FaultScore

Worst years for a Tesla Model 3

Owners have filed 7,584 complaints about the Tesla Model 3 with NHTSA across model years 2017 to 2026. More of them are about the driver assist & collision avoidance than anything else.

Avoid

2018 Tesla Model 3

1,693 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly driver assist & collision avoidance.

Cleanest on record

2017 Tesla Model 3

56 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.

Every Tesla Model 3 year, graded

The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded
Year Grade Complaints Crashes Fires Median miles Most reported
2026 B 31 17 0 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2025 C 209 52 0 9,137 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2024 D 330 48 0 13,816 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2023 D 726 150 3 4,369 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2022 F 1,497 103 6 5,100 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2021 D 1,225 84 9 8,900 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2020 D 767 99 5 3,000 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2019 D 1,050 99 10 10,000 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2018 F 1,693 204 7 17,000 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
2017 A 56 3 0 Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance

What breaks on a Tesla Model 3

Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.

Worst in 2022

Worst in 2018

Worst in 2022

Brakes 564 7.4%

Worst in 2022

Worst in 2018

Steering 387 5.1%

Worst in 2023

Suspension 359 4.7%

Worst in 2018

Airbags 310 4.1%

Worst in 2018

Seat Belts 221 2.9%

Worst in 2018

Worst in 2018

Seats 172 2.3%

Worst in 2018

Body & Structure 162 2.1%

Worst in 2018

Worst in 2018

Lights 87 1.1%

Worst in 2024

Exactly what failed on a Tesla Model 3

The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.

Adaptive Cruise Control 1,196 39.6%
Automatic Emergency Braking 938 31.0%
Warnings 301 10.0%
Assist 201 6.7%
Body 146 4.8%
Warning 95 3.1%
Blind Spot Detection 69 2.3%
Warnings 33 1.1%
Autonomous/Self Driving 28 0.9%
Camera 15 0.5%

Complaints filed over time

Every complaint about every Tesla Model 3, by the month it reached NHTSA.

May 2018 peak 821 Aug 2026

Tesla Model 3 problems by state

Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.

Compare the Tesla Model 3

Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.