Research · complaint index
Tesla Model 3 years to avoidWhat NHTSA complaint data does and doesn’t say
We compared 10 model years of the Tesla Model 3 by owner complaints to NHTSA, adjusted for how long each year has been on the road. No single year stands far above the rest.
Complaints per year on the road
1.0 = typical year for this model
| Year | Complaints | Per year on road | Index | Recalls | Crashes | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17 | 17 | — | 1 | 4 | Too new to judge |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 | Fewest complaints |
| 2024 | 222 | 74 | 1.0 | 5 | 28 | Typical |
| 2023 | 429 | 107 | 1.4 | 12 | 73 | Typical |
| 2022 | 773 | 155 | 2.0 | 18 | 57 | Typical |
| 2021 | 674 | 112 | 1.4 | 22 | 46 | Typical |
| 2020 | 455 | 65 | 0.8 | 21 | 54 | Typical |
| 2019 | 623 | 78 | 1.0 | 22 | 61 | Typical |
| 2018 | 1,036 | 115 | 1.5 | 19 | 103 | Typical |
| 2017 | 27 | 3 | 0.0 | 16 | 1 | Fewest complaints |
- 202617 complaints · 1 recallToo new to judge
- 20250 complaints · 3 recallsFewest complaints
- 2024222 complaints · 5 recallsTypical
- 2023429 complaints · 12 recallsTypical
- 2022773 complaints · 18 recallsTypical
- 2021674 complaints · 22 recallsTypical
- 2020455 complaints · 21 recallsTypical
- 2019623 complaints · 22 recallsTypical
- 20181,036 complaints · 19 recallsTypical
- 201727 complaints · 16 recallsFewest complaints
Data from NHTSA Complaints & Recalls APIs · synced Nov 7, 2026
Fewest complaints for their age: 2025, 2017.
About this comparison
What Tesla Model 3 years have the most complaints?
No Tesla Model 3 model year drew more than twice the typical complaint rate among the 10 model years compared. The highest was 2022.
Is this a reliability rating?
No. These are counts of unverified owner complaints to NHTSA. They are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so a popular year can collect more complaints. Use them to find patterns, then read the reports.
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.