Problems · NHTSA complaints

2019 Tesla Model 3 problems

Owners filed 623 complaints about the 2019 Tesla Model 3 with NHTSA between Apr 2019 and Nov 2026. The most-cited component is forward collision avoidance (170).

Complaints
623
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
61
Reported by owners
Fires
5
Reported by owners
Injuries
32
People reported injured
Deaths
4
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Forward collision avoidance170
  2. Electrical system94
  3. Air bags89
  4. Suspension83
  5. Vehicle speed control71
  6. Lane departure70
  7. Service brakes61
  8. Seat belts58
  9. Steering54
  10. Seats47
  11. Visibility/wiper24
  12. Structure23
  13. Back over prevention19
  14. Visibility11

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 7, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
201932
202057
202144
2022166
2023103
2024108
202554
202659

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Forward collision avoidance

170 reports11 crashes2 related recalls
“Every time I press, my horn and error pops up that my cameras are unavailable, and that features may be restored on the next drive also it sends an error that my regenerative brakes are also out and will be restored on the next drive. It does this consistently every day which causes a safety hazard when driving my vehicle.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 30, 2026Electrical system, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11774786

Electrical system

94 reports5 crashes2 fires8 related recalls
“Sold a lemon vehicle from dealer and contract fraud, Total loss accident left emergency life threatening surgery Tesla lost control driver side driving fsd package FAiled tire steering front control battery failed hardware updates seatbelt lossed, lost control, hit medium and another total vehicle, this is one of a few complaints to several cyclists a Including Tesla can’t get a lawyer no matter hard I try, no one is helping, car is sitting in my backyard until someone helps us. Lives ruined and no one is helping”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 2, 2026Suspension, Electrical system, WheelsCrash reportedODI 11775052

Air bags

89 reports11 crashes
“2019 Tesla Model 3. In September 2022, Tesla Service Jacksonville replaced the entire front passenger seat assembly after a front passenger restraint fault alert; invoice 3000S0005274914. In October 2026, the same front passenger restraint fault returned. Tesla's estimate is $1,608.94 for diagnostics, airbag compatibility update, and occupant classification sensor replacement. Goodwill was denied on October 26, 2026, and on November 4, 2026, customer support said the goodwill decision is automated and cannot be overridden. No crash or injury related to this fault. The front passenger seat is not being used until repaired because the restraint/airbag system may not function correctly.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 4, 2026Air bags, Seat beltsODI 11775729

Suspension

83 reports7 crashes1 fire2 related recalls
“Over a period of several weeks, the front suspension increasingly made noise (squeaking and groaning) and felt loose when turning and going over bumps. The front control arms were replaced 10/31/24. The problem has begun recurring over the last few months, with the same noise occurring and progressively worsening.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 3, 2026SuspensionODI 11754415

Vehicle speed control

71 reports19 crashes
“The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped at a residential gate, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a private residence. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 23, 2026Vehicle speed controlODI 11733256

Lane departure

70 reports4 crashes
“On September 12, 2026, at approximately 2:05 PM, while operating on Full Self-Driving (FSD v14.1 Lite) on Hardware 3 (HW3), the vehicle experienced a critical, unprompted loss of path control. While traveling on the highway, the vehicle sharply veered off the left side of the roadway, caught air, and violently impacted an emergency barrier, resulting in the destruction of 9 steel poles and causing physical injuries to both the driver and front passenger. Despite the severe frontal impact and structural collision, neither the front nor knee airbags deployed, raising serious concerns regarding the vehicle's crash-sensing algorithms, structural impact detection, and restraint system integration under this software version. This incident highlights major safety risks associated with running computationally heavy FSD stacks on legacy HW3 architecture: 1. Uncommanded Steering Deviations: The system abruptly executed a violent, unprompted hard turn away from the path of travel, indicating severe lane-detection or path-planning failure. 2. Restraint System / Safety Failure: Critical secondary safety systems (front and knee airbags) failed to deploy in a high-impact…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 21, 2026Air bags, Forward collision avoidance, Lane departureCrash reportedODI 11765845
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 7, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.