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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Driving 1-25 south in clear and sunny weather at posted speed limit, clear road in front of us, automatic brakes engages for no reason. Car behind us had to take evasive maneuver to avoid collision. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On several occasions while my Model 3 was under cruise control the vehicle brakes for no reason. From 65 mph to 25 mph in moderate to heavy traffic nearly causing a rear end collision each time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | TESLA "auto pilot" (adaptive cruise control) has activated breaking, with no object in front. Last event was 7/9/2022 on the highway going about 77 miles. Because the break are activated unexpectedly I almost lost control of the vehicle, and the vehicle behind me almost collided with us. I this time I have discontinued using the autopilot. Using the autopilot on this vehicle is extremely dangerous. Please help | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving 2022 Tesla Model 3 with cruise control, the car phantom braked with nothing around vehicle. This happened approximately 20-30 times while driving for about 8 hours. The phantom braking occurred while cruise control was set a 75 mph and and went to around 65 mph. This has occurred at varying speeds. It also occurred while using the auto-pilot feature. This happened the next day numerous times. It also braked on a two lane highway after a vehicle passed our car. There was no warning or indicators before, during or after. I am really concerned that this will occur with a vehicle behind my car and cause a rear end collision. Need to see Tesla dealership when return from current trip. Any help would be greatly appreciated. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Just completed road-trip from Florida to New England and back. Experienced 4/5 phantom braking events while using cruise control at highway speeds. When traveling in traffic at highway speed, this abrupt braking came very close to causing a collision. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | LANE DEPARTURE | On a recent round trip between Reno and Salt Lake City on I-80 over the July 4th weekend I experienced several incidents (3 incidents driving from Reno to SLC and 5 incidents on the return trip) while using Tesla Autopilot where the car suddenly slowed from the posted speed limit of 75 or 80 mph to approximately 45-50 mph for no apparent reason. Both legs of the trip occurred in clear weather with light to no traffic and there was no type of warning preceding each of the events. I have used Autopilot for limited periods around the Bay Area without incident prior to this trip and this was the first extended road trip I have taken with the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | Phantom breaking system continuously is stopping out of no where. Happens when vehicle is on autopilot and also happens when vehicle is on cruise control. It slams the brakes and lowers speed approximately 20 MPH’s in a matter of a second. Seriously increasing the chance of being rear ended. It’s enough braking power to send you forward in your seat. On my current trip driving through Nevada to Idaho it happened approximately 5 times within 20 miles before I gave up and turned it off. I have also experienced problems before where the car merges lanes on the freeway but does not take into consideration the car in the lane that it’s merging into. Accident waiting to happen. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was driving in our new 2022 Tesla doing 55 mph using the adaptive cruise control, not on auto pilot. We were on a divided highway, a few cars coming from the opposite lane, nothing in front of us when without warning the car heavily braked. It frightened us and I pressed the accelerator and the car continued without any further incident, but the episode was scary because earlier in the day we were driving on a heavily traveled interstate where such an episode could easily have caused a collision | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,EQUIPMENT | The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that the vehicle inadvertently activated the brakes independently after an image appeared on the display screen. The contact stated that the brake failure warning light was illuminated. The contact related the screen detection failure with a sensor failure, causing the brakes to independently apply. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 728. | Crash: No Fire: No | 728 |
| Jul 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving on the interstate and having the adaptive cruise control enabled, the vehicle unexpectedly and suddenly decelerated with no vehicles in front of us. This happened 3 times over a two day period, with a total time of about 3 hours having the cruise control on. The 3rd time it happened, we were traveling at about 75 mph with another vehicle behind us, no more than two seconds behind. No vehicle was in front of us, but our car suddenly decelerated by about 20 mph. If the driver behind us was not paying attention, they would’ve rear ended us. I sent in a service request to Tesla. The answer was, in summary, they are aware of this issue with their beta version of adaptive cruise control and are working on a firmware update to fix it. The solution given, in the meantime, is to disengage the cruise control when it happens. This is unacceptable to me, as the consequences of sudden, unexpected deceleration will have already happened. I am not going to use the cruise control until it is fixed. For such an expensive car, still under warranty, an unusable and dangerous feature should be fixed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Recently, while traveling on the freeway with light traffic conditions (no cars near me to the front, sides or rear -- possibly no cars even visible) the car automatically applied the brakes causing the speed to drop by more than 30 miles an hour. This happened three times over the course of two minutes, with one of the incidences being particularly severe (throwing me forward in my seat as the brakes were applied). Had a car been behind me, I'm sure I would have been rear-ended. At the time, the weather was clear, and the time was near noon, putting the sun nearly overhead. I did not detect any shadows or unusual road patterns at the time of the incidences, nor was I near any overpasses. At the time of the incidents, the car had its "traffic aware" cruise control engaged with the lane following feature active. Later that same day I experienced a similar incident with heavy, unexpected braking (same freeway, now heading in the opposite direction, about one hour from sunset), with traffic aware cruise control engaged but without lane following engaged. I have experienced milder versions of unnecessary automatic braking about 6 times. They were annoying, but not a safety issue. In at least one of the incidences described above, the braking was so severe, I do think it could have gotten me killed if a vehicle had been close behind me. I'm now afraid to use the feature in moderate traffic, which is a shame, because it is in under exactly that circumstance that the feature is most useful. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Driving on I8 between San Diego and Phoenix with no obstacles or vehicles around with cruise control on, vehicle was brake hard for no apparent reason. This happened multiple times. Disabled it as we were concerned we would get rear ended. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I engaged cruise control on my 2022 Tesla model 3 at 70 mph while traveling on flat level terrain, and after about 1 to 2 miles in cruise, braking automatically occurred slowing my speed down to 50 mph in less than 2 seconds. I've read that this is considered phantom braking which is considered common on the newer 2022 Tesla model 3. There were no warning signals and no visible objects on the road, and the time of day was about 4:30 pm. I took the vehicle to the dealership for another issue, but they didn't have time to take it for a test drive. I was thrown forward in my seat when the incident occurred, and fortunately there were no other drivers immediately behind me. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While the car is in Auto Cruise control, especially in the 72 mph and above range, the brakes engage for no reason. This happens repeatedly on long travel days. There is no notice of the slowdown. It can be abruptly and be extreme. The accelerator has to be used to disengaged the braking. We see it called phantom braking. It certainly is not safe. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When driving using cruise control on highway, car suddenly applied brakes with no other vehicles or obstructions present ahead or beside us. Car went from 80mph to 60mph. Had there been a car behind us, there may have been a rear-end accident | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | While driving on a two lane road, I was utilizing Tesla Autopilot to maintain speed and keep the vehicle centered in the lane at 60mph when the vehicle slammed on the brakes for no apparent reason. No error messages, beeps or chimes went off to indicate to me why it was slowing down very quickly. I have had this happen several times in my first 3 months of owning this vehicle and there have been times that the car has slammed on the brakes when another vehicle was following closely which could have resulted in me getting rear-ended. Tesla Autopilot can be extremely helpful, but at the same time it is not reliable and may result in an accident at some point. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Numerous times, my Tesla Model 3 has randomly slammed on the brakes or rapidly reduced its speed while on Autopilot. This has happened several times even when driving on flat level ground and no vehicles around me nor was there any debris in the road. It has also happened numerous times within several minutes while on the same flat road. The car also has a tendency to brake or turn off Autopilot when coming up to a hill that it seems to interpret as a car or object in the road. This can be very jolting and scary and if you aren’t ready on the accelerator pedal to speed back up there is a very real chance to get rear-ended. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was on auto pilot and cruising at 75 mph and car breaks automatically without any car in front of it(Phantom Breaking) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at high speeds with the cruise control engaged, the Forward Collision-Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking System engaged without warning. The local dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,000 |
| Jun 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Taking two 300+ mile trips, last Friday (June 24)and yesterday Monday (June 27), while on Auto Pilot with the cruise at either 80 or 85, the car had multiple phantom braking issues. The car would decelerate between 10-20 miles instantly with no obstacles or other cars around. This happened at least 10 times total with both trips. So much so that I have no confidence in using this feature again. It's horrifying when it happens. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | We are on a trip from California to Indiana and have had 9 instances so far of the car suddenly stopping while the cruise control is on. The last incident we are doing 75 mph and car stopped suddenly and car following us almost hit us and driver was pissed to the extent of road rage. This needs to be addressed!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Phantom braking at interstate speeds when vehicle was in autosteer. On a recent 600+ mile day trip I experienced 5 separate instances of instant phantom braking when the car was travelling between 70 and 75mph with autosteer on. The car would brake violently from 70mph to around 50mph in milliseconds without any observable obstacles and no visual or audible warnings from the car. The driver notification log does not show any instance of the event. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | At least 6 times on a trip today the traffic aware cruise control cut out and slowed the vehicle dramatically for absolutely no reason. If there was a vehicle close behind me, there would likely have been a collision. The weather was clear with no vehicles remotely close to me. About 1/2 the incidents were on a two lane road in the California desert. Other dramatic events were on interstate highway when my vehicle had just passed an off-ramp, I was in the right hand lane. Tesla has been notified via a bug report each time it happened. Tesla is aware of the problem and says we don't need to take the vehicle to a service center. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I’ve only had my car for 2 days and have had 6-7 phantom braking issues. First day I was driving home from KC, MO after picking up my new car. 4 random stops with the brakes. Some as we approach a (under) bridge, some the top of a hill. Is it falsely detecting radiant heat as an object? Second day same thing, but on new software update (6-25-22). Shorter trip, so fewer incidents. I recall one where no cars were in from of us and there was some asphalt patches on concrete highway. This triggered emergency brakes again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My car continues to slam on the brakes completely at random while using cruise control. This is unsafe because it could easily cause a collision from the vehicle behind me. It also causes road rage because people think I am brake-checking them. Someone waved a gun at me after my car braked randomly in front of them on interstate 10 in Phoenix. Tesla service center says this is currently normal behavior for Teslas without radar and nothing can be done. They offered troubleshooting options which I tried, but there has been no change. My car has no warning lights present. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |