2018 Tesla Model 3 Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2018 Model 3 most often describe front suspension and steering noises or looseness, along with software-related warnings and touchscreen dropouts. Complaints arrive at relatively low mileage for a car of this age, and many describe issues that appeared gradually and were sometimes attributed to outside influence by service centers rather than covered as a repair item.

1. 1
   Suspension

   Front suspension clunking, squeaking and detached links

   • 174 complaints (17%)
   • median 20,000 mi at 2.4 yrs old (51 state mileage)
   • 9 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,174 (median of 32 quotes)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners describe creaking, squeaking or clanking sounds from the front of the car, especially over bumps or in turns, and in some cases report that a control arm or fasteners came loose and the vehicle became hard to steer. Several complaints describe the dealer diagnosing worn control arm bushings or sheared fasteners and quoting replacement of control arms, bushings or the subframe. Others state that the repair was declined or not covered, with the cause described as outside influence. Reported from a few thousand miles up to roughly 90,000 miles, most commonly in the 20,000-40,000 mile range.

   Recall 23V2350001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Listen for clunks or squeaks from the front end over bumps and while turning, and ask whether the front suspension fasteners and control arm bushings have been inspected. A firmware feature now monitors wheel alignment over time, so ask whether the vehicle has the latest software.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The car was pulling very hard to the left. Took it to Tesla service center. They gave me an estimate of nearly $6000 to replace control arms and bushings and steering rack etc. They said the parts were damaged from outside influence . Whatever that means. The car is 18 months old and has 29,000 miles. No accidents or damage ever. This is a major manufacturing defect that could have had disastrous outcomes if I did not pick up on the symptoms first. This is in absolutely no way related to any outside influence . …”

   NHTSA complaint #11407320, filed 2021-04, 29,000 miles

   “While in motion, the vehicle creaks and squeaks from the suspension area. Control arms go bad prematurely and could cause a crash and or damage to the vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #11408163, filed 2021-04, 30,000 miles
2. 2
   Vehicle speed control

   Unexpected acceleration or abrupt deceleration while driving

   • 152 complaints (15%)
   • median 11,600 mi at 2.0 yrs old (51 state mileage)
   • 47 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners describe the car surging forward from a stop or while parking, sometimes striking a curb, wall or another vehicle, and in other cases braking hard on its own at highway speed with adaptive cruise control or Autopilot engaged. Several describe pressing the brake with no effect during the event. Complaints state that service centers reviewed logs and did not return a firm explanation, and some describe pedal-misapplication conclusions. Mostly reported under about 35,000 miles, and often described as a single event rather than a recurring one.

   Recall 21V846000Recall 23V838000Recall 23V085000Recall 22V037000

   What to check: Ask whether the car has the latest Autopilot and brake software and confirm the recall remedies for driver monitoring and forward collision warnings have been applied; drive at highway speed with cruise control engaged to see how it behaves.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was in bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway about to change lanes. I was on totally manual operation. The car suddenly accelerated and hit a car and continued with my foot on the brake to hit another car. There was no collision damage warning or avoidance automatically stopping the car.”

   NHTSA complaint #11403707, filed 2021-03, 55,921 miles

   “While driving on a highway Tesla suddenly hard braked out of nowhere. My speed dropped from 70 to 30 in a couple of seconds. There was an 18 wheeler behind me and it could have been a deadly collision if I hadn't intervened. This is a known Tesla but that someday would kill someone.”

   NHTSA complaint #11402908, filed 2021-03, 28,200 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Center touchscreen going blank or unresponsive

   • 93 complaints (9%)
   • median 23,831 mi at 3.2 yrs old (36 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,700 (median of 12 quotes)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Complaints describe the large center screen going black or freezing while driving, taking the speed display, turn signal clicks and climate and audio controls with it. Some owners report phantom touches on the screen and repeated reboots that did not resolve the problem. Others mention connectivity and phone key problems appearing at the same time. Spread from very low mileage (under 2,000) to about 60,000 miles, with no clear mileage pattern.

   Recall 24V051000Recall 22V263000

   What to check: During a test drive, check that the screen responds without ghost touches and does not blank, and ask whether the display or media control unit has ever been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My Tesla MODEL 3 has an issue know as phantom touch, which, based on the Tesla forms is not a problem that is unique to me, but it occurs with many early production model 3s. According to the discussions in Tesla forums, phantom touch is a hardware problem that is resolved by replacing the touch screen. Phantom touch has happened to me three times, the first two were when I first got in the car, and I just rebooted the system before driving. The third time it happened while my wife was driving and it created a potentially dangerous situation. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11329737, filed 2020-06, 14,300 miles

   “1. Backup camera occasionally goes black, rendering it useless. Occurs sporadically. 2. Charging port malfunction, will not open when trying to charge vehicle. 3. Center screen occasionally non-responsive,”

   NHTSA complaint #11388602, filed 2021-01, 23,662 miles
4. 4
   Forward collision avoidance

   Rear camera going black or slow to display

   • 94 complaints (9%)
   • median 18,000 mi at 3.0 yrs old (20 state mileage)
   • 10 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners report the backup camera showing a black or frozen image, or displaying late when shifting into reverse, and describe it persisting after software updates. Some note that side camera views fail at the same time. Complaints describe service visits where the issue could not be reproduced or where the owner was asked to pay for diagnosis. Reported from a few thousand miles to around 90,000, generally appearing gradually as an intermittent fault.

   Recall 21V00D000Recall 22V169000

   What to check: Shift into reverse and watch whether the rear image appears promptly and stays live, and ask whether the rear camera harness recall repair and current software have been completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The rear camera does not work. At first it was intermittent, now it is permanent. I have documentation of many instances with photos. I could upload only one.”

   NHTSA complaint #11398918, filed 2021-03, 14,500 miles

   “Rear camera frequently fails ranging in duration of failure from a few seconds, to hours, to days. Camera occasionally will work, but flicker between on and off. This failure occurs both while in motion and stationary. It presents a hazard whenever reversing/checking surroundings of the car. Multiple service attempts have not been able to resolve this issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11378166, filed 2020-12, 49,728 miles
5. 5
   Air bags

   Restraint system fault warnings (seat belt/airbag)

   • 184 complaints (18%)
   • median 20,000 mi at 3.5 yrs old (35 state mileage)
   • 13 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,411 (median of 54 quotes)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners report a front passenger or driver safety restraint system fault message appearing at startup or while driving, often intermittently at first and then continuously. Complaints describe the dealer diagnosing a seat belt or restraint wiring harness problem, and in some cases the repair was scheduled or performed while others were told to bring the car in later. Some owners connect the warning to seat belt buckle or wiring issues rather than a crash-related fault. Typically reported between roughly 19,000 and 60,000 miles, and mostly described as recurring or intermittent.

   Recall 24V376000Recall 22V045000Recall 22V798000Recall 21V389000

   What to check: Ask whether any restraint system fault codes have been stored or repaired, and check that the seat belt warning chime and passenger airbag status indicator behave normally with an occupant in the seat.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My wife is 5 feet tall and weighs 90 pounds. When sitting in the front passenger seat, the passenger side airbag indicator displays off. This means the passenger side airbag safety system is not available to her. The occupant classification system is failing at all times when she is in the front passenger seat..”

   NHTSA complaint #11360913, filed 2020-09, 20,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2018 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the Front Passenger Safety Restraint System (FPSRS) fault warning illuminated. The contact continued driving and later contacted the manufacturer. The contact was advised by the manufacturer that he had the option to repair the Safety Restraint System by a mobile technician or the vehicle could be driven to a dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11553466, filed 2023-11, 58,900 miles

Buying note. Look closely at the front suspension and steering for noises or looseness, and confirm which recalls and software updates have actually been applied, since several complaints describe unfinished recall work. A test drive including highway cruise control, reversing and a screen check covers most of what owners report here.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.