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 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When driving using adaptive cruise control, it breaks for no reason slamming the car into a stop. Also, with adaptive cruise control regardless of the set speed limit it speeds up to whatever it once, which is a huge safety factor. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | AIR BAGS | VIN #: [XXX] INCIDENT: COLLISION – FAULTY SAFETY AIRBAG EQUIPMENT DATE OF INCIDENT: 09/04/23; TIME: 22:07:33 SUMMARY ON SEPTEMBER 4, 2023 VEHICLE WAS HEADING WEST ON ARROW HWY UPLAND PASSING 5TH STREET IN UPLAND, CA. VEHICLE PROCEDED WITH GREEN LIGHT. 2ND PARTY HEADED EASTBOUND ON TWO WAY STREET OF ARROW HWY COLLIDED WITH PARKED VAN. 2ND PARTY RICOCHETED FROM INITIAL COLLISION WITH PARKED VAN AND THEN COLLIDED WITH TESLA FRONT DRIVER SIDE. 2ND PARTY WAS HEADING NORTHBOUND WITH SPEED AND WRECKED ALL VEHICLES IMPACTED. THE SENSORS OF THE VEHICLE ONLY REPORTED TIRE PRESSURE AND NO OTHER SENSORS AS INDICATED IN TESLA MOBILE APP. TIRE AXLE LEFT VEHICLE DAMAGED AND UNABLE TO DRIVE. UPON TOW REMOVAL FROM THE SCENE, VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE MANEUVERED BY USE OF THE STEERING WHEEL AS THE COLLISION IMPACT DAMAGED THE UNIT. DUE TO FAULTY SAFETY EQUIPMENT, TESLA AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT THE TIME OF ACCIDENT AND DID NOT ACTIVATE OR DETECT THE COLLISION. COLLISSION RESULTED IN ENTIRE FRONT DRIVER’S SIDE TO BE WRECKED. AS A RESULT OF THE AIRBAGS NOT DEPLOYING, PASSENGERS SUFFER FROM SUSTAINING INJURIES. DRIVER AND THREE (3) ADDITIONAL PASSENGERS SAUGHT MEDICAL HELP, TESTING AND XRAYS FROM E.D WITHIN 48 HOURS FROM THE ACCIDENT. PASSENGERS CONTINUE TO SEEK MEDICAL HELP DUE TO ACCIDENT. FARMERS’ ADJUSTER STATES VEHICLE IS SETTING AS A TOTAL LOSS DUE THE COLLISSION FROM 2ND PARTY. VEHICLE RECORDING OF ACCIDENT AVAILABLE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 4 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I took a recent road trip of 1,200 miles across the southwest. Numerous times while using adaptive cruise control the vehicle suddenly and violently braked for no apparent reason. This was particularly concerning when passing trucks. One particular event was on interstate 5 when passing a big rig truck, I was along side the truck with a following car tailgating me, my car suddenly braked hard, creating a risk of rear end collision at 70 miles per hour. I was able to accelerate to avoid a collision. I did not keep track of the number of events of sudden unanticipated braking, but I would estimate more than 50 instances. They vary from momentary slow down to violent sudden breaking. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed with the cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The contact stated that no other vehicle or objects were nearby. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 19,700. | Crash: No Fire: No | 19,700 |
| Sep 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My car was purchased Aug 2022. In Nov. 2022 we took a short trip. I believe 5 or 6 times the car braked for no reason. I believe it is called phantom braking. One or two times it was a hard brake that I believe could cause an accident if someone was behind me, or the wrong person driving. It was sudden and hard in those two situations. I took the car in and after they drove it two miles they told me there were no issues. Then in June 2023 we went on a long trip. I do not use autopilot, this is only cruise control. On this trip probably between 35 to 45 times we experienced the same issues. At least 5 times they were hard brakes and could cause an accident. I again opened a service visit to Tesla. Again, they drove the car 5 miles and claimed there is nothing wrong. I did not accept this answer and asked for the GM. Finally after demanding this for 20 or so minutes a man came and said he was the manager. He also argued in the beginning but when I told him I have found accidents caused by this he finally admitted that it was something called "phantom braking" and that that it should be fixed very soon with an update. So then again, in August my wife and I went on another trip. It still is happening and probably 6 or 7 times this occurred. It seems to mostly be on smaller 2 lane highways and occurs usually when there are no cars, trucks, or anything nearby. But all it would take is a tailgater to cause a wreck. In August when we returned I made another warranty appointment her in Las Vegas and immediately they cancelled the visit on my app. They are lying about what is occurring and telling me that it is usually when I am following too close or some garbage like that, which is absolutely not true. I just made another appt today but I am sure they will cancel it. What do I do. I really want to go through Nevada Lemon law at this point. My name is [XXX] and my phone is [XXX] . Below I am putting in the most recent incident and mileage then. Happens many time INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was in the carpool lane when traffic came to a complete stop. I pressed on the brakes but they were heavy as if I was not able to press it down all the way. There was no information prior to the accident from the Tesla trying to warn me about an incoming collision. It wasn’t until after the accident the Tesla acknowledged that there was damage done to the car. Prior to the accident there was a service required for the front passenger safety restraints. This accident could have been much worse as I tried to swerve out of the way to avoid traffic but wasn’t able to make it back in time. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | This is not a safety issue but a design issue. I am not sure who else could address this issue for a recall and make the company responsible for this design problem. I purchased a new Tesla Model 3 in August 2023 from Tesla. Since I bought this car, I have noticed that the edges of the windows have discolored. I recently contacted Tesla to have that repaired or corrected as part of the warranty. They are charging me ~1K for this repair, even though this design issue has been widely reported in several forums, and I have seen it in many other Tesla cars. I requested to waive this payment as this is a design issue, not because of irregular car use or care. They said that this abnormality occurs because of the acidity of products used in car wash shops, but I have never taken my car to any of those places, as I wash it myself at home with regular car soaps that I use in other vehicles. They refuse to repair it without the charge. I don't think charging me for this repair is fair, and I would like you to intervene in this conflict. I suspect many other customers are having the same issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | We took our first long-disance trip (Albuquerque NM to Arlington TX, round trip) in our 2022 Tesla Model 3 and experienced multiple (4-5) phantom braking episodes to and from Arlington when engaging adaptive cruise control or autopilot. The car had been driven 5,760 miles before the trip. There were no warnings before the braking. The car was travelling at 70-77 mph on interstate highways and suddenly the brakes would engage slowing the car to 40 or 50 mph before we pressed pressed the accelerator. It was a clear day with temperatures in the 90-100 range. One time the phantom brake episode occurred while passing. Fortunately, there no cars travelling close behind us or there could have been a serious multi-car accident. We contacted Tesla service and they told us the car had no discernable problems (attached message). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I had car seat professionals attempt to install my car seat into the Model 3. Upon reviewing the car’s user manual, it was clear that all the car seat instructions contradicted itself. 1. The instructions from the car manual instruct you to pull the single back tether from a forward facing car seat through the head rest, but the headrest is sewed into the seat so there is no option to lift the head seat and slide the tether through. 2. The instructions also include photos with instructions that directly contradict what is in the photo. For example, the manual says to run the single tether on the outside-facing side of the head rest but in the photo the tether is being run on the inside-facing tether. 3. Some instructions also encourage you to use the seat belt rather than the restraint clips on the side back seats but there is a warning at the beginning of the car seat section of the car manual that says you should only use the seat belt when the car seat is in the middle position. When I called Tesla they told me not to worry about it and that they were sure my car seat was safe. They refuse to clarify any of their user manual instructions. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact stated that while renting a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the steering wheel suddenly turned left while accelerating. The contact attempted to gain control however the steering wheel seized. The vehicle ended up crashing in the middle of the highway on the left side of the vehicle and front-end mostly. The air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed however it had not been determined if the vehicle was totaled as of yet. The display of the front left safety restraint system fault message was displayed on the main control display. The contact received injuries to their arms, knees, neck, shoulder, and back. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | 50,000 |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On multiple occasions, I have had phantom braking issues with the car. Most notably, I have experienced this on Highway 80 between Fernley, NV, and Winnemucca. Originally, I was using the car's autopilot feature and I had multiple phantom braking events. I had the speed set for the speed limit of 80 MPH and the car randomly slammed on the brakes. By the time I was able to hit the gas pedal, I slowed down to about 60 MPH. Fearing I was going to cause a traffic incident, I stopped using autopilot and used the adaptive cruise control. I suffered over 50 phantom braking incidents with the adaptive cruise control. I kept using the feature so I could log a case with Tesla. Once I got home, I logged a case with Tesla and they said the cameras were dirty and that was the issue. On a second trip, taking the same route, I cleaned the cameras and had the exact same results. I have noticed taking the same route, I only have issues when it is sunny out. When it is dark, with less glare, the car operates okay. Autopilot and Tesla's adaptive cruise control are incredibly dangerous. I requested to have a standard cruise control, which Tesla said was impossible to get. I had a previous Tesla with standard cruise control and don't understand why we can't have that feature. Please investigate this and make Tesla offer a standard cruise control option so we do not have to risk our lives with their dangerous autopilot. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving at 55 MPM on Interstate 66 West near Reston, I was using Tesla Autopilot and experienced a very sudden heavy braking, braking to about 35 MPH in a second or less. The braking was so sever it lifted me off the back o f the driver's seat. The closest vehicle in my lane (rightmost lane) was easily more than a quarter mile ahead. There were no vehicles on the 2 lanes to my left. I was not near an exit nor was there an overpass ahead. This occurs frequently while trying to use Tesla Autopilot in a variety of conditions. In each case there is no obvious reason for the sudden braking while using autopilot. This is quite scary and clearly dangerous. My frequent passengers all ask me not to use Tesla autopilot while they are in the car. As a comment, I would be quite happy if Tesla provided an option to only use autopilot for keeping the speed without anything else. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On 8/3/23 on two occasions the vehicle suddenly applied brakes while in cruise/autopilot mode when there was no vehicle in close proximity in front of my vehicle. There was however a large commercial truck behind me on one occasion, which may have been effected by the application of brakes for no apparent reason. On 8/5/23, with the vehicle in the same mode, the system applied brakes.....there were no vehicles within a 1/4 mile front or rear. Tesla was contacted and reviewed the logs, stating that the vehicle braked for another vehicle..... As a 35 year police officers, my professional opinion is that this vehicle is dangerous when operated in this mode. I explained this to Tesla and their response was that sometimes you get false activations because the car perceived something that wasn't there and that's Ok. It's not Ok to unexpectedly step on the brakes at 70 or 80 miles per hour on a major highway! Had it been my daughter or my wife driving, I'm not sure they would have reacted as fast nor in the correct manner as it is confusing when it first happens. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On Friday, August 11th. My wife and I were traveling on I-70 Eastbound from Colorado to Kansas. On several occasions during the trip, we experienced phantom braking while using the adaptive cruise control. The car would immediately brake at highway speeds, slowing rapidly when nothing was on the road. Luckily every time this happened there were no cars immediately behind us as it could have easily caused a crash. This happened both while I was driving [XXX] ) and while my wife was driving [XXX] ). At one point in the trip, we turned off the emergency braking feature and the phantom braking still occurred while using the adaptive cruise control. In all this happened around 10 times or so during the trip. I reported the event to Tesla on Monday, August 14 as neither of us felt safe using the adaptive cruise control after that event. Response from Tesla attached below. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I believe the autopilot and cruise control systems are affected. On 6-8 occasions, the cameras have picked up a non- existent hazard along the road causing the cruise control to disengage, rapidly slowing the car approximately 20 MPH in about 3 seconds. This has occurred on highways and freeways at speeds of 65-75 MPH. If there had been another vehicle traveling close behind, an accident would likely have occurred. I’ve taken the car to the dealer and they are aware of this problem. After the dealer adjusted the cameras the problem persisted. When this problem has occurred, there was no prior warning. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2022 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 75-78 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,300. | Crash: No Fire: No | 13,300 |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | I was at a stop light. The car was stopped. The car suddenly lurched forward. I put my foot on the break but then it lurched forward again, and rear-ended the car in front of me. It appears that the car accelerated by itself. This caused an accident. The accident happened tonight. I have filed a police report and received a traffic citation for following to close. I have saved the dash cam footage of the incident to a computer and have requested that Tesla send me the EDR data. Looking at the car's logs in service mode I can see that the car was throwing several errors from before the accident with codes of "VCFRONT_a059_inputResistanceHigh," and "DIF_a018_hwLVSupplyUV" relating to the front vehicle controller and drive interface. I am attaching this plus photos of the damage. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Car brakes hard on cruise control when no other cars are around. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was using Tesla autopilot today while driving from corpus christy to Fulshear. Multiple times it slammed the brake on the freeway even if there was no one in front of me at all. This caused lot of panic to all of us specially passenger seat folks. It was extremely scary and could have resulted in long pile up on the highway. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STRUCTURE,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,WHEELS | I was pulling into parking lot at REI car suddenly accelerated and jumped pavement and hit a wall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | I was attempting to park my car at parking spaces inside a garage. The car was about half way into the spot, and I released the accelerator to slow down. Suddenly, while my foot was off the gas, the car accelerated on its own, lurching forward and hitting a barrier, which protected against falling off the side of the garage into the floor below. The car sustained minor damage to the hood, but it could have been far worse; if the car ran through the barrier, it would have fallen one story down to the floor below. I am now way too concerned to drive the car, and have not driven it since. I took the car to a Tesla service stations and they said that they cannot reproduce the same phenomena, and that the car passed their diagnostic check. Currently, this is the only person to inspect the car. During the sudden acceleration incident, the car did not make any warning sounds, which it typically does when driving into a parking spot and approaching a barrier or wall. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Was traveling on Interstate 94 near Steele, ND in broad daylight on July 30. The sky was mostly clear and it was not raining. There was no road construction on this stretch of road, . I was westbound in the right lane with no traffic approaching me or behind me: it was a rural roadway with no curves and mostly flat. At 7:39 PM Central time near mile point 198 the car braked without warning very aggressively. I continued traveling with the auto cruise and at 7:40 PM Central time near mile point 194 it again very aggressively braked with nothing but open straight highway with no vehicles, signs, construction or anything else that could have caused this to happen. I continued my journey and it happened several more time until I no longer felt safe using the adaptive cruise. This has happened before and Tesla Service asked me to track the event and report the time when it happened. I reported the above incident to Tesla and they scheduled a repair for August 8. Today they canceled this visit for repair and told me that this was something that occasionally happens with the cruise and that they were canceling my appointment. They told me that if I wanted to drive to the nearest service center that they too would not be able to fix it. I was lucky that this happened in North Dakota on a rural highway. The wheels locked on me and the tires even slightly screeched. I ascertain that had this happened where there would have been someone behind me there would have been an accident. Tesla clearly is not interested in fixing this and told me that if I did not feel safe that I should not use the cruise. I hope you can resolve this before there is a death or serious injury. I have talked to other Tesla Model 3 owners who have experienced this. Thank you for your consideration | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On 19 July 2023 at approximately 4am in the morning, while with my wife traveling north on I-95, I was driving approximately 77 mph and my 2022 Tesla Model 3 SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES. I had several cars directly behind me that had to slam on brakes and perform other evasive driving maneuvers as well. Luckily my reaction time was quick enough for me to SLAM ON THE ACCELERTOR to avoid a very serious wreck and pile up. This is the 3rd time this has happened but thankfully the first 2 times I did not have traffic directly behind me. Although I paid an extra $6000 for the Enhanced Auto Pilot, I do not use it, as I am now scared to death of this car at highway speeds. On the night/morning of 19 July, I was on just regular cruise control. The very next day (20 July) I applied for an appointment with the local Tesla Service Center here in the Richmond VA area. After a couple days, and I had not taken the car in yet, Tesla sent me a message and informed "that I am NOT to bring the car in." I have not heard from them since then... and today is 5 August 2023. Respectfully request that you weigh in to either get me a Refund for this car, or in some way restore my confidence in it. I am scared to ever put this car on the highway again. THANK YOU. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | I was in Rei parking lot pulling into parking space and suddenly vehicle accelerated and jumped curb and hit the wall loud noise.people thought it was earth quake. Air bag did not deploy . No warning signals came on when jumping the curb it hitting the wall | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Driving at speed limit (70MPH) on Interstate 5. Was using cruise control. On 5 occasions, driving N, then S 4 days later, car braked suddenly with no obstacle or vehicle within 50 yards. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |