2023 TESLA MODEL 3 Complaints

View complaints related to 2023 TESLA MODEL 3. The complaints found here are submitted by actual consumers with first hand experience. There are more than 410 complaints submitted for the 2023 TESLA MODEL 3. You can submit your own complaint to the NHTSA or call the Hotline, Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at (888) 327-4236, TTY: (800) 424-9153.

  • 2023 TESLA MODEL 3
    - Gig Harbor, WA

    Vehicle automatically applies the breaks while using the cruise control. Braking occurs randomly and very suddenly at highway speeds with no warning. The car slowed rapidly to about 25 mph. This has occurred twice in the last 6 weeks in two different locations. Fortunately, there were no vehicles following at a close distance. If there had been, the sudden application of the brakes would almost certainly have resulted in a rear-end collision with the car that was following us.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2023 TESLA MODEL 3
    - PLYMOUTH, MN

    2023 TESLA MODEL 3 -The attached letters are for a Defect Petition. January 8, 2021, NHTSA denied a defect petition alleging 232 complaints of sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) in Tesla vehicles. Petitioner has sent updates which include a detail abstract with design details, along with 3 Defect Petition to Recall docs.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2023 TESLA MODEL 3
    - Lawrence, KS

    The 2023 Tesla Model 3 Performance Autopilot cameras "saw" things that are not there while driving during daytime on the highway aka phantom braking. This resulted in quick automatic braking making for a very uneasy drive with fear of being rear-ended when it happens. Yes, my vehicle is available for inspection. Our safety was put at risk due to potential to be rear-ended. Also, this happened on an icy road which has potential to cause sliding. I called the Tesla sales department where I purchased the vehicle. They said there was nothing they could do and that Tesla is working on it. There are many websites discussing the problem. My vehicle has not been inspected by Tesla. They told me there is nothing we can do. I have not contacted my insurance company or police. I'm not aware of any warning signs. You are driving on a highway during the day at 80 mph, the car's cameras "see" something that is not there, and it automatically brakes hard.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2023 TESLA MODEL 3
    - San Jose, CA

    I was driving from Palmdale, CA up to Mojave, CA at 7:05PM on June 16. The car was close to Rosamond, CA on the highway when it engaged FULL brakes. I started in the right lane, the autopilot was ON and set to 79MPH. The only cars visible on the highway were my car and the car in front of me. There were no other cars immediately visible to me or autopilot in front of me or behind me - other than us two. My car was traveling faster than the car in front of me, so at ~3-5 car lengths I started a left turn signal to merge into the left lane, and overtake the small car (silver Toyota?) in front of me in the left lane. When I started the left turn signal the autopilot disengaged as expected. I got in the left lane then stopped the signal, and turned ON autopilot @ 79MPH. My car started overtaking the car in the right lane, the car beside me was now in my right blind spot. Then all of a sudden my car engaged FULL brakes and went from 79 MPH to maybe 30MPH? As a reminder there were no cars in front of me or behind me. The other car was to my right. I quickly assessed the situation to confirm I wasn't going to be rear ended by the car to my right and pushed the gas peddle as hard as I could to accelerate back to 70+ MPH. I checked to see the sun was behind me so the car's cameras were definitely not blinded, I sped far enough away from the car next to me to take a photo of the area I was driving in. Please see the photo attached to see the condition of the sky and to confirm the roads were completely empty when the tesla decided to brake in its full capacity for what I believe to be no reason at all. I fully believe if there was someone behind me in the left lane even at a safe distance I would have been inadvertently rear ended as there was no reason or cause for the car to be breaking that hard. I'm sure Tesla can provide telemetry data from my car to corroborate my version of the events.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2023 TESLA MODEL 3
    - Sharon, MA

    8 minutes after leaving the dealership while driving along a highway, car displayed error message, "Acceleration and Top Speed Reduced" and began automatically slowing down and came to a complete stop. Fortunately I was able to pull over to the side next to a highway barrier but it was still a dangerous situation as cars and trucks were passing by at high speed. Car would not respond and not drive, even after turning off and on car and computer system several times. Police had to be dispatched to block lane and vehicle had to be towed away from side of highway. No explanation or help provided by Tesla as to why the brand new car suddenly stopped working.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2023 TESLA MODEL 3
    - Fayetteville, NY

    The contact's son owns a 2023 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 386.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2023 TESLA MODEL 3
    - Littleton, CO

    Car unexpectedly brakes while using the cruise control. This can occur multiple times on a long drive without warning and for no apparent reason.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2023 TESLA MODEL 3
    - scarsdale, NY

    soon after purchasing the vehicle (mile 43) while driving, the propulsion system failed completely and the screen instructed me to pull over but I could only drift as, again, pressing the gas pedal did nothing. This was a very dangerous incident and one that makes me fearful of putting my family back in the vehicle. I have repeatedly asked to speak with anyone at tesla about this issue but have had no email or phone calls returned or been given phone numbers that do not work. I received a message today that i am required to take back possession of the "repaired" car or be charged 100 dollar per day fee to keep their loaner. I do not wish to be behind the wheel when the other manufacturing defects are discovered but Tesla has given me no alternatives. A quick online survey of online forums indicates this is a recurring issue and one that tesla seems to treat with a "lets fix and hope it doesn't happen again" attitude. again, this is not a "failure to start" issue. this was a dangerous incident Tesla offers zero avenue to address with their corporate staff.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2023 TESLA MODEL 3
    - Apple Valley, CA

    On several occasions ( 8 or 10 times) while driving at highway speeds, with little traffic, on an extended trip, the vehicle suddenly applied the brakes for no apparent reason. I have learned that this is called "phantom braking". On one such occasion, I narrowly avoided being struck from behind by another vehicle following me by applying the accelerator. I have not yet reported this problem to Tesla, but intend to.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2023 TESLA MODEL 3
    - Buda, TX

    Car was purchased on Tuesday June 13th, on Wednesday June 14th with 50 miles on clock travelling down the centre lane of a Texas highway the vehicle presented a warning that it was powering down and to get off the road. The car slowed down due to the regen breaks 60-0 in just a few seconds resulting in a near miss pile up. When the Tesla tow truck arrived the driver advised that this was not the first time he has seen this issue. The error codes i managed to gather from the vehicle were as follows: DIR_a126, DIR_a137, DIR_a063, BMS_a170 (coolant and rear drive unit issues) The consumer is requesting help with his vehicle. If you require further information please let me know, this nearly caused a serious incident on an extremely busy highway.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE