Complaint volume
108 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
2025 Tesla Model 3 Complaints
108 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2025 Tesla Model 3, grouped by component category.
108 Total complaints
23 Crash reports
0 Fire reports
6 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 unknown or other, steering, electrical system. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 23 crash reports, 0 fire reports, 6 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 7 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 9,135 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to unknown or other, steering, electrical system?
- 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 2025 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.
2025 Tesla Model 3
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2025 Tesla Model 3 complaints?
23 Crash
0 Fire
6 Injury
0 Fatality
9 Towed
3 Medical attention
What are the most common 2025 Tesla Model 3 complaint categories?
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 24
STEERING 11
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6
SERVICE BRAKES 5
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL 4
ENGINE 2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE 2
108 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | On [XXX], I was driving my new 2025 Tesla Model 3 from my home in The Woodlands, TX, to San Antonio for a weekend trip. At approximately [XXX], while traveling on [XXX] a few miles before Exit [XXX], the vehicle suddenly behaved abnormally. It appeared to take control without my input, causing the entire car to wobble violently. I completely lost control of the vehicle for several seconds. There were no obstructions, debris, or road conditions that could explain this behavior. I have video recordings from the car’s cameras clearly showing the incident. After pulling over safely, I contacted Tesla, who guided me through some reboot steps. I decided to cancel my trip due to safety concerns and began returning home. However, at approximately [XXX], near Exit [XXX] on [XXX], the same issue occurred twice more. I immediately pulled over again and arranged for the car to be towed to Tesla Service. This was a terrifying and potentially fatal malfunction. It appears to involve a serious defect in the traction control, steering, or drive system. I request that NHTSA urgently investigate this issue to ensure the safety of other Tesla owners. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | On December 31, 2024, I purchased a new Tesla Model 3 Long Range with Full Self-Driving (FSD). The problem is the car goes faster than it should when Full Self-Driving is activated. I have attached an example photo of the Tesla screen taken while the car is being controlled by FSD. It shows that the speed limit of the road is 35 MPH, and the car is traveling at a steady speed of 51 MPH. It also shows a “Max Speed” of 64 MPH which means the car may travel that fast on this road if it chooses to. This is clearly a safety issue which can lead to accidents. Tesla has made 5 attempts to fix this without success. On the last attempt (September 24, 2025), they refused to answer my questions such as: Why does the Max Speed suddenly change to a value much higher than my specification? They simply stated that the system was operating as designed. Really? It’s design to drive 51 MPH in a 35 MPH zone? Furthermore, they went on to say I should disengage the FSD system or intervene manually if I believe the car is operating in an unsafe manner. One reason I purchased this car was for FSD. I would expect them to fix it rather than my having to abandon this feature that I pay for. I hope you will encourage Tesla to fix this issue before there are any more FSD-related accidents. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | I want to add an update to my previous report # 11690629. I think it would be helpful to provide what the Max Speed should be based on my input. So, I will just resubmit the previous report with some additional information. On December 31, 2024, I purchased a new Tesla Model 3 Long Range with Full Self-Driving (FSD). The problem is the car goes faster than it should when Full Self-Driving is activated. I have attached an example photo of the Tesla screen taken while the car is being controlled by FSD. It shows the actual speed limit of the road is 35 MPH, and the car is traveling at a steady speed of 51 MPH. It also shows a “Max Speed” of 64 MPH which means the car may travel that fast on this road if it chooses to. Since I use an Offset of 10%, the Max Speed in this 35 zone should be 39 MPH. However, the car increased it to 64 MPH, and I certainly did not use the right scroll wheel to increase it. This is clearly a safety issue which can lead to accidents. Tesla has made 5 attempts to fix this without success. On the last attempt (September 24, 2025), they refused to answer my questions such as: Why does the Max Speed suddenly change to a value much higher than my specification? They simply stated that the system was operating as designed. Really? It’s design to drive 51 MPH in a 35 MPH zone? Furthermore, they went on to say I should disengage the FSD system or intervene manually if I believe the car is operating in an unsafe manner. One reason I purchased this car was for FSD. I would expect them to fix it rather than my having to abandon this feature that I pay for. I hope you will encourage Tesla to fix this issue before there are any more FSD-related accidents. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | SUSPENSION | The vehicle has loud creaking and groaning noises when turning the wheel at low speed or at a standstill, I’ve taken it to a Tesla service center where they claimed that this is just a characteristic of the vehicle yet I myself and a mechanic and understand that the fundamentals of suspension are the same regardless of what type of vehicle it may be and know that this is actually a known issue with Teslas especially with Model 3s. My vehicle is at 10,683 miles and still within the warranty, on Friday, September 26 at 8 AM. I dropped off my vehicle for repairs later that day at around 1645 or as known as 4:45 PM. I was messaged saying that my vehicle is ready for pick up as I read the service notes, I saw that they did not do any repair on my suspension. This is concerning to me because this is a safety issue and I highly believe that the vehicle needs to be repaired. The service center is located in Santa Clarita, California. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | POWER TRAIN | Description of Issue: The car displayed error code DI_a137 and unable to drive/pull over safely. The vehicle became undrivable and had to be towed to the Tesla service center. The service center diagnosed a rear drive inverter failure and replaced the entire inverter assembly. Safety Concern: It is alarming for a critical drivetrain component to fail completely within the first year of ownership and at such low mileage. A sudden loss of power while driving poses a serious safety risk to the driver and passengers. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES | The reason that I'm currently writing you this letter is to report an incident that happened on Sep. 16th, 2025. This is the date that I was very excited because I got my first EV - Tesla Model 3 new car. Me and my wife went over to the delivery plant in Fefe, Washington. The address is 3701 20th St. E., Fife, WA 98424. We took the car and I myself drove it back home around 2:45ish (-3 :00 pm the latest). It was just two blocks away from the plant outbound to the eastward trying to get to the entry of the highway. I stopped my car on my brake, and suddenly my car went forward by itself. This unintended acceleration caused me to hit the car in front of me. We had to stop in the next parking lot on my left side as soon as we passed the traffic light. This intersection happened right at the intersection of 54th Ave. E (Northbound) and Pacific Highway E. I hit the car in front of me. My front bumper got some damage. The car is still drivable and I have put the photos and maps for your understanding. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | STRUCTURE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2025 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that after inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that the turn signal buttons on the steering wheel used to activate the turn signals were designed with a flaw that might cause an accident if depressed intentionally. The contact was a retired Service Technician for over 40 years. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | On September 7, 2025 at ~7:53 PM, my 2025 Tesla Model 3 operating with Full Self-Driving (FSD) engaged performed an aggressive, uncommanded turn while under computer control. The maneuver occurred so abruptly that I could not safely override steering before impact, and a crash resulted. The Tesla app Trip View for Trip 3 (7:34–7:53 PM) shows “Vehicle on FSD” for 18 min 54 sec and records an “Aggressive Turning” event at 7:53 PM (2.0 sec) immediately before the trip ended (screenshot attached). This reflects a steering/driver-assist control defect in FSD’s turning behavior and a failure of collision-mitigation to prevent the crash. I sustained bodily injuries and the vehicle incurred significant damage. I request that this incident be treated as a safety-critical malfunction warranting investigation and corrective action. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The Horn does not work in the rain. I reported this. they sent a technician to replace it. the issue is not resolved. this is extremely dangerous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The car was parked in a campground for a night and several systems issues came up, including traction control disabled, steer assistant disabled, staibility control disabled, and the car was keeping accelerating even though I did not step on the accelerate pedal. The acceleration was out of control. This was happening in a remote area when we drove half way out of the campground to a city. We called the Tesla roadside help and they just told us they could not help because it was too late to find a toll provider and we were left in the middle of nowhere and no help. We searched Google and found a few very similar issues on Tesla cars that had been reported. We don't know what happened but those issues just disappeared themselves in the next morning and we have not get the chance to send it a service center for further investigation. We are certain that this is very serious safety issue and the car was basically out of control. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | ENGINE | On [XXX], at just 9,526 miles, my brand-new 2025 Tesla Model 3 (VIN: [XXX] ) suffered a front motor/inverter failure. The vehicle displayed the warning “Front Motor Disabled.” Tesla Vallejo Service confirmed this and replaced the front drive inverter (3DU). A catastrophic drivetrain failure at under 10,000 miles is unacceptable and raises serious concerns about reliability and safety. It still doesn't not accelerate as before. In addition, since delivery on [XXX], this vehicle has had persistent rattling and vibration issues in the cabin. I have returned to Tesla Vallejo multiple times (April, June, July, and August 2025). Each time, the service manager, Steve McNerney, dismissed or minimized my concerns, blaming “seatbelt rattling” or claiming the issue could not be replicated. After July, I even sent three separate videos clearly documenting the noise, yet the most recent service invoice still instructed me to “provide a video,” showing Tesla ignored or failed to record my evidence. This ongoing defect has been reproduced and confirmed at Tesla service but remains unresolved. Tesla’s dismissive handling and failure to fix the defects create both safety risks and loss of confidence in the vehicle. A front motor failure while driving could result in loss of power, reduced acceleration, or unsafe driving conditions. Tesla has failed to provide a reliable or safe resolution despite repeated repair attempts and clear evidence. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES | On 08/20, while driving to work, I experienced a serious safety failure with my vehicle. The brake pedal became completely firm and unresponsive, making it impossible to press. At the same time, the steering wheel became very difficult to turn, severely limiting control of the car. Multiple warning messages appeared, including: •Regenerative Braking Disabled •ABS Fault •Traction Control Fault •Limited Power I was able to carefully maneuver the vehicle into a nearby parking lot and safely exit. After restarting the vehicle, the warning lights disappeared, and the car resumed normal operation. I immediately brought the vehicle to the Tesla Service Center the same day (08/20). As of now, there has been no resolution provided. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | STRUCTURE | While driving at highway speed, the air conditioning system suddenly failed without warning. The system began blowing hot air and making a loud squealing noise. Shortly after, the vehicle abruptly went into limp mode and lost normal driving power, creating an unsafe situation on a major highway. The vehicle was towed by Tesla Roadside Assistance. Both roadside associates inspected the vehicle at the scene and confirmed there was no body damage. The vehicle was then transported to a Tesla service center, where Tesla later claimed there was body damage and denied warranty coverage. This contradicts the inspection at the time of failure and my own video evidence. The problem has not been repaired. The vehicle remains at the service center and is available for inspection. The failure put my safety at risk by causing sudden loss of drivability in highway traffic. No warning lamps or error messages appeared before the failure. The only symptoms were sudden AC failure followed minutes later by limp mode. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while in reverse (R) and backing up at approximately 5 MPH down a slight incline, the vehicle accelerated inadvertently. The contact stated that she turned the steering wheel to the right to get on the road. The contact had taken her foot off the accelerator pedal when the vehicle gained momentum and drove backwards about 50 feet and crashed into a tree with the rear end. The contact stated that the passenger side rear bumper and an aftermarket trailer hitch were dented, crumpled, and bent. The contact stated that the rear windshield was cracked on the driver's side. The contact stated that the regenerative braking feature never engaged. The contact also stated the steering had locked, and she was unable to turn the steering wheel. The contact stated that there were no warning lights. The tree had stopped the vehicle, and the contact stated that she was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact stated her left eye had a bruise, and there were no other injuries. The police were called, but advised that since there were no serious injuries or other vehicles involved, there was no need to send an officer to the scene. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The failure mileage was 9,840. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed | 9,840 |
| Aug 2025 | STRUCTURE:BODY | On June 7, 2025, I was a passenger in a 2025 Tesla 3. Driver of Tesla made an unsafe lane change coming off an Interstate and my side was struck almost T-bone style by an oncoming vehicle going between 45-55mph. Our seatbelts did not lock us in place causing the driver to hit his head on steering wheel and then on driver side window causing lacerations and possible concussion. My side tool the impact and no side curtain airbags deployed and neither did the dash airbags. I am concerned that the location and speed with which we were hit could have been much worse up to and including death as the airbags did not deploy nor seatbelts firmly lock us in place. The car was deemed a total loss and all 4 panels on passengers side were impacted in the collision. I have pictures, Tesla video, police report I can provide. I want this looked into for defect of the Tesla sensors. All public data indicates that at a minimum the side curtain airbags should have deployed as there isnt much of a wrinkle zone and the speed of impact should have deployed them. I was unable to get out passenger side door and had to crawl across driver seat to get to EMS assistance. I was then transported along w Tesla driver to local hospital. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The design of the turn signals has several severe driver distracting safety issues. This is ultimately a design issue due to the choice of buttons on the steering wheel instead of a turn signal stalk. The buttons do not always activate the turn signals. Deactivation of the turn signals is counter intuitive, pressing the opposite direction does not deactivate them, instead activating the direction pressed. The significant departure from a standard stalk is dangerous. This is opposed to the other digital modifications tesla has made, as they are not in, or do not need to be in active use during driving activity, but the turn signals are a different matter. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2025 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the turn signal switch failed to function as intended. The turn signal switch located on the steering wheel was stuck while attempting to indicate a left turn. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering column control module had failed. The steering wheel and steering control module were replaced. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who refused to repair the vehicle and stated that the vehicle was already been repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I am NOT the owner of this Tesla. I am the owner of the car behind it that hit the Tesla because the Tesla went into Emergency Automatic Braking and the sudden additional deceleration happened too quickly to react to it and contact occurred while I was still doing about 5-ish MPH. The Tesla driver obviously wasn't braking effectively, and the car took over for him to avoid hitting the car in front of him. But there is no consideration for the car behind. I do not know how far back the Tesla stopped from the car in front of it, but all I needed was 2-3 feet. (When I get into these 60 to 0 deceleration, when I know "I'm good" I ease up on the braking to give the guy behind me as much space as possible for HIM to get stopped so I don't get hit.) Tesla's Emergency Automatic Braking caused this accident. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | Had ACC set on 80 MPH on the hiway yesterday. A vehicle was passing me and the Tesla suddenly applied heavy brake pressure to the point of tires screeching. Speed dropped very quickly to about 50 MPH. I had not touched the brake pedal. Brakes released and speed resumed to 80 MPH. VERY SCARY and high risk of rear end collision. Lucky nobody was behind me. Don’t want to experience that again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Subject: Safety Hazard – Turn Signal Button Placement on Tesla Model 3/Y (Newer Models) Hi there, I am reaching because the newer Tesla models have eliminated the turn signal stalks and instead incorporated the turn signal controls as buttons directly on the steering wheel. This became a critical safety hazard multiple times when taking a turn and had to give the turn indication. The issue happened because the turn signal buttons are not fixed and they rotate along with the rotation of the steering wheel. It makes us look for the turn signal buttons every time the steering wheel is turned and becomes a safety hazard when in motion. Also, it is very challenging when we have to make a right/left turn while on the ramp to take an exit because the buttons are not fixes unlike the turn signal stalks. There were times when we were unable to give the turn signals. It is not only dangerous for the Tesla drivers but also for the other drivers on the road to effectively communicate. Please, I request you to re-assess this configuration. Thank you! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING | Automatic Emergency Braking, for no reason, occurred twice while on autopilot. Driving on a remote interstate, during the day, no one and nothing in front of me (and I had a passenger that can confirm), and suddenly the car rapidly braked extremely hard. If I hadn't slammed the accelerator immediately I would have been rear ended the first time. The second time, no one was near me. I am attempting to report this to Tesla, although that is somewhat difficult as I am just getting bounced around their automated systems. My passenger and I, and the car behind us were put at serious risk of collision at ~ 85 mph, due to the completely unexpected and extremely rapid braking. This was under simple autopilot, no FSD or other driving assist. Nothing has been inspected yet, or reproduced past these 2 incidents. No warnings or symptoms occurred before or after this issue. Slightly terrified to use autopilot now, as if a semi-truck had been behind me, we would have been flattened. It is also difficult to turn off this so-called "assist" with emergency braking, it auto-reverts to on every start up, which is also dangerous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The problem is with the horn. Tesla instead of a regular horn has a SPEAKER under the car. So whenever it rains, the speaker gets wet and the horn gets muffled and barely audible, it’s a major concern. Not sure how anyone hasn’t done anything about it yet. Another thing is: the 2024 and 2025 tesla model 3 have blinkers on the steering wheel, the blinkers operate via capacitive buttons, which stop working for a few seconds if you accidentally rested your fingers on them, making you unable to use blinkers in a situation that quickly requires it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The horn does not work properly when it gets wet. It will either not make noise at all, or it is extremely muffled. This is a major safety risk. Also, horn is required to work for Massachusetts state inspections. If I bring the car to be inspected on a rainy day, or after a car wash, it will fail because it does not work. I brought the vehicle to the dealer twice. The first time 5/28/25, the technician was able to replicate the issue and replaced the horn and claimed everything was working properly. The next time it rained, I tried to use it and it would not make any noise once again. I brought it to the dealer a second time 7/7/25, and they claim they could not replicate it. They went ahead anyways and replaced it. Also they claim “this is normal, expected behavior due to the location of the horn and eventually it will drain out”. This is an unacceptable answer. The horn should work all the time. There has been no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the failure. First symptoms were approximately 5/6/25 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While parked at home, my Tesla Model 3 developed a spontaneous windshield crack with no known cause. The car had not been driven recently, and there was no visible chip, impact, or external force involved. I believe this is a stress or pressure crack, which compromises visibility and may reflect a structural flaw in the glass or how it was mounted. I submitted a warranty claim through Tesla’s app and preserved the vehicle in its exact state for inspection (no washing, no driving, no impact). Tesla denied the claim without conducting a physical inspection or providing any supporting evidence. This kind of uninspected warranty denial is unacceptable, especially for a crack that can impair driver visibility. I have found similar reports from other Tesla owners online, indicating a potential pattern. If this issue is systemic, it could pose a broader safety risk related to poor windshield durability or design tolerances. I am asking the NHTSA to investigate this issue and Tesla’s handling of it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Horn sound is extremely low after driving through hard rain, since there is no real horn in the car, I suspect the speaker that mimics a horn sound becomes muffled. This is a huge risk, it can cause me to crash in the future if no one can hear my horn. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |