2025 Tesla Model 3 problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (18) · Vehicle Speed Control (13) · Lane Departure: Assist (6)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Tesla Model 3 model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Electrical System:propulsion System:fuses, Relays, Contacts, And Shunts 2025-10-10 · campaign 25V690000 · 12,963 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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 2025-01-06 · campaign 25V002000 · 239,382 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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 2024-12-17 · campaign 24V935000 · 696,281 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (4)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Seats 2026-06-04 · SB-26-13-005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
on some vehicles, degraded or excessive glue under the front seat cushion(s) may cause creaking noises during cornering or when pressing on the seat cushion(s). upon customer complaint, inspect the vehicle for symptoms related to the condition. if symptoms are present, rework the front seat cushion(
Seats 2026-05-29 · SB-26-13-006 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
on some vehicles, insufficient lubricant at the front seat recliner tube ends may cause creaking noises during weight shifting when the seat is occupied. upon customer complaint, inspect the vehicle for symptoms related to the condition. if symptoms are present, lubricate the front seat recliner tub
Wheels 2025-12-12 · SB-25-34-003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
on certain model 3 and model y vehicles, the tire pressure monitoring system (tpms) sensor battery may drain at an accelerated rate. identify and replace the affected tpms sensor.
Suspension 2025-06-24 · SB-25-31-004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
a firmware diagnosis feature is being introduced on model 3 and model y vehicles that monitors wheel alignment over time. this feature detects changes in wheel alignment that may be related to incorrect tire pressures, degraded ball joints, bushings or damaged suspension links. if the feature determ
What owners report
2026-10-26 · Steering · 💥 crash“statement regarding my 2025 tesla model 3 accident i was driving my 2025 tesla model 3 when the accelerator pedal appeared to become stuck, causing the vehicle to continue accelerating. the vehicle reached approximately 70 mph, and i was unable to regain control. i attempted to stop the vehicle by applying the brakes, but the brakes felt hard or …”
2026-10-22 · Exterior Lighting“this vehicle doesn't come with a turn signal stalk. to engage the turn signal, i have to use push-buttons on the steering wheel. nearly every time i use them, i get the wrong direction, even after a year of ownership. it's functionally impossible to use them legally to exit a roundabout, and i really want you to reflect, it is impossible to use the…”
2026-10-15 · Electrical System“rodents are attracted to the wiring and eat it. the new soy product controls turn signals.... tesla employees see this everyday. in 2 weeks my car has gone into the shop twice. i have never had this issue until now and owned many teslas…”
2026-10-14 · Electrical System:adas:autonomous/Self Driving · 15,000 mi“the contact owns a 2025 tesla model 3. the contact stated that on several occasions while driving with full self-driving (fsd) mode engaged and approaching a closing gate, the vehicle failed to come to a complete stop. the failure required manual driver intervention to prevent a crash. the manufacturer was contacted but was not notified of the fail…”
2026-10-12 · Unknown Or Other“i am reporting concerns involving the high-voltage battery and battery management system (bms) of my 2025 tesla model 3 long range awd. the vehicle's displayed range at 100% charge has progressively declined from approximately 320 miles to 304, then 298, and most recently approximately 295 miles. a previous tesla battery health test reported appro…”
2026-10-11 · Steering · 💥 crash“on xxx, at approximately 8:10 pm pdt in [xxx], i was driving my 2025 tesla model 3 (vin [xxx]) with full self-driving (supervised) engaged. while fsd was actively steering a right turn at an intersection, the vehicle turned too wide, crossed into the oncoming lane, and collided head-on with another vehicle. both vehicles were totaled and the airbag…”
2026-09-19 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control“while waiting on left signal i changed my destination address when signal turned green car take straight on red signal .car is on fsd mode . happend on sep-19 at south ridding junction …”
2026-09-19 · Seats“while driving on the interstate my passenger was attempting to connect their phone to the bluetooth when they accidentally selected the driver profile. i was in the drivers seat and the seat immediately started moving back and i couldn't reach the gas or brake. i pulled over immediately and was able to reset it. the driver profile should be lock…”
2026-09-16 · Unknown Or Other · 💥 crash“-full self-driving (fsd) was engaged when my vehicle unexpectedly and abruptly deviated from its expected course and collided with a vehicle on the other side of the road. my vehicle was totaled so i cannot confirm availability for inspection, however i have te vehicle’s usb drive which contains data about the vehicle and collision. -the abrupt an…”
2026-09-08 · Lane Departure: Assist“most recently, on or about 09/05/2026, driving on the freeway at about 65 mph with the sun directly in the windshield, the car suddenly issued an urgent take-over-immediately alert and autosteer disengaged with no advance warning. my 2025 tesla model 3 uses a camera-only driver assistance system (tesla vision). whenever i drive toward a low sun - …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.