Complaint volume
650 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
650 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Tesla Model 3, grouped by component category.
650 Total complaints
45 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 45 crash reports, 5 fire reports, 16 injury reports, and 5 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?
45 Crash
5 Fire
16 Injury
5 Fatality
38 Towed
18 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Tesla Model 3 complaint categories?
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 199
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 57
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 53
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 41
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 33
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 21
VISIBILITY/WIPER 12
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11
SERVICE BRAKES 10
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 10
650 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | System: Traffic Aware Cruise Control Safety Risk: Full regenerative breaking in the fast lane on a highway with a car following behind. Car behind had to initiate emergency braking. Reproduced by Dealer: Did not contact dealer Inspected by Manufacturer: Did not contact manufacturer Warnings: No, braking automatically initiated System: Lane Departure Warning Safety Risk: Misreading a parking garage and initiating lane departure warning chime Reproduced by Dealer: Did not contact dealer Inspected by Manufacturer: Did not contact manufacturer Warnings: Yes, warning chime initiated and warning message. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Since my ownership, I have experienced multiple phantom braking incidents with my 2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range. I would estimate that I experience 3 to 5 severe phantom braking incidents per week. It is nearly a daily occurrence during my daily commute to work. Sometimes there are multiple incidents during one leg of my commute. I have filed several requests for service with Tesla through their application and every time the technical support says the system is working properly. I have given them explicit details and information about the incidents which have helped them to identify the time and location but they have never fixed/changed/remedied the phantom braking issue. I have filed these requests for service to protect myself if I'm ever involved in a serious accident due to these phantom braking incidents. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving in cruise control, my Tesla 3 braked for no reason. No accident occurred because no one was behind me. It has happened about 10 times. It has not been confirmed by a dealer because I do not live near a dealer. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police or insurance representatives. No warning lights or messages appeared to warn me. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While using the autopilot feature on my Tesla, there have been several instances where the car will brake suddenly for no apparent reason. This has happened at high speeds and at slow speeds under various conditions. The braking is so severe that if a car was following behind they would have to react quickly to avoid an accident. Multiple instances over the last year. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When using traffic aware cruise control or auto steer the car phantom breaks and issues warning chimes when it senses large vehicles approaching on undivided 2 lane roads. The car also phantom brakes when it misidentifies shadows on these same 2 lane roads. I have almost been rear ended by closely following traffic several times. This has been happening since new. We have been patient, hoping a software update would fix this very well known problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | I've had 2 incidents of phantom braking in 13 months of ownership. Both times when using cruise control. Scary stuff. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Phantom Braking occurs often and cannot use the autopilot. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Phantom braking for no apparent reason. Worst occurrence was this morning driving home from work on cruise control, max speed cruise 73mph, suddenly my car braked on its own down to 59mph in 2 seconds. Very scary. My wrist hurts from that incident & my forehead almost hit the steering. Nothing in front & thank God no tailgating car behind me. This is not safe. It happens to me all the time but this was the scariest of all. | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When driving in several locations near my home, with cruise control engaged (not full driving, just cruise control), the car will suddenly slow to ~20mph and stay at that speed for a few moments, and then accelerate back up to the legal speed limit of 55mph, 60mph, etc. There are no objects on or near the road, no other cars, and it appears to be a problem with the software that identifies if there is an object in the road to automatically reduce speed or slow down. There are no warning chimes, no feedback to the driver of the reason to slow down, no posted speed limit signs, etc. I can duplicate this every time I traverse these roadways. One of the most significant reasons I purchased this vehicle was it's advertised safety features like emergency braking and such. However, with this problem, I either have to disable the auto-braking feature, or not use the driving assist features (like cruise control). This is a significant issue for me, and I have no doubt going from a 60mph roadway to 20mph for no reason will result in me getting rear-ended or at the very least cause problems for drivers behind me. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1st incident Driving on a 2 lane road @ 55MPH with no oncoming traffic emergency braking occurred (with all the warning lights and sounds) with no obstacles in my path. 2nd incident driving on a 8 lane highway @65 MPH (I-71) with very little traffic (and no oncoming obstacles) emergency braking occurred (with all the warning lights and sounds) no obstacles in my path. 3rd incident driving on a different 2 lane road @ 45 MPH emergency braking occurred (with all the warning lights and sounds) no obstacles in my path. I have only owned the vehicle 2.5 months and less the 1300 miles on the odometer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Phantom braking occurs about once every 15-20 minutes of long distance highway driving while using Tesla Autopilot. Specifically, for no apparent reason, with no obstacle in front or near the car, while driving highway speed on Autopilot, the car suddenly slams on the brakes on its own. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Driving on cruise control only. Autopilot was not engaged. I was cruising at 50mph when it "phantom" braked out of nowhere. It was clear as day in front of me and luckily the car behind me was a hundred yards or so. It abruptly decreased speed to 35mph before I could get back up to speed by manually using the accelerator to override cruise control. This has happened many times and I'm afraid to use such features moving forward. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Driving on the interstate in autopilot with nobody in front of me but there was somebody riding my rear. And the vehicle decided to phantom break which almost caused the guy to rear end me while going 75 mph it could have been lethal. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When using the adaptive cruise control on the vehicle, which is the only cruise control there is, the car will often brake hard for no reason, or inappropriate reasons. This most recent incident was a two lane highway (one lane each direction) where oncoming cars who were in their lane would cause the car to think a collision was imminent, start beeping, and brake hard. Another incident appeared to brake for shadows, but I am unsure! Overall the experience, and experiences of many other Tesla owners facing similar problems has caused me to just be unable to use cruise control at all as I fear it could cause an accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When driving at low speeds (below35) we have had 2 instances of the car braking with no obstacles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When vehicle is in full self drive mode, sometimes it mistakenly detects an obstacle on the highway and applies brakes. This event presents risk of getting rear ended at high speed on highways. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1. Vehicle brakes for no reason while on Traffic Aware Cruise Control 2. At night on come head lights appear to cause braking while on Traffic Aware Cruise Control. 3. Vehicle brakes for no reason when on Traffic Aware Cruise Control when on two lane road (one lane each direction) when on coming large vehicle approaching. 4. Vehicle brakes for no apparent reason while on Traffic Aware Cruise Control when light conditions cause high contrast shadows on the road. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When adaptive cruise control is engaged the car brakes when it sees oncoming traffic even though the vehicle is clearly in it lane. This also happens when it sees a semi truck driving in the same direction but in the adjacent lane. Its at a minimum annoying but it is quite dangerous especially when cars are behind me. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When driving north on Highway 61 between St. Louis, MO and Hannibal, MO and using "autopilot" adaptive cruise control, the vehicle will slam on it's brakes even when nothing is on the road in front of it. It happens multiple times through the duration of this trip. It's absolutely terrifying, and I hope it doesn't ever take effect when vehicles are behind me. It's so scary that I've stopped using cruise control out of fear it will brake check for no reason and cause an accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When in Autopilot (Adaptive Cruise Control) the vehicle intermittently slams on the brakes at highway speeds. I have not been able to determine any pattern for when this will happen - it’s disruptive and potentially dangerous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Phantom braking when using cruise control. Car suddenly braking or rapidly decelerating for now discernible reason when traveling at speed on highways, both two-lane and multilane. The problem has occurred many times since first acquired in December 2021. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Recently, at least it was noticed starting in Dec 2021, while driving on two lane highways under cruise control or self driving, the vehicle would brake hard at vehicles approaching in the opposite lane. Large trucks especially triggered the response. The braking response definitely put the safety of the occupants and following vehicles at risk. I have not taken it to a dealer or service center. There were no warning lamps, messages or any symptoms prior. I have stopped using those features while on two lane roads. I certainly am hoping for a software update to solve this issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Phantom breaking has occurred regularly with this vehicle when using adaptive cruise control on two-lane roads. Oncoming traffic in the opposite lane will cause the vehicle to suddenly decelerate, which has led to moments where the vehicle was rear ended. This has most typically occurred during curves in the road. There has never been a valid reason for the sudden deceleration, and the car is apparently confusing the oncoming vehicle with a imminent danger. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The vehicle will unexpectedly slam on the brakes while using the Traffic Aware Cruise Control. I've noticed it happens mostly on two lane highways with oncoming traffic or heavy shadows on the road. It will also happen on interstates when a shadow is on the road or a dark patch. I'm afraid I will be rear ended if this continues. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Our 2021Tesla Model 3, delivered in September 2021, has ongoing, repeated problems with sudden, unexpected braking, whenever cruise control or auto-steer is engaged. This happens regularly while driving on two lane highways, usually when a large sized vehicle is approaching in the opposing lane, but it also occasionally happens when there is no oncoming vehicle. Typically, an alarm also sounds and a warning light flashes in the car, warning of imminent collision risk. This happens every time we have used cruise control or auto-steer sometimes with nearly every large oncoming vehicle. This is unsafe because of the risk of a rear-end collision. The car dramatically slows. It also risks injury to the car occupants from being thrown forward unexpectedly. Along with the alarm and flashing signal, the braking is so dangerous and unnerving that it makes cruise control and auto-steer unusable. We have complained to Tesla of this problem. Tesla recently shipped the car to inspect more fully at its facility in Honolulu, but so far has reported that it is operating within "normal parameters." The rep suggested that the cruise control is not designed to work on a two lane highway such as we have on the Big Island of HI, although she says that it does not happen with every Tesla here. It occurs even on straight, level sections of wide, two lane highways with clearly marked lanes and wide shoulders. Tesla still has our car. When we read the Washington Post article explaining that many others are experiencing this problem, we felt we should report as well. We have advised Tesla that the cruise control and auto-steer functions in our car are unsafe and unusable in their current condition. We do not use cruise control or auto-steer except to test whether the problem has been fixed. We do not have full self-driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |