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World Of EVEditorial

2026 Tesla Model 3 problems & recalls

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering the 2026 Tesla Model 3 and owners have filed 25 complaints. The most-reported area is forward collision avoidance (7 complaints). 9 complaints describe a crash.

Recalls
1
Complaints
25
Crash reports
9
Fire reports
0
Injuries
3

Recalls (1)

Jun 18, 2025#25V410000

Seats › Critical fasteners

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2026 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. The fasteners attaching the seat back to the seat bottom may have been improperly tightened.

Risk: The seat may not properly restrain the occupant, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Fix: Tesla Service Centers will inspect and tighten or replace the seat assembly fasteners as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 16, 2025. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla's number for this recall is SB-25-13-003.

Owner complaints (25)

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

  • Unknown or other9
  • Forward collision avoidance7
  • Steering5
  • Back over prevention4
  • Lane departure4
  • Vehicle speed control2
  • Suspension2
  • Structure2
  • Visibility/wiper1
  • Wheels1
  • Electrical system1
  • Air bags1

Complaints over time

Jan 2026: 1 complaintFeb 2026: 0 complaintsMar 2026: 0 complaintsApr 2026: 3 complaintsMay 2026: 1 complaintJun 2026: 2 complaintsJul 2026: 6 complaintsAug 2026: 6 complaintsSep 2026: 6 complaintsJan 2026
Complaints filed per month. Peak: 6 in Jul 2026. Hover a bar for its count.
Complaints filed per month
MonthComplaints
Jan 20261
Feb 20260
Mar 20260
Apr 20263
May 20261
Jun 20262
Jul 20266
Aug 20266
Sep 20266

Recent owner reports

Sep 26, 2026Unknown or other

I had FSD (Full Self Driving) (Supervised) enabled. The navigation map and turn instructions (which appear on the right side of the touchscreen) indicated that my car was to make a left turn at the upcoming intersection. After a full stop (at the Stop sign), my car crept out into the intersection, preparing to make an unprotected left turn (UPL) onto a major street (2 lanes of traffic in each direction). My car stopped (creeping out) when FSD “realized” that it was not yet safe to make the turn. My car, however had crept out far enough so that other vehicles coming from my left (in the right…

Sep 22, 2026Unknown or other⚠ Crash

On Sept 22 2026at approximately 10:26 AM, my Tesla vehicle was involved in a low-speed, 5 -10 mph rear-end collision while the Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised automation system was engaged. The vehicle failed to initiate a timely braking sequence for a lead vehicle, resulting in an impact. There was a sudden accleration right before the hit along with a sudden braking. Critical Safety Failures & Discrepancies: 1. Unwarned System Degradation: Following the incident, Tesla Service technicians reviewed my vehicle diagnostics and explicitly stated that internal logs flagged the FSD system perf…

Sep 18, 2026Steering

I was using the self driving feature and all of a sudden the steering wheel went haywire and was spinning. the car was swerving very aggressively in between lanes. putting my foot on the brake and hands on the wheel did not do anything.

Sep 18, 2026Visibility/wiper

The front windshield camera for FSD gets hazed and obstructs the front camera. Tesla say it’s from the gases that come from the interior from the vehicle being hot temperatures. My problem why did they not design the cameras like they did in the side puller protecting it from the interior gases. Now Tesla says they’ll clean it for 65.00. I just bought the car in March

Sep 12, 2026Vehicle speed control

When using Tesla's Full Self Driving (supervised) speed control is erratic and not subject to the driver's control, such as it would be when using adaptive cruise control. As a result, the available speed modes (sloth, chill, standard, hurry and Mad Max) can cause the vehicle to dangerously exceed speed limits and at times to drive well below the posted speed limit, causing confusion and frustration to following drivers. There is no reason why the software cannot be changed to a safer method that would permit the driver to select the speed at which the car will travel, i.e. the speed limit, s…

Sep 5, 2026Forward collision avoidance

My Tesla was operating under FSD at 9pm on a dark country road. I was traveling at 45mph and vehicle randomly applied hard emergency braking and I had to take over. It appeared that the vehicle may have been responding to a dark oil stain or possibly a mailbox. Had another vehicle been closely behind me, there would’ve been a collision.

Aug 31, 2026Unknown or other

“The affected system was Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) (Supervised). FSD correctly selected the northbound left-turn lane but, while executing the left turn to westbound Pecan Street, intermittently directed the vehicle into the eastbound lanes carrying opposing traffic.”

Aug 31, 2026Steering, Unknown or other, Back over prevention⚠ Crash

On August 26, 2026, at approximately 8:56 AM, I entered a public parking garage in Washington, DC. Full Self-Driving (Supervised) was engaged and controlling the vehicle during a reversing maneuver. I remained attentive to the vehicle's surroundings, including pedestrians and surrounding traffic. While reversing under FSD (Supervised), the vehicle's right rear corner collided with the corner of a stationary structural pillar in the parking garage. I did not command the vehicle to steer into the pillar. Upon becoming aware of the impact, I immediately applied the brake. There were no injuries…

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.