Complaint volume
412 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
2023 Tesla Model 3 Complaints
412 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2023 Tesla Model 3, grouped by component category.
412 Total complaints
70 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
36 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, steering, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 70 crash reports, 1 fire report, 36 injury reports, and 1 fatality report. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 39 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 14,505 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to forward collision avoidance, steering, unknown or other?
- 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 2023 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.
2023 Tesla Model 3
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2023 Tesla Model 3 complaints?
70 Crash
1 Fire
36 Injury
1 Fatality
56 Towed
26 Medical attention
What are the most common 2023 Tesla Model 3 complaint categories?
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 76
STEERING 51
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 28
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 20
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 20
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 14
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 11
STRUCTURE 10
VISIBILITY/WIPER 9
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8
412 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | 2023 Tesla Model 3 with 3,000 miles. No accidents or impact with potholes or curbs. Started vehicle, put in drive, pressed accelerator, car went forward but would not turn. Steering wheel was stuck in straight position. I stopped the vehicle and put it in park, same symptom of stuck steering wheel. My wife (passenger) and I did not notice any error lights or messages. I exited the vehicle walked away to trigger automatic locking. Returned to the vehicle, started it , and tested steering. Steering was free. Took approximately 5 mile test drive. Steering was erratic, making small movements to the left and right. At times it felt the car would veer offroad or into oncoming traffic. Contacted support. Dealer dispached tow truck to return vehicle for inspection. Was informed by dealer that no loaner vehicles are available, they only offered Uber credits. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Steering wheel stuck in straight position, unable to turn. Also, A/C line supermanifold defect present, needed to be replaced. Steering rack and harness both needed to be replaced. Tesla model 3, only had 40 miles before needing to be towed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The vehicle applied sudden and strong braking in clear road for no reason. It has done it on many occasions in the 2000 miles we have had the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while decelerating to make a right turn, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver as the lane shift avoidance reduced, and power steering assist reduced warning messages displayed. The contact stated that she pulled into a parking lot and parked the vehicle and after 20 minutes restarted the vehicle and resumed to normal functions. The manufacturer Tesla was contacted and advised her to reboot the computer as well as make an appointment with the Tesla service center. The computer was rebooted however several days later while making a left turn the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver with no warning messages displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the power steering rack was replaced. The failure reoccurred for a third time on July 7th while she was making a right turn with the message displayed steering assist reduced. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer where they replaced the steering rack and updated firmware however the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer they diagnosed the failure as a power steering harness that was replaced. The contact was relating the failure to a NHTSA Action Number: PE23014 (Steering) The failure mileage was 480. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 480 |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn, the vehicle experienced gradual loss of power steering assist. The contact veered to the side of the road and contacted roadside assistance. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the steering wheel responded as needed; however, the contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 834. | Crash: No Fire: No | 834 |
| Aug 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My vehicle constantly slows down and occasionally even slams on the brakes to slow down for nonexistent obstacles. I believe this is a serious safety concern if there is a vehicle behind mine, as the driver of that vehicle would not expect mine to rapidly slow down. The root cause seems to be that the camera vision system frequently mistakes certain signs and dark cars reflected in mirages as pedestrians. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | Car started pulling to the right after leaving the parking lot and vehicle warning stating Steering assist reduced. I pulled over to see the left wheel was turned in while the right wheel was straight ahead. Towed to nearest Tesla service center where they stated the steering rack failed and would require a complete replacement. I was told this was not a warranty issue and I must have hit something. I protested stating there was nothing abnormal about the drive. Took to the nearest certified bodyshop where the steering rack and front control arm were replaced. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was stopped before turning left into a parking space. I was driving slowly. The car stopped but I did not engage the brake as a Tesla will stop once the foot is removed from the accelerator. At that point the car leaped forward at full speed hitting parts of a building and a fence. I did NOT step on the accelerator. No one was injured. The airbags did not deploy even though there was $17,000 damage to the front of the car. There were no warning signals. The person inside the building was waiting for me and saw the car come to a stop. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The ADAS regularly brakes suddenly for no apparent reason. There does not seem to be a consistent reason. Yesterday, during a 90 mile drive EB on the interstate in the afternoon it braked (scaring us) suddenly so often that it made cruise control more of a hazard than a help. This morning between 9-11 am, westbound on the same interstate it braked suddenly 20-30 times. This sudden braking is dangerous as unexpected behavior could cause an accident with any vehicle behind us. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | Steering rack failed. Not able to steer vehicle The consumer stated that the vehicle was repaired. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | On 7/21/2023, I received an alert saying “steering assist reduced”. I could not turn the steering wheel. Luckily I was parked and trying to back out of my spot. The steering assist came back after getting in and out of the vehicle. Contacted Tesla about this and they told me to monitor the situation. I took delivery of my vehicle 7/20/2023 around 3pm EST. So I had the car less than 24hrs. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel stiffened and became difficult to maneuver. The contact stated that he turned off and restarted the vehicle and the steering assist reduced warning light illuminated and a message displayed “Steering – Increased Effort Required”. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 3,000 |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | I was driving to work in the morning and there was a sudden jolt and then the steering wheel became very heavy and I had to pull over and stop the car, when I did do it showed me power steering failure and the steering was very hard to control and could not drive straight and kept sway from side to side. The steering wheel was very heavy and unreliable. Tesla had to come and tow my car to service center and provided me with loaner car | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING | I just read an article on Yahoo Finance detailing steering issues with a few Tesla Model 3 and Model Y's. This issue involves loss of steering completely or loss of power steering. Additionally the screen says "power steering is reduced or disabled". Well, I had this exact thing happen to me. I bought the car on May 6, 2023. Two weeks later, May 20th, I went to leave the house and my Model 3 had no steering. I literally could not turn the steering wheel and the screen said "power steering is reduced or disabled". I tried everything to fix the issue. I even did a complete "reboot", but to no avail. I submitted a service claim to Tesla and told them they would have to come pick up my car as there was no way the car could be driven to Atlanta for service. Later that day, I remembered my screen also said "charging error", along with "power steering is reduced or disabled". So, I decided to charge the car to 100%. Well, that seemed to fix the problem. Since then the steering has worked fine. (I am thankful the car was parked at home when it lost steering.) Just an FYI - I have a screen shot of my service request filed with Tesla back on May 20th should you need that. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The car has a tendency when I’m on rural highways to suddenly emergency brake when I have the auto pilot on | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | on July 18th around, 7:00PM, the location is 1688 Hostetter Road Pacific, Rim Lane, San Jose, CA 95131. when I parked my car, and the car almost stop, the car suddenly unintended accelerated and hit another car. the car I used Creep mode, not Hold mode. I definitely sure my foot on the break. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The battery range is showing on the computer and tesla website as 272 miles but real driving range is 150-160 miles. The car is in service right now for that issue. Service probably will say it depends on driving conditions, there is no problem with the batteries but it does not explain 50% lose of usage. This is the biggest scam of human history. I am very disappointed due to 50% lower range then what it is supposed to be. There are thousands of people complaining with this issue. This is basically a scam that tesla is doing. If i knew that the actual drivimg range is around at most 200 miles i would not buy the car. I am scammed by tesla. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Battery Range incorrect, quickly dropped from 50% to 18% after 3 uses an estimated less then 10 miles caused the range to drop | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while parking, the vehicle suddenly accelerated, jumped the curb, and crashed into a building. There were no warning lights illuminated. The driver noticed smoke coming from the vehicle. The passenger's front seat occupant sustained injuries to her hand. The passenger rear seat occupant sustained injuries to her neck, and medical attention was provided. The air bags deployed. There were no reported fires. A police report was filed. A person in the building sustained unknown injuries, The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed Medical attention | 3,000 |
| Jul 2023 | STEERING | g on the cars computer screen came up with this message ( STEERING SYSTEM ERRR DETECTED ). Contact service if error persists!! Service was contacted on 7-11-2023. service was schedulad 1st for 7-13-2023 then rescheduled for 7-24-2023. Both time have been informed that the part has nt coime in. The vehicle has lost its POWER STEERING. At times its like turning with 2 people at the steering wheel ( 90% ). and the other times ( 10% ) with a certain ammount of jerking. NO INFORMATION AS TO PART ARRIVAL [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | While traveling on the interstate using cruise control, my vehicle abruptly started to break which caused the vehicle behind me to brake as well. I did not touch the brake, accelerator, or the cruise control itself during this incident. And there were no cars in front of me or to the right of my position (I was in the far left lane). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On Adaptive cruise control mode about a set speed of 70-75mph on I-5 , the car was suddenly decelerating or braking on Freeway for no reason. I.e. No vehicle or obstacles was there which required braking during approx 3 occurrences happened on a same day of 200+ miles drive. It was deadly dangerous and increases risk for a nasty rear-end crash. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | The rear door jammed shut. It would not open and we discovered there is no mechanical way for a passenger to open the back doors of a Tesla model 3. The car’s electrical system has to be on and functioning properly in order to exit from the back. This is terrifying. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Since purchasing this vehicle in May 2023 I have had four (4) instances of the vehicle automatically braking (phantom braking) while traveling at a higher speed on the interstate using cruise control (Autopilot). This has occurred during both daylight and nighttime driving. At the time it occurred, only once was there a vehicle in front of me, but far enough away that the auto braking should not have activated. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While driving, both while using Adaptive Cruise Control and while using "Autopilot" (automatic lane centering), the car has severely emergency braked with no input from me. The conditions were bright sunlight, with mirages on the roadway in front of the car. I believe the car cannot tell the difference between these mirages and actual obstacles. The emergency braking is severe enough to potentially cause an accident, with speed rapidly dropping from 70 mph to 45mph. This is a serious defect that needs addressed ASAP. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |