Tesla MODEL 3 transmission problems
24 complaint narratives mention transmission terms.
Key facts
4,285 owner complaints analyzed
36 distinct recall campaigns
11,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2017 to 2026 model years. Data snapshot: . 586 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Transmission and shifting evidence
24 of 4,285 complaints match this topic (0.6%). The keyword filter can include complaints that mention a transmission without reporting its failure. View matching rules.
Owner report 11203866 · 2019-04-26 (April 26, 2019)
VEHICLE HAS A "BRAKE HOLD" FEATURE. THIS FEATURE IS ENGAGED WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN GEAR, STOPPED, AND THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED AN ADDITIONAL DISTANCE. THIS FEATURE KEEPS THAT VEHICLE AT A STANDSTILL WITHOUT A NEED TO CONTINUE TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL. PER THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL, BRAKE HOLD CAN BE RELEASED BY PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR, BRAKE, OR BY SHIFTING THE VEHICLE INTO "NEUTRAL". THE RIGHT STEERING COLUMN STALK, HOWEVER, CAN BE USED TO SWITCH THE VEHICLE FROM BRAKE HOLD INTO THE OPPOSITE TRAVEL DIRECTION (D TO R OR R TO D) BY M…
Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11203866 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11217590 · 2019-06-03 (June 3, 2019)
IN ORDER TO CANCEL CRUISE CONTROL OR AUTOPILOT IN A TESLA MODEL 3, THE PRIMARY MECHANISM IS TO PUSH THE RIGHT STALK UPWARDS AS FAR AS IT WILL GO. HOWEVER, PUSHING THE SAME STALK UPWARDS ONLY PART OF THE WAY WILL CAUSE THE CAR TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL. THIS CAN CAUSE A DRIVER TO PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL WHILE IT IS UNDERWAY. THIS IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS IN A TESLA BECAUSE IF THE CAR IS IN NEUTRAL REGENERATIVE BREAKING IS DISABLED AND IT IS THE COMMON DRIVING HABIT TO USE REGENERATIVE BREAKING AS THE PRIMARY BRAKING MECHANISM. ESSENTIALLY, A DRIV…
Owner-reported narrative. 9,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11217590 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11518703 · 2023-04-24 (April 24, 2023)
I was experiencing intermittent Bluetooth connection issues along with vehicle not powering off and the gear shifting to park when moving the vehicle at (very) low speed without the seatbelt buckled. I noticed the Bluetooth connection problem after a bad software installation in Jan 2023, however the other two issues have been noticed since at least 2020. When I took the car for a second time, Tesla diagnosed the problem as a faulty seat occupancy sensor (SOS). Tesla told me that the driver side seat SOS is “sticky” that the car didn’t consis…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11518703 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11684449 · 2025-09-02 (September 2, 2025)
Main incident: Time: 2025-08-28 ~12:41 PM PST What happened: After searching for a parking space, the driver was preparing to reverse into the spot, the driver pressed up the stalk to shift the gear into reverse, a sound was heard and something showed up on the screen, the vehicle once again started accelerating and running forward suddenly and sharply (3 mph to 28 mph in 3 secs), driver tried to steer the vehicle away from cars and buildings to minimize danger, the car rushed onto a concrete curb, hit one blue Tesla, then hit the side of a co…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11684449 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11515905 · 2023-04-07 (April 7, 2023)
The lane keeping assistance will send the car jerking left or right without reason or warning. (I’m not sure if the car is reacting to a shadow on the road or for some other reason.). This has occurred a number of times with an abrupt and violent movement. The last time this occurred was at around 6:50pm on Wednesday April 5, 2023 while driving westbound approaching the northernmost Palm Beach Island bridge. The car made a violent and completely unnecessary shift out of the lane and I had to make a forceful corrective steering response that s…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11515905 at NHTSA ↗