM) wiring harness. Incident Description: My 2021 Tesla Model 3 (37,000 miles) experienced a catastrophic and "silent" failure of the entire vehicle vision suite and all active safety systems. A Tesla Service technician (Warrington, PA) inspected the vehicle and confirmed the root cause was a factory-defective (crimped) internal coaxial cable in the wiring harness. This manufacturing defect caused an electrical short that destroyed the primary safety-critical computer. Safety Risk: This failure resulted in a direct violation of FMVSS 111 (Rear Visibility), as the backup camera was rendered completely inoperable. Furthermore, all collision-avoidance features—including Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Forward Collision Warning, and Blind Spot Monitoring—were disabled. Critical Safety Concern (Silent Failure): The vehicle provided zero driver-facing alerts, dashboard warnings, or lamps to indicate that these safety systems were offline. I unknowingly operated a vehicle that was non-compliant with federal safety standards and lacked all primary crash-avoidance technology. The failure codes (APP_w045 and VCFRONT_a158) were only discoverable by manually entering the vehicle's "Service Mode." Manufacturer Status: Tesla Service has confirmed the hardware failure and the wiring defect but is currently refusing to cover the $2,800 repair cost, despite the failure involving systems currently under federal recall (SB-26-00-016). I am reporting this because a factory wiring defect causing a total, silent failure of federally manda | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When using cruise control, there has been 4 times that the car has engaged in “phantom braking”. We were driving on highways going the posted speed limit of 70 mph, when the car suddenly slammed on the brakes and decelerated to less than 30 mph – all four times we were thankfully not being closely followed by another vehicle or we would’ve had a devastating crash. One time when we looked at the screen, it showed the outline of a person in the median but there was no person/ other obstacle at all. We have reported this to the Tesla service center and they said it is a known issue, and what we have to do is just click the scroll bar and report it so that the engineers can mark the timestamp and collect data so that some patches can be sent over the air/ uploaded at a future date. Nothing has been done to fix the issue and we feel dismissed about our concerns about our family’s safety, and the safety of drivers around us. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2021 M3 138,000 miles Alerted error code BMS_a074 & BMS_a079 After reading forums, this seems to be a known issue with 2021 in particular. I am reporting in hopes something can be done about it. Yesterday both codes alerted within hours of each other. First that the charging was limited to 50% and would only charge once <50%; then shortly thereafter it alerted with Unable to Charge. I attempted to charge at home with 32A charger when at 28% and charge limit set to 50%— car would not charge. Today I put in Tesla service request with first appointment available in 10 days (still awaiting review). Attempted to try charging again while at home and this time, coincidentally after my service request, it is now charging. I lowered to 20A to trickle in for now…and currently up to 32%. March/April 2025 my ECU went out after 3 12V battery replacements within 2 months. Car has been driving well but without any camera systems (traffic awareness) or entertainment system. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2026 | POWER TRAIN | My RWD motor completely went out and lost power on the highway off ramp. Could have turned into a dangerous situation. Not sure why these motors seem to be very unreliable. Tesla has not given me an explanation as to what is exactly causing this. Happens to thousands of owners. And this car is only 5 years old. I had the motor replaced in November 2022 and 3 years later it’s out for good. Now I have to deal with teslas insane costs. I feel like they sold me a defective car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I am filing a complaint regarding my inability to receive a safety recall remedy without first paying for a separate component replacement. Vehicle: Tesla Model 3 VIN: [XXX] My vehicle has an active safety recall related to hood latch functionality, which Tesla stated requires a firmware (OTA) update. Tesla informed me this update could not be installed unless the vehicle’s car computer (MCU/CPU) was replaced. Tesla classified this component as out of warranty and required me to pay $1,687.66 out of pocket (after a partial discount). Separately, my vehicle developed a charging failure requiring HV battery repair. Tesla confirmed in writing that they could not proceed with the HV battery repair or install required firmware unless the same computer was replaced. Tesla also confirmed that if I did not approve and pay for the computer replacement, they would not proceed with either the battery repair or the recall-related update. At the time, my vehicle was not drivable, and Tesla indicated the loaner vehicle would need to be returned if I did not approve the repair. This would have left me without a functional vehicle, leaving no practical alternative but to proceed. As a result, I approved and paid for the repair in order to restore vehicle functionality and receive the recall remedy. This payment was made under protest. Concern: This situation conditions access to a safety recall remedy on a customer-paid repair, creating a barrier to receiving a mandated safety fix. I request review of whether a manufacturer can require payment for a separate component in order to enable a safety recall remedy and essential repairs. I have written documentation supporting these statements. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When using the cruise control or self driving function the car will, unprovoked, brake suddenly and severely. Hitting the acceleration pedal will disengage the cruise control or self driving and will stop the deceleration. The error happens about 1-2 times per 20 miles. I do not use these features often due to several near miss car crashes due to deceleration error. Sometimes the car will report other phantom alerts (like curvature assist on a straight road). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2026 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 problems 1,Phantom braking when cruise control is activated. 2, There's no rear door mechanical release in the event of a electrical power failure in the event of R.T.A | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The components involved are the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system and the airbag system. During the collision, the AEB system did not activate, and the airbags did not deploy. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I was driving on a main roadway with no stop signs or traffic controls in my direction when another driver entered from a side street with a stop sign and pulled directly in front of me. I was unable to avoid the collision, and my vehicle was struck the other vehicle. The failure of the AEB system to engage and the airbags not deploying increased the risk of injury to myself and could have posed a risk to others involved. The issue has not been reproduced, and it has not yet been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle has been inspected by police and insurance representatives. The other driver was determined to be at fault. I am in the process of addressing the incident with the manufacturer. There were no warning lights, messages, or prior symptoms indicating any issue with the braking or airbag systems before the collision. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | SEAT BELTS | - The rear middle seatbelt became locked and will not unwind or extend. The seatbelt remained stuck in the retracted position, making it unusable. The vehicle and seatbelt assembly are available for inspection upon request. However, Tesla has already fixed the issue, but I feel we were wrongly charged because I believe this should be a recall. I searched this issue online, and others have reported the same issue. Because we rarely have the need to use our rear seats, it wasn't until years later we discovered this issue. - Because the rear middle seatbelt cannot be extended, that seating position cannot safely be used. Any passenger sitting in that position would not have a functioning restraint system in the event of a collision, creating a safety risk. - Yes, Tesla service inspected the vehicle and confirmed that the rear middle seatbelt was locked and not functioning properly. - The vehicle has been inspected by Tesla service. It has not been inspected by police, insurance representatives, or other third parties. - No warning lights, alerts, or messages appeared prior to discovering the issue. The seatbelt was found to be locked when we attempted to use it, and it would not extend. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | The vehicle is undriveable due to a high‑voltage enable safety lockout triggered by ECU identity/MAC mismatch after a software/update window; local service instructed me to ‘safely disregard’ active safety alerts contrary to vehicle telemetry, creating a safety risk. Chronology (key timestamps) • Jan 28, 2026 — Low‑voltage undervoltage precondition recorded (DIF_a018). • Feb 2nd, 2026 — Low‑voltage undervoltage precondition recorded (DIF_a018). • Feb 03, 2026 08:46 — Identity/MAC invalidation alerts (CP_a089 / CP_a077); HV‑enable blocked cascade. • Feb 24, 2026 — Service app: estimate approval prompt; supervisor instruction to ‘safely disregard’ active HV alerts captured via screenshot. • Feb 27, 2026 — Persistent handshake stall (CP_a066, State B1) despite ‘successful’ software job and new firmware update to patch the 2026.2 tree branch software. Vehicle remains grounded. Safety Concern Vehicle telemetry states HV contactors are blocked to protect the vehicle; service staff advised to disregard active alerts. Inconsistent guidance risks unsafe operation. I grounded the vehicle pending engineering review. Troubleshooting and A/B Tests My home EVSEs successfully charge a different Tesla (Model Y). The subject VIN charges at DC fast charging (Supercharger) and once on a third‑party EVSE, but fails on my two home EVSEs thereafter. This localizes the issue to vehicle‑side AC charge path/charge‑port logic rather than the EVSE. Request OEM to provide CP waveform under load + Toolbox logs. Please log this safety‑related defect; aggregate with similar complaints, and, if appropriate, open an investigation into identity/integrity faults causing HV‑enable lockouts and conflicting service guidance | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The rear camera malfunctions intermittently and causes other errors to happen, like Automatic emergency braking unavailable or forward collision warning unavailable. When the camera error happens, it says the camera is unavailable. I took my car to the Tesla dealership three times. The first time, they did a continuity check and said the harness was degraded, and they replaced the harness and the rear camera. A week later, it happened again. The second time they reset the camera calibration and it worked. The day after, it happened again. The car is at the Tesla dealership for the third time (02/20/2026). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | POWER TRAIN | HVAC system which provides cooling/heating for all the systems including the powertrain, battery, inverters, Full-Self Driving computer malfunctions randomly shutting itself off due to a known issue of failing pressure and temperature sensors. Tesla is aware of this issue where the sensors may fail prematurely and in 2021 they issued a service bulletin SB-21-18-002. I was told It would be fixed with a software update... In other words it was never fixed. Now my car says that cooling and heating may randomly be unavailable due to invalid readings from the pressure and temperature sensors. They want me to pay to have the sensors replaced despite them acknowledging that they have a defect causing premature failure. This issue is safety related because in the event that I was supercharging and the HVAC system shuts down it could potentially lead to a battery fire or thermal runaway. Not to mention that the car left me without heat in subzero temperatures on a roadtrip. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | STRUCTURE | I wrote several months ago about my 2021 tesla model 3 that the rear doors do not have any mechanical door handle release and is a big safety concern also how can a manufacturer get away with this and also not informing the consumer that anyone sat in the back may perish if involved in a accident and can't get out. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2026 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Full self driving system (fsd) has ran a red light twice. It slows almost to a stop then takes off. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | SEAT BELTS | The driver’s side belt makes a “click” sound when latch is inserted into the locking component but at times does NOT remain lock and the belt is released shortly after. The issue is sporadic. The belt is released with a low amount of force i.e. adjusting the body in the seat or twisting body to look over the shoulder | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | POWER TRAIN | The high-voltage traction battery pack has failed twice on my 2021 Tesla Model 3, both times while the vehicle was under the original battery warranty. The failures occurred on: • 08/30/2022 at approximately 15,100 miles • 11/08/2025 at approximately 57,222 miles The exact error code by Tesla was bms_a079, which doesn’t let the vehicle charge at all. The vehicle was drivable before the battery depleted. The defect has been reproduced, confirmed, and repaired by the manufacturer twice, but the same critical system has failed again after replacement, raising concern of a recurring defect. The failed component is the high-voltage battery pack. The component was inspected by Tesla, and in both cases Tesla confirmed battery failure and replaced the entire HV battery pack with a remanufactured unit under warranty. The failed components were retained by Tesla and are available for inspection by the manufacturer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | HVAC system went out at 7500ish miles. It was repaired under warranty, and a "fix" was administered through software by tesla. My HVAC has gone out again at 84k miles FOR THE SAME REASON. about 77k miles after it was just repaired. Quick check online. this is still a very common issue. No heat creates a significant safety hazard due to lack of the ability to defrost the vehicle or frost building up on cold days. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2026 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting this complaint to report a serious and potentially dangerous safety defect affecting my 2021 Tesla Model 3 Performance. After exposure to heavy rain or wet conditions, the vehicle’s horn completely stops functioning. The failure occurs regardless of the activation method—neither pressing the steering wheel horn nor using the horn via the mobile app produces any sound. The horn remains nonfunctional even though the vehicle is otherwise operable. This issue has occurred after the vehicle becomes wet due to rain and appears to be related to moisture intrusion or an electrical/design flaw. Once the failure occurs, the driver fully loses the ability to use the horn for warnings or emergency signaling. This is a critical safety concern. The horn is a federally required safety device and is essential for alerting pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers to avoid collisions. Losing horn functionality significantly increases the risk of accidents, especially in urban driving, highway merging, and emergency situations where immediate warning signals are necessary. This issue is not isolated to my vehicle. Numerous Tesla owners have reported the same horn failure after rain or wet conditions on online forums and owner communities, indicating a widespread and systemic defect rather than isolated wear or misuse. Given the safety implications and the volume of similar reports, I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate this issue to determine whether a design or manufacturing defect exists and whether corrective action or a recall is warranted. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Owner – 2021 Tesla Model 3 Performance | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | STRUCTURE | There is no manual door release for the rear doors. Thus rear passengers are at risk should the electrical system fail in a crash. Tesla should be required to provide a modification that allows rear passengers to manually open the rear doors. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | After Tesla replaced my high voltage battery in May of 2024 all of the following started to happen. Prior to the replacement none of these issues were present. While driving under normal conditions, my 2021 Tesla suddenly and violently steered into an oncoming lane or toward the roadside without any driver input. The steering wheel physically turned on its own with force. Full Self-Driving was NOT engaged at the time of the incident. This was not lane assist correction and occurred without warning. Importantly, the vehicle did NOT issue a warning at the time of the steering event. A “Take Control Immediately” message appeared several minutes AFTER the incident, not before or during, indicating a delayed or failed system response. This defect began immediately after a High-Voltage Battery replacement performed by Tesla Service in May 2024 and has occurred multiple times since. The incident presents a serious safety risk, including loss of vehicle control, roadway departure, or head-on collision. In addition to the steering defect, the vehicle began exhibiting multiple electronic and control anomalies immediately after the High-Voltage Battery replacement. These include navigation/map screen failures, windows adjusting themselves while driving, random “cannot shift into drive” warnings, system failure messages, camera malfunctions, and unexpected screen reboots. These issues did not exist prior to the battery replacement and support the presence of an underlying electrical or control system instability related to the steering defect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | -- Summarized Explanation The automatic windshield wiper system behaves unpredictably and creates unsafe driving conditions. Wipers frequently activate when there is no rain, operate at excessive speeds during light rain, and, most critically, fail to activate during active rainfall. These failures reduce driver visibility and increase the risk of a motor vehicle crash. Automatic wipers are forcibly enabled whenever cruise control or Autopilot is activated, regardless of weather conditions. This requires the driver to repeatedly adjust or disable the wipers while driving. Sudden transitions to maximum speed during light rain are distracting and divert attention from the roadway, increasing cognitive load during vehicle operation. -- Attempted Remedies •Replaced windshield wipers multiple times using different manufacturers •Cleaned forward-facing camera/rain detection area •Applied windshield water-repellent treatments •Installed approximately 30–50 over-the-air software updates over four years •Multiple inspections at Tesla-authorized service centers Tesla has consistently stated the system is operating “as intended,” despite continued unsafe behavior. -- Additional Notes There is no option to permanently disable automatic wipers when cruise control or Autopilot is enabled, nor any way to adjust sensitivity of the rain detection. Because the system repeatedly re-enables itself, the driver must divert attention from driving to manage wiper behavior, often multiple times during a single trip. This is especially hazardous when using standard cruise control without Autopilot, where full driver attention is required. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Central computer (motherboard), cameras (front/rear/side), autopilot/auto steer system. Error code: APS_w132. Description of Problem: On or around [XXX], Tesla pushed a mandatory over-the-air software update to my vehicle. Immediately after, multiple safety-critical systems failed: all cameras (including backup) became intermittent or non-functional, auto steer/autopilot stopped working, and the car emitted constant distracting beeping alerts due to a critical motherboard failure. This made driving hazardous—impaired visibility for parking/reversing, loss of collision avoidance features, and constant audio distractions that could lead to accidents. I had to drive in this unsafe condition for weeks while waiting for service. Tesla attempted a remote fix but it failed. I scheduled service on November 19 for December 3 (19-day delay). Diagnostics confirmed the update induced the hardware failure, a known issue reported by other 2021 Model 3 owners on forums like Reddit (e.g., software bricking motherboards post-update). Despite this, Tesla refused warranty/goodwill coverage, quoting $2,576.83 for repairs. Service advisors Josh and Andy were unprofessional: Josh was rude/condescending; Andy was aggressive, sarcastic, and retaliatory. After I mentioned filing complaints with the AZ Attorney General and News Channel 3, Andy threatened $100/day storage fees with an impossible deadline (called at 4 PM Friday, close at 5 PM, demanded pickup by morning, then noon). He closed my ticket without authorization, delaying fixes and forcing me to contact another location—prolonging my exposure to the unsafe vehicle. This defect poses serious safety risks: sudden loss of cameras/autopilot could cause crashes. Tesla's awareness (from prior reports) and poor handling (intimidation delaying repairs) exacerbates the danger. No crash/injury yet, but potential is high. Please investigate this update-induced failure as a widespread defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2025 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | The car, with no known or evident driver, stopped the lane awareness, cruise control, etc. All of those just stopped working and per Tesla that's expected which is surprising since it's all part of the safety systems. The car's visual cues stopped identifying lanes and as a byproduct of that, none of the dependent features work. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |