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World Of EVEditorial

2025 Tesla Model 3 problems & recalls

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering the 2025 Tesla Model 3 and owners have filed 117 complaints. The most-reported area is forward collision avoidance (30 complaints). 25 complaints describe a crash.

Recalls
3
Complaints
117
Crash reports
25
Fire reports
0
Injuries
9

Recalls (3)

Oct 10, 2025#25V690000

Electrical system › Propulsion system › Fuses, relays, contacts, and shunts

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.

Jan 7, 2025#25V002000

Back over prevention › Software

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.

Dec 17, 2024#24V935000Over-the-air fix

Tires › Pressure monitoring and regulating systems

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.

Owner complaints (117)

What owners reported to NHTSA, by component. One complaint can name several components.

  • Unknown or other36
  • Forward collision avoidance30
  • Steering25
  • Electrical system20
  • Lane departure18
  • Vehicle speed control14
  • Service brakes12
  • Structure6
  • Exterior lighting6
  • Suspension5
  • Back over prevention5
  • Engine4

Complaints over time

Nov 2024: 1 complaintDec 2024: 2 complaintsJan 2025: 6 complaintsFeb 2025: 3 complaintsMar 2025: 3 complaintsApr 2025: 6 complaintsMay 2025: 3 complaintsJun 2025: 10 complaintsJul 2025: 3 complaintsAug 2025: 11 complaintsSep 2025: 9 complaintsOct 2025: 9 complaintsNov 2025: 9 complaintsDec 2025: 9 complaintsJan 2026: 2 complaintsFeb 2026: 2 complaintsMar 2026: 6 complaintsApr 2026: 4 complaintsMay 2026: 3 complaintsJun 2026: 4 complaintsJul 2026: 6 complaintsAug 2026: 2 complaintsSep 2026: 4 complaints20252026
Complaints filed per month. Peak: 11 in Aug 2025. Hover a bar for its count.
Complaints filed per month
MonthComplaints
Nov 20241
Dec 20242
Jan 20256
Feb 20253
Mar 20253
Apr 20256
May 20253
Jun 202510
Jul 20253
Aug 202511
Sep 20259
Oct 20259
Nov 20259
Dec 20259
Jan 20262
Feb 20262
Mar 20266
Apr 20264
May 20263
Jun 20264
Jul 20266
Aug 20262
Sep 20264

Recent owner reports

Sep 19, 2026Seats

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 locked and not accessible while driving to prevent this.

Sep 19, 2026Forward collision avoidance

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

Sep 16, 2026Unknown 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 and unexpected maneuver created an immediate safety risk to me and the public; had there been pedestrians in the area, that risk would have been severe and potentially catastrophic. Based on the vehicle data available to me, approximately 0.85 seconds…

Sep 8, 2026Forward collision avoidance, Lane departure

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 - at sunrise or sunset - the forward-facing cameras behind the windshield are washed out by glare. The vehicle displays a camera blocked/blinded warning, and Autosteer and Traffic-Aware Cruise Control disengage and become unavailable while the car is m…

Aug 10, 2026Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system

I was on the freeway in the fast lane approaching a tunnel and vehicle came with warning vehicle shutting down. Code DL_a063. Vehicle stopped in fast lane would not move to shoulder. No prior warning there was any issue. State police came and had vehicle towed. Lucky the car behind me was able to stop in time.

Aug 1, 2026Steering, Electrical system, Service brakes

While operating the vehicle at low speed (~35 MPH reducing to a stop) on August 1, 2026, at approximately 10:38 AM under normal road and weather conditions, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic and simultaneous loss of primary braking capability and steering responsiveness. > Detailed Description of Failure: > * Brake Failure: Upon pressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to decelerate or stop adequately despite continuous application, nearly causing a collision. > * Steering Loss / Disconnection: Concurrently, while the steering wheel could physically be turned, it offered no directio…

Jul 28, 2026Suspension, Wheels

A front wheel of this vehicle and/or its suspension is undergoing extremely dangerous vibrations at highway speeds (65-70+ mph). It is enough to shake the entire vehicle multiple times per second. The local service center, without looking at the vehicle, stated it "would be fine to drive on until your appointment" and scheduled an appointment nearly a month out into the future after I brought up concerns that the vehicle is unsafe to drive. They also would not recommend any third party service centers to look at the vehicle in order to address the concern more urgently, nor offered any alterna…

Jul 20, 2026Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance

I am filing a formal safety complaint regarding a severe braking and stability control failure that resulted in unpredictable, highly dangerous vehicle behavior. While driving, the vehicle displayed a cascade of critical system failures, throwing error codes APP_w009 (AEB disabled), DI_a222 (Stability control disabled), DI_a223 (Traction control disabled), ESP_a080, and ESP_a067 (ESP/ABS sensor faults). This concurrent breakdown caused a total loss of critical safety features: Anti-lock Braking (ABS), Automatic Emergency Braking, Traction Control, "Vehicle Hold," and "Hill Start Assist." Beca…

Tesla Model 3 news

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall and complaint records, updated Oct 1, 2026. Complaints are owner reports and are not verified by NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.