2019 Tesla Model 3 problems
Owners have filed 1,050 complaints about the 2019 Tesla Model 3 with NHTSA. Forward collision avoidance accounts for 21.9% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of electrical system at 8.7%.
Complaints1,050
Crashes99
Fires10
Injuries37
Deaths10
What owners report breaking
Forward collision avoidance 21.9% · 230
Electrical system 8.7% · 91
Lane departure 8.5% · 89
Suspension 7.9% · 83
Air bags 7.6% · 80
Unknown or other 7.3% · 77
Vehicle speed control 6.8% · 71
Service brakes 5.7% · 60
Severity
Of those complaints, 99 describe a crash, 10 describe a fire, 37 report an injury and 10 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 8 model years of the Tesla Model 3 in this data, 2019 sits 4th by complaint volume. 2018 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 353 in the last three years against 558 in the three before. The issues here may already have been addressed.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 10,000 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the Forward Collision-Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking was disabled independently. The contact stated that the Forward Collision-Avoidance warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to work safely. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,050. Forward collision avoidance · reported at 89,500 miles
Consistent "phantom breaking" when autopilot is engaged. There is not an option for a regular cruise control, rather, Tesla activates an autopilot feature when the cruise is activated - the adaptive breaking is consistently applying the breaks when there is no reason. This is a safety issue as people following behind could hit my car when it tries to stop for no reason on a highway going 65-70 mph. Forward collision avoidance
The contact's girlfriend owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 73 MPH with the Adaptive Cruise Control activated, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000. Forward collision avoidance · reported at 41,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…
Other Tesla Model 3 years
2018 1,686 complaints · 16.8% forward collision avoidance 2020 767 complaints · 28.0% forward collision avoidance 2021 1,225 complaints · 48.0% forward collision avoidance 2022 1,496 complaints · 52.6% forward collision avoidance 2023 726 complaints · 32.4% forward collision avoidance 2024 329 complaints · 18.8% forward collision avoidance