NHTSA has received 113 owner complaints about the 2025 Tesla Model 3, or 67.6 per year on the road — more complaints than typical for a vehicle of its age (complaint index 1.61, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 85 model-year 2025 vehicles we track, it ranks #68 for fewest complaints per year. Against other Tesla models its rate is about the same; against other Electric vehicles it is 20% higher.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2024-11-06 and 2026-08-10. Median delay from incident to filing: 2 days.
113Complaints
67.6Complaints per year on the road
1.61Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
3Recalls
21.2%Share involving a crash or fire
64Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2024) drew 80.4 complaints per year, more than this one.
The most common problem area is Driver-assist systems (20.4% of complaints), followed by Electrical (18.6%) and Interior & equipment (18.6%). Driver-assist systems complaints are 3.6 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. Within Driver-assist systems reports, owners most often mention “fsd”, “supervised”, “limit”, “max speed” and “means”. 24 reports (21.2%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 7 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 8 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the first year (80% of incidents). In the last 12 months 64 new complaints were filed, versus 49 in the 12 months before — the pace is rising.
NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls for this model year. 21% of the complaints fall in component areas that a recall addresses. 4 NHTSA defect investigations cover this model year; the most recent is “FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions” (opened 2026-03-18, still open).
While out on vacation in [XXX] on XXX at around 11 am I had just finished charging the Tesla at a supercharging station. I was headed to go eat breakfast at the intersection of [XXX] and XXX on the right lane.
Electrical · 2026-07-19 · ODI 11751359 · Crash
My Tesla's FSD turned off midway through a curve at highway speeds. I hit the guard rail and scratched the right side of the car.
Driver-assist systems · 2026-07-08 · ODI 11749219 · Crash
I was on the freeway in the fast lane approaching a tunnel and vehicle came with warning vehicle shutting down. Code DL_a063. Vehicle stopped in fast lane would not move to shoulder. No prior warning there was any issue.
Engine · 2026-08-10 · ODI 11755831
While operating the vehicle at low speed (~35 MPH reducing to a stop) on August 1, 2026, at approximately 10:38 AM under normal road and weather conditions, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic and simultaneous loss of primary braking capability and…
Electrical · 2026-08-01 · ODI 11754149
A front wheel of this vehicle and/or its suspension is undergoing extremely dangerous vibrations at highway speeds (65-70+ mph). It is enough to shake the entire vehicle multiple times per second.
Wheels, tires & suspension · 2026-07-28 · ODI 11753275
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Summary: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2025 Model 3 and 2026 Model Y vehicles. The battery pack contactors may fail, causing a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla Service will replace the battery pack contactors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 9, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-16-005.
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE Campaign 25V002000 · 2025-01-07
Summary: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2024-2025 Model 3, Model S, 2023-2025 Model X, and Model Y vehicles. The computer circuit board may short, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Tesla will also identify any vehicles that experienced a circuit board failure, or stress that may lead to a circuit board failure, and replace the affected computers, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 7, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-00-001.
TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS Campaign 24V935000 · 2024-12-17 · Over-the-air fix
Summary: Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2024 Cybertruck, 2017-2025 Model 3, and 2020-2025 Model Y vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) warning light may not remain illuminated between drive cycles, failing to warn the driver of low tire pressure. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
Risk: Driving with improperly inflated tires increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 15, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-24-00-018.
FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility ConditionsOpen
EA26002 · ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS · Opened 2026-03-18 · Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is opening this Engineering Analysis to evaluate Teslaâs Full Self Driving Beta and Full Self Driving (Supervised) (collectively, FSD) degradation detection system. The focus of this investigation will be to assess the systemâs ability, when encountering reduced roadway visibility conditions, to detect degradation and alert the driver with sufficient t…
Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engagedOpen
PE25012 · ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS · Opened 2025-10-07 · Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
The Office of Defects Investigation (âODIâ) is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety consequences of FSD executing driving maneuvers that constitute traï¬c safety violations. This investigation concerns versions of FSD that Tesla has labeled as "FSD (Supervised)" and "FSD (Beta)." Tesla characterizes FSD as an SAE Level 2 partial automat…
Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting RequirementsOpen
AQ25002 · ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ADAS · Opened 2025-08-20 · Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
The Office of Defects Investigation (âODIâ) has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. (âTeslaâ) in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the âSGOâ), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. The majority of these reports involved crashes in which the Standing General Order in place at the time required a…
Actually Smart Summon sessions resulting in low-speed impacts.Closed
On January 6, 2025, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation 24003 (PE24033) to investigate Actually Smart Summon (Summon) sessions resulting in crashes during active sessions. According to Tesla, Summon is a short-distance SAE Level 2 system, controlled by the user from a cell phone within a certain distance and intended for use in parking lots and on private prope…
Frequently asked questions
How many complaints were filed for the 2025 Tesla Model 3?
113 complaints were filed with NHTSA for the 2025 Tesla Model 3, or about 67.6 per year on the road.
What is the most common problem reported for the 2025 Tesla Model 3?
The most common category is Driver-assist systems, accounting for 20.4% of complaints.
Does the 2025 Tesla Model 3 have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 3 safety recall(s) for this model year. 4 NHTSA defect investigations cover this model year; the most recent is “FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions” (opened 2026-03-18, still open).
Is the 2025 Tesla Model 3 still generating complaints?
In the last 12 months 64 new complaints were filed, versus 49 in the 12 months before — the pace is rising.
How does the 2025 Tesla Model 3 compare with similar vehicles?
NHTSA has received 113 owner complaints about the 2025 Tesla Model 3, or 67.6 per year on the road — more complaints than typical for a vehicle of its age (complaint index 1.61, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 85 model-year 2025 vehicles we track, it ranks #68 for fewest complaints per year. Against other Tesla models its rate is about the same; against other Electric vehicles it is 20% higher.