Complaint volume
741 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
2022 Tesla Model 3 Complaints
741 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2022 Tesla Model 3, grouped by component category.
741 Total complaints
51 Crash reports
3 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, vehicle speed control,forward collision avoidance, service brakes,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, 3 fire reports, 26 injury reports, and 1 fatality report. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 55 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 13,827 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to forward collision avoidance, vehicle speed control,forward collision avoidance, service brakes,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 2022 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.
2022 Tesla Model 3
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2022 Tesla Model 3 complaints?
51 Crash
3 Fire
26 Injury
1 Fatality
32 Towed
21 Medical attention
What are the most common 2022 Tesla Model 3 complaint categories?
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 261
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 75
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 72
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 48
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 34
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 14
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 14
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE 12
SERVICE BRAKES 11
741 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The car slammed on the brakes while we were using auto pilot on the freeway, even though there was no one braking in front of us. This was the 2nd time this has happened. The ac and radio shut off for the rest of the ride and the ac has been working intermittently since. We have a baby and she was not in the car but she is in the car with us often. We have submitted a service request for this week. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Constantly issues with the car braking hard without reason - also the car NOT braking when needed, and poor estimation of distance to the vehicle directly in front. When the car Phantom Brake, it causes traffic behind the vehicle to become in danger of a forward collision. When the car incorrectly estimates the distance to the next vehicle, it causes the car to apply maximum braking force to rectify the miscalculation. The "Autopilot" and "Cruise Control" are dangerous and hazardous to use in normal vehicle operation. The vehicle/component and behavior is repeatedly certified as "within spec" and no issues found with the vehicle or components. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Everyday I drive on highway i-10 I get severe Phantom Breaking, when I have auto pilot on or just my cruise control. Sometimes it’s as hard as you can brake. 30+ mph before I can push the gas and stop it, with absolutely nothing around me, and all my software updates are up to date. Extremely unsafe and needs to be corrected. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, there was a message displayed that stated, “Pull Over and Exit the Vehicle”. The contact stated that the vehicle then lost power steering and power brakes. The contact was able to park on the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the front steering alignment control arm to be adjusted. The vehicle was repaired but experienced the failure two days later. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer but the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,300. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 5,300 |
| Oct 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While using auto throttle (cruise control) on a recent trip I had several instances of uncommanded slow downs. These ranged from slowdowns from the activation of regenerative braking to actual hard breaking. It occurred on both two lane highways and interstates. More often on two lanes. Often it occurred on topping a hill and some thing in the distance was misinterpreted as a hazard. At other times I could not determine what set it off. It ranged from a slight slow down to hard breaking. It could easily have led to a rear end collision had someone been close to me. I finally had to stop using the auto throttle as it seemed unsafe. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Cruise control set @70 to 74mph on open highway with no vehicles in front or behind. Midday, sunny, clear, and dry. The vehicle suddenly applies brakes. This could have easily lead to being rear-ended if another vehicle were following too closely. This happened numerous time this last weekend. Contacted the manufacturer and they stated this is normal and no hardware faults were detected in the vehicle when diagnosed remotely. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was using the adaptive cruise control and experienced phantom braking. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | With Tesla Auto Pilot engaged, I was driving on I-10 in Florida with no other automobiles in front, to the side or behind my car. I was driving the 70 MPH speed limit when suddenly my car applied full braking (Phantom Braking) upon which I took control and applied the accelerator to regain proper velocity disabling Tesla Auto Pilot. This was the only time I experienced this issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | AIR BAGS | The passenger air bag light remains illuminated and the car indicates a passenger restraint system fault. Tesla service indicates it is a faulty sensor. I am concerned the system error will impact passenger safety in the event of a crash if the seatbelt tensioner and airbag fail to perform due to the sensor. Tesla has not resolved the problem to date and keeps rescheduling the repair weeks into the future. They deserve a strong reprimand for the safety risk this issue imposes. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | i was driving through an intersection in san francisco on a green light and the car suddenly braked hard with no object in front of me to brake for. fortunately the car behind me managed to brake without rear-ending me. this was totally without warning and completely unneccesary. this was a "safety feature" that engaged to make me and the pedestrians and cars around me less safe! if the automatic emergency braking doesn't work (and is more dangerous to human life and property when activated as opposed to not), it should be able to be disabled for safety's sake. i can disable it for a trip, but then i have to remember to disable it every time i drive the car or it could put my life in danger! this is dangerous! the control panel informed me that the automatic emergency system was to blame for the dangerous stop. there was no warning before this happened. the vehicle has not been specifically inspected for this issue, but this appears to be a known issue for this model of car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I drove from Denver to Amarillo using the cruise control. About 25 times the car braked hard for no apparent reason. Most incidents were a sharp 5-6 mile per hour drop. Three were a 15 mile per hour drop. I believe that roughly 15 of the incidents were the car responding to the optical illusion of shimmering water. This happened on the afternoon of September 28. It was a clear, sunny day with only occasional clouds. After sundown the hard braking on cruise control continued at a lower rate with 5-6 incidents between Amarillo and Vernon TX. If someone had been following too closely in any of the incidents it's likely they would have struck my car from behind. This cruise control is unsafe. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Have owned this car for one month now and have put approximately 2,500 miles on since its purchase (2 miles on odometer at pickup). When using Adaptive Cruise Control or Autopilot the vehicle will apply hard braking without reason and seemingly random. No oncoming cars, no cars in front or to the side, road is paved and well painted. Speed would be suddenly reduced from 70mph to 30-35mph. This is a safety risk due to possibility of rear end collision by following vehicle. This event happened multiple (10+ times) on the 10 and 40 freeways in California and Arizona and on the 95 highway in Nevada as well as on other roadways. I have subsequently disabled Autopilot on my car and now avoid using Cruise Control as it is simply too frightening to use. I reported this to Tesla Service who advise that hardware-wise there is nothing wrong with the car and future software updates will improve the function. They advise that both Autopilot and Cruise Control are 'Beta' software. I could understand with their Full Self Driving and Autopilot that these advanced features may need further development but I consider Cruise Control to be a well understood and long-established vehicle function. They could at least offer both old fashioned 'fixed speed' Cruise Control along with their Beta Adaptive Cruise Control, but they provide only the Beta version. Beta software which is simply too scary to use! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Phantom braking in cruise control with or without autopilot. Sometimes braking is extremely hard. No apparent cause. Totally random This has happened several times since March 1, when we received the vehicle. Most recent events (more than 5 on September 23, 2023 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Phantom breaking while driving down interstate. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while her husband was driving 50 mph on cruise control, the vehicle began to decelerate independently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated they continue to experience the failure five to ten times on the first trip. The contact stated she also experienced the failure on 9/23/2022, while driving 80 mph on cruise control, the vehicle began to decelerate independently to 70 mph and deactivated the cruise control independently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated the force of the deceleration caused the seat belt to retract and caused her to have whiplash and headache left side of her head. The contact did not sought medical attention. The contact continued to experience the failure while driving to her destination. The contact stated she experience the failure for a second time on 9/25/2022. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 | 1,000 |
| Sep 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | We just went on a longish trip, covering a total of about 2,500 miles. While driving on interstate highways and using cruise control, the car would occasionally brake for no reason. The first several times it happened, the car braked mildly and we tried to explain it away. ("It must have seen the guardrail/traffic cone/butterfly," etc.) However, the last time it happened, with absolutely nothing anywhere near us to the sides or front, the car braked FREAKING HARD. I was driving, and it scared the $hit out of me. If the 18-wheeler behind us had been a little closer, we would have been toast. After that, we disabled the automatic emergency braking every time we started the car, and we'll continue to do that. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On our trip from San Diego to Sacramento yesterday 9/21/2022; while cruise control was on, the Tesla braked for no reason on 3 different occasions causing great alarm and emotional distress to all of us in the car. We were traveling at freeway speeds on the 5 north and thank goodness no one rear ended us when these events happened. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While going at 75 mph, no obstacles or cars ahead of us, on US30 W in Texas, the car applied a sudden strong brake (phantom braking) that almost caused a severe accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Multiple instances of rapid deceleration, i.e.; braking or regenerative slowing while at cruise speeds on my latest cross country trip. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds with the cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking with the Forward Collision Avoidance warning light intermittently illuminated. The contact also stated that a warning chime would sound during the failure. The dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50. The consumer stated that the dealer was notified of the failure. The dealer informed the owner that the failure could not be repaired and that it was due to a poor GPS tracking. The consumer received a text from the dealer stating that the issue was "resolved remotely" but that is incorrect. The vehicle continues to have phantom braking issues. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50 |
| Sep 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | On 9-12-2022 we drove from Chandler AZ. to Carlsbad NM. returning 9-15-2022 in this time we had eight Phantom braking events two with cars in close proximity very dangerous I also noticed the blind spot warning chime isn't working and is enabled in the Autopilot menu. Thank you. Mike | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My Tesla Model 3 has had multiple instances of phantom braking while the autopilot/cruise control has been engaged. All have been on the highway traveling 70-80mph. My car was delivered on 9/9/22, new from Tesla. I feel this is extremely dangerous at any speeds, but especially at highway speeds. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,LANE DEPARTURE | I am renting this Tesla Model 3 on monthly basis Rental from Hertz. ON SEP 5TH, 2022 I was at a stop sign fully stopped and all of a sudden the car started accelarating by itself. I try to call Tesla about it and their answer was as I am not the owner they won't even talk to me. I tried to call Hertz but their Customer Service no available just in a circle of press this and press that for hours..Today Sep 16, around 10:58 am , I was Stopped at an intersection on a Red light waiting for the signal to turn Green , Then all of a sudden the Car Accelerated and Luckily no Cross Traffic and I proceeded through the Intersection. This is a Serious Issue.This car does not have Self Driving Feature, and twice in 10 Days this speed issue occur. Also on three different occasions while I was driving on a freeway other Cars from left and right swerved into my Lane and extremely close to my Car and the side Sensors didn't Beep. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I rented a Tesla model three and have driven 5000 miles on it since I got it three weeks ago. In that time this car has done some very dangerous things that concern me about my safety. I stopped using the auto pilot function after one time when it tried to pull me off the road at highway speeds into the emergency lane. I have also started experiencing the phantom braking issue that you read about online. For some reason this car can’t go more than 10 or 15 miles without slamming on the brakes even though there are no cars anywhere close to me or any objects on the road that might trigger the automatic braking. I am afraid that this car is going to slam on the brakes when there is somebody behind me and cause an accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving with the Adaptive Cruise control activated or while using the Autonomous Self-Driving feature, the vehicle experienced phantom braking in some areas with a posted Speed Limit. The dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the failure and opened a case. The contact was instructed to reboot the vehicle. The contact performed the reboot several times however, the failure persisted. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 20,000 |