2025 Tesla MODEL 3 problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
114 owner complaints analyzed
3 distinct recall campaigns
9,840 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2025 model year. Data snapshot: . 7 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Unknown Or Other is the most frequently named component, appearing in 35 of 114 complaints (30.7%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Steering behavior | 41 | 36.0% |
| Braking behavior | 22 | 19.3% |
| Engine operation | 2 | 1.8% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 2 | 1.8% |
| Transmission and shifting | 1 | 0.9% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other | 35 |
| Steering | 24 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | 19 |
| Electrical System | 15 |
| Lane Departure: Assist | 13 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 13 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | 12 |
| Service Brakes | 12 |
Unknown Or Other: 35; Steering: 24; Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control: 19; Electrical System: 15; Lane Departure: Assist: 13; Vehicle Speed Control: 13; Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking: 12; Service Brakes: 12
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 7 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 7; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (7). 107 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 81 |
| 2026 | 30 |
2024: 3; 2025: 81; 2026: 30
Pattern summary
Unknown Or Other leads the component reports. Steering behavior appears in 41 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 22 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 2 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11623784 · 2024-11-06 (November 6, 2024)
Hi, my car computer completly stop(complete blackout) on the highway, no power, all doors and window blooked, reduce brake and steering wheel capacity. I changed line and went to the side of the road, but in an intersection or other road type, that could have been so much worst results. No hard reset nothing put back the power of the car.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11623784 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11634160 · 2025-01-05 (January 5, 2025)
Turn signal buttons become inoperative. On occasion, the turn signal buttons cannot be engaged, they appear to be stuck and eventually become operative again. Also I believe the placement of the turn signal operators on the steering wheel instead of on stalks is a safety hazard as they are often difficult to engage like when the steering wheel is being turned and the buttons are therefor not in a position where they are easy to engage
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11634160 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11645905 · 2025-03-03 (March 3, 2025)
The contact owns a 2025 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving with the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving and attempting to parallel park into a parking space when it made a sudden left turn and crashed into a curb. The contact took over manually and depressed the brake pedal in order to avoid the entire vehicle driving over the curb. The contact mentioned that the Full Self-Driving software was the most updated version and it did not detect the curb causing the crash. The front passenger side bumper was damaged and scratches underneath …
Owner-reported narrative. 19,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11645905 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11683804 · 2025-08-28 (August 28, 2025)
On [XXX], at just 9,526 miles, my brand-new 2025 Tesla Model 3 (VIN: [XXX] ) suffered a front motor/inverter failure. The vehicle displayed the warning “Front Motor Disabled.” Tesla Vallejo Service confirmed this and replaced the front drive inverter (3DU). A catastrophic drivetrain failure at under 10,000 miles is unacceptable and raises serious concerns about reliability and safety. It still doesn't not accelerate as before. In addition, since delivery on [XXX], this vehicle has had persistent rattling and vibration issues in the cabin. I h…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11683804 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11690077 · 2025-09-27 (September 27, 2025)
Description of Issue: The car displayed error code DI_a137 and unable to drive/pull over safely. The vehicle became undrivable and had to be towed to the Tesla service center. The service center diagnosed a rear drive inverter failure and replaced the entire inverter assembly. Safety Concern: It is alarming for a critical drivetrain component to fail completely within the first year of ownership and at such low mileage. A sudden loss of power while driving poses a serious safety risk to the driver and passengers.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11690077 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11728811 · 2026-04-02 (April 2, 2026)
After the High Voltage Battery Contactor recall service, my 2025 Tesla Model 3 Performance suffered a sudden 13% drop in range (from 303mi to 264mi at 100% charge). An official Tesla Battery Health Test confirms the battery health is at 92% in less than a year of ownership. This degradation happened immediately following the recall procedure, indicating a hardware or software defect caused by the service.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11728811 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11743287 · 2026-06-10 (June 10, 2026)
Since leasing this car in April of 2025, it has been services 8 times totaling over 30 days of down time. The issues occured in order from oldest to newest/current: May of 2025 - Headliner trim falling down, unsuccessfully repaired by mobile technician June of 2025 - Windows stopped working. Center console door stopped shutting. Headliner still falling down. July of 2025 - Front wiring harness melted and took out the AC - the car didn't provide a single warning. The AC just stopped working. Passenger seat replaced for cosmetic defect August of …
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11743287 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11748459 · 2026-07-06 (July 6, 2026)
After disengaging Full Self-Driving (FSD), a mandatory questionnaire pop-up now stays on screen until manually answered, instead of auto-dismissing after a few seconds as it previously did. This forces the driver to interact with the touchscreen immediately after taking back manual control , a moment when full attention should be on the road, not a pop-up. The prompt blocks part of the instrument/display screen until it is tapped, and in some cases requires a minimum 5-second voice response to dismiss (a previous workaround allowing a near-inst…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11748459 at NHTSA ↗