Reliability & cost of ownership
Tesla Model 3 Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Tesla Model 3? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars where on file — then open the year you're shopping for its AI reliability outlook where NHTSA has enough data.
Tesla Model 3 problems by model year
139 recall entries and 4,392 owner complaints on file across 10 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Model 3 | 1 | 30 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2025 Model 3 | 3 | 124 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2024 Model 3 | 5 | 222 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2023 Model 3 | 12 | 429 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2022 Model 3 | 18 | 773 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2021 Model 3 | 22 | 674 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2020 Model 3 | 21 | 455 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2019 Model 3 | 22 | 622 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2018 Model 3 | 19 | 1,036 | 5.0 | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2017 Model 3 | 16 | 27 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Tesla Model 3, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- forward collision avoidance1,751 complaints
- unknown or other707 complaints
- vehicle speed control636 complaints
- electrical system569 complaints
- service brakes564 complaints
- steering416 complaints
- suspension384 complaints
- air bags318 complaints