AutoUtility currently tracks 113 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2025 Tesla Model 3. Driver Assistance & Safety Tech issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 44 complaints (38.9% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 24 filings cite a crash, 6 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 113 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (44 reports • 38.9% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Steering System (25), Electrical System (20)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 24 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 0 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 6 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2025 Tesla Model 3
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #25V002000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
Steering System
Electrical System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #25V690000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:FUSES, RELAYS, CONTACTS, AND SHUNTS
Brakes & Traction Control
Body & Structure
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2025 Tesla Model 3
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Unintended / Sudden Acceleration
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2025 Tesla Model 3
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"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. State police came and had vehicle towed. Lucky the car behind me was able to..."
"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 steering responsiveness. > Detailed Description..."
"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. The local service center, without looking at the vehicle, stated it "would be fine to drive on until..."
"I am filing a formal safety complaint regarding a severe braking and stability control failure that resulted in unpredictable, highly dangerous vehicle behavior. While driving, the vehicle displayed a cascade of critical system failures, throwing error codes APP_w009 (AEB disabled), DI_a222..."
"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. I stopped briefly prior to making a right onto [XXX]. Upon making the right turn the..."
Complaint History for Tesla Model 3
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2017–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Tesla Model 3 | 26 | 1 | 16 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Tesla Model 3 | 1007 | 101 | 19 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Tesla Model 3 | 608 | 58 | 22 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Tesla Model 3 | 447 | 53 | 21 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Tesla Model 3 | 656 | 45 | 22 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Tesla Model 3 | 759 | 53 | 18 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Tesla Model 3 | 416 | 71 | 12 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Tesla Model 3 | 213 | 23 | 5 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Tesla Model 3 Current Page | 113 | 24 | 3 | Current |
| 2026 Tesla Model 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2025 Tesla Model 3
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 54 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 21 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,STRUCTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SEAT BELTS,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (4)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
FSD Collisions in Reduced Roadway Visibility Conditions
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 time to respond. ODI will evaluate the performance...
Traffic safety violations while Full Self Driving ("FSD") is engaged
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 automation system requiring a fully attentive driver who...
Compliance with Standing General Order 2021-01 Reporting Requirements
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 report to be submitted within one or five days of...
Actually Smart Summon sessions resulting in low-speed impacts.
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 property. ODI analyzed complaint data provided by Tesla...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.